Category Archives: Big Year

Birds: Making Ends Meet with a Crossed Bill

One of the birds I have yet to see in Washington County, or anywhere, is a crossbill – either a Red Crossbill or a White-winged Crossbill.  This week’s Adirondack Almanac has a nice article on them by Steven Faccio of the Vermont Center for Ecostudies.  Here’s the first part of the piece:

Crossbills are one of our most specialized groups of birds, feeding almost exclusively on conifer seeds. These hardy, nomadic finches have evolved oddly-shaped bills that allow them to exploit a food source before it becomes available to most other birds. However, being so specialized and relying on a single primary source of food means that when that food is unavailable, they have to search far and wide to make ends meet.

Adult female White-winged Crossbill. photo by Wildreturn

Adult female White-winged Crossbill. photo by Wildreturn

North America has two species of crossbills – white-winged crossbills (Loxia leucoptera) and red crossbills (Loxia curvirostra). Both are widespread across boreal regions dominated by conifer trees, and populations extend south into mountainous areas, with red crossbills reaching as far south as Mexico. In the Northeast, the more slender-billed white-winged crossbill, which is more commonly observed, spends most of its time foraging on the relatively small cones of spruce, balsam fir, hemlock, and tamarack, while red crossbills are typically associated with large-coned white and red pines.

Based on their distinctive flight calls, ornithologists have identified 9 or 10 types, or “morphs,” of red crossbills. Although some researchers believe that many of these types deserve species status, taxonomists have yet to agree. Moreover, they can’t seem to agree on just what to call them – are they morphs, super-species, sibling species, or sub-species? What they do know is that six red crossbill types have evolved bills that are each adapted to feed on cones from a single species of conifer tree. Such specialization requires that crossbills depend on finding a particular species of conifer seed, because, compared to other finches, crossbills are rather inefficient at foraging on non-conifer seeds. For crossbills, the most important characteristic of a conifer tree is that its cones stay closed, or partially closed, through late winter and into spring. If cones open too early, less specialized species, such as pine siskins or nuthatches, will eat the seeds.

Read the whole article here.

So, I’m psyched to find some of these for my County Big Year, either pretty soon before they head north or this Fall.  Got to be at the right place at the right time.  Good birding.

Red Birds at the Red Hen Bakery

logoThe Red Hen Bakery here in Middlesex is known for its bread, pastries, coffee, and ambiance.  What I found today is that they can also be sort of a birding hotspot.

It was another cold, barren Vermont winter day but Penny and I took off in the truck for some errands and some birding.  We were up at the airport, checking the Luscombe’s tiedowns, when a landing corporate jet stirred up a gaggle of snow buntings.  I couldn’t go out on the taxiway, which I normally might do, since the jet was coming up our way and the birds swirled away.  No chance to look for horned larks or others.

I had a coffee date with Mary at Red Hen so I worked my way up the back dirt roads looking for hawks but all I found was clouds of dust from fast-moving pickups who had little time for a birder.  So, I was sort of discouraged since my arm was aching again and we were seeing nothing as I pulled into the busy parking lot.  As I maneuvered the big truck in tight space, I caught a flash of red out the passenger window and saw a male Northern Cardinal flying around a parked pickup.  I grabbed the camera and shot a few shots and then moved the truck so that I could get the window down as the guy preened in the pickup mirror.  It reminded me of state parks in Texas where we had to cover our mirrors with Walmart plastic bags to keep the cardinals away.  It also was a bird I needed for my County Big Year.

"Hey, I'm looking pretty good for a three year-old. Can't wait for the gals to get to town." photo by dickmfield

“Hey, I’m looking pretty good for a three year-old. Can’t wait for the gals to get to town.” photo by dickmfield

I was running late for coffee so I jumped out of the car and started toward the bakery when I heard bird song from some trees nearby — a rare sound this time of year in Vermont.  Back to the truck for the binoculars and camera — and I spotted a couple of finches singing away.  I got some shots in bad light and I thought they were House Finches but couldn’t confirm it until I go home and saw the photos.  We spotted a Dark-eyed Junco on the way out — it was a nice end to the outing, to say nothing about the coffee and scone that were the celebratory brunch.

