Category Archives: Birds

Southern Birding – Why We Travel

I think it was the dozen Eastern Bluebirds I saw as we drove in to Harrison Bay State Park in Tennessee, or else the flock of Pine Warblers at Clarko State Park in Missisippi, but about the turn of the year, it was obvious that "We are not in Kansas anymore." In the first four days of the year, I picked up 65 species, mostly birding as I walked the dog after the day’s travel.

One of the birds I see at every stop is the Eastern Phoebe – this is a Mississippi bird:

As a pilot, I was trained to keep a continuous scan pattern going, and I try to apply it driving. Check the road, the mirrors, the speed, and the fields and air for birds. I know the dangers of texting or talking on a phone – it is obvious when I see speed changes or lane weaving. Birding can be just as distracting if you are the driver so I stick to stuff in front of us. On a stretch on I-10 through Louisiana, I got Cattle Egrets, a Great White Egret that flew up in front of us, several Red-tailed Hawks, some Black-crowned Night Herons, and some Great-tailed Grackles at the rest stops.

We are in Goliad State Park in Texas and leave Monday for a two-week stay in Mission, where we will join some birder friends and immerse ourselves into the special place of the Valley. We have been without wifi for a week and our working off the iPads with crappy 4G coverage – but here, if I can upload them, are some bird shots from the last few days.

While birding with Penny on a trail at Village Creek State Park in Texas, I heard an unfamilier call and then this Eastern Towhee popped up:

Here at Goliad, there are many Ladder-backed Woodpeckers. The size of a Downy, they move a lot and are hard to photograph. This one is on the move:

Early Sunday morning, I saw this Red-shouldered Hawk before it saw me, and I got a great look – until the dog spooked it. I was able to get a long-range shot although it was watching us like a ….. hawk:

There are hundreds ot Turkey Vultures circling all day – right out of a Hitchcock film. In the morning, the trees are draped with them. Here are some getting ready for bedtime:

One of my favorite southern birds is the Great Kiskadee. They are noisy, colorful, and rather plentiful along the Rio Grande, and after a while, easy to take for granted. I hadn’t seen one in two years and didn’t expect them up in Goliad – so it was quite a pleasant surprise to hear their call and then see a pair. This one waited patiently for a long-range photo op.

The park ranger warned us this afternoon that it was going down to freezing tonight and that we might want to let our water hoses drip. There is a cold snap (for South Texas) coming but we are moving southward in the morning and should be ok. I stored my winter stuff in the truck today – Mary, who is wiser, is keeping hers close by for another few days.

Some Winter Birds

I took a trip over to Cherry Hill Reservoir a few days ago, braving a strong west wind, and got a good bracing workout for myself and the dog.  We also saw some nice birds.  Hundreds of Ruddy Ducks are often resting there in the fall and this trip was no exception: most were resting with the heads tucked in and stiff tails up in the air.  This gal was off by herself.

Female Ruddy Duck with tail down and some morsel in her beak, just cruising along.

Female Ruddy Duck with tail down and some morsel in her beak, just cruising along.

I took a few other shots with the Canon PowerShot SX50 HS before giving in to the elements.

This American Coot did not want its picture taken. We'll see many of these down south next month.

This American Coot did not want its picture taken. We’ll see many of these down south next month.

A Double-crested Cormorant preening in the stiff west wind. This was taken at long-range zoom.

A Double-crested Cormorant preening in the stiff west wind. This was taken at long-range zoom.

This snappy-looking Bufflehead flew in and dove before he saw me, and popped up for this shot. Great bird.

This snappy-looking Bufflehead flew in and dove before he saw me, and popped up for this shot. Great bird.

The Amazing Buffleheads

A wonderful guest post by Sue McGrath …
I’ve been watching a small flotilla of Buffleheads on Plum Island this week.

