Photo by Chris Bosak A Least Tern flies over its nesting grounds at Milford Point in Milford, CT, in June 2014.
Here’s a sneak peek at the photo that will accompany my next For the Birds column that will appear in The Hour (Norwalk, CT) tomorrow (Thursday, July 10) and The Keene Sentinel on Monday, July 14. Check those newspapers’ respective websites to see the column soon.
If you live in New England and your local newspaper does not carry “For the Birds,” give the editor a call and suggest that they pick it up. They can contact me via this website. Thanks!
Photo by Chris Bosak Where’s the Least Sandpiper in this photo?
You all did so well on the last “find the bird” quiz, that I figured I’d give you another one. This one, I have to say, is much more difficult with its two distinct sides of the photo (a dry side and wet side.)
I grabbed this photo of a Least Sandpiper while volunteering to monitor Piping Plovers and Least Terns at Coastal Center at Milford Point in Milford, CT. It demonstrates the challenges birdwatchers have when it comes to finding and identifying shorebirds. It’s no wonder why so many people refer to them all simply at “peeps.” The camouflage is remarkable. The eggs laid by shorebirds are even more amazingly camo’d.
More importantly, it demonstrates how well their coloration and markings make it difficult for predators, such as Peregrine Falcons, to spot them.
So good luck in finding the bird. As a small hint, the bird is small in the photo, but not impossible to find. I’ll post the answer in a few days. If you can’t wait and need more hints, drop me a line at bozclark@earthlink.net
If you missed the last one — in which a Piping Plover was hidden in the photo — here it is.
Photo by Chris Bosak An American Oystercatcher walks along the beach at Coastal Center at Milford Point this spring.
Photo by Chris Bosak Piping Plover at Coastal Center at Milford Point, April, 2014.
I’ve been volunteering to monitor shorebirds at a Connecticut beach this spring. This involves looking for Piping Plovers, American Oystercatchers and other birds that rely on coastal areas to raise their families. I’ve found several nests of plovers and oystercatchers and it’s a thrill to know they are using our beaches to raise the next generation of shorebirds. The areas are roped off and nests are further protected by fencing.
Until now, traffic has been fairly light on the beaches. A few beach walkers, some with dogs on leashes, are all I’ve come across. (Of course I monitor the birds on Monday mornings, so beach traffic is expected to be light.) But with the Memorial Day weekend upon us, beach traffic will increase tremendously — just at a time when the birds are most vulnerable with eggs and babies to take care of.
Photo by Chris Bosak Piping Plover egg. Plovers typically lay four eggs in their nest, which is nothing more than a small depression in the ground.
When you visit beaches this weekend and throughout the summer, please keep in mind that shorebirds may be nesting nearby and to give them a wide berth. The most vulnerable areas along our beaches are roped off, so mind the barriers and keep dogs on leashes (if dogs are even allowed at your favorite beach.) The crowded beaches are not likely to have nesting shorebirds, but be mindful when visiting the less traveled coastal areas.
Photo by Chris Bosak A White-winged Scoter rests on the beach as a Ruddy Turnstone shares the area at Coastal Center at Milford Point on Monday, May 12, 2014.
While doing my weekly volunteer shorebird monitoring at Coastal Center at Milford Point, I came across a surprise bird on the beach. A White-winged Scoter, usually a bird I see in the distance on the waters of Long Island Sound during the winter, was sitting on the beach with dozens of little (in comparison) shorebirds.
It was an odd scene to see the scoter resting on the beach as Ruddy Turnstones, Dunlin and Semipalmated Plovers scampered all around it.
Scoters are large sea ducks. Three types are seen along the New England coast: Surf; Black; and White-winged.
The day also included sightings of Peregrine Falcon (a young one sitting on the beach), Least Terns, Brant, American Oystercatcher, Piping Plover, Lesser Yellowlegs, and other shorebirds.
Photo by Chris Bosak White-winged Scoter at Milford Point, Connecticut, May, 2014.
Did you find the Piping Plover in the photo I posted last week? Most people did, at least eventually, based on the poll results at the end of the post.
The answer is below. Click on “continue reading” to see the photo again with an arrow pointing to the bird.
For those who missed the photo, scroll down a few posts and see how long it takes you to find the Piping Plover. Then come back here for the answer. Thanks for checking out http://www.birdsofnewengland.com
Photo by Chris Bosak Piping Plover at Coastal Center at Milford Point, Conn., April 2014.
My latest For the Birds Column focuses on the Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds, or in other words, volunteering to monitor Piping Plovers, Least Terns, American Oystercatchers and other shorebirds. The program is important in order to help protect these threatened birds. (See the column here.)
To give you an idea of the challenges faced by volunteers in finding Piping Plovers, here’s a fun little quiz for everybody. When on the beach you really have to look for motion in order to find the birds most of the time as they blend in so terrifically with their beach surroundings. With that in mind … the task of the quiz is simple: find the Piping Plover in the above photo.
Let me know how you did. I’ll post the answer later this week for those who can’t find it.
