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Birds to brighten your day: April 28

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Photo by Chris Bosak
A blue jay sits on a nest in a rhododendron bush in a yard in Danbury, CT, April 2020. (Merganser Lake)

A Day on Merganser Lake XIX

With the front door not being used as often as usual, a blue jay pair took advantage of the situation to build a nest in the large rhododendron bush right outside the door. I never even noticed the nest until it was completely built and the female was sitting on eggs. The birds don’t seem to mind when the front door is used, thankfully. Two years ago, a mourning dove pair built a nest in the bush but soon abandoned it. The blue jays seem to be seeing this one through.

(Repeat text for context:  I’m running out of COVID-19 lockdown themes so from now until things get back to some semblance of normalcy, I will simply post my best photo from the previous day. You could say it fits because of its uncertainty and challenge. I’ll call the series “A Day on Merganser Lake,” even though that’s not the real name of the lake I live near in southwestern Connecticut, it’s just a nod to my favorite duck family.)

Birds to brighten your day: April 26

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Photo by Chris Bosak
A yellow-rumped warbler and pine warbler share a suet feeder in New England, April 2020. Merganser Lake.

A Day on Merganser Lake XVII

Here’s a bonus posting since I’ve already posted my latest For the Birds column today. I couldn’t resist posting this as soon as possible. I’ve said on this site before that warblers rarely visit feeders. That is still true considering there are dozens of types of warblers in New England and only two or three species will somewhat regularly visit feeders. Well, since making the statement, I’ve had pine warbler every day, and today, I had a pine warbler and yellow-rumped warbler on the same feeder at the same time. A warming scene on yet another unseasonably cold late April day.

(Repeat text for context:  I’m running out of COVID-19 lockdown themes so from now until things get back to some semblance of normalcy, I will simply post my best photo from the previous day. You could say it fits because of its uncertainty and challenge. I’ll call the series “A Day on Merganser Lake,” even though that’s not the real name of the lake I live near in southwestern Connecticut, it’s just a nod to my favorite duck family.)

Photo by Chris Bosak
A yellow-rumped warbler and pine warbler share a suet feeder in New England, April 2020. Merganser Lake.

Birds to brighten your day: April 25

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Photo by Chris Bosak A brown creeper clings to the trunk of a tree in New England, April 2020. Merganser Lake.

A Day on Merganser Lake XVI

Here’s a photo more for education than its quality — admittedly not the best photo. Animals, including birds, have different strategies for survival. For the brown creeper, that strategy is obviously camouflage. It spends most of its day creeping up tree trunks looking for morsels to eat. If you’re going to spend your days clinging to tree trunks, you may as well look like a tree trunk.

(Repeat text for context:  I’m running out of COVID-19 lockdown themes so from now until things get back to some semblance of normalcy, I will simply post my best photo from the previous day. You could say it fits because of its uncertainty and challenge. I’ll call the series “A Day on Merganser Lake,” even though that’s not the real name of the lake I live near in southwestern Connecticut, it’s just a nod to my favorite duck family.)

Birds to brighten your day: April 22

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Photo by Chris Bosak
A male eastern bluebird feeds his mate mealworms in a backyard in Danbury, Connecticut, April 2020. Merganser Lake.

A Day on Merganser Lake XIII

I caught these love birds (eastern bluebirds really) in an intimate moment yesterday as the male fed his mate some dried mealworms. How romantic, I know. I have been seeing them do this over the last few days but have never been quick enough with the camera. This time I was ready and got their special moment.

(Repeat text for context:  I’m running out of COVID-19 lockdown themes so from now until things get back to some semblance of normalcy, I will simply post my best photo from the previous day. You could say it fits because of its uncertainty and challenge. I’ll call the series “A Day on Merganser Lake,” even though that’s not the real name of the lake I live near in southwestern Connecticut, it’s just a nod to my favorite duck family.)

Birds to brighten your day: Bluebird Days II

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Photo by Chris Bosak An eastern bluebird looks for food on a deck in New England, February 2020.

This guy was out hunting (in other words looking for mealworms on my deck) in the rain, hence the funny hairdo.

Birds to brighten your day: Part XII

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Photo by Chris Bosak Robins invade a birdbath.
Photo by Chris Bosak Robins invade a birdbath.

