For the Birds: Summer is for birding

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Photo by Chris Bosak
Yellow warbler at Huntington State Park, Redding, CT. Yellow warblers are common summer sightings throughout New England.

Summer gets a bad rap for birdwatching.

Sure, it’s not as exciting as the spring migration when every day is a new discovery and a whirlwind of birding activity, but the summer has its own rewards. The most exciting part of summer birdwatching, of course, is discovering nesting activity and watching young birds grow. There’s much more to summer birdwatching, however.

First, let’s acknowledge some of the challenges to birdwatching in the summer. Finding a bird in the woods becomes extremely difficult as the leaves are out in full force. You can drive yourself batty trying to find an eastern wood pewee high atop a leafed-out maple or oak.

Birds are also much less vocal in the summer than they are in the spring. Very often in birdwatching, birds are heard before they are seen. You hear a bird, look in that direction, and you find the bird. It’s not always that easy, for sure, but you get the idea. In the summer, birds don’t always give us that verbal cue, making it much more difficult to spot them. Birds don’t want to be seen in the summer, as they are on nests or raising young. The last thing they want is to be discovered, so they remain hidden and silent.

Finally, birdwatching hours in the summer are not conducive to late sleepers or those who turn in early. The long days mean that the sun rises early and sets late. True of all seasons, the best time to watch birds in the summer is early morning or evening. By 9 a.m., the sun is already high and harsh in the sky, and the temperature is rising. You can still find birds in the afternoon, but even the birds seek out shade when it’s too hot.

Now on to the good stuff.

It’s always a thrill to see birds carrying nesting material or food for young in their bills. One of my favorite photos I took is a gray catbird with a bill full of insects. It paused on a perch just long enough before heading to its nest. The bird had five or six insects, all of a different variety, in its bill.

If you are lucky enough to find a nest, it is fun to watch the progress from eggs to babies to fledglings. This should be done in a cautious manner, of course. I wrote earlier this year about watching a pair of northern flickers hollow out a nest in a dead tree in my yard. You can’t see inside a woodpecker nest, but I know they are still there and likely have eggs now. Once they hatch, the baby birds will call constantly for food. It’s fun to watch the dutiful parents make several trips back and forth to the nest.

Summer is the best time to see waders in New England. Waders are tall, skinny birds found around the water, such as herons and egrets. While some great blue herons are year-round New England residents, most arrive in the spring and leave in the fall. That leaves summer as the best time to spot them. Since they are around water, they don’t have the cover of leaves to hide them.

Similarly, ospreys are a summer treat to see, especially around coastal areas, but also around large inland lakes and rivers. Ospreys were rare sightings in New England a few decades ago, but their population has increased dramatically to the point they are common sightings in the summer. Connecticut and Massachusetts, for example, each have more than 1,000 osprey nests. New Hampshire is estimated to have about 150 nests.

Another nice thing about birdwatching in the summer is that it can be done anywhere and combined with other outdoor activities. Going to the beach? Keep an eye out for shorebirds, terns and ospreys. Taking a hike? Look for woodland birds. Neighbor having a barbeque? Look for blue jays, nuthatches, catbirds, goldfinches, wrens and other backyard birds.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention hummingbirds. For some people, a highlight of summer is watching hummingbirds visit their feeders, potted flowers or flower gardens.

And, if the birding gets really slow in August, that’s a great time to look for butterflies, dragonflies and other creatures in fields and meadows.

Summer is often paired with words such as doldrums, dog days, dragging or sweltering. For birdwatchers, it’s just a different season with new opportunities.

For the Birds: Wrapping up the warbler season

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Photo by Chris Bosak – A northern parula sings from the top of a shrub in New England this spring.

Now that the spring migration is over, at least for the most part, it’s time to turn our attention to summer birdwatching.

Before we do that, I want to recap my spring birdwatching highlights. Spring highlights often begin and end with warblers, and this spring was no exception, although some non-warblers are certainly worthy of inclusion here.

It was another good spring for warblers. I’ll get into some of the less common ones later in the column, but the warblers that are often seen in New England did not disappoint. Yellow warblers were, and continue to be, seemingly around every corner. Their ubiquitous song is inescapable. (Not that I’d want to escape it in the first place.)

