Eastern Kingbirds are fun to see and hear. They love to perch. Their song and calls are unique and watching them grab insects out of the air is a delight. Yesterday morning here at camp, this one sat patiently waiting for the hatch to start on the lake.
These birds, who arrived in May, will leave for South America in September. So, we’ve got a couple of months to enjoy them.
Here is our morning view from the deck.
New migrants are arriving daily and the trees are just budding — it’s a great time to get out an check things out. Here are a few recent sightings.
Eastern Kingbirds showed up last week, as did Common Loons.
And I’m still sorting out sandpipers — this one, which I saw just up from the house, I’m calling a Solitary Sandpiper, not a Spotted.
Warblers are here but their movement and the dog’s leash make them difficult to photograph. But all the Yellow Warblers and American Goldfinches add lollipops of color to enjoy.
As the hills green up, often you can hear a bird but not spot it — at least open enough for a photo. Here are a few successful encounters I’ve had in the last few weeks.
Typically, warblers are bouncing around and in foliage, like this Yellow Warbler.
One of the noisier and ubiquitous birds we hear is the Ovenbird with its distinctive “Tea-cher, Tea-cher, TEA-cher. They are small and hard to see. This one had a companion flitting nearby and had its mind on something other than the guy and dog standing on the path nearby.
Have a bird-filled, bug free June.
This morning, Ginger and I spent an hour or so on the river, launching from our backyard with leash, paddle, and camera. Just upstream, this little Painted Turtle watched us but stayed put on his sunny spot.
There were dozens of Eastern Kingbirds chattering and feeding as we moved upriver. I love to watch their aerial antics — many were youngsters.
It’s interesting sitting in a moving stream handling the boat, the camera, and of course, the dog. I miss a lot of shots but it’s fun. Every so often, Ginger is antsy to move on.
I spotted this Green Heron, which I’ve seen before, up ahead and quietly tried to move towards it.
The current was challenging and the paddle spooked it and it flew off into the underbrush.
There were any groups of young kids around the playfields and wading in the river so while Ginger wanted to join them, we cruised back. It was a nice end of July outing.
Usually I go out birding with no objective other than to get some exercise and see what’s happening avian-wise. This morning, after finding this Common Merganser perched on a log, I decided to see what else I could find — perching. Here’s the results from a productive hour just up the road from our home.