Here’s an oldie but a goodie. This is one of my favorite birdbath photos I’ve taken, even though it’s about 10 years old at this point.

(Repeat text from yesterday) With many of us working from home or otherwise “physical distancing” as we combat COVID-19, I will post a series of photos that are at least vaguely related to our dealing with the crisis. I’ve already done commingling species as a nod to social distancing. This week’s theme is birdbaths to highlight the need for handwashing. (Even though most birds in this series will be drinking and not bathing.)

Birds to brighten your day: Part X

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Photo by Chris Bosak A Blue Jay drinks from a birdbath in New England, spring 2016.

This is one of my more well-circulated photos. I used to work for Hearst Media and write my bird column for the company, which meant my photos were fair game for all their products. During a routine Google search, I found that this photo was used for the cover of a special section for the Houston Chronicle. It has also been used by other newspapers, with my permission.

(Repeat text from yesterday) With many of us working from home or otherwise “physical distancing” as we combat COVID-19, I will post a series of photos that are at least vaguely related to our dealing with the crisis. I’ve already done commingling species as a nod to social distancing. This week’s theme is birdbaths to highlight the need for handwashing. (Even though most birds in this series will be drinking and not bathing.)

Birds to brighten your day: Part VIII

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Photo by Chris Bosak An eastern phoebe visits a bird bath in Danbury, Conn., March 2016.
Photo by Chris Bosak An Eastern Phoebe visits a bird bath in Danbury, Conn., March 2016.

For the past week, as we’ve all practiced social distancing, I’ve posted daily photos of commingling bird species. Another coronavirus theme, of course, is cleanliness so I’m going to post pictures this week of birds in a bird bath The birds won’t necessarily be bathing (they may be drinking) but you get the picture.

With many of us working from home or otherwise “physical distancing” as we combat COVID-19, I will post series of photos that are at least vaguely related to our dealing with the crisis. I’ve already done commingling species as a nod to social distancing. This week’s theme is bird baths.

For the Birds: Bluebirds of my own

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

Photo by Chris Bosak An eastern bluebird perches on a pole in New England, February 2020.

Sorry, but I have to go back to writing about bluebirds. After several weeks of writing about bluebirds that other people had in their yards, I finally got some of my own.

I would imagine no apology is necessary, however, as who doesn’t like to hear, read and talk about bluebirds?

I walked into my sunroom and saw through the window just a flash of a bird out of the corner of my eye. The bird had been perched on one of the arms of the feeder pole system and disappeared into woods behind my house.

That was a bluebird, I know it, I told myself, even though I got only the shortest of looks in my peripheral Continue reading →

For the Birds: More on those bluebirds

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Photo by Chris Bosak An eastern bluebird, Brookfield, CT, fall 2018.

Here’s the latest For the Birds column, which runs in several New England newspapers …

It’s still too early to make any official declarations, but it is looking more and more like the Winter of the Bluebird.

After last week’s hint that it might be heading in that direction I received several more emails from astute birdwatchers finding eastern bluebirds. It’s not that bluebirds are a rare New England winter sighting but it appears that more people than usual are reporting them.

Similar to the American robin, another member of the thrush family, many eastern bluebirds remain with us throughout the winter. The trick is finding them. 

Although I have still been shut out of the bluebird frenzy this winter, many others have written to tell me about their encounters. I appreciate the reports. Keep them coming.

Celia from Keene said there was “no missing the blue” of the bluebirds she saw on the rail trail in her city. She said they were the first ones she had seen during the winter. 

Celia added that bluebirds nested on her property for the first time last summer. The way she described it explains in a nutshell why I love New England so much: “We put a bluebird house up in our yard overlooking the pumpkin patch …” Who else but a New Englander could start a sentence that way?

Elena from Winchester reported that a friend of hers saw a large flock of bluebirds near the Connecticut River in the Hinsdale area. Elena, like me, has been shut out of the bluebird party this winter so far, but she did report that a small flock of red-winged blackbirds continues to eat suet and sunflower seeders from her feeders.

Marie Anne from Guilford has had bluebirds visit her backyard for the past seven winters. She has had as many as eight but this year she has four “cranky little guys arguing over the mealworm feeder.”

“Their winter presence brings me as much peace and joy as their sweet complaints do during the gardening season,” she wrote.

Last but not least, Andrew wrote to let me know that bluebirds were at Continue reading →