It’s Butterballs’ diving that forces me to stop and linger, to observe for understanding. I watch the thrusts, leaps, propulsion and buoyancy. Their plumage is pulled tight into their body; then, with a thrust of power and a slight, forward, nearly upward leap, they plunge. Their pink legs and feet force this propulsion. Upon surfacing, they bob cork-like on the surface like a tiny toy used to lure a reluctant toddler to its evening bath.

They’re the smallest of the diving ducks native to North America. They are sexually dimorphic both in plumage and in size. Drakes just exceed a pound in weight, and the hen, even smaller, weighs in at three-quarters of a pound. They’re agile swimmers and divers. On land, they’re awkward because their legs are set well back on their bodies.

I’ll never tire of watching these buoyant, petite ducks that fly low over water and then higher over land. These black and white ducks are fast in flight with rapid wing beats without even a whistle. They are one the fastest waterfowl and are easily recognized by their small size, large head and flight cadence.

photo by Mike Baird

While a flock is diving for food, there’s almost always at least one sentinel on the surface alert to danger. I see them divide their time between shallow dives and rest periods on the surface. I’ve timed their dives – they stay under 10 – 14 seconds. After the dive, they surface, and their bills are prey-less since they consume their prey while underwater. On freshwater, they eat mostly insects, and in waters of salinity, they feed predominantly on crustaceans and mollusks. Aquatic plants and fish eggs are often on the menu too. Once during the shorter, harsher days of winter, I saw some foraging even after dark.

On the water, when lighting permits, Buffleheads create stunning reflections of symmetrical beauty. They have dark-chocolate, brown eyes. Drakes are white with a black back, and their black head has a greenish to purple iridescence and a large, white patch from behind the eye to the top and back of the head. The dark hen sports a single, almond-shaped, white patch behind the eye.

Buffleheads have a woodpecker and boreal forest connection. Buffleheads nest almost exclusively in cavities excavated by Northern Flickers and Pileated Woodpeckers. The breeding range of the Bufflehead is restricted to the woodlands of North America. The vast majority of Buffleheads breed in boreal forests and substrates studded with aspen.

The Bufflehead is shy and mostly monogamous, often remaining with the same mate for several years – an admirable trait in today’s world of short-term commitments. The hen lays eggs at a slower interval than most other ducks, commonly with intervals of two or three days between eggs.

I think of the importance of the Northern Flicker and the Pileated Woodpecker and their skills as excavators as I study Buffleheads in local rivers, sheltered waters of Ipswich Bay or the Plum Island estuary area.

The intertwined threads in nature continue to amaze me. When one pulls one thread, others unravel…

Sue McGrath
Newburyport Birders
Newburyport, MA 01950 USA
www.newburyportbirders.com

Why Are Hummers So Mean To Each Other?

As I try to heal from a torn meniscus or two from my birding mishap, I have had a lot of time to sit and quietly observe the many birds at our feeders. We have dozens of young Purple Finches along with more sparrows than I’ve seen before — chipping, white-throated, song — many little brown jobs.

Hummer1W

Let’s try this before Mr. Macho chases me off.

The woodpeckers and nuthatches hit the suet, as do the chickadees. Mourning Doves clean up the deck while Common Yellow-throats and an occasional warbler also hang out in the nearby crabapple tree. Sitting and just observing is much better than TV, and there is the undertone that most of these guys and gals are trying to add weight for the journey ahead.

Many are in molt and some come looking pretty ratty. This is  particularly noticeable after some of the many rains we’ve had.  It makes the ones with new outfits, some of the male American Goldfinches and Purple Finches, really stand out.

But why can’t the hummers get along? All day long, they seem to be chasing one another off a feeder. Sitting there reading, you get one buzzing by pretty close, with another right behind. We have two feeders and usually no more than three hummers at a time, but it is bothersome. The males seem to be the harrassers but I’m not sure the gals don’t reciprocate. Mating season is long gone and it seems like they all need to tank up and get ready to head southward before two long.

I hope she left some for me.

I hope she left some for me.

I guess, as I get my knee back in shape, I’ll have plenty of time to do some reading on this subject – right now it just makes me want ask them. “You’re acting like seventh-graders. Why can’t we all just get along.”

