In spite of several feet of snow on the ground and chilly temperatures, we have had a lot of new avian arrivals in the last few days.
The ice in the North Branch of the Winooski out back just is disappearing and we saw Hooded Mergansers for the first time yesterday.
The first two Canada Geese splashed in this morning.
This afternoon, while watching the river, I watched an Eastern Phoebe alight on the deck railing, pump its tail and probably wonder where Spring is — I certainly am..
Yesterday, on a nice Fall day with no leaves, or leaf-peepers, Penny the Vizsla, my friend Sally, and I drove over to Addison County to check on the migrating Snow Geese — which had been reported for the last week. The hazy sun was prompting raptors to hunt and we stopped a number of times to see Red-tails and a Northern Harrier or two hunt. It was slow going as we stopped, turned around, and checked out about a dozen hawks – but it was fun.
Arriving at the Goose Viewing Area on Route 17 in Addison, there were a few cars and looker but no geese visible in the air or on the fields. Our disappointment died after only five or ten minutes when a large white flock rose into the southerly wind, honking like crazy. I’m not good at counting but it was likely a thousand or more. Here’s what they looked like:
After watching them swirl and gather, we drove over to Dead Creek where there were hundreds of Mallards and a different look at the geese.
Brylea Access Area, Dead Creek WMA. There are Snow Geese in the center of the sky but hardly visible.
Here is a short clip that I took of the geese flying. The wind noise tends to cancel out their calls but believe me, they were loud.
It was a nice trip and Sally’s first experience seeing Snow Geese. They are amazing birds and we wish them well on their journey south.
Grabbing some lunch at the kitchen counter today, I noticed a bird silhouetted in the apple tree. I retrieved the camera from the car, took a shot with no clue as to what I was seeing.
Mystery bird
It was only a few seconds before a second one, an Eastern Bluebird, landed by the garden and suddenly, there were about ten more. The bird feeder is in due to a recent bear visit and the pickings are rather slim and they were off in less than a minute. Here’s one of them:
Eastern Bluebird on the way south.
It’s little gifts like this that make being out in nature, or just aware of my natural surroundings, that boost spirits on a grey October day. It’s delightful and they are also an addition to my yard list. Amigos felices del vuelos
I’ve taken a break from serious birding for a few weeks but it’s hard not to notice that migration has started and transitions are underway. Lots of juveniles flying and feeding, some pretty ratty looking molting going on, and flocks are starting to gather and move through. It’s a bittersweet time of year as we never say goodbye — suddenly our summer friends are gone.
A week or two ago, I spent some time in Massachusetts and did a little birding with Penny. There were large flocks of Eastern Bluebirds, most looking a little ragged, who are likely gone by now. There were dozens of flycatchers out and about, silent as church mice, except for a number of very vocal Eastern Wood Pewees. Here’s one singing away.
On the same walk, I came across a number of Chipping Sparrows. It wasn’t until I unloaded the camera that I saw the meal this one had just caught.
Back home in Vermont, I took the boat out early one morning last week and found these Common Mergansers preening on the boat ramp. I launched quietly down the beach and left them to their morning ablutions.
I keep the hummingbird feeder stoked and clean and love watching the youngsters fight with each other as the jockey for food. Any day they will be gone, perhaps today. I grabbed a shot of one perched yesterday morning and noted that they were pretty active all day. Long flight ahead.
Our local Red-shouldered Hawks are active. Two juveniles have been calling and flying overhead the last couple of days. This one was right above me as I drove home from errands downtown.
We get a lot of morning ground fog this time of year. Tuesday morning I took a drive down to our reservoir but from the dam could not see much. I got out of the car (without the camera) to walk the dog and immediately heard some geese in the fog. Suddenly, twenty-five Canada Geese came right out of the fog toward me, saw us and swerved, with lots of geese trash talk, and headed south at low level. It was a cool way to start the morning.
Cedar Waxwings seem to be everywhere, feeding like crazy, moving through in small groups. They are often pretty high in our pines but this one was feeding in the wild grapes as the dog and I took our afternoon walk out back. The end of the day was neat as well.