Other common warblers seen on nearly every walk this spring include common yellowthroats, black-and-white warblers, blue-winged warblers, palm warblers, ovenbirds, American redstarts, yellow-rumped warblers and pine warblers. 

While the warbler action was pretty consistent, it was a slow spring for some of the other colorful birds we look forward to seeing after every long winter. The only scarlet tanager I’ve seen so far was a female that I saw briefly in the canopy weeks ago. I did, however, receive emails from both Pat from Sandwich and Greg from Tilton with photos attached of male scarlet tanagers at their feeders. Scarlet tanagers are not considered common feeder birds, but they will occasionally visit for suet or mealworms.

Thankfully, tanagers nest throughout New England so my window is far from closed.

It’s also been rather slow for rose-breasted grosbeak and indigo bunting sightings. By this time of the year, I’ve usually seen dozens of grosbeaks and at least a few buntings. So far, I’ve seen only a few grosbeaks and not a single bunting. Indigo bunting did come up on my Merlin app a few times, but I was never able to spot it.

Baltimore orioles, on the other hand, have been plentiful this spring on my walks. The other day, I spotted a bird near the top of a dead tree. Even at about 100 yards, I could see the bright orange plain as day. A peer through my binoculars confirmed that it was an oriole.

Warbling vireos, which were pervasive on my walks last spring, were somewhat more scarce for me this spring, but still plentiful. Red-eyed vireos were plentiful as well. Of course, catbirds and eastern towhees were constant companions too.

Less common warblers are always a thrill to see and a highlight of spring birdwatching. This year, my top warblers included hooded warblers, northern parulas, magnolia warblers, black-throated blue warblers, chestnut-sided warblers, and a Wilson’s warbler. Hopefully, I’ll make it to northern New Hampshire a few times this summer and find a few more warblers to add to the list. 

Overall, it was a good spring for spotting migrants. Now it’s on to summer birding. Next week, we’ll look at some of the things to look for in the bird world during the summer. 

Repeat performance for sandhill cranes at Presque Isle State Park

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Photo by Chris Bosak
Sandhill cranes at Presque Isle State Park in Erie, Pennsylvania, May 2026.

It was a repeat performance for the sandhill cranes at Presque Isle State Park in Erie, Pennsylvania, earlier in May. Last year, my brother and I visited the park in my old hometown in northwestern Pennsylvania and were surprised to see sandhill cranes. Indeed, it was the first year the cranes attempted to nest at Presque Isle, which is a peninsula jutting into Lake Erie. Here’s the story from last year.

This year, the cranes are back, and by the time we visited the park, they had two young ones (colts) with them. I saw them only from a distance, so the photos aren’t great, but they’re serviceable enough. See the colt in the lower right of the top and bottom photos. I returned home to New England a few days later, and I haven’t heard whether the cranes were successful in raising the colts, but I hope so.

Sandhill cranes have also been nesting in random spots throughout New England over the last few years.

Photo by Chris Bosak
Sandhill crane at Presque Isle State Park in Erie, Pennsylvania, May 2026.
Photo by Chris Bosak
Sandhill cranes at Presque Isle State Park in Erie, Pennsylvania, May 2026.

A few birds from spring migration

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Photo by Chris Bosak
A red-winged blackbird defends his territory, May 2026.

Here are a few shots taken over the last two weeks. More to come.

A hooded warbler sings from a perch in New England, May 2026.
Black-throated blue warbler, May 2026.
Photo by Chris Bosak
Black-and-white warbler at Huntington State Park, Redding, CT, May 2026.
Photo by Chris Bosak
A red-winged blackbird defends his territory, May 2026.

For the Birds: A worthwhile detour

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Photo by Chris Bosak
A female Baltimore oriole brings material back to her nesting site this spring.

On my way to visit my family in Pennsylvania, I decided to stop at the Bashakill Wildlife Management Area in Sullivan County, New York, to see what birds might be in and around the giant marsh.

I used to canoe there frequently when I lived closer to that spot, but I hadn’t been there in many years. I didn’t have my canoe with me this time, but luckily there is a trail that follows the edge of the water and offers many expansive views.

As a bonus, the trail is wooded, so you get the shallow water on one side and the woods on the other. The Bashakill has a navigable channel winding through the middle, but the surrounding area is shallow water with thick aquatic vegetation where wood ducks and other birds find refuge. 