Photo by Chris Bosak Piping Plover at Coastal Center at Milford Point, April, 2014.
So I woke up the boys for school, got them breakfast and rushed them to the car for drop off. I turned into the school parking lot: empty. No school. Scheduled “staff development” day. If I had a nickel for every time I’ve done that. Damn.
Oh well. I’ve committed to monitoring Piping Plovers and other shorebirds and, later, Least Terns on a volunteer basis on Monday mornings through the spring and summer. “Boys, we’re going shorebird monitoring.”
They didn’t object and Will was actually excited and wanted to carry the camera with him. I filled them in on what we were looking for and, more importantly, why we were looking for them. Piping Plovers are a threatened species and protecting their nesting areas is critically important.
We saw about 10 Piping Plovers today (Monday, April 21, 2014), including a pair copulating. “That’s how they make babies,” I told Andrew and told him how to spell ‘copulation.’ He was the official note taker for the day. Wonder if he’ll try to use that word in one of his fifth-grade essays. It’s OK as long as he uses it correctly and age appropriately, I guess.
We also saw eight American Oystercatchers, a pair of Osprey and countless shells, which entertained the boys as much as the birds.
All in all, a good, educational day with the boys. Thank goodness school was out.
Photo by Chris Bosak A Piping Plover preens at Milford Point in spring of 2014.
Photo by Chris Bosak A Killdeer at a cemetery in Darien, CT, April 2014.
I’ve always liked Killdeer. They depend on large, flat open spaces to lay their eggs. As that habitat disappears, Killdeer have proven to be very resourceful. I’ve seen Killdeer nests (really just a small depression in the ground) in places such as parking lots, ball fields and cemeteries. These guys I photographed this week at a cemetery in Darien. I have plenty of Killdeer shots already, but I couldn’t resist.
To add in one fact about Killdeer to make this post at least a little informative — they are one of the species that will use the “broken wing” tactic to keep predators away from their eggs and young. As a predator (or unwitting human) approaches the nest, the parent will walk away from the eggs to divert the attention. To keep the interest of the predator the adult Killdeer will pretend it has a broken wing and limp along the ground. When the predator is sufficiently away from the nest, the adult will fly away, leaving the predator dumbfounded and hungry.
One more quick fact: Killdeer are shorebirds, and are indeed found along the shore at times, but are usually found far from the shore.
Photo by Chris Bosak A huge flock of Brant congregates as an oysterboat works the waters of Long Island Sound off Calf Pasture Beach in Norwalk this winter.
I was filling out my Christmas Bird Count Captain’s Statistic Sheet (finally) and I had to question for a second my own numbers. Did I really see more than 1,000 Brant that day?
Then I recalled the massive flocks we had seen at Calf Pasture Beach that brisk morning. Count compilers Townsend and Mardi Dickinson were with me during that part of the day. They saw them, too. There were so many Brant it was hard to get a good count. (Watch the accompanying video to the end to see what we were up against. Not the best video of all times, but you will see what I’m talking about.)
Photo by Chris Bosak A Brant swims off the coast of Norwalk this winter.
Brant are geese that breed in the Arctic and head to somewhat warmer waters during the winter. From a distance, or to the untrained eye, they can easily be mistaken for Canada Geese. Brant, however, are much smaller and lack the white “chin strap” that is so obvious on Canada Geese.
Norwalk has been a hot spot for Brant for many years. Huge flocks can be seen from Calf Pasture Beach throughout winter. Sometimes they are on the water. Sometimes they are near the water. Sometimes the flock is divided with some on the water and some near the water. The flocks often number hundreds and hundreds of birds.
It’s a treat to hear their low honking (maybe more of an of uttering), much different and more pleasing than the Canada Goose’s honk. When hundreds of them get going at once, it’s an even bigger treat. (Again, check out the video to listen for yourself.)
Most of the Brant will have migrated north by April, but some individuals or small flocks will remain into June or even later. They are likely young birds that aren’t going to breed anyway and therefore do not feel the sense of urgency to fly to the Arctic breeding grounds.
One of the many reasons I like Brant is because they are a reliable winter sighting here in New England. Birdwatching makes the winters here bearable — dare I say enjoyable — and it’s species like Brant that make winter birding fun.
Photo by Chris Bosak A Sanderling runs along with food on the shore of Long Beach in Stratford, CT, Jan. 2014.
Photo by Chris Bosak Sanderlings and Dunlins on the shore of Long Beach in Stratford, CT, Jan. 2014.
A recent trip to Long Beach in Stratford, CT, yielded one Snowy Owl sighting _ it was far in the distance, but still nice to see, of course. It also yielded more close-up views of Sanderlings, another bird that breeds in the Arctic. Sanderlings are small and common shorebirds that are seen along New England coastal areas from fall through spring, and even in summer at times. Sanderlings are the shorebirds you see chasing the fading waves looking for food and running away from the incoming waves. So much fun to watch.
They also make for good photographic subjects. So with that said, here are several Sanderling photos I took earlier this week. Click on “continue reading” for lots more photos. Continue reading →
Birds of New England.com 