Category Archives: Birding news

Plant native trees, shrubs, flowers for the birds

Posted on by
Reply
Photo by Chris Bosak An Eastern Towhee eats a crab apple during a cold winter day at Weed Beach in Darien, CT., Jan. 2014.

Photo by Chris Bosak
An Eastern Towhee eats a crab apple during a cold winter day at Weed Beach in Darien, CT., Jan. 2014.

I’m far from a landscaping expert. Anyone who has seen my jungle of a garden in the summer can attest to that. But I do know that using native trees, shrubs, bushes and flowers are the way to go.

Whether they are planted with the intent to attract birds or not, using plantings that are native to your area reduces the risk of potentially using an invasive exotic species that will eventually overtake native species. It also is better for the native insect population because in many cases the insects can not feed off the non-native plants, thereby reducing the number of insects that serve as valuable food for birds. Reducing the number of insects may sound like a good thing at first, but we’re not talking about pest insects such as mosquitoes, we’re talking about insects that you probably never see, but have high value to birds.

There are a million other reasons to use native plantings and a million great options for doing so. Again, I’m not a landscaping expect, but a simple internet search of “planting native species [enter your state here]” will lead you in the right direction.

Quickly though, here are a few suggestions of native plants that have worked well for me – coneflower [great for goldfinches and other small birds], black-eyed susan, crab apple, sunflowers, and bee balm.

Feel free to comment below to say which native plants work well for you in regards to attracting birds.

Thanks for visiting http://www.Birdsofnewengland.com

Interview with David Sibley coming soon

Posted on by
1
Sibley second edition cover

Sibley second edition cover

I spent a good part of the afternoon with David Sibley, who has a talk at Audubon Greenwich tonight (March 22). With the help of The Hour photographer Erik Trautmann, we did a nice interview with David about the second edition of his field guide and a bunch of other birding topics. We’ll have that interview at http://www.thehour.com and also here at http://www.birdsofnewengland.com in the near future. A big honor for BirdsofNewEngland.com.

Thanks to David.

The Sibley Guide to Birds, second edition on the shelves today

Posted on by
Reply
Sibley second edition cover

Sibley second edition cover

It’s been 15 years since the original The Sibley Guide to the Birds came out and, in its own way, revolutionized the birding field guide. Today, the second edition hits the streets.

As press materials for the release says, the birds haven’t changed, but the book has to come degree. The second edition includes more than 600 new paintings and adds 111 rare species. It also includes tips on finding species in the field.

In his own words, from a media release: “The plan for a revised edition was driven mostly by my own ideas about things that I wanted to change. I thought the text could be improved, to make more direct comparisons between challenging species and to include information about status and habitat. And I wanted to revise the artwork.”

I will write much more about this book in the coming weeks. David Allen Sibley is touring New England, and beyond, to promote the book. I will get to sit down with the author later this month and pick his brain about the new edition. Til then I will delve into my copy and compare it with the original. I’ll let you know what I think. In the meantime, if you have the new edition or get it soon, let me know what you think.

New Facebook page for www.BirdsofNewEngland.com

Posted on by
1
Photo by Chris Bosak Sanderlings and Dunlins on the shore of Long Beach in Stratford, CT, Jan. 2014.

Photo by Chris Bosak
Join the crowd and ‘like’ Birds of New England on Facebook.

To go along with this website and its accompanying Twitter page (@NewEnglandBirds), a new Facebook page has been added for BirdsofNewEngland.com. Posts to this site will automatically be announced on that Facebook page. Plus, who knows what else will end up on the page. It gives me another avenue to communitication to help spread the word about the wonderful birds and wildlife of New England.
If you have the time and inclination, please “like” the new Facebook page that accompanies this site. Type in “Birds of New England” into the Facebook search bar. Thanks and, as always, feel free to share your bird sightings and photos with me.

For the Birds column: Greenberg to speak about Passenger Pigeon book at Yale

Posted on by
Reply
Contributed image Cover of Joel Greenberg's "A Feathered River Across the Sky."

