Category Archives: backyard birding

Look who’s back

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Photo by Chris Bosak A ruby-throated hummingbirds hovers near a feeder at Merganser Lake in Danbury, Conn., in April 2017.

Photo by Chris Bosak
A ruby-throated hummingbirds hovers near a feeder at Merganser Lake in Danbury, Conn., in April 2017.

This female ruby-throated hummingbird arrived today (Sunday, April 30, 2017) at the feeder. I put the feeder out about two weeks ago in anticipation of the hummingbirds’ return. Is it the same female hummingbird that has visited my feeder over the last few seasons? I’m not sure, but I’m glad to welcome them back, either way. Hopefully she will find a suitable nesting site on my property. If she heads farther north, well, that’s fine, too.

Photo by Chris Bosak A ruby-throated hummingbirds perches on a feeder at Merganser Lake in Danbury, Conn., in April 2017.

Photo by Chris Bosak
A ruby-throated hummingbirds perches on a feeder at Merganser Lake in Danbury, Conn., in April 2017.

Putting another homemade bird feeder to the test

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Photo by Chris Bosak A white-breasted nuthatch takes a sunflower seed from a homemade platform feeder in March 2017, in Danbury, Conn.

Photo by Chris Bosak
A white-breasted nuthatch takes a sunflower seed from a homemade platform feeder in March 2017, in Danbury, Conn.

I know I’m not breaking any ground with the design of this homemade bird feeder, but figured I’d share it anyway. I’ve been wanting a platform feeder for a while now. The ones I made last year simply by cutting a thin section of a tree trunk with a chainsaw worked for a few months, but I didn’t treat them and they dried up, cracked warped and eventually fell apart.

On to plan B, which was to check out some offerings at stores. I saw one I liked but its design was so simple I couldn’t justify spending money on it. So I mulled it over and procrastinated for a long while before heading into the basement to sift through the scrap wood left by the previous owners of the house.

Almost right away I found an old, wooden cabinet door. The bottom (or inside) already had two thin pieces of wood running near the edges. All I had to do was add two more pieces to close the box and keep the seed contained and I would be done. Just as easily said than done.

The only tricky part was getting it to hang straight, or at least relatively straight. The small chain I used at first just wasn’t cutting it. It would hang low on one end so I’d adjust the links and only make it worse. So I dug out some old carabiner/keychain tchotchkes and linked the same number on each side of the feeder. It still didn’t hang perfectly straight, but that’s fine because I like it slightly angled toward the house anyway. Also, the angle will allow for drainage in heavy rains. (I love when I can justify flaws in my creations.)

As you can see, it’s also a fairly sizable feeder so I can offer a variety of foods at once. It’s working great already and I look forward to sharing photos of future visitors. It’s got rose-breasted grosbeak written all over it. Time will tell.

Photo by Chris Bosak A white-breasted nuthatch takes a sunflower seed from a homemade platform feeder in March 2017, in Danbury, Conn.

Photo by Chris Bosak
A white-breasted nuthatch takes a sunflower seed from a homemade platform feeder in March 2017, in Danbury, Conn.

 

Leftover snow photo 4: just another junco

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Photo by Chris Bosak A Dark-eyed Junco perches on an evergreen during a snowstorm in Feb. 2017 in Danbury, Conn.

Photo by Chris Bosak
A Dark-eyed Junco perches on an evergreen during a snowstorm in Feb. 2017 in Danbury, Conn.

Tomorrow we’ll think warmer thoughts on this site (stay tuned) but for now here’s another photo from that snowstorm last week. Remember, juncos were the most prolific bird in my yard that day, so naturally I have plenty of junco photos.

Leftover snow photo 3: White-breasted Nuthatch

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Photo by Chris Bosak A white-breasted nuthatch grabs a sunflower seed during a snow storm in February 2017 in Danbury, Conn.

Photo by Chris Bosak
A white-breasted nuthatch grabs a sunflower seed during a snow storm in February 2017 in Danbury, Conn.

Not sure why I like this photo so much, but I liked it as soon as I took it. So here it is …

Leftover snow photo 2: Titmouse eyes a peanut

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Photo by Chris Bosak A tufted titmouse contemplates grabbing a peanut from a deck railing following a snowstorm in Danbury, Conn., Feb. 2017.

Photo by Chris Bosak
A tufted titmouse contemplates grabbing a peanut from a deck railing following a snowstorm in Danbury, Conn., Feb. 2017.

Here’s another leftover snow shot from last week’s storm. Titmice were the second-most reliable sighting in the backyard during and after the storm(s). Junco was the best most reliable with dozens in the backyard at any given time.

A few leftover snow photo: Black-capped Chickadee

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Photo by Chris Bosak A black-capped chickadee checks out a feeder during a snowstorm in Feb. 2017.

Photo by Chris Bosak
A black-capped chickadee checks out a feeder during a snowstorm in Feb. 2017.

Snowstorms are great for backyard birdwatchers. The snow adds an interesting element to an already fascinating subject. Here, and a few more in the days to come, are some more shots I got over the snowy weekend.

Another New England woodpecker in the snow; keep sending me your photos!

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Photo by Chris Bosak
A Red-bellied Woodpecker eyes a peanut a few days following a snowstorm in Danbury, Conn., February, 2017.

