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Birds to brighten your Day: May 17

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Photo by Chris Bosak
A rose-breasted grosbeak shows off its red feathers in its “wing pits” in New England, May 2020. Merganser Lake.

A Day on Merganser Lake

Male rose-breasted grosbeaks are known for their beautiful plumage: contrasting black-and-white overall with a large rose-red triangle patch on the chest. The red under the wings is not seen often, even in flight. Here’s a shot that shows that extra splash of color.

(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 rose-breasted grosbeak shows off its red feathers in its “wing pits” in New England, May 2020. Merganser Lake.

Birds to brighten your day: May 15

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Photo by Chris Bosak
An American goldfinch perches on a branch in New England, May 2020. Merganser Lake.

A Day on Merganser Lake

American goldfinches continue to be the top customer at my feeding station. I get dozens and dozens each day and it’s been like that for months. I only wish Nyjer seed wasn’t so expensive. It’s been fun and educational watching the goldfinches. Their plumage is constantly changing and there is great variety among the individual birds.

It is the height of spring migration. Drop me a line and let me know what you’re seeing.

(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
An American goldfinch perches on a branch in New England, May 2020. Merganser Lake.

Birds to brighten your day: May 13

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Photo by Chris Bosak
A hermit thrush visits a backyard in New England, May 2020. Merganser Lake.

A Day on Merganser Lake

I’ve seen a lot more hermit thrushes this year than in year’s past. (Probably because I’m looking more.) They are handsome birds but their claim to fame, of course, is their song. The website www.musicofnature.com says this about the song of the hermit thrush: “The Hermit Thrush is perhaps North America’s most highly regarded singer, both for musicality and emotional impact.”

Thank you for checking out this website and for supporting http://www.BirdsofNewEngland.com

(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.)

Follow up to this morning’s post: Red fox with mouth full of prey

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Photo by Chris Bosak
A red fox walks through the woods of New England, May 2020. Merganser Lake.

A Day on Merganser Lake

The fox was back and, boy, did it provide some photo opps. I saw it trotting along the trail behind my house again and watched it through the open windows of my sunroom. It paused briefly to look up at me, then continued a short way (about 30 feet) down the trail. It stopped for several seconds along the trail. At the time, I was simply taking photos and didn’t realize what it was doing.

Here’s where I should warn you that the story takes a bit of a gruesome turn, so stop here if the death of little critters upsets you. … You’ve been warned and, remember, it’s only nature running its natural course. (I’ll even add a ‘continue reading’ break here.) Continue reading →

Birds to brighten your day: May 12

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Photo by Chris Bosak
A red fox pauses in the woods of New England, May 2020. Merganser Lake.

A Day on Merganser Lake XXI

As you can tell, this post is mislabeled as it’s not a bird at all. I’ve been seeing for the past few weeks a fox run along the trail that runs behind my backyard (I’m assuming it’s the same fox.) Yesterday, the fox veered off the trail and cut into the deep woods. I, of course, went to check out the deep woods to see if I could find it. I did indeed find it, but it was fairly far away, as you can see from the photo. I still like the photo as it shows a wild animal in a very wild habitat.

For those who need their daily bird fix, below is a shot I got of a female eastern bluebird yesterday.

(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
An eastern bluebird perches on a branch in New England, May, 2020. Merganser Lake.
Photo by Chris Bosak
A red fox pauses in the woods of New England, May 2020. Merganser Lake.

Birds to brighten your day: May 9 (II)

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Photo by Chris Bosak A female rose-breasted grosbeak visits a backyard in New England, May 2020. Merganser Lake.

A Day on Merganser Lake XVIII

Here’s a bonus shot for today because the weather certainly won’t lift your spirits. The male rose-breasted grosbeaks showed up May 1. A lone female showed up a few days later. Yesterday another female arrived on the scene. Not as colorful as the male, but still a looker.

(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: May 5

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Photo by Chris Bosak A house wren perches on a branch in New England, May 2020. Merganser Lake.

A Day on Merganser Lake XV

New birds are showing up every day. Yesterday marked the arrival of a gray catbird, eastern towhee, black-throated green warbler and this bird, a house wren. The hummingbirds showed up on Sunday, but I haven’t snapped a worthy photo yet. House wrens are feisty little birds and will fiercely defend their territory.

(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 house wren perches on a branch in New England, May 2020. Merganser Lake.

Birds to brighten your day: May 2

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Photo by Chris Bosak A rose-breasted grosbeak visits a feeder in New England, May 2020. Merganser Lake.

A Day on Merganser Lake XXIII

On the first day of May, “my” rose-breasted grosbeaks showed up. First, it was one male at my bedroom window feeder. Later, it was two males — both at my backyard feeding station. Welcome back! I look forward to seeing more of their relatives in the coming weeks.

Remember, always feel free to let me know via email or comment what you’re seeing.

(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.)

Bonus post: Great article in Darien Times — Animals help get us through

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Susan Shultz of the Darien Times wrote a great piece about how animals (including birds) are helping people get through this difficult time in our history. I appreciate that she included me in the article. Ms. Shultz is a great writer and passionate editor for that paper.

Click here for the story. (I’m in the birdwatching part, obviously.)

Birds to brighten your day: May 1

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Photo by Chris Bosak A red-bellied woodpecker in New England, April 2020. Merganser Lake.

A Day on Merganser Lake XXII

Here’s a stately photo of a female red-bellied woodpecker. Males have red extending mullet-style from behind the bill all of the way down the lower neck area. Females have less red, such as this one. A photo of a male is included at the bottom of this post for comparison.

Many people call these red-headed woodpeckers, but that name is taken by another woodpecker that truly has an all red head. Red-headed woodpeckers are not seen often in New England. Red-bellied woodpeckers are now common in southern New England and working their way up north.

(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 red-bellied woodpecker in New England, April 2020. Merganser Lake.
Photo by Chris Bosak A red-bellied woodpecker grabs a peanut from a feeder, March 2018.
Photo by Chris Bosak A red-bellied woodpecker grabs a peanut from a feeder, March 2018.