I parked at the boat ramp where I had launched my canoe many times in the past and took a glance at the water before hitting the trail. Canada geese and red-winged blackbirds were the only birds I saw on the water at the moment. As soon as I started on the trail, however, I was surrounded by birdsong like only spring can offer. 

The red-winged blackbirds’ familiar “conk-a-tee” call was the dominant sound, but the trees were filled with the songs of yellow warblers, warbling videos, yellow-throated videos, least flycatchers, American redstarts, Baltimore orioles, and blue-grey gnatcatchers.

I followed the trail for less than a mile when I came across a platform. It was about 15 feet high and overlooked the water. I noticed as soon as I got to the top of the platform that I was eye-to-eye with a Baltimore oriole nest with a female poking her head out of the leaves that surround the nest. She had soft nesting material in her bill, so I’m guessing she was in the process of finishing up the nest.

The high platform offered a great view of the surrounding trees. It was almost like being among the birds. On many occasions, I looked down on birds such as yellow warblers, warbling vireos and eastern phoebes. 

In the same direction, but further into the woods from the oriole nest, I noticed a white-breasted nuthatch coming and going from a hole in a tree. Again, I was about eye level with this hole, which turned out to be a nest for the nuthatches. The male came and went and brought caterpillars back to the female inside the nest. She made a brief appearance at the opening of the hole when the male returned with worms and other goodies. 

It was the first time I can recall finding an active nuthatch nest. As well-designed and camouflaged as oriole nests are, I have found those nests during the spring many times.

The action was so fast, yet peaceful, that I stayed on the platform for about an hour watching the birds. In the water, I saw several wood ducks as well as dozens of red-winged blackbirds and Canada geese. I didn’t see any ospreys or eagles, however. I found an eagle’s nest eye in a tall pine, but no birds appeared to be in it, and I never saw them flying or perched in a different tree. 

I was surprised because eagles were always a very reliable sighting there. The same goes for osprey. 

When I eventually climbed down from the platform, I was greeted at the bottom by a yellow warbler in a shrub almost within arm’s reach. This bird had no fear of me and flitted among the shrubs for a good five minutes before ascending to a higher spot in a nearby tree.

I am not usually the type to take detours when I am driving somewhere. When I drive, it is almost always about getting to the destination as quickly as possible and not about enjoying the journey. I do wish I could make it more about the journey sometimes, and I am glad I made this exception. Maybe this will inspire more journeys.

For the Birds: Don’t miss the action this spring

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Photo by Chris Bosak
Yellow warbler at Huntington State Park, Redding, CT, May 2026.

Spring migration continues to work its magic. 

My walks have been filled with migrants, including a few FOYs (first of years) each time I go out. On one recent walk, I saw a veery, red-eyed vireo, and American redstart, all firsts of the year. It’s always nice to see birds for the first time since last spring, summer or fall. 

The feeling is a little different for birds that we know are just passing through and won’t nest here. Of course, it’s always nice to see the first rose-breasted grosbeak, scarlet tanager, Baltimore oriole or ruby-throated hummingbird, but we know they will nest locally, and we will have plenty more chances to see them over the next several months.

Some birds, however, especially select warblers, will not nest locally, so if we miss them during their short window of passing through New England, we have to wait until fall to try to catch a glimpse of them as they pass through during their southern flight. If we miss that opportunity, our next chance will be the following spring.

In many cases, it can be several years between sightings of a certain species. The other day, I saw a hooded warbler, an aptly named and cool-looking olive-and-yellow bird with a black hood and throat. It had been years since I had last seen one. I spotted the bird among a tangle of vines fairly high in the canopy, which was surprising because they tend to hang out in shrubs and the understory.

Unless you’re really lucky and these birds come to your yard, you have to get out there in order to see them. Some days it’s tough to get out of bed early, and some days work doesn’t allow for a birding break, but spring is the time of year to make every moment count. 

Here are some other random birding highlights from recent days.

The northern flicker pair I wrote about a few weeks ago successfully dug out the rest of their nest in the snag in my backyard. It took several days of constant work for them, but the other day, I checked on them, and one was inside the hole with only its head sticking out.

