For the Birds: Young birds offer hope for the future

Posted on July 19, 2025 by Chris Bosak

Photo by Chris Bosak – A young male rose-breasted grosbeak visits a feeder in New England, summer 2025. Note the brown feathers on the wings.

I was heading to my car at work when four or five relatively large birds emerged on the ground from around the corner of a building. I didn’t immediately recognize them, as their sudden appearance surprised me and my mind was elsewhere.

I took a few more steps and quickly realized what they were: baby turkeys. By that time, I had progressed enough that the mother turkey was now visible and only a few yards away. Will she attack like a mute swan or Canada goose might? Never get between a mother and her babies, the saying goes. I wasn’t actually between them, but I was certainly close enough to some of the babies that I could be considered a threat.

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Never enough cardinal photos

Posted on February 25, 2025 by Chris Bosak

Photo by Chris Bosak Northern cardinal in birdbath, New England, Feb. 2025.

Can there ever be enough northern cardinal photos? Here are a few shots from the other day.

Photo by Chris Bosak Northern cardinal in New England, Feb. 2025.

Red-winged blackbirds return in force

Posted on February 25, 2025 by Chris Bosak

Photo by Chris Bosak A red-winged blackbird rests on a perch near a feeder in New England, February 23, 2025.

This guy showed up at my feeder a few days ago, marking the first time I’ve seen a red-winged blackbird at my feeder in many years. Today, during a walk, I saw dozens and dozens of male red-winged blackbirds, mostly flying overhead. Males show up a few weeks before females to scout out territories. The familiar sounds of red-winged blackbirds are back. The spring migration is under way.

Starlings in birdbath

Posted on February 23, 2025 by Chris Bosak

These starlings look like they are looking for trouble.

More icy photos

Posted on February 17, 2025 by Chris Bosak

Photo by Chris Bosak A white-throated sparrow perches among ice branches in New England, February 2025.

Here are a few more photos from the ice storm in New England, February 2025.

Photo by Chris Bosak
A white-throated sparrow perches on an icy branch in New England, February 2025.

For the Birds: Great Backyard Bird Count coming right up

Posted on February 13, 2025 by Chris Bosak

Photo by Chris Bosak A cardinal eats berries in New England, January 2025.

I’ve seen a ton of robins this winter. On several occasions, I’ve seen them in big numbers attacking bushes and trees and stripping them of fruit.

I’ll always remember the first time I saw this spectacle. It was more than 20 years ago, and I was a relatively new birder. I walked into the woods and the trees were alive with bird life. Birds were darting from tree to tree all around me.

I was finally able to focus on a few and discovered that they were all robins. I was surprised because, at the time, I still thought of robins as spring and summer birds in New England. They are the harbinger of spring, aren’t they?

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For the Birds: Thrasher makes surprise feeder visit

Posted on October 26, 2024 by Chris Bosak

Phioto by Chris Bosak – A brown thrasher visits a suet feeder in New England, fall 2024.

There are trade-offs with everything in life.

When I lived in my house in the woods years ago, the action at the birdfeeder was nonstop with great birds. I never saw a single house sparrow, starling, or pigeon the entire time I lived there.

On the other hand, it took 20 minutes to drive to the nearest grocery store or restaurant. Nothing except a few trails through the woods, a small lake and a pond were within walking distance. That suited me just fine when I wanted to look for birds or simply take a nice peaceful walk, which was often. It didn’t do me much good when I needed food, however.

Now that I live close to a downtown area of a small town, I can walk to the grocery store, restaurants, and just about anything else I need. The flip side, of course, is that the action at the birdfeeder is not as robust. It is not void of birds by any stretch, but house sparrows and starlings are the most frequent visitors, sometimes converging on the feeders in great numbers.

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