Author Archives: Chris Bosak

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About Chris Bosak

Bird columnist and nature photographer based in New England.

Looking back at a Barn Swallow nest

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Photo by CHRIS BOSAK Young Barn Swallows look for food from their mother, which is returning to the nest with food.

Photo by CHRIS BOSAK
Young Barn Swallows look for food from their mother, which is returning to the nest with food.

Here’s a group of photos I took at a Barn Swallow nest, which was built on a light fixture in the covered portion of the parking lot where I work. The parents dive-bombed and swooped at all the people who parked nearby. They had only one brood before moving on. It’s a credit to the building owner that they let the nest remain throughout the entire process. This was a few summers ago, but I’ve never published all of these photos.

More photos below. Continue reading →

This Android app will identify any bird you see

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Merlin bird photo ID

Merlin bird photo ID

If you’ve always had trouble differentiating Caspian Terns from Royal Terns, there’s now an app that can help you. The Merlin Bird Photo ID was created with bird watchers in mind, carrying with it over 400 species of birds found in North America, and over 70 million photos in its bird identification database.

The app is easy to use. All users have to do is take a photo of a bird and answer a few questions about what it looked like when they took the picture. Users must also point out on the photo where the bird’s bill, eye and tail are. After that, the app will search from its database and present the user with the most accurate search result.

“It gets the bird right in the top three results about 90% of the time, and it’s Continue reading →

Bird Book Look II: Into the Nest

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Into the Nest cover

Into the Nest cover

Here is my second Bird Book Look post.

It is “Into the Nest” by Laura Erickson and Marie Read, published by Storey. As the subtitle states, the book shows and describes: “Intimate Views of the Courtship, Parenting, and Family Lives of Familiar Birds.”

I really like this book for its terrific photography and descriptive writing about birds in regards to their raising young. The photography offers incredible shots of nest building, parents feeding young, birds courting, and birds fledging. The accompanying text describes in great detail, but in easy to read fashion, all the behaviors regarding birds raising their young. The birds featured range from familiar backyard birds, not-as-often seen songbirds, birds of prey and shorebirds.

Bird Book Look is not intended to be reviews of books about birds, but rather just letting readers know what new bird books are out there. I can say, however, that I really enjoy this book, both Continue reading →

Eastern Kingbird expels a pellet (coughs up an exoskeleton ball)

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Photo by Chris Bosak An Eastern Kingbird regurgitates a pellet in Stamford, Conn., May 2015.

Photo by Chris Bosak
An Eastern Kingbird regurgitates a pellet in Stamford, Conn., May 2015.

Ever eat an insect and notice how hard the outer shell, or exoskeleton, is?

I hope you answered no to that question. I certainly haven’t. But you can imagine that if you ever did bite into an insect it would be crunchy, kind of like eating a lobster without removing the meat from the shell first. You can also imagine that the exoskeleton would be difficult, if not impossible, to digest.

So how does that undigested shell come out? Everyone knows that owls regurgitate pellets of undigestible material, such as beaks, bones, feathers, claws and fur. Not as commonly known, however, is that many insectivores (things that eat insects) regurgitate pellets as well.

I was aware of this, but never witnessed it until the other day when I was watching an Eastern Kingbird. It was perched in a small tree at Continue reading →

Eagles unsuccessful in nesting attempt in Norwalk

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The eagles that were sitting on the nest on Chimon Island off the coast of Norwalk, Conn., earlier this spring have abandoned the nest. It’s sad news, but it’s not uncommon for birds of prey to fail in their first attempt at a nesting sight. Hopefully they will try again nest year with better results.

Here’s my story in The Hour.

It’s nesting season all right

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Photo by Chris Bosak A Baltimore Oriole nest in Stamford, Conn., May 2015.

Photo by Chris Bosak
A Baltimore Oriole nest in Stamford, Conn., May 2015.

I took a walk around a local park in Stamford, Conn., yesterday. I knew the warbler migration was winding down, but I figured I’d see a few late migrants and perhaps something else interesting. Something always happens when you make the effort to take a walk in the woods.

I was walking happily along looking up in the trees for movement. With the leaves out now, movement is the only way to spot most birds. I glanced down and suddenly found myself tip-toeing frantically to avoid bird droppings all over the trail. Not that it would have been a big deal if I stepped on one, but my brain recognize Continue reading →

An ‘ordinary’ colorful bird

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Photo by Chris Bosak A female Northern Cardinal eats from a feeder in Stamford, Conn., this spring.

Photo by Chris Bosak
A female Northern Cardinal eats from a feeder in Stamford, Conn., this spring.

With the all the color in the bird world passing through these days in the form of warblers, orioles, tanagers, grosbeaks and buntings, it can be easy to forget about our ‘ordinary’ colorful birds, such as cardinals.

Yes, even the female Northern Cardinal is beautifully colorful — just not as striking as the brilliant red male. So here’s a shot of one of these pretty ladies — really nothing ordinary about her.

A few late warbler photos: redstart and yellowthroat

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Photo by Chris Bosak An American Redstart sings from a perch in Selleck's and Dunlap Woods in Darien, Conn., May 2015.

Photo by Chris Bosak
An American Redstart sings from a perch in Selleck’s and Dunlap Woods in Darien, Conn., May 2015.

Here are a few photos of some late migrating warblers I took Monday at Selleck’s and Dunlap Woods in Darien, Conn. The warbler migration still has some strong days ahead, but don’t wait too long if you haven’t been out there looking for them yet. The warbler migration in New England winds down as the month of May winds down. Let me know what you’re seeing out there.

Photo by Chris Bosak A Common Yellowthroat perches on a broken stalk at Selleck's and Dunlap Woods in May 2015.

Photo by Chris Bosak
A Common Yellowthroat perches on a broken stalk at Selleck’s and Dunlap Woods in May 2015.

What’s your funny caption?

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Photo by Chris Bosak An Eastern Bluebird stretches a wing as it rests on a birdhouse at Mather Meadows in Darien, Conn., April 2015.

Photo by Chris Bosak
An Eastern Bluebird stretches a wing as it rests on a birdhouse at Mather Meadows in Darien, Conn., April 2015.

I posted this photo the other week as part of a story about the Eastern Bluebirds being back at Mather Meadows in Darien, Conn.

It occurred to me that the photo has the potential for a funny caption. I’ll leave that part up to you _ post a comment, or send me an email at bozclark@earthlink.net