During a recent work-from-home day, I glanced out at the birdbath and saw a blue jay on the edge. A moment later, another blue jay landed next to it and fed it a mealworm that it had plucked from my bird feeder. Earlier this spring, I saw a cardinal pair and a house finch pair do the same thing.

My son and I were working on a car in the driveway (actually, he was working on it, and I was watching) when I heard crows cawing and blue jays squawking in the nearby hemlocks. I said, “I bet there’s a hawk or owl in there.” He turned just in time, and we watched a barred owl fly out of the hemlock branches and disappear in the woods. A bit later, we heard its “who cooks for you, who cooks for you all” song over and over.

That’s it for now. Let me know what you’re seeing out there this spring.

A few birds from this weekend

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Photo by Chris Bosak
A veery at Huntington State Park in Redding, CT, May 2026.

Here are a few shots I got this weekend while out and about.

Photo by Chris Bosak
A veery at Huntington State Park in Redding, CT, May 2026.
Photo by Chris Bosak
A blue-winged warbler at Huntington State Park in Redding, CT, May 2026.
Photo by Chris Bosak
A black-capped chickadee at Huntington State Park in Redding, CT, May 2026.

For the Birds: Spring birding and reader insights

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Photo by Chris Bosak
Blue-gray gnatcatcher at Huntington State Park, Redding, Conn., April 24, 2026.

For many birdwatchers, this is the best time of year. Breeding season has begun in earnest, and the spring migration is in full swing.

Every walk in late April and early to mid-May has the potential to yield something that wasn’t there the day before. The other day, I took a quick walk and spotted my year’s first wood thrush, blue-gray gnatcatcher, blue-winged warbler and black-and-white warbler.

It’s also a busy time for my email inbox, as spring’s increased activity brings many exciting bird observations and raises some questions too.

Nancy from Keene shared that a pileated woodpecker made holes from top to bottom on a snag (dead tree) in her yard. She mentioned that she hears the large woodpeckers every year, but this was the first time she was able to get a video with her phone. Now, the moment has documentation that she can enjoy at any time.

To me, the best part of the story is that Nancy said she had a tree removal service doing some necessary tree work about 15 years ago, and she asked them to leave some snags standing. A decade and a half later, that request paid off big time. I’ve written from time to time over the years about the importance of leaving some dead trees standing as long as they don’t pose a threat to self or property. Snags are a vital resource for woodpeckers and other animals for shelter and food.

Lenny from Greenfield also shared that a pileated woodpecker visited a snag on his farm as well. Lenny also reported that evening grosbeaks visited his yard, and he was surprised one day to find a crow perched on his birdfeeder pole.

Norma from Spofford had a few interesting and somewhat rare sightings at her feeder. She saw an American robin on her deck and figured she would throw a few mealworms out. The robin ate the offerings and visited her feeder to get more mealworms for the next several days. Later, she spotted a northern flicker on her suet feeder. Robins and flickers may not be rare sightings, but they are not commonly seen at feeders.

Lew from Keene had an interesting robin experience of his own when he saw a leucistic robin along the side of a road. Leucism is a loss of pigmentation in feathers or fur, making the animal appear white. It differs from albinism in that albinism is a complete lack of melanin that even affects the eyes. Leucism often makes birds appear patchy, which was the case with Lew’s bird. In my experience anyway, robins and juncos are two of the New England birds most impacted by leucism.

Patti from Westmoreland and Andy from Spofford each wrote in to say they had to stop feeding birds for the spring and summer as bears are now a threat. Andy, however, said he was a day late, as he walked out of his house one morning to find the seed and suet feeders gone and one of the poles bent into a C shape. Andy, who teaches first-graders, used the experience as a teaching moment and brought the pole into school to show how strong bears are. He said some of his students tried to bend the pole back into shape, but none succeeded.

Patti said she lost what had been her best feeder to a bear last year. She wondered if the remaining birdseed from this year will last until winter when she can resume feeding birds. If properly sealed and stored in a cool, dark place, some birdseed can last about a year. Nyjer, or thistle, seed will spoil faster.

In another coincidence, Eric from Surry and Linda from Middletown each wrote in to say they had wood ducks under their bird feeders. Eric thought it was a strange sighting as there aren’t any ponds in his area, but there are a few swampy areas. Linda also sent a photo of a bobcat in her backyard. She has been seeing a bobcat pair in her yard for the past eight years. Now that would be cool.