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Mid-July Birds

After a nice cold front passage, the dawn chorus this morning, starting before five, was lovely. Several very persostent and loud American Robins sang non-stop, nearly drowning out the other singers. Song Sparrows tuned up as did Common Yellowthroats and Purple Finches. A ways off, a White-throated Sparrow sang the “peabody, peabody” tune. Then, about 5:30, it got very still except for the quiet cooing of a Mourning Dove. What a lovely way to start a summer Sunday in Vermont.

I put out the bird feeder and suet about six and a Hairy Woodpecker shows up right away with a “it’s about time” attitude. Four finches hit the feeder as does a chickadee. I hear our first Chestnut-sided Warbler and Blue Jay.

On our early morning walk, the dog and I took our time, she checking new smells, I listening for bird calls and enjoying the cool morning air.  A sweatshirt felt good — a little unreal after the 90+ temperatures of last week.  I heard a Brown Creeper and then an Ovenbird.  The bird activity picked up again as the sun rose.

I heard a Black and White Warbler and then a Yellow-rumped Warbler began singing right overhead.  I chased it around with the binoculars and then the camera but it moved pretty erratically.  I grabbed a couple of lousy shots including this one:

YRWarblerW

Down in the meadow, things were hopping in the dew-soaked goldenrod.  Several Common Yellowthroats and about a half dozen Song Sparrows cavorted.  The foliage and weak morning light made photos tough.  Here are a couple:

Yellowthroats love to hide in the underbrush -- and are a challenge to photograph.

Yellowthroats love to hide in the underbrush — and are a challenge to photograph.

There were several juvenile Song Sparrows like this chasing each other around.

There were several juvenile Song Sparrows like this chasing each other around.

I happened to look up just as a hawk, likely a Broad-winged, flew over with a rodent in its talons.  It was being harassed by a group of smaller birds.  It returned, empty-handed, a bit later and I suspected it might have youngsters to feed.  Several Red-eyed Vireos started up in the tall sugar maples, singing their seemingly never-ending song.  I could spot them but they were way up there and moving a lot.

As I headed back, I thought about how precious these days are, filled as they are with bird song and many youngsters learning the ropes.  They’ll be heading out soon — I haven’t seen our Rose-breased Grosbeak pair in about a week and suspect they are easing southward.  I was encouraged, as I poured another coffee, to see one of our juvenile hummers tanking up.  They have a long trip ahead of them.

HummerAW

Drink up buddy, you’ve got a long trip ahead of you.

Hummingbirds

HummerWHummingbirds are a thrill to watch! Their brain is about the size of a BB. The nest is constructed of plant down, spider webs, lichen & tree sap. Hummers eat about every 10 minutes. Their long tongues aid in nectaring. Hummingbirds’hearts are larger proportionally to their body than any other bird or mammal. There are over 325 species of hummingbirds, making them the second largest family of birds in the world, second only to flycatchers.

Here’s a primer on hummingbird vocabulary. You’ll appreciate these gems more & share their beauty knowing these terms…

Bill – The bony, keratin-covered projection of a bird’s mouth – A hummingbird’s long, thin bill is specially designed for sipping nectar & is one of the most distinctive features of these birds. The length, thickness, color & curve of the bill varies by species.

Dimorphic – The distinct physical differences between genders – Most hummingbird males are brightly colored & iridescent while females are plain, affording them to stay camouflaged while nesting. Young male hummingbirds often resemble females but will attain more color as they mature.

Gorget – The brightly colored throat patch – Many male hummingbirds have distinctly colored gorgets that serve as key field marks for proper
identification based on the gorget’s color & shape. The gorget is often flared to show off its brilliance while breeding or defending territory.

Hyperphagia – A hormonally-induced state of extreme appetite & overeating prior to migration – Hummingbirds may increase their mass by 50 percent or more before migrating so they have enough energy for the journey. Bird feeders are especially important to help hummingbirds gain this weight.