A couple of House Finches serenaded us as we walked to the bakery. A nice sign of the possibility of springtime. photo by dickmfield

A couple of House Finches serenaded us as we walked to the bakery. A nice sign of the possibility of springtime. photo by dickmfield

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BIG YEAR COUNTING IN A COUNTY

This article struck home as I go through a period of no new birds in my searches.  It’s mid-February, what do I expect in Vermont?  Hey, at least a Northern Hawk Owl, or a Snowy, or a Varied Thrush — all birds we’ve had in the past.  But this post, written by Lynn Barber on the ABA blog, gives me some comfort.  But not too much — she’s going to Honduras soon for a break.  I’m going out in the woods to cut more firewood but perhaps I’ll find some wandering bird — you never know.  Here’s Lynn’s fine post:

Surprise, surprise! Doing a county big year is a different thing than doing a state big year, and of course very different than an ABA big year. That is of course particularly true of a big year done in a county that is way up north, Pennington County in South Dakota. I’m not sure what the number of birds possible for a year is, because I do not have data on anyone else having done a big year in this county. I know, however, that the number of birds possible in one county, even a large county, in western South Dakota is much less than in all of the state, or in Texas, or in the ABA area.On January 1st this year, two of us doing a fairly intense big day in Pennington County found considerably more than half of the likely winter birds in the county. Most of the birds that may be somewhere in the county right now that I have not already seen this year are probably here year round. In other words, there seems to be very little need to go birding right now to try to find the birds that are around but that I have not yet seen.

The lure right now after finding most of the likely regular winter county birds is the hypothetical wandering bird. That’s what gets me out into the snow and wind, sometimes. The problem is that South Dakota is not likely to get many wandering birds in the winter. The wandering Pacific birds (Brambling for example) or wandering Atlantic birds (Northern Lapwing) or wandering Mexican birds (like Brown Jays or Crimson-collared Grosbeaks) are not likely going to wander as far as South Dakota. What I can hope for as winter hangs around for a few more months are winter birds that are sometimes found in nearby counties but not in this one. Examples include Gray-crowned Rosy-finches that are found in most winters one county to the west (on a mountain top) or Common Ravens that are rarely found in the state but one was found last year to the north and west of Pennington County, or Pinyon Jays that in theory could wander to this county from other Black Hills counties.

Or maybe I could do the unexpected and relax about birding. I find that staring out my home office window at our bird feeding areas, watching the over two dozen wintering American Tree Sparrows, and photographing them, including short videos, is very satisfying. Sometimes I even forget for days on end that I am doing a big year. In fact I’m beginning to suspect that there will be very little that will be big about this year. Oddly enough, that does not particularly bother me. Of course when spring migration approaches, all that may change. I just cannot imagine being non-frenetic during warbler time.

In the meantime, I’m heading for Honduras in a couple of weeks. This will be my first international birding trip since I got hooked on doing these big years. It’s not only that the big years drained all our funds away. They also did not allow me to look outside the U.S. Doing a county big year has given me freedom to expand my birding to non-big-year birding, and I can hardly wait!

American tree sparrow

One of the American Tree Sparrows in Lynn’s yard. photo by Lynn Barber

Note:  Lynn Barber is a noted birder who recently published Extreme Birder: One Woman’s Big Year

County Big Year Goals – February

January was a good birding month for me in Washington County.  I missed by monthly goal of 35 by one but also picked up several birds I didn’t expect: a Bald Eagle and a Barred Owl, and saw my nemesis bird, the Northern Shrike, for the first time.  I now see one at least weekly but we knew that would happen. I got two new life birds, the aforementioned shrike and a Barrow’s Goldeneye (over in Chittenden County.)  In spite of my whining about missing Texas birds, it was a good winter birding month.

The best January bird was this handsome Bald Eagle along the Dog River just south of Montpelier. Canon PowerShot SX50 HS Settings: 1/160 ƒ/6.5 ISO 640 215 mm

The best January bird was this handsome Bald Eagle along the Dog River just south of Montpelier. Canon PowerShot SX50 HS Settings: 1/160 ƒ/6.5 ISO 640 215 mm

Looking over the birds I missed in January, I’m only concerned about one — Pine Grosbeak —  because if I don’t get them now they may not  be here in November or December this year. I have reviewed historic eBird sightings in Washington County for February and frankly, there aren’t a lot to add to my missing list.  Things will heat up a bit in March as early migrants return.

