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.
We are staying at a lakeside camp not far from home for this month. The birding is good although most species are buried in the dense tall fir trees that surround us. In the early mornings, there’s no boat activity and lots of bird calls and songs. Good luck with bird shots.
We have a summer resident Common Loon, seemingly unfazed by the party boats. This morning, I watched it doing its bathing, not far from our deck.
The Canada Geese gaggle takes shelter from boaters later on but twenty-four paraded by one the placid pond about six-thirty.
It’s a great time of year in Vermont to get out and enjoy the natural beauty and critters. Diving on a back road yesterday, I came upon a mama bear and two raccoon-sized cubs, smallest I’d ever seen. Between grabbing the camera and controlling a crazy dog, she was long-gone pronto. But, it’s an image I’ll remember – a Happy Fourth of July surprise.
Nearly every morning this summer, I walk Ginger early. We often start by going down our path the the river and then on to nearby trails. It’s not unusual to see and hear many birds right in our backyard.
Two days ago, this Common Merganser was just cruising down the river.
Yesterday, about six-thirty, we came upon this little Wood Duck family. They gently eased away from us and I wondered if the youngsters were to young to fly.
In a summer of chaos, it’s calming to start the day with a taste of the natural life right around us. Get out and enjoy July.
“f/8 and be there” is an old expression. It means you should just shoot. Don’t be too concerned about getting everything right. That’s why I carry my digital camera nearly every time I’m out.
I’ve seen a lot of birds on my walks and drives with Ginger lately. With the heavy foliage, warblers are a challenge but here are a couple from the last few days. American Redstarts are everywhere, calling, foraging, and always moving.
The same goes for Common Yellowthroats .
This has been the summer for Gray Catbirds, their litany of calls and songs wake us early most mornings.
It’s easier to photograph birds that sit still for a while. This Savannah Sparrow at the airport the other day is a good example.
Or this American Robin bringing breakfast home.
Birds that swoop and soar are impossible for me to capture with my point-and-shoot camera. These Tree Swallows stopped for a break.
Ticks and mosquitoes are bothersome in the summer, and there often are too many leaves to get clear shots. For me, summer mornings are a wonderful time to get out for exercise and birding. I need to remember that four months ago, here’s what our backyard looked like. Seize the day!
One of the first rare birds I ever traveled to find was a Roadside Hawk in early 2010, in Texas.
Yesterday, on a rural back road not far from here, I had a brief but wonderful encounter with a hawk. My dog and I were traveling slowly with the windows down. Suddenly, my windshield was filled with a flash of brown and a distinctive tail of black and white stripes. It was low and landing just beyond us. I stopped the car. I decided not to back up or get out. Instead, I slowly opened the door partway. I leaned out with binoculars and saw the bird just behind me.
Grabbing the camera from my backpack, I leaned out, hoping no cars were coming, and took a photo.
The bird was focused on something on the ground. As I shot a closeup, it lazily flew off behind us. Because of the car acting as a blind, it never got spooked.
It seems it was a Cooper’s Hawk. This is an example of the neat surprises we get when we least expect them.
During weeks of gray days with drizzle and chilly, we walk most every day waiting for warmth and migrants. Here are some birds that hang out locally and brighten the dismal mornings. This Song Sparrow was singing non-stop and still at it an hour later.
Common Mergansers cruise on the icy river.
We see a few Mallards – this guy was a “puddle duck” on a nearby recreation field.
American Robins are showing up more often, often in traveling groups.
Snow is again the forecast tomorrow but the days are longer, more birds are on the way here. Ginger and I are ready to get out there and see them. Good April birding to you all.
In the last week or so, we’ve had some interesting visitors to our backyard patch. We get woodpeckers every day and here’s a Hairy.
More often these days, we are delighted to see and here Red-bellied Woodpeckers like this morning’s.
Two days ago we saw Wild Turkeys out back for the first time ever. They hung around for a half hour and then moseyed off.
Yesterday, there was this Red-tailed Hawk perched across the river at the end of our path, patiently waiting for breakfast.
Living on a busy street just a mile from downtown, we have a wonderful backyard from which to see nature. We’ve recorded 140 bird species here over the years.
Many years ago, my grandson Dane and his family was visiting our Vermont home on a lovely summer day. We were relaxing on the back lawn when suddenly, in a flash of brown and an explosion of feathers, a Red-shouldered hawk grabbed a Mourning Dove and flew away as we all gaped and shook our heads. Dane, in his young boy voice announced, “Well, that’s nature.”
Ginger and I had a That’s Nature day yesterday. Our walk on new snow started with watching some birds in the back yard.
We went down to the frozen river to walk a bit when I spotted a pile of feathers which I suspect once was a junco, and Ginger was very interested. Probably a Sharp-shinned Hawk had an early breakfast.
We then walked a few miles on trails and returning, I spotted this dead deer right beside the trail. I suspect a coyote/coydog got it . The sight was grisly and I kept Ginger from seeing the carcass.
We then returned to the relative placidity of our backyard and our American Tree Sparrows and American Goldfinches.
I’m reading a great book – The Courage of Birds – by the noted birder/author Pete Dunne. In addressing the worry about backyard feeding causing birds to be killed, he writes “A Sharp-shinned or Cooper’s Hawk is going to catch and consume two birds per day no matter what.”
That’s nature!
Suffice it to say there’ve been a few distractions since my last post. Dog injury, Covid, and lousy weather have hindered my birding but focusing on positive things these days, I’m getting out and working on my bird list for 2025.
With temperatures well below zero at night, nearly everything has frozen up but this week, I found an open spot on the Winooski River downtown. Two Common Merganser were feeding in the icy water — here’s the male.
Just across the stream was a Mallard resting.
One of my target birds was Wild Turkey and I thought, “If I were a turkey (hold your comments), where would I be on a cold windy day like this?” I thought of farms and checked one close by and “sorpresa!”, twenty birds were out foraging. Here are a couple of shots from outside and inside the car.
Our backyard feeders have been very active in this frigid weather, with mixed flocks of chickadees, finches, tree sparrows, and juncos. A couple of Mourning Doves join the action every day.
While I miss the birding I once did down South, it’s a fun challenge to get out in frigid weather and see, and try to photograph, the birds of an old-fashioned Vermont winter.
Freezing rain, drizzle, wind – late November in Vermont can get on your nerves. I stopped at the local airport yesterday while a was gale blowing. Aside from a few wind-ruffled crows, no birds were about but I remembered a past visit, just a few weeks ago, and it made me smile, because of this guy.
See you next spring buddy – you got out of Dodge at the right time.