Insectivorous – A diet that consists primarily of insects – While hummingbirds are known for drinking nectar, they also eat a great number of insects as a source of protein, often picking them from spider webs or out of the air. Insects are especially important for young birds so they will develop properly.

Iridescent – Shimmering feathers with metallic-like colors that may change color when seen from different angles – Many hummingbirds have iridescent throats & upperparts, & the exact colors, when seen in good light, are a key to proper hummingbird identification.

Nectar – The sugary water produced by many flowers that is a main food source for hummingbirds – The exact sugar concentration of nectar from different flower types can vary. Use the simple recipe of sugar & water to fill hummingbird feeders ~ no red dye please!

Nectivorous – A diet that consists primarily of nectar – All hummingbirds are nectivorous & may feed dozens of times a day, visiting different flowers & feeders. Hummingbird feeding is important for the pollination of many flowers, & hummingbirds will frequently visit nectar feeders as well.

Guest post by:

Sue McGrath
Newburyport Birders
Observe ~ Appreciate ~ Identify
newburyportbirders@comcast.net
www.newburyportbirders.com

Bath Time

We have had sweltering days with high humidity and afternoon storms for nearly a week.  The birds are looking pretty bedraggled but they are active because there are lots of bugs.  It’s not unusual to see a grosbeak or robin fluff up their feathers as they sit between showers.

Yesterday, I visited the local airport to do a little work on my Luscombe.  As I approached the locked gate, I noticed a Chipping Sparrow fly up to a puddle in the tarmac.  The dog and I waited as he went through a long routine of cleansing and cooling off.  I grabbed a few photos.

CHSP4W

CHSP2W

Hey, this feels pretty good

I'm going for it.

I’m going for it.

 

CHSP1W

That was awesome — let’s try that routine again. Those guys can wait.

 

It’s 8 PM, Cue the Timberdoodle

Early last evening, I went for a Woodcock Walk sponsored by the North Branch Nature Center.  We were there to observe the aerial displays of the American Wood cock, and our leader, Larry, told us — “They’ll start about ten of eight so we can go over and visit the pond where all the Spring Peepers are first.”  I must say I did not share his certainty but I also had never been on a walk like this before.

In true naturalist fashion, he introduced our small group to some caterpillars, a non-lightning bug, several types of spring ephemeral flowers, and hundreds of randy frogs.  As one who tends to move too fast in the woods, it always amazes me at the sharp-eyed observation of people who notice insects, plants, as well as birds.

Woodcocks are usually very hard to spot on the ground. Our guy was right out in the open. Photo by aecole2010

Woodcocks are usually very hard to spot on the ground. Our guy was right out in the open. Photo by aecole2010

We ambled up into the large field as it darkened and just about 8 PM, we heard the first “pent” call.  The bird makes this call on the ground, and rotates between calls, to send it in different directions.  We heard two males calling and waited to see if they would fly.  They are normally well-hidden in the brush and grass but we noted a dark shape up ahead on the mowed path and through the binoculars, saw a Woodcock.  About then, he took off, climbing crazily in a circular pattern above us, sending out a whistling/twittering call, until he was out of sight, and then came spiraling back down, landing right on the spot he started from.  It reminded me of a slightly out-of-control model airplane with furious flapping wings, and a deft pilot at the controls.  It killed by pinched nerve neck to watch but was worth it.

The other guy seemed to fly less but our Timberdoodle flew about every five minutes for about a half hour.  It was getting very dark and we quit before he did.

It was a wonderful outing — and I learned that this goes on for weeks during the spring, even after the females have started nesting.  We were really impressed with the display of our little flyer.  I hope the females waiting in the wings were as well.

