Author Archives: Chris Bosak

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About Chris Bosak

Bird columnist and nature photographer based in New England.

Merganser Lake: A bird in the hand – well, on the hand at least

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I went to fill my feeders this afternoon and noticed the chickadees being especially brave. They are brave to begin with, but they seemed particularly audacious on this day.

I wonder if one will land on the feeder if I stand this close, I thought to myself as I stood two or three feet away with my iPhone at the ready.

Question answered:


Well, I thought next, I wonder if I took the feeder down for a minute or two and held out some seeds if a chickadee would land on my hand. It took a bit longer but, once again, question answered.


Two or three chickadees took the risk while the rest chirped from nearby perches. The nuthatches and titmice wanted nothing to do with the hand-feeding method. I didn’t expect them to. Maybe next time, though. I’ll try again soon.

Introducing Merganser Lake

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https://birdsofnewengland.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/merglake5.jpg

Photo by Chris Bosak
A foggy morning on Merganser Lake. A perfect day for a canoe ride.

I recently moved to a new place in Connecticut — about 40 minutes north of my former home. While I loved my former place with Long Island Sound and a nice park within walking distance, my new home is set in the woods with a lake right across the street and a smaller lake (big pond) a mere 10-minute walk through the woods. The trail to the smaller lake runs just beyond my backyard within 100s of acres of woods.

Much of my birdwatching, and thus many of my posts on this blog, will take place either at my feeders, in the woods around my house, or on the lake across the street. Those posts will be on the main page of http://www.BirdsofNewEngland.com, but also put on a special page entitled “Living on Merganser Lake,” a link to which may be found in the menu on top of any page on this site.

The lake is not actually called “Merganser Lake,” but for the purposes of this site I will refer to it as such. The smaller lake or pond behind my house will be referred to as Little Merganser Lake.

Why Merganser Lake? Hooded Mergansers are my favorite bird, so why not honor them by naming the lake after them (even if it is just a fictitious name). Common Mergansers and Red-breasted Mergansers are among my favorites, too.

Most of the postings under “Merganser Lake” will be about birdwatching, of course, but some posts will extend into other areas of lake living. I can’t wait to get “Living on Merganser Lake” in earnest.

For now, here are a few photos I took during a walk just this morning.

Photo by Chris Bosak The woods of Merganser Lake in early autumn.

Photo by Chris Bosak
The woods of Merganser Lake in early autumn.

Photo by Chris Bosak Little Merganser Lake in early autumn.

Photo by Chris Bosak
Little Merganser Lake in early autumn.

https://birdsofnewengland.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/merglake41.jpg

Photo by Chris Bosak
A good acorn crop at Merganser Lake.

 

And the Answer is …

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Photo by Chris Bosak

Photo by Chris Bosak

Here’s the answer to the latest Birding Quiz. Many of you nailed it, despite the somewhat tricky nature of the photo.

Click below for the answer.

Continue reading →

Birding quiz — a bit of a tricky one

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Photo by Chris Bosak

Photo by Chris Bosak

I haven’t done a birding quiz in quite some time. So here’s the latest. Admittedly, it’s somewhat of a trick question ,but I think many of you will get this, regardless …

So what is it?? Thanks for playing along and be sure to tell your friends so they can guess, too.

 

 

Common Loons are a year-rounder for New England

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Photo by Chris Bosak A Common Loon seen during a recent winter in Long Island Sound off the coast of Norwalk, Conn. Loons feature a more drab plumage in the winter.

Photo by Chris Bosak
A Common Loon seen during a recent winter in Long Island Sound off the coast of Norwalk, Conn. Loons feature a more drab plumage in the winter.

Here’s my latest For the Birds column regarding Common Loons being a year-round New England bird. It was inspired by the release of a study that determined that loons are loyal to both summer and winter sites. Enjoy and thanks for checking out http://www.BirdsofNewEngland.com

…

Common Loons are a year-round New England bird. You won’t see them at the same place in the summer and winter, but they are true to our region. In the summer, head to the northern New England lakes and ponds and you’ll see loons. Those waters will be void of loons in the winter. In fact, there’s a very strong possibility that those waters will be frozen in the winter. But head to southern coastal New England in the winter, and you’ll see loons. Some loons head farther south for the winter months, but many spend their winters on Long Island Sound or off the Atlantic coast. As a bonus, these wintering grounds also play host to a fair amount of Red-throated Loons, too. But these waters are void of loons in the summer. So, unlike say, for instance, a Black-capped Chickadee, which can be seen

Read the rest of the column here.