Contributed image
Cover of Joel Greenberg’s “A Feathered River Across the Sky.”

Here’s an excerpt from my latest For the Birds column, which will be in print in The Hour tomorrow. Full story is available online now, click on link below.

….

Joel Greenberg says the story of the Passenger Pigeon is unique in three ways: the species’ sheer abundance; its vast flocks; and its rapid descent to extinction.

To expand on that a bit: The Passenger Pigeon likely numbered in the billions in the mid 1800s. Its flocks were so monumentally large that naturalist John James Audubon wrote that a single flock darkened the sun for three days. Finally, the species went from billions of individual birds to zero in matter of about 40 years.

Greenberg is the author of “A Feathered River Across the Sky: The Passenger Pigeon’s Flight to Extinction,” which was published in January by Bloomsbury USA. He is also working on an accompanying documentary entitled “From Billions to None.”

Species in peril today are protected by various laws and, for the most part, have the human race rooting for them to survive. That was not the case with the Passenger Pigeon.

“Hunters, instead of saying ‘let’s lay off a bit,’ took the other attitude,” Greenberg said. “They said ‘this bird is disappearing so I’m going to kill as many as I can before they are gone.’ There were a handful of individuals expressing concern, but not many.”

But, Greenberg points out, …

Click here for the rest of the column.

Another Snowy Owl sighting in this historic year

Posted on by
2
Photo by Chris Bosak A Snowy Owl sits on an old telephone pole at The Coastal Center at Milford Point in early March 2014. Smoke stacks in Bridgeport loom in the background.

Photo by Chris Bosak
A Snowy Owl sits on an old telephone pole at The Coastal Center at Milford Point in early March 2014. Smoke stacks in Bridgeport loom in the background.

It’s no secret by now that this is a historic winter for Snowy Owl sightings throughout New England and beyond. Snowy Owls are large owls that breed in the Arctic. The irruption of Snowies has gained the attention of nearly all media outlets — small, medium and large; newspapers, magazines, radio and television.

It’s hard to ignore such an avian happening. A couple Snowy Owl sightings in a New England winter is the norm. This year there have been dozens, perhaps hundreds. The most recent Audubon magazine has a great article by Scott Weidensaul. I highly recommend reading it.

I saw my first Snowy Owl of this winter in December in Westport, Conn. I saw a few more in January and February in Milford and Stratford, Conn.

On March 1 I had perhaps my best Snowy Owl sighting of the year. It was at the Coastal Center at Milford Point in Milford, Conn. The owl was on the beach and, while I photographed it from a distance, other beach walkers flushed the impressive bird on occasion. Because of the owl’s impressive size I was able to relocate it each time. Such an impressive bird.

My hope is that as many of these beautiful birds as possible make it back to the Arctic. Perhaps they’ll visit us again another winter.

Enjoy these photos. I hope to have a short video ready soon.

Photo by Chris Bosak A Snowy Owl flies across the beach at The Coastal Center at Milford Point in early March 2014.

Photo by Chris Bosak
A Snowy Owl flies across the beach at The Coastal Center at Milford Point in early March 2014.

More photos below (click on “continue reading.”)

Continue reading →

Why are birds attacking my windows?

Posted on by
Reply

My latest For the Birds column was prompted by a question I received from a reader. It was a good question and one I’ve received several times in the past. So here’s my attempt at answering the question: “Why are birds attacking my windows?” (By the way, if you have a bird question for me, feel free to send it to bozclark@earthlink.net.)

…

Photo by Chris Bosak A Northern Cardinal eats berries from a cedar tree.

Photo by Chris Bosak
A Northern Cardinal eats berries from a cedar tree.

The good news is that signs of spring are everywhere in the birding world. The bad news is that this winter doesn’t seem to want to loosen its grip.