Here’s the list of birds I am targeting for February:

Cooper’s Hawk

Red-tailed Hawk

Great Black-backed Gull  (a little iffy but seen at Grow Compost)

Golden-crowned Kinglet (I know they are here but hard to spot, or hear)

Cedar Waxwing

Song Sparrow

White-throated Sparrow

Pine Grosbeak

Purple Finch

Pine Siskin

House Sparrow (I’ve been walking around parking garages and strip malls with no luck)

Red-winged Blackbird (Perhaps an early returnee)

Common Grackle  (Perhaps an early returnee)

Brown-headed Cowbird  (Perhaps an early returnee)

While I know I won’t get all of these, I may pick up something I hadn’t counted on so my modest February goal is 14 more for a total of 48.  Stay tuned.

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You Lookin’ At Me?

Today was the first day above freezing we’ve had in several weeks and with all the melting, I figured that there might be some critters stirring, and perhaps I could see a Red-tailed or Cooper’s hawk.  So, after a morning meeting, I took the truck for a little drive, looking for raptors.  I also checked the Winooski to see if perhaps some areas had opened back up.  I pulled into Lover’s Lane, a dirt road in Moretown where Mary and I had seen a couple of Hooded Mergansers a couple of weeks ago.  Nothing doing, the river was ice-covered.

I turned the truck around in a series of backs and forwards, and pulling out, saw a Walmart bag on a branch across the meadow.  No, that’s a hawk.  I stopped the truck, cross-wise to the little road, and got the binoculars on it.  A Barred Owl was staring right back at me.  I rolled down the window and took a few photos as it sat perched there, watching the ground for lunch and every so often casting a glance my way.  I was quite a distance out but got some decent shots of a neat bird.  Pretty uncommon to see one in broad daylight but it’s the first good lunch day we’ve had in a while.

A Barred Owl in Moretown, VT. Canon PowerShot SX50 HS. Settings: 1/125ƒ/6.5ISO 800215 mm

A Barred Owl in Moretown, VT. Canon PowerShot SX50 HS. Settings: 1/125ƒ/6.5ISO 800215 mm

Back in December, I set some goals for a County Big Year.  My species goal for January was an optimistic thirty-five.  Well, the Barred Owl brings me to 34 with day to go.  No big deal one way or the other, but it’s a nice start to the year’s count.

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Brown Creeper for the County Big Year List

As I noted in a blog post in October, I love Brown Creepers.  However, I haven’t seen any since that day in October and while I know they are in our woods, I’ve dipped on them.

They were one of the 35 species on my County target list for January.  They’re tough to spot, being really small and blending in with the tree trunks.  We’ve had a lot of very cold temperatures with wind so their calls may have been masked by the woods noises.   They remained the only bird I hope to see in our woods until today.  It’s been tough birding, temperature aside, with the snowy trail very rough from the times I walked it when the snow was warmer — now it demands attention to the trail, not the trees.  So I know I’ve probably walked right by Brown Creepers.

This afternoon, it was sunny but windy with a wind chill down around zero.  I took the dog out and noted that there were many Chickadees active in the pines — more so than usual.  Then, just several hundred yards from the house, I saw movement on a big white pine tree trunk and Bingo, there’s the little creeper.  I wanted to get a photo (I’m trying to record each of my County birds) so I dropped my mittens, hauled my camera out of the parka, and in doing so lost the bird.  They are tough to see.  Then, I heard it call from another tree and then it flew to the next.  I followed it down into the woods, trying to get it in the camera.  They blend so well and are constantly moving — and my bare hands, already aching from the cold, fumbled with the camera controls.  But I got a couple of shots for the record — and got back to my mittens and their “hotties.”

A Brown Creeper working up the trunk of one of our White Pines. Canon PowerShot SX50 HS 1/100ƒ/5.6ISO 64059.4 mm

A Brown Creeper working up the trunk of one of our White Pines. Canon PowerShot SX50 HS 1/100ƒ/5.6ISO 64059.4 mm

It then took the rest of the walk to thaw out my fingers.  I heard a woodpecker working away and just ahead, this male Hairy was going after an afternoon snack.

A male Hairy Woodpecker Canon PowerShot SX50 HS 1/160ƒ/6.5ISO 250215 mm

A male Hairy Woodpecker Canon PowerShot SX50 HS 1/160ƒ/6.5ISO 250215 mm

Now, the task is to find a Golden Crown Kinglet. Again, I know we have them and that I’ll see them later in the year but it would be great to spot on before January ends.  They’re small, flitty, and their call is even higher pitched than the Brown Creeper.  So, that’s tomorrow’s target bird.

