For the Birds: Phoebes shine in the spring and fall

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Photo by Chris Bosak An Eastern Phoebe perches on a branch in Selleck's Woods in Darien, Conn., in late March 2015.

They aren’t the most exciting birds on the planet, or even in New England for that matter. Eastern phoebes, however, are a bright spot in the region’s birdscape.


They don’t have flashy colors, impressive size or beautiful songs — in fact, just the opposite on all counts — but there is a lot to appreciate about eastern phoebes. My favorite thing about eastern phoebes is that they are one of the first migrant birds to return to New England in the spring. While most of the colorful songbirds return in late April or early May, phoebes come back to the region in mid- to late-March.   

Their early spring arrival comes just in time for many birdwatchers. About the time we are going stir crazy and desperate for new birds to arrive following many months of winter, the phoebes return and lift our spirits. Typically, I hear the first phoebe before I see it, and it takes a few seconds for the song to sink in and register. Then, when it hits me, I look frantically for the bird and, upon laying eyes on it, get a jolt of hope that spring is indeed coming. 

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For the Birds: What’s in a (bird) name?

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Photo by Chris Bosak – A northern flicker (yellow-shafted flicker) preens in New England.

Some bird names are spot on. Yellow-rumped warblers have yellow rumps as an obvious field mark. Mourning doves have a mournful-sounding call. Bluebirds are, well, blue birds.

Some bird names do not seem to make sense. A red belly is hardly a red-bellied woodpecker’s most distinctive field mark. Yes, their bellies are red and yes, the name red-headed woodpecker is already taken by a more deserving species, but still. American robins are actually thrushes, and most warblers do not warble.

Then there are bird names that make sense only after looking up the meaning of a few words. Semipalmated plovers and semipalmated sandpipers are so named because there is partial webbing between their toes. The zoological definition of palmated, according to dictionary.com, is “web-footed.” I was several years into my birding hobby before I learned this. I don’t think I gave it a second thought before I heard it for the first time. I just accepted that as the name and moved on.

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Catbird photo just because

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Photo by Chris Bosak – A gray catbird at Huntington State Park in southern Connecticut, summer 2024.

Here’s a handsome, cooperative gray catbird I came across on my walk this morning.

For the Birds: Fishing, birding: It’s all good outdoors

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Photo by Chris Bosak – A semi-palmated plover rests on a log near Long Island Sound earlier this month.

My oldest son Andrew, who somehow is now a full-blown adult at age 21, recently took up shore fishing as a hobby. I was happy when he told me because any hobby that requires spending a lot of time in the great outdoors away from screens and technology is a good thing.

I was equally happy when he asked me to come along on a recent outing. I have fished on and off throughout my life, but the hobby never really grabbed me in the same way as some other outdoor pursuits. I have great memories of trout fishing with my brother when we were teens and teaching my boys to fish when they were youngsters, but other than that, my fishing experiences are rather few and far between. 

I purchased a few marine fishing licenses online, and Andrew and I headed to the Connecticut coast of Long Island Sound. I brought my camera just in case there happened to be birds there too. 

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For the Birds: A few more myths of the natural world

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Photo by Chris Bosak – Porcupines do not shoot or throw their quills, contrary to popular belief.

A few weeks ago, I wrote about some common myths and misconceptions about the natural world. Dragonflies don’t sting or bite people, tarantulas aren’t deadly, and quicksand is not likely to swallow you up on your next walk in the woods.

In this column, we’ll look at a few more wildlife myths, compliments of readers who wrote in with their thoughts.

Al from Nelson wrote, “We have eight species of frogs in the Monadnock area (bullfrogs, green frogs, wood frogs, gray tree frogs, spring peeper, American toad, pickerel frog, leopard frog) and another three species in other parts of New England. Not one of them makes a ‘ribbit’ sound. I have heard that there is a frog that says ‘ribbit’ in southern California, where many TV shows, movies, and ads are made, and that’s why the media has frogs saying ‘ribbit.’ I don’t know for sure if that’s true, but it makes a nice yarn.”

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A few more gray tree frog photos

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Here are a few more photos of the gray tree frog spotted the other on a trail at work.

Here is the original story.

Photo by Chris Bosak – A gray tree frog sits in the middle of a trail in New England. Gray tree frogs can change color (from gray to green) depending on the surroundings.
Photo by Chris Bosak – Gray tree frog

For the Birds: Tree frog make rare appearance

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Photo by Chris Bosak – A gray tree frog sits on a trail in New England. Gray tree frogs can change colors (from gray to green) depending on their surroundings.

I nearly stepped on the subject of this column. One more step without looking at the ground, and the critter would have been underfoot. Thankfully, I looked down just in time.

I was taking my daily short walk at work and rounding the final bend when I looked down to see a gray tree frog. It was directly in the middle of the trail, and since tree frogs can change color to match the environment, it was difficult to spot.

To make matters worse, it just sat there instead of hopping away frantically like most frogs encountered in the wild. You’d never see a leopard frog or wood frog just sitting there on the trail. They start scampering away like their feet are on fire long before they are nearly underfoot. But this tree frog just sat there.

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For the Birds: Myths that seem funny now

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Photo by Chris Bosak – Dragonflies are harmless to humans.

In reaction to my column on blue jays from a few weeks ago, John from the Monadnock Region wrote to say that he too grew up hearing that blue jays were “bad birds.” Blue jays warn other birds in the forest of a hunter’s presence (hence essentially ending the chances of a successful hunt) and rob the nests of other birds.

Those are indeed facts about blue jays, but he has since come to appreciate blue jays for their intelligence, vocalization range and beauty. Taking photos of blue jays in flight is a favorite hobby of his. (One of his shots may be found at birdsofnewengland.com on the “reader submitted photos” page.)

The email from John got me thinking about how stories we hear as children can stick with us for a long time, even into adulthood. Whether or not blue jays are “bad birds” is still a matter of opinion, but there are some things we heard way back when that are clearly not true.

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For the Birds: A flurry like no other

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Photo by Chris Bosak An eastern towhee perches on a branch in New England, April 2019.

Birdwatching can be a roller coaster at times with next to nothing happening for long stretches and then, seemingly out of nowhere, short bursts of activity will lift your spirits and make it all worthwhile. 

When the birdwatching is slow, particularly in the winter, birdwatchers always hold out hope for that flurry. While spring offers a more consistent level of sightings, summer can be similar to winter on that roller coaster ride.

In the winter, the flurry usually consists of a mixed flock of titmice and chickadees with perhaps other species such as nuthatches and goldfinches joining in. In the summer, the flurries may consist of robins, catbirds, blue jays, cardinals and other New England nesting birds.

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For the Birds: Choose the binoculars that best your individual needs

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Photo by Chris Bosak A Scarlet Tanager sings in a tree in Danbury, Conn., July 2016.
Photo by Chris Bosak A Scarlet Tanager sings in a tree in Danbury, Conn., July 2016.

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.)

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