Monthly Archives: November 2013

Latest For the Birds column: Tracking down a towhee

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Here’s my column from this week in The Hour and Keene Sentinel.

Photo by Chris Bosak An Eastern Towhee at Selleck's/Dunlap Woods in Darien, Nov. 2013.

Photo by Chris Bosak
An Eastern Towhee at Selleck’s/Dunlap Woods in Darien, Nov. 2013.

 

It was one of those walks I probably shouldn’t have taken. I had only a smidgen of wiggle room if I wanted to arrive at an appointment on time. The woods beckoned, however, and I’ve always felt that a few minutes in the woods was better than no minutes in the woods. The danger, of course, is that I find it very difficult to spend only a few minutes in the woods. One good bird to follow and there goes my couple of minutes. Oh well, I figured, it’s cold and breezy. The birds will be hunkered down and making themselves scarce. I can knock out a quick walk no problem. The plan was working Continue reading →

Hooded Mergansers all over

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Photo by Chris Bosak A male Hooded Merganser in Holly Pond in Stamford, CT, Nov. 2013.

Photo by Chris Bosak
A male Hooded Merganser in Holly Pond in Stamford, CT, Nov. 2013.

Hooded Mergansers are usually found in large numbers here in southern New England, but this fall seems to be particularly good for “hoodies.” Hooded Mergansers, which have long been one of my favorite birds, are found on both fresh and brackish water. They eat a variety of small prey, mostly fish, they obtain by Continue reading →

Time to clean the bird houses

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Darien Land Trust member Denis "Den" Frelinghuysen removes a Tree Swallow nest from a bird house at Mather Meadows as Darien Land Trust Executive Director Shirley Nichols looks on in this Nov. 23, 2013, photo.

Darien Land Trust member Denis “Den” Frelinghuysen removes a Tree Swallow nest from a bird house at Mather Meadows as Darien Land Trust Executive Director Shirley Nichols looks on in this Nov. 23, 2013, photo.

If you haven’t already, this is a good time to clean the bird houses. Birds will still use the houses for winter shelter without the nests. Old nests hold a variety of parasites and could be harmful to the birds in the spring. Cleaning the boxes will also give you the opportunity check if any unwanted visitors have used the house, such as wasps.

In the above photo, Darien Land Trust member Denis Frelinghuysen removes a Tree Swallow nest from a box at the Mather Meadows property in the northern part of Darien. Land Trust Executive Director Shirley Nichols looks on.

Fall colors for a rainy day

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Photo by Chris Bosak Fall colors abound at a cemetery in Darien, CT, Nov. 2013.

Photo by Chris Bosak
Fall colors abound at a cemetery in Darien, CT, Nov. 2013.

Why we love New England …

With today’s gray, cold weather, I figured I’d lighten up things with a photo I took a mere few weeks ago when the New England landscape was alive with its famous autumn color. Now the trees are bare and the grass is brown. Things change fast in New England. That’s why we love it so much.

Send me your bird and wildlife photos and I’ll put them on my “reader submitted” page.

Two “regulars” converge

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Photo by Chris Bosak A Great Blue Heron rests along the shoreline as Mallards eat in the water at a cemetery in Darien, CT, on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2013.

Photo by Chris Bosak
A Great Blue Heron rests along the shoreline as Mallards eat in the water at a cemetery in Darien, CT, on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2013.

I checked out a pond at a local cemetery this morning on my way to work and was pleasantly surprised to see a Great Blue Heron along the shoreline. Sure, Great Blue Herons are not rare and I’ve seen plenty of them in my lifetime, but it’s one of those birds I always enjoy seeing.

I grabbed the camera to capture the moment and, just then, a group of mallards worked their way into the shot. Mallards, of course, are not uncommon either — quite the opposite — but the convergence of the species made for an interesting photograph.

A pair of Red-tailed Hawks, an American Robin, a few Song Sparrows and dozens of Canada Geese were the only other species around on this morning.

Eastern Towhee highlights quick morning walk

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Photo by Chris Bosak
An Eastern Towhee at Selleck’s/Dunlap Woods in Darien, Nov. 2013.