NEK Audubon’s Bird Notes; Birds in March, Veer Frost

8432_166466626408_4256776_aThe Northeast Kingdom’s chapter of Audubon has a great Facebook page with wonderful photography by Tom Berriman and others.  It also has excellent writing.  Each month, Board Member Veer Frost writes an essay on nature in the NEK.   Here is the start of the post for March which when I read it, pumped a little energy into my thinking about birding in March in northern Vermont.  Here it is:

Birds in March

Anticipation! You can hear it in the first sweet notes beginning to brighten the clouded stretches of days we’re being granted just now in the Kingdom.

March brings us weeks that are neither winter nor spring, but at last we’ve reached the time of year when bitter Canadian fronts are followed by the irrepressible titmouse and chickadee tribes, sending songs out of the bare trees, like children thumbing their nose.

Woodpeckers may drum year round, but it’s in the weeks surrounding the spring equinox that their staccato banging against tree, house siding, and that perennial favorite, the tin roof, is most intense and frequent. By now, you’ve probably heard that the military-industrial powers are trying to figure out how a black and white urchin of a bird doesn’t ruin its brain with all that pounding, in order to copy its secret!  

The skies over the Passumpsic are featuring a yet more raucous sound than tree drumming, but one that adds its own power to this season of hope.

Raven pairs fly overhead in close double formation, intensifying their bond, vocalizing their intention to each other to support the rigors of nesting and rearing young. The new life that we anticipate so yearningly in the growing light of March must, of course, include instinctive sacrifice, hard work, and the danger of predators.

Read the whole article here.  Like the NEK Audubon page here.

Chouette lapone trouvé!

Three Mad Birders from central Vermont — Ali Wagner, Louanne Nielsen, and Scott Sainsbury — spent last Sunday looking for Great Gray Owls in Quebec.  Here is a guest post by Scott describing their successful outing.

We made our way across the border today — having heard that one or more Great Gray owls had dropped down from the sub-polar region, and was being seen occasionally in a swanky sub-rural part of Montreal, near the Arboretum. These birds only come this far south every few years. So the chance to see one is a special treat. None of the three of us had ever had the pleasure.

We got close to the part of town we were targeting. Then, we took a wrong turn and ended up on a road that was one of the lesser of our “target areas”. We decided we’d drive along it for a ways, just to work our way get back to the prime territory.

No sooner did we comment on how annoying it was that people sometimes ogle at mansions in neighborhoods like this (exactly what some of us were doing) rather than watching for birds, than Louanne said, “What’s that on that fence post by the road? Is it a bird … Is it a big bird … Is it an owl?” To which Ali added, “Oh My God, it’s a Great Gray!”

We abruptly dropped anchor in the middle of said mansion-draped winding little suburban street and stared. The owl was about 100 feet into a field on our right. We watched from the car expecting it to spook and fly away at any moment, and then slowly climbed out, grabbed a scope, cameras, etc. and tiptoed to a better spot (Mercedes birdmobile left in the street with trunk open). We got a few looks at the owl. Then, it flew. We gasped. It landed…. Closer than before! Phew.

The Great Gray just sat on a post about 75 feet away, and kept hunting. It pounced on a mouse and swallowed it whole. photo by lizjones112

The Great Gray just sat on a post about 75 feet away, and kept hunting. It pounced on a mouse and swallowed it whole. photo by lizjones112

Clearly, it couldn’t care less about us. It just sat on a post about 75 feet away, and kept hunting. Then it moved to a post even closer. Louanne proclaimed it owlgasmic! The deep eye circles and bright yellow eyes were astoundingly expressive — with a super-owly “I’m above all that that beholds me” attitude.

It pounced again. Seemed to miss that time. Remounted its pole. Sat for another 10 minutes, and then flew off to the top of a tree a couple hundred yards away. I snapped some shots, and when I got home, sure enough, it had another mouse in its beak as it flew off.

Louanne’s on-line sources said that the Great Gray is North America’s largest owl — stands 3′ tall with a 5 foot wingspan. The birds weigh less than two pounds, but is so formidable that it will drive bears away from its nest. In its homelands, the Great Gray is known as the “Phantom of the North”, and the “Specter Owl”. It was an awesome life bird for three of us!