Clearing out my 2014 photos, Take 4: Icy Branches

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Photo by Chris Bosak Ice covers branches in New England during a storm in Jan. 2014.

Photo by Chris Bosak
Ice covers branches in New England during a storm in Jan. 2014.

Here’s my next photo in the series of 2014 photos that I never got around to looking at and posting.

Sometimes the most interesting things you see on a bird walk are not the birds at all. Here’s an example. A cold rain turned to ice while I was in the woods one day last January. It was fairly unpleasant out there, but the way the ice sheathed everything in the woods made it worth it. The drive home wasn’t fun either, but I made it.

Eastern Towhee under feeder, nice start to 2015

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Photo by Chris Bosak An Eastern Towhee searches a garden for food in Jan. 2015.

Photo by Chris Bosak
An Eastern Towhee searches a garden for food in Jan. 2015.

This weekend I was looking at the regular visitors to my birdfeeders, which in my case include Tufted Titmice, Black-capped Chickadee, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker and White-throated Sparrow (at least this time of year). Then I noticed another bird on the ground under the feeder: a male Eastern Towhee. Towhees are not typical feeder birds and this bird wasn’t necessarily around the feeder looking for sunflower seeds. It scratched under leaves and sticks in the garden for other seeds and any insects that may still be around. Towhees also eat berries during the winter.

Most towhees have flown south by now, but a few are still around trying to stick out the New England winter. I remember seeing several last winter, too.

I’ve been seeing more and more towhees over the last few years. Hopefully that means they are doing well overall as a species.

An Eastern Towhee in the garden in January: Not a bad way to start 2015.

Photo by Chris Bosak An Eastern Towhee searches a garden for food in Jan. 2015.

Photo by Chris Bosak
An Eastern Towhee searches a garden for food in Jan. 2015.

Hooded Mergansers handle the snow

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Photo by Chris Bosak Four male Hooded Mergansers swim in Norwalk Harbor near Veterans Park in Norwalk, Conn., Jan. 2015.

Photo by Chris Bosak
Four male Hooded Mergansers swim in Norwalk Harbor near Veterans Park in Norwalk, Conn., Jan. 2015.

Much of Norwalk Harbor was frozen on Tuesday afternoon, but the spots that weren’t frozen made for ideal hunting grounds for Hooded Mergansers. It was the first measurable snow of the year for coastal southwestern Connecticut so I figured I’d take a quick drive to see what photographic opportunities presented themselves. Hooded Mergansers are often the only birds around on such days. Ducks, with their down feathers close to their bodies, are supremely adapted to handle such conditions.

Clearing out my 2014 photos, Take 3: Mourning Dove close up

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Photo by Chris Bosak A Mourning Dove looks for seeds under a feeder during a snowy day in Jan. 2014.

Photo by Chris Bosak
A Mourning Dove looks for seeds under a feeder during a snowy day in Jan. 2014.

Here’s my next photo in the series of 2014 photos that I never got around to looking at and posting. Here’s a Mourning Dove looking for food under my birdfeeder during a snowy day last winter. The photo was taken in January 2014. Check out the subtle colors in this beautiful bird.

Clearing out my 2014 photos, Take 2: Piping Plover preening

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Photo by Chris Bosak A Piping Plover preens on the beach at Milford Point, Conn., in April 2014.

Photo by Chris Bosak
A Piping Plover preens on the beach at Milford Point, Conn., in April 2014.

Here’s my next photo in the series of 2014 photos that I never got around to looking at and posting. I ran a similar photo in April, but here’s another look at a Piping Plover _ an endangered bird in New England _ preening at Audubon Coastal Connecticut Center at Milford Point. The photo was taken in April 2014.

Click here to read more about Piping Plovers and to see more photos of this spectacular shorebird. 

Clearing out my 2014 photos, Take 1: American Oystercatcher

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Photo by Chris Bosak An American Oystercatcher walks along the beach at Milford Point in Connecticut, April 2014.

Photo by Chris Bosak
An American Oystercatcher walks along the beach at Milford Point in Connecticut, April 2014.

I was trying to find something on my computer’s desktop recently and just couldn’t find it for the life of me. I knew it was there and I knew I kept somehow looking right past it. Yet, it escaped my view.