So for now let’s focus on the signs of spring and think warm thoughts. Not quite bird related, but I’ve noticed several plants poking out of the ground already. A nearby bed of daylilies has produced several of the plants jutting out about an inch already.
In the bird world, yes, American Robins have been seen in large numbers, but they are not necessarily a sign of spring as many robins stick with us throughout winter. To me, a sure sign of spring is hearing cardinals sing for the first time. Cardinals have been “chipping” or calling all winter to keep in contact with each other, but I’ve heard on a few occasions cardinals singing their famous songs. I assume they were male cardinals, but female cardinals also sing. Cardinals also have a variety of loud, whistling songs.

Read the rest of the column by clicking here.

It’s a robin kind of winter

Posted on by
2
Photo by Chris Bosak American Robin in Selleck's Woods in fall 2013.

Photo by Chris Bosak
American Robin in Selleck’s Woods in fall 2013.

I’ve written a lot about American Robins this winter — and do so again in this week’s For the Birds column — but the demand for such information is great as everyone seems to be seeing tons of robins this winter.

Here’s an excerpt from the column: “True, they are known as a harbinger of spring, but American Robins are with us all year here in New England. Some robins migrate south to warmer places, but many robins stick with us throughout winter, too, surviving on berries, crab apples and other natural foods they can find in the woods and our backyards. Robins are usually found in flocks, some rather impressive, during the winter.”

Click here for the rest of the column.

It was really comments and questions from readers that prompted the column. Here are some comments I have received from readers.

Jack from Norwalk, Conn., wrote: “Saw around 10:30 this AM small flock of Robins just 30 yds West from junction of S Continue reading →

Birds and the cold and snow

Posted on by
1
Photo by Chris Bosak Purple Sandpiper on rocky island off the coast of Darien, CT. (Dec. 2013)

Photo by Chris Bosak
Purple Sandpiper on rocky island off the coast of Darien, CT. (Dec. 2013)

Here we go again. Another snowstorm is due to hit New England tonight. That mean’s slippery roads and canceled school (if you’re a pessimist) or sled riding and canceled school (if you’re an optimist or kid).

It also means another tough night for our birds. But don’t fret, the birds will be just fine. They’ve been surviving our winters for years and years and will continue to do so.

Here’s my latest For the Birds column about how birds survive winters such as this:

Granted it’s been only three winters since The Hour has moved its offices to East Norwalk along the Norwalk River, but this is clearly the longest the river has been frozen over in that time. Instead of seeing rippling water and the accompanying ducks, geese and swans I usually see, for the last few weeks I’ve looked out the window and seen only a wide, serpentine-like expanse of white. Yes, this winter has been a tough one in New England. Extended freezing temperatures, short thaws (if any at all) and lots of snow. Humans can simply crank up the heat in their cars and homes if they are cold. But what about the birds? How do they survive tough winters like this? Birds and other animals have been surviving harsh winters for eons. True, a small percentage of birds will perish during the winter. This is particularly true of individual birds of a species that typically heads south for the winter. Most Great Blue Herons move south for the winter. Some stick around New England and brave the cold.

To read the rest, click here.

 

Good news from Connecticut DEEP’s waterfowl survey

Posted on by
1

Here’s a copy/pasted release from Connecticut DEEP on the 2014 Midwinter Waterfowl Survey. I don’t particularly like using press releases on this site, but as many of you know, I have a soft spot for waterfowl, so any news on that front is worth getting out there. Plus, the  results were particularly good this year. At least the photo is mine!

Photo by Chris Bosak American Wigeon in Norwalk, CT.

Photo by Chris Bosak
American Wigeon in Norwalk, CT.

                Staff from Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) conducted the annual Midwinter Waterfowl Survey on January 8 and 9, 2014. The survey is conducted throughout the Atlantic Flyway, and is used as an index of long-term wintering waterfowl trends. The Atlantic Flyway is a bird migration route that generally follows the Atlantic Coast of North America and the Appalachian Mountains. In Connecticut, the survey is conducted from a helicopter and a census is obtained from the coast, the three major river systems, and selected inland lakes and reservoirs.

Survey conditions for the 2014 Midwinter Waterfowl Survey were excellent, with Continue reading →