Author Archives: Chris Bosak

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About Chris Bosak

Bird columnist and nature photographer based in New England.

Moving forward

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Photo by Chris Bosak
A ruby-throated hummingbird perches on a rope in New England, May 2020. Merganser Lake.

For the past several weeks I’ve posted a Birds to Brighten Your Day photo, featuring my best shot from the day before. Now that it’s Memorial Day Weekend, states are slowly opening and migration is winding down, it’s a good time to move on from Birds to Brighten Your Day. I hope your days are indeed brightening and you keep on checking out BirdsofNewEngland.com. I still hope to post something every day. It could be my best shot from the day before, or even that day, or one of the many shots I didn’t use over the past several weeks. Of course, I’ll continue to post my latest For the Birds nature column too.

I’ll start off with a ruby-throated hummingbird. I’m not sure how they missed being featured on Birds to Brighten Your Day because they are always a fan favorite. “My” hummingbirds arrived on May 1 (or was it May 2?) and have been buzzing around ever since. For years, I never had luck attracting hummingbirds. Now that I’m several years into getting them I consider them an integral part of summer.

Birds to brighten your day: May 22

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Photo by Chris Bosak
A mourning dove perches on a branch in New England, May 2020. Merganser Lake.

A Day on Merganser Lake

I like this photo as it is a good kickoff to Memorial Day Weekend. We celebrate Memorial Day as the start of the summer season, but its real meaning, of course, is much more important and somber. The name mourning dove itself reflects this reality, but the bird’s pose is also somewhat reflective. Thanks to our fallen heroes.

Have a great Memorial Day Weekend everybody.

(Repeat text for context:  I’m running out of COVID-19 lockdown themes so from now until things get back to some semblance of normalcy, I will simply post my best photo from the previous day. You could say it fits because of its uncertainty and challenge. I’ll call the series “A Day on Merganser Lake,” even though that’s not the real name of the lake I live near in southwestern Connecticut, it’s just a nod to my favorite duck family.)

Photo by Chris Bosak
A mourning dove perches on a branch in New England, May 2020. Merganser Lake.

Birds to brighten your day: May 21

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An indigo bunting perches on a branch in New England, May 2020. Merganser Lake.

A Day on Merganser Lake

I was a little late to the indigo bunting party this spring, but I finally got one yesterday. I visited a nearby park and took a trail I usually don’t take. I can get stuck in a routine of walking the same route every time I go to a place I visit frequently. This time I took the path less traveled and it made all the difference. (Corny, I know.)

(Repeat text for context:  I’m running out of COVID-19 lockdown themes so from now until things get back to some semblance of normalcy, I will simply post my best photo from the previous day. You could say it fits because of its uncertainty and challenge. I’ll call the series “A Day on Merganser Lake,” even though that’s not the real name of the lake I live near in southwestern Connecticut, it’s just a nod to my favorite duck family.)

Birds to brighten your day: May 20

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Photo by Chris Bosak An eastern towhee sings from a branch in New England, May 2020. Merganser Lake.

A Day on Merganser Lake

The other day I posted a photo of a chestnut-sided warbler and I remarked how I liked the color chestnut. Today, here’s a rufous-sided towhee. Rufous is a cool color too. Chestnut and rufous sure beat “tan” or “brown.” Of course, it’s not really called rufous-sided towhee anymore. It now goes by the much more boring name eastern towhee. The name changed in 1998 to split it from the spotted towhee of the West.

(Repeat text for context:  I’m running out of COVID-19 lockdown themes so from now until things get back to some semblance of normalcy, I will simply post my best photo from the previous day. You could say it fits because of its uncertainty and challenge. I’ll call the series “A Day on Merganser Lake,” even though that’s not the real name of the lake I live near in southwestern Connecticut, it’s just a nod to my favorite duck family.)

Photo by Chris Bosak An eastern towhee sings from a branch in New England, May 2020. Merganser Lake.

Birds to brighten your day: May 19

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A yellow-bellied sapsucker perches on a vine in New England, May 2020. Merganser Lake.

A Day on Merganser Lake

The yellow-bellied sapsucker is one of the more underrated woodpeckers in New England, in my opinion. Perhaps it’s because they aren’t seen as often as downy, hairy or red-bellied woodpeckers or have the wow factor of flickers or pileated woodpeckers. It’s always a treat to see these handsome birds with an interesting eating habit. This is from allaboutbirds.org: “They feed at sapwells—neat rows of shallow holes they drill in tree bark. They lap up the sugary sap along with any insects that may get caught there.”

And, of course, there’s always this:

(Repeat text for context:  I’m running out of COVID-19 lockdown themes so from now until things get back to some semblance of normalcy, I will simply post my best photo from the previous day. You could say it fits because of its uncertainty and challenge. I’ll call the series “A Day on Merganser Lake,” even though that’s not the real name of the lake I live near in southwestern Connecticut, it’s just a nod to my favorite duck family.)

The sapsucker shown is a female. Males have red throats.

Photo by Chris Bosak
A yellow-bellied sapsucker perches on a vine in New England, May 2020. Merganser Lake.