My eyes eventually fixed upon it, but the whole experience got me thinking. Why did I have such a hard time trying to find that damn file? The answer was blatantly obvious. I have way too much sh … stuff on my desktop. I looked at the contents of my desktop and many are folders of photos I took during 2014. Some contained photos I used for one reason or another, and some contained photos that never saw the light of day: not in a column, website posting, nothing.

So with this posting, I’ll start showing some of the photos that I “never got around to” in 2014. It will force me to go through the folders, clean up my desktop and, hopefully, give visitors to this site some nice, until now never-before-seen New England wildlife photos. I’ll post several photos over the next few days. I hope you like these almost-forgotten photos.

What’s on your bird wish list for 2015?

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Photo by Chris Bosak An Orange-crowned Warbler seen at Oyster Shell Park in Norwalk, Conn., during Christmas Bird Count, Dec. 2014.

Photo by Chris Bosak
An Orange-crowned Warbler seen at Oyster Shell Park in Norwalk, Conn., during Christmas Bird Count, Dec. 2014.

During the Christmas Bird Count last week I found an Orange-crowned Warbler on my last stop of the day. It was a good bird for the Count and, for me, the first time I had seen one. It was a good way to end 2014, gaining a “life” bird. I’m not big on lists and do not even have an official “life list,” but I do know in my head what I’ve seen and what I haven’t seen. And I know I hadn’t seen an Orange-crowned Warbler before.

So what will 2015 bring in terms of new birds? I guess we will have to wait and see. The bird I’d like to see in 2015 is a Spruce Grouse. It’s a boreal bird so the only chance I have to see one is during a camping trip to northern New England or Canada. I hope to get in at least two camping trips up north in 2015, so we’ll see. I have, however, been looking for them on my camping trips for years and years and have never found one. Maybe this will be my year.

So what’s on your bird wish list for 2015? Leave a comment here, Facebook comment or email me your top bird(s) that you want to add to your life list in 2015.

Oh, and good luck getting it.

Photo by Chris Bosak An Orange-crowned Warbler seen at Oyster Shell Park in Norwalk, Conn., during Christmas Bird Count, Dec. 2014.

Photo by Chris Bosak
An Orange-crowned Warbler seen at Oyster Shell Park in Norwalk, Conn., during Christmas Bird Count, Dec. 2014.

Audubon Connecticut’s winter bird forecast

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Photo by Chris Bosak A Snowy Owl sits on a sign at The Coastal Center at Milford Point in early March 2014.

Photo by Chris Bosak
A Snowy Owl sits on a sign at The Coastal Center at Milford Point in early March 2014.

I wrote previously about my experiences with the Christmas Bird Count in which I saw three warbler species. A good start to winter birding, for sure. What else is in store for us this winter. More Snowy Owls perhaps? The folks at Audubon Connecticut have put together their predications.

They may be found here.

Merry Christmas from www.BirdsofNewEngland.com: Gray Jay with berries

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Photo by Chris Bosak Gray Jay with berries, northern New Hampshire, fall 2013.

Photo by Chris Bosak
Gray Jay with berries, northern New Hampshire, fall 2013.

I took this photo of a Gray Jay in the fall of 2013 in northern New Hampshire. Until now I’ve never used the photo in any manner. Not for my bird column, not a blog posting, not in a slideshow, not as part of a gallery or exhibit. I could think of no better way to use it for the first time than to wish visitors of http://www.BirdsofNewEngland.com a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Thanks for your support and help spread the word about this site. There are exciting things in store for 2014.

Good day for Christmas Bird Count (lots of photos)

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Photo by Chris Bosak Peregrine Falcon at Veterans Park in Norwalk, Conn., seen during the 115th Christmas Bird Count.

Photo by Chris Bosak
Peregrine Falcon at Veterans Park in Norwalk, Conn., seen during the 115th Christmas Bird Count.

The weather was actually quite nice (cold, but calm) and the birds were plentiful. A story about the Christmas Bird Count (Westport Circle) is posted on http://www.theour.com.

I personally had a good day, too, in terms of finding birds. Below are more photos from the interesting birds I found during the count. Yes, I realize the photos aren’t of great quality, but it was very overcast and the photos were taken mostly to prove what was seen. Some of the photos aren’t too bad, though. Anyway …

The highlight was the three warblers I saw at Oystershell Park in Norwalk. Even one warbler species is pretty rare for a New England Christmas Bird Count, but I had three at one location. The warblers were an Orange-crowned Warbler, Continue reading →