This is also the time when some birds, such as white-throated sparrows and dark-eyed juncos, that have kept us entertained throughout the long winter become scarce. Amy from Harrisville was recently treated to more than 30 juncos in her yard.

Thanks to those who sent in their sightings. Let me know what you see this spring.

A few birds from this weekend

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A few birds from this weekend …

Photo by Chris Bosak Yellow warbler at Huntington State Park, Redding, CT, May 2026.
Photo by Chris Bosak Black-and-white warbler at Huntington State Park, Redding, CT, May 2026.
Photo by Chris Bosak Eastern towhee sings at Huntington State Park, Redding, CT, May 2026.
Photo by Chris Bosak – Field sparrow, Huntington State Park, May 2026.
Photo by Chris Bosak Female common merganser on small pond in Newtown, CT, May 2026.

For the Birds: Nesting season has its ups and downs

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Photo by Chris Bosak
A northern flicker hollows out a hole in a snag for a potential nest site, New England, April 2026.

While the majority of spring migrants are still working their way north, many of New England’s year-round birds are already getting down to the business of nesting.

I’m sure I’ll see plenty of nesting activity as the spring progresses, but last week I witnessed two interesting scenes related to nesting. 

The first was in my backyard. As I approached one of my birdfeeders to throw in a handful of safflower seed, I noticed a northern flicker dart off into the woods. Its white rump patch gave away its identification. I was fairly certain the flicker had been clinging to a topped-off dead tree a dozen or so yards away from the feeder, and I made a note to approach the feeder more carefully next time.

Sure enough, I returned half an hour later and found a flicker on the same snag. I kept my distance this time and watched as the flicker worked on hollowing out a hole in the snag. I observed for a few minutes and went back into the house.

Over the next several days, I watched a male and female flicker take turns hollowing out the hole. It was slow-going, but the flickers kept at it dutifully. I’ll continue to watch the progress, and, hopefully, the flickers will successfully build a nest there and raise young. That would make for an interesting spring and summer in my yard.

Watching how slow the progress was and how much work the flickers put into making the cavity, I have new respect for woodpeckers and how difficult the job of securing the future of the species is. I also see why so many birds and animals utilize old woodpecker holes for their own nesting purposes. The hard construction work has already been done.

I read that flickers are uncommon among woodpeckers in that they often reuse cavities from the previous year. I don’t blame them. I can’t imagine doing that every year.

From that hopeful scene to one a bit darker: I was sitting in my office when I noticed movement through the window. The motion stopped in a tangle of vines where the parking lot and woods meet. I lifted my binoculars (yes, I have a pair at the office) and spotted a robin sitting in a nest. I was excited and concerned at the same time. While the nest itself was pretty well hidden, it was right at the edge of the woods and fairly obvious with the bird in the nest.

I watched a male and female come and go throughout the day and even shared the news with some co-workers. Even while I thought about how neat it would be to have a flicker nesting at my home and nesting robins visible through my window at work, I remained cautiously optimistic about the robins.

Later in the afternoon, I saw a blur flash past my window. By this time, a car in the lot had blocked part of my view of the vines where the nest had been built. I had a feeling what the blur was, but hoped I was wrong.

I stood, and my fears were realized. A red-shouldered hawk was standing on the nest tearing it apart. The robins took a few swipes at the hawk, but the larger bird of prey hardly seemed to notice. 

The robins, of course, abandoned the nest and haven’t returned. Thankfully, it’s still very early in the season, and the robins can try again–hopefully, in a better place next time. 

I was confused about the encounter. The obvious conclusion is that the hawk raided the nest to eat the eggs. However, I don’t think the robins had eggs in the nest yet. I had just noticed the robins for the first time that day. Surely, since it was in direct sight of my office window, I would have noticed the robins building the nest prior to that day.

Then why would the hawk go after the nest like that? Maybe it attacked the nest in the hopes that there would be eggs or baby birds in it and came up empty. Or perhaps it was a territorial message, as red-shouldered hawks do nest on the property.

Regardless of the reason, I wish the robins luck with their next attempt. I also wish the hawk luck on its next quest for food. And, of course, I wish the flickers luck in their nesting season.