Birds to brighten your day: May 18

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Photo by Chris Bosak A chestnut-sided warbler lurks in the brush in New England, May 2020. Merganser Lake.

A Day on Merganser Lake

Warbler season was on full display over the weekend. One of my favorite warblers is the chestnut-sided warbler. I like the color scheme and anything with the color chestnut has got to be cool. This guy was lurking among the bushes as I was trying to find a different warbler. I’m glad he made himself known.

(Repeat text for context:  I’m running out of COVID-19 lockdown themes so from now until things get back to some semblance of normalcy, I will simply post my best photo from the previous day. You could say it fits because of its uncertainty and challenge. I’ll call the series “A Day on Merganser Lake,” even though that’s not the real name of the lake I live near in southwestern Connecticut, it’s just a nod to my favorite duck family.)

Birds to brighten your Day: May 17

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Photo by Chris Bosak
A rose-breasted grosbeak shows off its red feathers in its “wing pits” in New England, May 2020. Merganser Lake.

A Day on Merganser Lake

Male rose-breasted grosbeaks are known for their beautiful plumage: contrasting black-and-white overall with a large rose-red triangle patch on the chest. The red under the wings is not seen often, even in flight. Here’s a shot that shows that extra splash of color.

(Repeat text for context:  I’m running out of COVID-19 lockdown themes so from now until things get back to some semblance of normalcy, I will simply post my best photo from the previous day. You could say it fits because of its uncertainty and challenge. I’ll call the series “A Day on Merganser Lake,” even though that’s not the real name of the lake I live near in southwestern Connecticut, it’s just a nod to my favorite duck family.)

Photo by Chris Bosak A rose-breasted grosbeak shows off its red feathers in its “wing pits” in New England, May 2020. Merganser Lake.

Birds to brighten your day: May 16

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Photo by Chris Bosak A Baltimore oriole perches on a wire in New England, May 2020. Merganser Lake.

A Day on Merganser Lake

I’m getting a lot of reports about Baltimore orioles this spring. It’s great that so many people are seeing them and getting them to their feeders. I’m hearing that some orioles are going to orange halves, some to nectar feeders and some to suet. I also know that orioles like grape jelly. “My” oriole goes to the suet cake and ignores the oranges, grape jelly and nectar feeder right next to it. His visits are also very short and infrequent. Striking bird, for sure.

(Repeat text for context:  I’m running out of COVID-19 lockdown themes so from now until things get back to some semblance of normalcy, I will simply post my best photo from the previous day. You could say it fits because of its uncertainty and challenge. I’ll call the series “A Day on Merganser Lake,” even though that’s not the real name of the lake I live near in southwestern Connecticut, it’s just a nod to my favorite duck family.)

Birds to brighten your day: May 15

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Photo by Chris Bosak
An American goldfinch perches on a branch in New England, May 2020. Merganser Lake.

A Day on Merganser Lake

American goldfinches continue to be the top customer at my feeding station. I get dozens and dozens each day and it’s been like that for months. I only wish Nyjer seed wasn’t so expensive. It’s been fun and educational watching the goldfinches. Their plumage is constantly changing and there is great variety among the individual birds.

It is the height of spring migration. Drop me a line and let me know what you’re seeing.

(Repeat text for context:  I’m running out of COVID-19 lockdown themes so from now until things get back to some semblance of normalcy, I will simply post my best photo from the previous day. You could say it fits because of its uncertainty and challenge. I’ll call the series “A Day on Merganser Lake,” even though that’s not the real name of the lake I live near in southwestern Connecticut, it’s just a nod to my favorite duck family.)

Photo by Chris Bosak
An American goldfinch perches on a branch in New England, May 2020. Merganser Lake.

Birds to brighten your day: May 14

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Photo by Chris Bosak
An American redstart perches in a bush at Bennett’s Farm State Park in Connecticut, May 2020.

Something woke me up around 3:30 a.m. and I couldn’t fall back asleep. I gave up trying when the darkness outside my window started to brighten. What the heck, I told myself. It’s the height of warbler season so let’s go find some warblers. I made a cup of coffee and raced the rising sun to a nearby park. I headed down a path that has led to warblers in the past. It did again this time. There wasn’t a tremendous variety of warblers (maybe seven species) but the ones I did see kept me entertained.

My favorite was this American redstart that followed me along the path for an inordinate amount of time. It gave me great looks at it, but it would not sit still very well for photos. I managed a few decent shots despite his hyperactivity. A few more photos are below.

(Repeat text for context:  I’m running out of COVID-19 lockdown themes so from now until things get back to some semblance of normalcy, I will simply post my best photo from the previous day. You could say it fits because of its uncertainty and challenge. I’ll call the series “A Day on Merganser Lake,” even though that’s not the real name of the lake I live near in southwestern Connecticut, it’s just a nod to my favorite duck family.)

Photo by Chris Bosak
An American redstart perches in a bush at Bennett’s Farm State Park in Connecticut, May 2020.
Photo by Chris Bosak An American redstart perches on a branch at Bennett’s Farm State Park in Connecticut, May 2020.