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A Snowy but Birdy Day

Last night, I was at a meeting when a non-birding friend of mine said, “Dick, I saw a beautiful Bald Eagle today down on the Dog River.”  He went on to briefly describe the location and then the meeting started.

Bald Eagles are much more common in Vermont these days but still pretty unusual in Washington County — none have been recorded this year — and it’s a bird I need for my county big year so this morning, Penny and I were off in the truck to go birding.  It was snowing with an inch or more on the ground as we drove around Montpelier looking for Pine Grosbeaks. (Another friend had emailed me about a flock of 16 the day before.)  We saw nothing bird-wise and the snow was just steady enough to make the trip questionable.

We drove south about four miles to where Shawn had seen the eagle but I couldn’t spot anything.  Route 12 has a lot of traffic and with the snow, there was no shoulders to pull off on — and so we trudged along southward to Northfield, thinking the there might be some Grosbeaks at Norwich University.  There weren’t.

A bit discouraged about wasting gas on wild eagle chases, I back-tracked and just where it should be, perched the eagle, regal in a Birch tree with a couple of crows mobbing it.  It was on the passenger side so I drove up ahead, found a driveway to turn in, (thank you 4WD), and drove back with the window down.  I pulled partway off the highway, with blinkers on, and took photographs through the open window for about five minutes as cars wooshed by.  It was a great bird to get.  Here’s a photo from quite a distance.

Bald Eagle, Berlin, VT CanonPowershot SX50HS 1/400ƒ/6.5ISO 1250 215 mm

Bald Eagle, Berlin, VT CanonPowershot SX50HS 1/400ƒ/6.5ISO 1250 215 mm

Returning to Montpelier in the light snow, I decided to try a few more spots for birds I need.  I drove up Junction Road which parallels the Winooski River and spotted a couple of Blue Jays and slowing, two American Tree Sparrows foraging.  Just ahead was a parking area so I pulled in, got the dog on a leash which I tied to my belt, and she pulled me up the snowy dirt road to where we had seen the birds.  It was a literal jackpot:  first the Blue Jays, then a few Chickadees, then three American Robins.  Robins are a bit sparse in January in central Vermont and these were my first of the year.  After watching a couple more tree sparrows, several birds flew in and the robins hassled them.  I got my glasses on them:  waxwings — another bird I need.  Soon about a dozen Bohemian Waxwings were going after the fruit on one of the trees.

American Robin in light snowfall, on sumac. Canon PowerShot SX50 HS. 1/1600ƒ/7.1ISO 1250154.8 mm

American Robin in light snowfall, on sumac. Canon PowerShot SX50 HS. 1/1600ƒ/7.1ISO 1250154.8 mm

 

Bohemian Waxwing in light snow. Canon PowerShot SX50 HS. Settings: 1/400ƒ/6.5ISO 400215 mm

Bohemian Waxwing in light snow. Canon PowerShot SX50 HS. Settings: 1/400ƒ/6.5ISO 400215 mm

It was a great morning after a poor start.  I added four birds to my county list bringing my County Big Year total to 29.  January goal is 35 — may just make it with a few more outings like today’s.

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Nemesis Bird – Northern Shrike – Yes!

This is my fourth year of birding and for the last two of them, I’ve been whining about not finding a Northern Shrike.  I’ve sort of whined in posts here and here.  A couple of days ago, I saw Chip and Larry, young friends of mine from the North Branch Nature Center, and I began again.  I noted to Larry that he was on my bad guy list because he keeps seeing shrikes and I never do.  He replied, “Dick, I hate to tell you.  I just saw one on my way to work” and went on to tell me where — up near my eye doctor’s office.

Fast forward a couple of days.  Yesterday, I had to take Mary up to the hospital for an appointment and had some time to kill so off the dog and I went in the truck to bird.  I headed right up to the spot Larry had mentioned, figuring it was another wild shrike chase.  I scanned the tree line way off as I drove in and saw a dot way off.  As I parked and got the glasses on it, aha!  Definitely a Northern Shrike perched at the top of a big birch tree, over a quarter mile off.  I watched a bit, took some long-range photos from the truck, and then got out to get my scope.  As I set up the rig, I noted that the bird was gone.  I doubt with all the coming and going in the parking lot I spooked it but it was a find — life bird number 355.  Here is a lousy image that I got from far away:

Life bird 355. Hope to see it closer for a better photo.