A quick walk at Selleck’s/Dunlap Woods in Darien this morning yielded a few surprises, such as a Hermit Thrush, a few kinglets and this very vocal Eastern Towhee.

A Blue Jay mimicked a Red-shouldered Hawk and plenty of American Robins ate berries along the trail. White-throated Sparrows were in abundance, too.

Photo by Chris Bosak An Eastern Towhee at Selleck's/Dunlap Woods in Darien, Nov. 2013.

Photo by Chris Bosak
An Eastern Towhee at Selleck’s/Dunlap Woods in Darien, Nov. 2013.

This particular towhee was very vocal, which is how I found it in the first place. It didn’t sing its “drink your tea” song, of course, but gave itself up by constantly uttering its “chwink” or “tow-hee” call over and over.

Let me know what you’re seeing out there at bozclark@earthlink.net. Also submit a photo for my “reader submitted” photo page.

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Photo by Chris Bosak
An Eastern Towhee at Selleck’s/Dunlap Woods in Darien, Nov. 2013.

Not many birds, but a snapper on this walk

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Snapping turtle

Snapping turtle

The birding was fairly slow on a quick walk I took this morning at a cemetery in Darien, CT.

Canada geese filled the pond. No wood ducks or hooded mergansers, which may also be found there on occasion. Lots of starlings and a few robins, but otherwise pretty scarce in terms of birds.

But the walk was made when I turned a corner to see a big, dark lump along the side of one of the roads that wind around the cemetery. The lump was moving and turned out to be a snapping turtle. I was surprised to see one this late in the year (Nov. 18.) Then again, late sightings are becoming less surprising.

I wish I had my boys with me for this walk. They have recently discovered “Call of the Wildman” on Animal Planet and love the “Turtle Man’s” antics. Wildman often catches and relocates snapping turtles so the boys would have loved this sighting — not they would have tried to catch it. Check out the claws on this turtle. No wonder they are such great diggers.

Turtles know where they are going and this snapper was safely off to the side of the road within the confines of the cemetery, so I didn’t interfere either.

Photo by Chris Bosak Snapping turtle in cemetery in Darien, CT, Nov. 2013.

 

Interesting new feature by CT Audubon

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cropped-birdwalk-sign.jpg

This should be a great tool for birdwatchers planning a trip to Connecticut.

http://www.thehour.com/blogs/green_outdoors/ct-audubon-launches-a-weekly-guide-to-the-state-s/article_f1b7656e-4e09-11e3-8019-001a4bcf6878.html

First post for the new BirdsofNewEngland.com

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Green Heron in southern Connecticut, November 2013.

Green Heron in southern Connecticut, November 2013.

Welcome to the new http://www.birdsofnewengland.com. It will be similar to the former website with lots of bird photos and stories from my travels around New England. It will have a different look, however, and new features, such as a video page and “reader submitted” photos page. Feel free to submit photos you have taken of birds or other wildlife in New England (or beyond.)

So let’s just jump right into the first post.

November has been a great month for birdwatching so far, at least from my perspective in southern New England. On the first Sunday in November, I spotted a Green Heron at Selleck’s/Dunlap Woods, a Darien Land Trust property. I’ve seen plenty of Green Herons at this property before, but never in November _ or even October or late September for that matter. It was interesting to see the crow-sized wader surrounded by fall foliage.

Green Heron in Southern Connecticut, November 2013.

Green Heron in Southern Connecticut, November 2013.

The Green Heron sighting followed an hour-long stretch whereby I sat in a dried-out swampy area and watched as Golden-crowned Kinglets, Ruby-crowned Kinglets and Yellow-rumped Warblers hopped along the ground among the weeds and grasses looking for seeds. Previous highlights that weekend included an Eastern Towhee, Brown Creeper and Winter Wrens.

Thanks for checking out the new http://www.BirdsofNewEngland.com. Check back often for updates and new stories and photos. Remember to send in your photos and I’ll add them to the “reader submitted” page. Send the photos or other suggestions to bozclark@earthlink.net