Young Cooper’s Hawk after meal

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Photo by Chris Bosak An immature Cooper's Hawk rests in a tree after eating a songbird in Norwalk, CT, summer 2015.

Photo by Chris Bosak
An immature Cooper’s Hawk rests in a tree after eating a songbird in Norwalk, CT, summer 2015.

I love when these types of calls come in.

“Hey Chris. It’s Alex. There’s a hawk in the parking lot. Come down.”

I jumped in the elevator, went down and met Alex (one of the photographers here at The Hour) in the parking lot. Sure enough, there was an immature Cooper’s Hawk sitting in a tree right above some cars. I grabbed a few shots, shot the breeze a bit with Alex and went back to work. Not all good bird photographs happen that easily, trust me.

Before I arrived, the young hawk had been eating a smaller bird, perhaps a catbird or titmouse, it was tough to tell from the scraps I could see on the ground. Alex captured a few shots of the hawk eating. He tweeted one, which may be seen here:

 

Yet more Osprey shots

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Photo by Chris Bosak A first-year Osprey sits on the top of a sailboat mast along the Norwalk River in Norwalk, Conn., summer 2015.

Photo by Chris Bosak
A first-year Osprey sits on the top of a sailboat mast along the Norwalk River in Norwalk, Conn., summer 2015.

I had mentioned in the previous post that I was photographing a young Osprey on the top of a sailboat mast when I spotted another Osprey overhead carrying a fish in its talons. Naturally I was more excited about the Osprey carrying a fish so I posted that photo first.

So with that photo out of the way, here are some more Osprey photos that I have taken in the last week — yes, including a few of that young Osprey on the sailboat mast.

Photo by Chris Bosak An Osprey flies with a fish in its talons over the Norwalk River in Norwalk, Conn., summer 2015.

Photo by Chris Bosak
An Osprey flies with a fish in its talons over the Norwalk River in Norwalk, Conn., summer 2015.

Photo by Chris Bosak An Osprey sits near its nest on Fish's Island off the coast of Darien, Conn., in summer 2015.

Photo by Chris Bosak
An Osprey sits near its nest on Fish’s Island off the coast of Darien, Conn., in summer 2015.

Photo by Chris Bosak A first-year Osprey sits on the top of a sailboat mast along the Norwalk River in Norwalk, Conn., summer 2015.

Photo by Chris Bosak
A first-year Osprey sits on the top of a sailboat mast along the Norwalk River in Norwalk, Conn., summer 2015.

Photo by Chris Bosak An adult Osprey sits on a piling (left) as a first-year Osprey sits in a nest off the coast of Norwalk, Conn., summer 2015.

Photo by Chris Bosak
An adult Osprey sits on a piling (left) as a first-year Osprey sits in a nest off the coast of Norwalk, Conn., summer 2015.

 

 

Osprey with fish. Can you name the fish?

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Photo by Chris Bosak An Osprey carries a fish along the Norwalk River in Norwalk, CT, summer 2015.

Photo by Chris Bosak
An Osprey carries a fish along the Norwalk River in Norwalk, CT, summer 2015.

I’m pretty good with my birds, but only very average with my fish. I got this photo of an Osprey carrying a fish along the Norwalk River on Friday, Aug. 28, 2015. I was photographing a young Osprey on a sailboat mast when this older Osprey flew by with its prey. The younger Osprey looked up and gave a look as if to say: “I wish I could do that.” The youngster will learn soon enough.

It looks like a fairly good-sized fish, but honestly my fish ID skills are not up to par. Who knows what it is? Thanks for your input.

Cover shot of Darien Times, featuring bird shot by yours truly

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Chris Bosak photo of Black-crowned Night Heron on page one of The Darien Times, Thursday, August. 20, 2015.

Chris Bosak photo of Black-crowned Night Heron on page one of The Darien Times, Thursday, August. 20, 2015.

Here’s part of the front page of the Thursday, Aug. 20, 2015, Darien Times, featuring my shot of the Black-crowned Night Heron. Thanks to Darien Times Editor Susan Shultz. More editors should have such good taste. 🙂