Today was a day to catch up a bit since the weather is cool and rainy, so we drove into Rockport for some groceries and way too much bird feeding gear and supplies. We also picked up some comfort food (apple turnover, cinnamon roll etc) to get us through the morning.
Returning, we invited our neighbor, Gail from Nova Scotia, over for coffee and goodies. I am often surprised about the backgrounds of fellow campers: it turns out Gail is a recently-retired psychologist who specialized in dealing with special needs kids and who now is traveling the U.S. in an old VW camper, teaching herself to paint watercolors, while her husband tends the fort at home including caregiving for an aging parent. Good conversation, calories, and caffeine made for a nice late morning in spite of the weather.
One of the things you do at Goose Island is to check out the Whooping Cranes who return to some ranchers’ fields (where they are fed) just north of the park. Mary and I (and of course, Penny) motored up there this afternoon and sure enough, there were five Whoopers and about 32 Sandhill Cranes. Here are a few shots that I took with freezing fingers in a minor gale.
The Whooping Crane flock journeys 2,500 miles south from Wood Buffalo National Park in Canada to Texas.
About thirty Sandhill Cranes are also enjoying the local hospitality.
Not to be outdone by exotic visitors, a couple of elegant Great Blue Herons also graced the field.
Whoopers and Sandhills often feed together here, providing a nice comparison of size and marking differences.
It’s great to see the cranes each year after their long return from up north. They are a wonderful success story. Like the Peregrine Falcon, the Bald Eagle, the Osprey, and several other species, they remind us that we can succeed with conserving threatened species, but it takes lots of effort and more vision and leadership than we often see these days in the halls of our public servants. These elegant survivors give us hope.
This year has been one of the best for attracting hummingbirds to our feeder — we had several families nest in the area. Many feisty juveniles have delighted us with their antics over the last few weeks. They have been hitting the sugar water and more than once, I have thought: “Tank up, you’ve got a long haul ahead.”
This past weekend, we took the Airstream over to New York state to visit some dear friends and returning Monday afternoon, I immediately noticed that the hummers seemed to have left. A couple of days later, it’s definite. They are on their way.
We saw trees turning color in the higher elevations and noticed the Canada Geese moving in New York state. Here, the goldenrod is everywhere and the bees are loving it. Soon the asters will blossom and more birds will depart. The Common Yellowthroats are still here as are the Song Sparrows but they have their bags packed to go.
Sitting on the back lawn with a blue sky above and northwest winds blowing the pines, I’m thinking of those hummers, wondering how far they have gone so far, and wishing them a safe passage on their long perilous journey.
See you in Florida or here in the spring. Buen Viaje amigos.
I took the dog and my bum knee out birding in the truck yesterday morning and we cruised some of our normal routes — Berlin Pond and the E. F. Knapp state airport. There were few birds on the pond but what I noticed was the large numbers of Tree Swallows swirling over the water and trees — probably several hundred. It looked to me like they were gathering for a trip southward.
At the airport, I noted three Eastern Kingbirds feeding together. I took a shot of one but the morning sun made the lighting poor for photography. I hadn’t ever noted Kingbirds in groups before.
At the other end of the airport, I saw a larger bird off a ways acting a little like a swallow, swooping and zooming. As I got closer, it flew right over the truck and landed in a tree. An American Kestrel. I grabbed a couple of shots from the truck window and then it flew, did its hovering act, and then was joined by three other Kestrels. They actively hunting and interacting but moved off, out of site, once I got out of the truck. It sure looked to me like they were getting ready to migrate.
This Kestrel paused for just a moment before flying again. It was then joined by three more.
I have noticed that the Chestnut-sided Warblers who were so noisy along our driveway a week ago, seem to have left. The American Goldfinches and Purple Finches are hitting the feeders like mad. Change is in the air.