Yesterday I posted photos hairy and downy woodpeckers. Today it’s the red-bellied woodpecker’s turn. They love peanuts at my house (as you can tell from the amount of photos I post of them grabbing peanuts off my deck railing.)

Not too long ago, the red-bellied woodpecker wasn’t a New England woodpecker. The species is gradually expanding its range northward and is now very common in southern New England and becoming more and more common in the middle of New England.

Now that’s it’s snowing again (it’s the morning of Sunday, Feb. 12 as I write) feel free to keep sending me your snow bird photos. I got some great shots on Thursday from readers, how about some more? To see the Thursday entries, click here.

The difference between Hairy Woodpecker and Downy Woodpecker, snow style

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I’ve done similar posts before comparing the larger Hairy Woodpecker with the smaller Downy Woodpecker. But I’ll repeat the lesson as I captured them both on a homemade birdfeeder during Thursday’s snowstorm.

The hairy is larger overall, but without a reference it’s tough to tell strictly by size. To really determine the species, check out the bill. The hairy has a much more substantial bill. Females of each species are shown.

Photo by Chris Bosak A hairy woodpecker eats bark butter out of a homemade feeder in Danbury, Conn., Feb. 9, 2017.

Photo by Chris Bosak
A hairy woodpecker eats bark butter out of a homemade feeder in Danbury, Conn., Feb. 9, 2017.


Photo by Chris Bosak A downy woodpecker eats bark butter out of a homemade feeder in Danbury, Conn., Feb. 9, 2017.

Photo by Chris Bosak
A downy woodpecker eats bark butter out of a homemade feeder in Danbury, Conn., Feb. 9, 2017.

Birds in the snow photos; send me yours

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Photo by Chris Bosak A junco seeks shelter in an old Christmas tree during the winter storm of Feb. 9, 2017.

Photo by Chris Bosak
A junco seeks shelter in an old Christmas tree during the winter storm of Feb. 9, 2017.

As kids we had snowball fights and played football in the snow. As adults we take photos of birds as our way of playing in the snow. Well, some of us anyway. Some of us still play the old-fashioned way, too.

So here are a few of my shots from today’s storm and a few photos from readers. Send in your shots for inclusion on this post, too! Send them to bozclark@earthlink.net

I’ll update this post throughout the day.

Thanks and have fun out there.

Welcomed visitor

Anna Fay of Marlow, N.H., captured this photo of a barred owl during the storm.

Anna Fay of Marlow, N.H., captured this photo of a barred owl during the storm.

Goldfinches and a nuthatch

Jason Farrow of Norwalk, Conn., captured this beautiful shot of a White-breasted Nuthatch.

Jason Farrow of Norwalk, Conn., captured this beautiful shot of a White-breasted Nuthatch.

Jason Farrow of Norwalk, Conn., captured this great shot of American goldfinches and a house finch.

Jason Farrow of Norwalk, Conn., captured this great shot of American goldfinches and a house finch.

Cardinal in snow, can’t go wrong

Ernest Franklin got this wonderful photo of a male cardinal during the snowstorm of Feb 9, 2017, in New Englnad.

Ernest Franklin of Winchester, N.H., got this wonderful photo of a male cardinal during the snowstorm of Feb 9, 2017, in New England.

Goldfinches galore

Jo Belasco of Colrain, Mass., got this great shot of American Goldfinches during the Feb. 9, 2017, snowstorm.

Jo Belasco of Colrain, Mass., got this great shot of American Goldfinches during the Feb. 9, 2017, snowstorm.

Another nice cardinal

Jo Belasco of Colrain, Mass., got this shot of a northern cardinal during the Feb. 9, 2017, snowstorm.

Jo Belasco of Colrain, Mass., got this shot of a northern cardinal during the Feb. 9, 2017, snowstorm.

Talk about variety!

Alicia Primer of Weston, Mass., got a nice variety of birds in this photo. How many can you pick out?

Alicia Primer of Weston, Mass., got a nice variety of birds in this photo. How many can you pick out?

Bluebirds in the snow, so cool!

Jeanne Ludlow sent in these great photos, taken with her iPhone, of Eastern Bluebirds.

Jeanne Ludlow of Warrington, Penn., sent in these great photos, taken with her iPhone, of Eastern Bluebirds.

Jeanne Ludlow sent in these great photos, taken with her iPhone, of Eastern Bluebirds.

Jeanne Ludlow of Warrington, Penn., sent in these great photos, taken with her iPhone, of Eastern Bluebirds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Latest For the Birds column: Little birds make up “The Big Three”

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Here is the latest For the Birds column, which runs weekly in several New England newspapers.

A White-breasted Nuthatch perches near a birdfeeding station in Danbury, Conn., Oct. 2016.

A White-breasted Nuthatch perches near a birdfeeding station in Danbury, Conn., Oct. 2016.

I call them the Big Three.

In order to make it easier to keep track of the number of bird species I see in my backyard, I lump together black-capped chickadees, white-breasted nuthatches and tufted titmice. They count, of course, as three different species, but it’s just easier to group them.

On any given day I can count on seeing those three birds. Cardinals, downy woodpeckers, juncos, white-throated sparrows and mourning doves are nearly as reliable in the winter, but The Big Three just seem to logically belong together.

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