Photo ops abound
in a New England winter (originally published winter 2005-06)
Apparently the contents of a standing cabinet we have in our family room had
shifted because, when I opened the doors, about a dozen small boxes of slides spilled out onto my shoes.
It had been a while since I looked at my collection of
slides. Like many photographers — hobbyists lik
e myself, and professionals alike — I switched to a digital camera in the not-too-distant past.
As I stacked the boxes of slides back to their normal position,
I noticed that every box that tumbled out were labeled “Winter.” I glanced at the entire slide collection and
realized that about half of the boxes contained photos taken in the winter. Spring, summer and fall combined could only match
mighty winter.
It didn’t
come as a complete surprise to me as winter is the best time for birdwatching in many ways. As long as one can handle the
cold and often harsh conditions associated with a New England winter, the birding experiences are there for the taking.
The list could go on and on, but here are
a few top reasons why winter rules the roost for birdwatching:
• No leaves. The other seasons offer millions upon millions of little hiding places
for birds. Even if the birds aren’t necessarily trying to conceal themselves, leaves offer protection anyway. A branch-hopping
bird has frustrated many a birdwatcher during spring, summer and fall. In winter, a branch-hopping bird is more vulnerable
to binoculars and predators alike.
Also,
red-tailed hawks are more visible during the winter as they hang out in neighborhoods and along roadways looking for food.
• No crowds. Try having a beach or
park to yourself in the summer. In winter, you can almost count on being the only person at the beach, at the park or in the
woods. Throw in free admission to most parks and birdwatchers have a pretty good thing going in the winter.
I have to say, though, that dog walkers are a pretty sturdy
group as well and are often the only company birdwatchers have in the winter.
• Our common birds grab the spotlight. Chickadees, titmice and
nuthatches often become somewhat of an afterthought to birdwatchers in the spring and fall as migrants command our attention.
In the summer, the aforementioned birds are busy raising young and often tough to find. In the winter, chickadees, titmice
and nuthatches are all-day, everyday sightings.
• Winter migrants. New England is by no means the northernmost part of the world. Many northern
birds use New England as their balmy migration destination. Depending upon the severity of the winter and availability of
food sources up north, we get visits from a variety of birds each winter. Pine siskins, evening grosbeaks, red-breasted nuthatches,
crossbills, snow buntings and horned larks are some of the birds we look for in the winter. White-throated sparrows and juncos
are common winter sightings.
If
you’re looking for bigger birds, New England birdwatching offers that as well. Bald eagles congregate during the winter
along the open waters of New England, such as rivers, dams and hatcheries. Also, wwls of different sorts — even
snowy owls — move into New England during the winter.
• Crows. The large black birds are usually mentioned in a not-so-bright light, but
anyone who has seen a massive flock of crows heading to their roost site in the evening is instantly a fan. Even better is
when that flock stops to rest in your neighborhood.
• Waterfowl, waterfowl, waterfowl. Many species of ducks and other fowl migrate only as far south
as necessary. As long as open water remains, hooded mergansers, bufflehead, wigeon and other ducks will stick around. The
Atlantic Ocean and Long Island Sound are the winter homes to long-tailed ducks, goldeneye, loons, grebes, scaup, scoters,
red-breasted mergansers and plenty more species of fowl.
• Snow. There’s nothing like snow to make the already beautiful New England landscape even
more appealing. Also, snow is fun. It’s as simple as that.
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