A continuation of my previous post about Blue Jays eating peanuts.
Photo by Chris Bosak
A Blue Jay considers whether to grab a peanut from a feeder in Danbury, Conn., May 2016.
Hmm, should I?
Photo by Chris Bosak
A Blue Jay grabs a peanut from a feeder in Danbury, Conn., May 2016.
Heck, yeah I should!
Photo by Chris Bosak
An Ovenbird stands on a railing in Danbury, Conn., April 2016.
The Ovenbird is an odd little warbler. It looks more like a thrush with its light brown plumage and spotted breast, but it is a warbler — a warbler that prefers to walk along the ground instead of fly among the treetops.
It is perhaps most known for its song — the ubiquitous “teacher-teacher-teacher” that rings out from the woods throughout May and June in New England. But just because their song is loud and proud, that doesn’t mean they are easy to find. They lurk among the leaf-strewn forest floor, blending in with their surroundings.
I’ve been lucky enough to have one (or more?) visit my yard over the last few days. I’ve enjoyed the visit, but know it won’t last long. Soon, perhaps it’s even left already, it will head farther north.
Photo by Chris Bosak
An Ovenbird perches on a branch in Danbury, Conn., April 2016.
Photo by Chris Bosak
An Ovenbird stands on a log in Danbury, Conn., April 2016.
Photo by Chris Bosak
A White-breasted Nuthatch checks out a new bird feeder in Danbury, Conn., March 2016.
As promised, here are a few more photos of birds using the feeder that my 12-year-old Andrew and I made last week. Here’s the original story in case you missed it.
More photos by clicking below.
Photo by Chris Bosak
Snow covers a birdhouse the day after a storm hit New England during January 2016, Danbury, Conn.
With rain and snow due to hit New England at any moment (I’m writing this on Tuesday ((Feb. 23)) morning) here’s a happy little bird-related snow photo to lift your spirits. Spring is on its way. The birds are proving that with cardinals singing more and more and species such as Red-winged Blackbirds already migrating to the area
Spring is on its way … the birds are proving that with cardinals singing more and more and species such as Red-winged Blackbirds already migrating to the area. Until then, though, we have some more winter — and all its unpredictability — to get through. But that’s fine. Winter brings its own birding joys.
(By the way, my 12-year-old son did the painting of the house.)
Photo by Chris Bosak
A Yellow-bellied Sapsucker clings to a tree during a cold snap in Danbury, Conn., Feb. 2016.
Yes, the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker is a real bird. And I had one on my suet feeder this weekend during the cold snap in New England.
It was the first time I had ever had a sapsucker on a feeder of mine in about 20 years of birdfeeding. Plenty of other woodpeckers, but never a sapsucker before. I have, however, seen plenty of them in the woods among my wanderings, but never on a feeder before. Here are a few more photos of my visitor, none of Continue reading
Photo by Chris Bosak
A Brown Creeper finds food at the base of a tree during a cold snap in February 2016, Danbury, Connecticut.
Here are some more shots of the Brown Creeper that visited my yard during the cold snap experienced in New England over the weekend. With temperatures at or even below zero for much of the weekend, it wasn’t easy snapping photos of birds in the yard, but the thrill of seeing these energetic, albeit rather nondescript, birds made me forget about the cold for the time being.
Brown Creepers may not be much to look at with their small size and white and brown coloring, they are a thrill to see nonetheless. They are rather common in New England, but it’s not a bird you see every day, or in great n Continue reading
Photo by Chris Bosak
Brown Creeper at base of tree.
At one point today a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker was on the suet feeder and a Brown Creeper crept along the base of an adjacent tree. Neither are earth-shattering sightings, but both are rather unusual in my part of New England at Merganser Lake. In fact, it was the first time I had ever seen a sapsucker at one of my feeders. I even managed to get a decent photograph of the Brown Creeper, a species that can be tricky to shoot.
The photos accompanying this post, admittedly, don’t look that great. They are merely photos I took with my iPhone of the display screen of my camera. When I have more time I’ll get to a computer and download the photos, but for now the mediocre iPhone will have to do. Thanks for your patience. I wanted to post this as soon as possible as this is Great Backyard Bird Count weekend. It runs through Monday, so maybe this posting will inspire others to participate. For more information, click here.
Photo by Chris Bosak
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker on suet feeder.
Photo by Chris Bosak
A Tufted Titmouse and White-breasted Nuthatch share a feeder during a snowstorm in Danbury, Conn., Jan. 23, 2016.
Here’s the latest For the Birds column, which runs weekly in The Hour (Norwalk, Conn.) and Keene (NH) Sentinel:
…
One of my favorite times to watch birds is when the snow is falling. Not a driving snow with icy temperatures and high winds, but an otherwise rather pleasant day with frozen crystals falling from the sky and covering everything with a fresh coat of white.
I do not shy away from taking walks to look for birds when the snow is actively falling, in fact I thoroughly enjoy walks at such times. But I also enjoy very much watching the activity at the feeders during snow falls.
As long as the snow is not falling at too fast a rate, the birds will continue coming to feeders. Indeed, during light and moderate snow falls the birds may be seen at higher-than-usual …
Photo by Chris Bosak
A Dark-eyed Junco eats a sunflower seedsthe day following a snow storm in New England, Jan. 2016.
My last posting on this site highlighted the plumage of a Dark-eyed Junco. But why stop at just one photo of a junco in the snow? I can’t think of a reason, so here’s a few more. Juncos mainly show up at our feeders in the winter, so we may as well enjoy these small sparrows while we can. The ones with darker plumage are adult males; the ones with lighter plumage are females or first-year males.
Photo by Chris Bosak
A Dark-eyed Junco looks for seeds during a snow storm in New England, Jan. 2016.
Photo by Chris Bosak
A Dark-eyed Junco looks for seeds the day following a snow storm in New England, Jan. 2016.
Photo by Chris Bosak
A Dark-eyed Junco looks for seeds the day following a snow storm in New England, Jan. 2016.
Photo by Chris Bosak
A Dark-eyed Junco eats sunflowers seeds the day after a snowstorm in Danbury, Conn., Jan. 2016.
Check out the amazing feathers on this Dark-eyed Junco, seen here eating sunflower seeds the day after last week’s snowstorm.
Birds of New England.com 