One of my favorite birding haunts is on Plum Island, Newburyport, MA. The Parker River National Wildlife Refuge is a prime Atlantic coast habitat for more than 300 species of birds. Our daughter and her family live less than an hour away so whenever we visit, I try to get over and check out the situation. The only problem is that dogs are not allowed at all and so it’s a hassle at times to find ways to leave Penny elsewhere. Like all refuges, a Senior Pass or a Federal Duck Stamp gets you in free.
I like to do some homework before I visit and one of the best sources is Tom Wetmore, who visits the refuge nearly every morning and keeps detailed records on his website. He has a wonderful “A Birder’s Guide to the Parker River NWR and Sandy Point SR on Plum Island” that you should download and print.
You can grab some of the same information from eBird but Tom tends to personalize it — and he often sees many notable birds first. The issue with eBird is that there are dozens of hotspots along the island so you need to check numerous sites. Here’s a map of some of the spots:
Parker River Refuge has a number of accessible sites and for someone unable to travel far, good birding in many spots along the access road. On a weekend, hundreds of slow-moving cars traverse the area although you have to watch out for folks heading to the state beaches at the end of island (outside the refuge). Some of them could care less for birds, or birders.
Hundreds of migratory shorebirds, waterfowl and songbirds use the salt marsh and freshwater impoundments. Shorebird migration begins in July, with numbers peaking in August. photos by USFWS -Northeast
The Boardwalk near the Hellcat area is famous for warblers and songbirds. The birds are nearly at eye level. One end of the walk is the marsh/impoundments and the other, the ocean.
Peregrine falcons can be seen on the refuge from mid-September through November. In winter, the snowy owl returns – I saw my life bird there two years ago. Rough legged hawk and short eared owls can also be seen. Loons, grebes, scoters, and other waterfowl winter along the refuge shore.
Here’s how Tom Wetmore describes this neat spot:
If you are interested in only one specific group of birds you may be able to find a better spot in Massachusetts to see them, but if you are interested in finding the widest variety of birds from the widest variety of groups and on any day of the year there is no better spot to visit in the state than Plum Island.
Bird list: http://1.usa.gov/19zljMJ
In spite of the long spell of hot, humid weather, it’s been fun to see and hear all the fledglings and juveniles — this seems to be the best year we’ve had for nesting in our woods. After a spring of two or three Purple Finches, suddenly we have eight to a dozen hitting the feeders, trying to figure out how to handle sunflower seeds.
At times, purple finches swarm the feeders.
This afternoon, the dog and I had an explosion of about a dozen juvenile Ruffed Grouse blast out of the tall grass just up behind the house as we started a walk. Of course, she’s a bird dog and supposed to point but she just takes off after them. One perched on low pine branch, saw the red flash coming, and thought better of it. They were big enough to fly well and the dog gave up right away. (Earlier in the season, I worry about the chicks and their peeping, but usually the mom, with her wounded bird act, draws off the Vizsla.)
Some of the goldfinches in their new plumage are just striking – and they seem to know it.
I know it’s not recommended in many circles, but we keep up feeders all summer, taking them in each night. The birds don’t necessarily need the food but it’s wonderful to see the new crops of birds coming in each day. We’ve had young Rose-breasted Grosbeaks for the first time ever, and more Red-breasted Nuthatches than I can ever recall. Of course, the new crop of Blue Jays are eating us out of house and home as they hit the suet hard when the woodpeckers are not on it. At one point, I figured it was costing us a dollar a day to feed those beautiful blue birds — until we started shooing them off or pulling the suet feeder in part of the day.
Several young nuthatches are getting comfortable at the feeder.
Even the Mourning Doves are in the act. Instead of two or four, we now often have six or eight — several of them definitely juveniles. Hairy Woodpeckers feed suet to noisy youngsters who look old enough to fend for themselves.
It’s fun to hear all the bird calls in the early morning walks. We seem to have doubled the number of Ovenbirds and the new ones seem less wary and more inquisitive as we walk by. White-throated Sparrows practice their call — it reminds me of when they first get back on territory and get part of their call out, try again, and finally get it right. I hear warblers every morning — Nashville, Northern Parula, Black-throated Green, Black and White, and Pine — and others that are drowned out by the constant Ovenbird calling.
