It’s hard to know who or what to believe anymore. One news channel will tell you one thing and the rival channel will tell you the opposite.

Sometimes, things you see with your own eyes are denied or distorted by the media or politicians. I believe that is called gaslighting, but I’m not entirely sure what that recently overused phrase actually means. Again, people seem to have different opinions on how to use the term.

It comes down to trusting your own instincts. The internet, the major source of “news” for so many people these days, is littered with opinions masquerading as facts.

I kept seeing a click-bait ad showing a banana with the text saying something along the lines of “these are the top 10 foods to avoid.” Are bananas bad for you? I asked myself. I did an internet search to find the “facts” and was amused with the results. Of the 10 stories that came up on the first page of the search, five said bananas were good for you and five said they were bad for you. (I think the argument against bananas is that they are high in sugars. The banana positive articles highlighted the vitamins and minerals in the fruit.)

Happy Fourth of July everyone. Thanks for your support of http://www.birdsofnewengland.com

This meadow fritillary was nice enough to sit still for an iPhone photo during this evening’s walk, so I figured I may as well post it.

Here are a few more shots of the veery I encountered on a recent walk in New England. Here is the original For the Birds post.

Birds aren’t the only animals you encounter during walks in the woods in New England. Squirrels, including red and gray, are a common “incidental” sightings.

Photo by Chris Bosak – A squirrel finds a meal in New England, May 2024.

Note: This article was originally published in early May and the story is based on a walk taken on April 29.

It was one of those “quick walks” that ended up being a three-hour birding journey.

I hit the trail shortly after sunrise and was immediately greeted by the awesome cacophony of bird sounds that can only happen during spring migration. The loud voices of cardinals, robins, and Carolina wrens were the dominant sounds. American crows cawed in the distance and red-winged blackbirds belted out their “conk-a-ree” songs from a nearby field. That was all good stuff, of course, but the real auditory treats came from birds with less conspicuous songs.

The softer calls of field sparrows and savannah sparrows emanated from the field, and a high-pitched, nearly inaudible, song came from the top of a maple tree near the parking lot.

It was a warbler, but which one? Since it was the beginning of spring migration and my warbler song identification skills are rusty, it took me a few seconds to realize it was a prairie warbler singing up there.