Life bird 355. Hope to see it closer for a better photo.

After packing up and warming up frozen hands, I turned the truck around and up ahead, a small flock of birds flew right in front of me.  I turned into another lot, noting that they were snow buntings.  They kept moving away from me as I tried to photograph them through the open window – and of course, I was blocking someone coming in for an appointment.  I got better positioned as they settled along the driveway edge and was able to grab a couple of shots before a car came along and flushed them for good — off they went sailing across the snowy fields with a 20 knot tailwind.  They were a County first for me and County Big Year bird 19.    About then, Mary called to say that she was getting fitted for a new support boot for her broken toe and would be ready soon.  I think I had more fun than she but we both had successful afternoons.

Snow Buntings working the edge of a driveway. County bird #19 for 2013.

Snow Buntings working the edge of a driveway. County bird #19 for 2013.

County Big Year – Good First Day

We awoke to more new snow and a stiff Northwest wind, and a forecast for even colder temperatures.  It stays dark until about 7:00 AM but sure enough, at 7:05 the first Black-capped Chickadee visited with window feeder.  Right after that, a Common Redpoll came to the thistle seed feeder and then the parade of hungry birds started.

Our first bird of 2013 was a Black-capped Chickadee. photo by Mac Mansfield.

Our first bird of 2013 was a Black-capped Chickadee. photo by Mac Mansfield.

Shortly afterwards, I took our Vizsla out on a cold birding snowshoe outing but most of the birds still around were back at the house chowing down.  We then went out and birded for an hour at North Branch Nature Center and got a lot of exercise but few birds.

I had figured that there were about 15 species here in the County this month.  When I returned home, the feeders were alive with redpolls and after studying them for some time, I spotted a Hoary Redpoll right next to a Common Redpoll.  By noontime, I had logged the following birds:

American Crow
Hairy Woodpecker
Blue Jay
Black-capped Chickadee
White-breasted Nuthatch
Common Redpoll
Hoary Redpoll
Red-breasted Nuthatch
White-breasted Nuthatch
Dark-eyed Junco

It was a good first day. Tomorrow’s temperature is supposed to be even colder. Is is OK if I crank up the wood fire and hope for a Downy Woodpecker and a Brown Creeper at the feeders?

County Big Year – Goal Setting

As I plan for a Big Year for the county, I’ve been looking over the data on eBird for Washington County for counts of birds for the last few years.  This year’s reports have new records — 196 for the county and 167 by the top individual, the team Fred & Chris Pratt.  They are gone three months of the year which makes the feat even more impressive.

The Hairy that hits our suet daily should be an easy New Year's Day county tick.

The Hairy that hits our suet daily should be an easy New Year’s Day county tick.

We had finch irruptions this year but few if any rare species like the Northern Hawk Owl or Varied Thrush of former years so based on about 200 species for the county, I’m going to to set a personal target of 170 species in Washington County for 2013.  (I have only logged 132 species for this year although we were gone from the state quite a bit.)  So, off we start next week.

I'm hoping that the Common Redpolls that are overrunning our feeders will stay for another week -- or longer.

I’m hoping that the Common Redpolls that are overrunning our feeders will stay for another week — or longer.

I decided to set some monthly goals as well based on past arrivals of species on eBird.  I took a look at January bird records and set a target of 35 species for the month.  Many of them will be easy (crow, chickadee, blue jay, nuthatches,etc) but I’m hoping to see Bohemian Waxwings, which I’ve missed this year, a Northern Shrike, which is a nemesis bird for me, and a return of Pine Siskins and Pine Grosbeaks.  The waterways have pretty much frozen up so the Mallard and mergansers I have on the list may have to wait until later.  I also need the Common Redpolls to hang around for another week.

White-breasted Nuthatches, like this one visiting today, are here all winter (along with their red-breasted cousins.

White-breasted Nuthatches, like this one visiting today, are here all winter (along with their red-breasted cousins.

The next step in my planning will be to spend more time with maps of the county, putting together a list of hot spots and areas that have potential that I’ve never visited.

Given the new two feet of powder, I have a feeling that much of my January birding will be on snowshoes or XC skis.  Oh Darn!