The new crop of hummers are tanking up every day.
These summer days have some poignancy as well since I know that the new plumage and the building up of energy stores is part of the preparation for migration. Summer is usually a quiet time for birders but why not stop and seize the moment and enjoy the birds in our “patch.”
Recently, I was given an old birding book by a friend who was culling her library. I have a soft spot for bird books so while my overall collection of books is shrinking, my birding books seem to be breeding.
So I have been reading A Year on the Wing by Tim Dee, a Brit with a poetic flair who writes a month-by-month chronicle of birding experiences. Some of the stories are more interesting than others but the one story that caught my attention and spurred this post had to do with a vagrant yellow-browed warbler. Dee writes:
Along a fence at the cliff edge at Klinger’s Geo, dancing before my eyes, was a yellow-browed warbler…Yellow-browed warblers breed no nearer than the Siberian taiga. The bird in front of me, almost certainly only a few weeks out of the nest, should have flown in the opposite direction to winter in the open deciduous forests anywhere from Nepal to the Malay Peninsula….
The yellow-browed warbler I saw … had made a mistake, and it is probable that no amount of nurture on Fair Isle (**where Dee was observing) could truly rescue it. Vagrancy is a death sentence. Almost all of the rarities that arrive on the island (and almost all vagrants anywhere) will have the same fate. They are wonderful treasures from far away that we cannot keep and cannot save. There is very little evidence that vagrant birds reorient themselves and correct their journeys. It seems likely that the yellow-browed warbler, having gone southwest where it should have gone southeast, would continue this aberrant direction and fly on west out over an ocean that has no refuges, no green skirts, for thousands of miles. That would be the end of it. It would soon be homeless. I was watching a lost child at death’s door.
Vagrants are wonderful treasures from far away that we cannot keep and cannot save. photo of yellow-browed warbler by sussexbirder
I thought about this yesterday as I traveled to New York state to look (and not find) the rare Common Pochard that was first seen on New Year’s Day on Lake Champlain. It might be wild, it might be an escapee, but in any case, it’s a long ways from safety. The other vagrant, which I’ve not chased but tracked by reports, was the Northern Lapwing in Massachusetts. The finder wrote this post on January 2nd and expresses the mixed emotions of many birders who see rarities:
Despite a four hour vigil in Bridgewater, the Northern Lapwing was NOT seen. Hopefully it found a warm spot or decided to fly to a more hospitable environment. This would have been the bird’s 53rd day since I found it on November 12th. It brought many hundreds of people joy in its presence, from as far away as Canada, California, Hawaii. I know of people from at least a dozen states and I’m sure there were more than that. Anyway, I’m sure we all hope the bird made it to a safe place and who knows, it may turn up again!!
This joy of discovery balanced by the reality of the bird’s situation was aptly described, with humor, by Jim Mead, an active Vermont birder who found a rare Ruby-crowned Kinglet last week:
This tiny bird has already survived 2 nor’easters, many cold days and nights including the night before last with temperatures between -10 to -20 below(F degrees). It was busily feeding while flashing its ruby colored crest the entire time… as I drove off I had a few thoughts.
This bird deserves an all expense paid, First Class, one way ticket to the south! It should be served all of the fresh water that it can drink and bathe in. An employee of the airline should write a frenetic small bird menu so he can have his choice of desirable cuisine during the flight. I mean, with words like- Ruby, Crown and King in his name, shouldn’t he be treated like Royalty?
Two pelicans taken care of by the Wildlife Rehabilitators Association of Rhode Island hang out in a camping tent before being flown to Florida. photo by Wildlife Rehabilitators Association of Rhode Island
Many of us saw the news reports on the two Brown Pelicans blown north by Hurricane Sandy privately flown to Florida in November. I think, even though it is impossible to do very often, that’s the way we’d like to help the rare birds many birders chase. Let folks see them and then FedEx them to their true destination.
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