BirdsofNewEngland’s random bird thought of the day: Seeing ducks

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Photo by Chris Bosak Female Hooded Merganaser at Holly Pond in Stamford, CT, Nov. 2013.

Photo by Chris Bosak
Female Hooded Merganaser at Holly Pond in Stamford, CT, Nov. 2013.

Our winter ducks will remain with us for only a few more weeks so be sure to check out your local watering holes for these birds before they are gone.
Some ducks, of course, will remain with us all summer and breed locally, but most of the ducks we have on our waters now will head far north of here shortly. Depending on what part of New England we are talking about, Mallards may be the only duck we see in the summer – with perhaps the occasional tucked away pond holding Wood Ducks. The farther north you go in New England the more duck species there will be.
So get out there and enjoy the mergansers, scaup, grebes, teal, Long-tailed Ducks, Buffleheads and Goldeneye while you can. We won’t see them again until the fall.

BirdsofNewEngland’s random bird thought of the day: Osprey coming back

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Photo by Chris Bosak Osprey eats a fish at Norwalk's Calf Pasture Beach, March 26, 2013.

Photo by Chris Bosak
Osprey eats a fish at Norwalk’s Calf Pasture Beach, March 26, 2013.

Here’s another random bird thought for you.

Ospreys that are born in New England fly to their wintering grounds in South America and do not return the next summer. They come back the second summer when they are of breeding age.

New England’s Osprey population has increased tremendously — especially in coastal areas — over the last decade. Good news!

Some Osprey have returned to New England already, but most will return in late March or early April.

Have a question for my “random thoughts?” Send it to bozclark@earthlink.net

BirdsofNewEngland’s random bird thought of the day: Male Red-winged Blackbirds

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Here’s your random bird thought of the day, brought to you by http://www.birdsofnewengland.com

Photo by Chris Bosak Red-winged Blackbird at Cove Island Wildlife Sanctuary in Stamford, Ct. May 2013.

Photo by Chris Bosak
Red-winged Blackbird at Cove Island Wildlife Sanctuary in Stamford, Ct. May 2013.

Have you heard male Red-winged Blackbirds singing yet? I sure have. Did you know that male Red-winged Blackbirds arrive in New England a few weeks before the females? The males arrive earlier to stake out territory for suitable nesting areas. They sing (konk-a-ree!!) to tell other males that this spot is taken already. Soon they’ll be singing to attract females, which will pick a male that has what they deem to be a good spot for raising youngsters.

The Sibley Guide to Birds, second edition on the shelves today

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Sibley second edition cover

Sibley second edition cover

It’s been 15 years since the original The Sibley Guide to the Birds came out and, in its own way, revolutionized the birding field guide. Today, the second edition hits the streets.

As press materials for the release says, the birds haven’t changed, but the book has to come degree. The second edition includes more than 600 new paintings and adds 111 rare species. It also includes tips on finding species in the field.

In his own words, from a media release: “The plan for a revised edition was driven mostly by my own ideas about things that I wanted to change. I thought the text could be improved, to make more direct comparisons between challenging species and to include information about status and habitat. And I wanted to revise the artwork.”

I will write much more about this book in the coming weeks. David Allen Sibley is touring New England, and beyond, to promote the book. I will get to sit down with the author later this month and pick his brain about the new edition. Til then I will delve into my copy and compare it with the original. I’ll let you know what I think. In the meantime, if you have the new edition or get it soon, let me know what you think.

New Facebook page for www.BirdsofNewEngland.com

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Photo by Chris Bosak Sanderlings and Dunlins on the shore of Long Beach in Stratford, CT, Jan. 2014.

Photo by Chris Bosak
Join the crowd and ‘like’ Birds of New England on Facebook.

To go along with this website and its accompanying Twitter page (@NewEnglandBirds), a new Facebook page has been added for BirdsofNewEngland.com. Posts to this site will automatically be announced on that Facebook page. Plus, who knows what else will end up on the page. It gives me another avenue to communitication to help spread the word about the wonderful birds and wildlife of New England.
If you have the time and inclination, please “like” the new Facebook page that accompanies this site. Type in “Birds of New England” into the Facebook search bar. Thanks and, as always, feel free to share your bird sightings and photos with me.

For the Birds column: Greenberg to speak about Passenger Pigeon book at Yale

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Contributed image Cover of Joel Greenberg's "A Feathered River Across the Sky."

Contributed image
Cover of Joel Greenberg’s “A Feathered River Across the Sky.”

Here’s an excerpt from my latest For the Birds column, which will be in print in The Hour tomorrow. Full story is available online now, click on link below.

….

Joel Greenberg says the story of the Passenger Pigeon is unique in three ways: the species’ sheer abundance; its vast flocks; and its rapid descent to extinction.

To expand on that a bit: The Passenger Pigeon likely numbered in the billions in the mid 1800s. Its flocks were so monumentally large that naturalist John James Audubon wrote that a single flock darkened the sun for three days. Finally, the species went from billions of individual birds to zero in matter of about 40 years.

Greenberg is the author of “A Feathered River Across the Sky: The Passenger Pigeon’s Flight to Extinction,” which was published in January by Bloomsbury USA. He is also working on an accompanying documentary entitled “From Billions to None.”

Species in peril today are protected by various laws and, for the most part, have the human race rooting for them to survive. That was not the case with the Passenger Pigeon.

“Hunters, instead of saying ‘let’s lay off a bit,’ took the other attitude,” Greenberg said. “They said ‘this bird is disappearing so I’m going to kill as many as I can before they are gone.’ There were a handful of individuals expressing concern, but not many.”

But, Greenberg points out, …

Click here for the rest of the column.

Another Snowy Owl sighting in this historic year

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Photo by Chris Bosak A Snowy Owl sits on an old telephone pole at The Coastal Center at Milford Point in early March 2014. Smoke stacks in Bridgeport loom in the background.

Photo by Chris Bosak
A Snowy Owl sits on an old telephone pole at The Coastal Center at Milford Point in early March 2014. Smoke stacks in Bridgeport loom in the background.

It’s no secret by now that this is a historic winter for Snowy Owl sightings throughout New England and beyond. Snowy Owls are large owls that breed in the Arctic. The irruption of Snowies has gained the attention of nearly all media outlets — small, medium and large; newspapers, magazines, radio and television.

It’s hard to ignore such an avian happening. A couple Snowy Owl sightings in a New England winter is the norm. This year there have been dozens, perhaps hundreds. The most recent Audubon magazine has a great article by Scott Weidensaul. I highly recommend reading it.

I saw my first Snowy Owl of this winter in December in Westport, Conn. I saw a few more in January and February in Milford and Stratford, Conn.

On March 1 I had perhaps my best Snowy Owl sighting of the year. It was at the Coastal Center at Milford Point in Milford, Conn. The owl was on the beach and, while I photographed it from a distance, other beach walkers flushed the impressive bird on occasion. Because of the owl’s impressive size I was able to relocate it each time. Such an impressive bird.

My hope is that as many of these beautiful birds as possible make it back to the Arctic. Perhaps they’ll visit us again another winter.

Enjoy these photos. I hope to have a short video ready soon.

Photo by Chris Bosak A Snowy Owl flies across the beach at The Coastal Center at Milford Point in early March 2014.

Photo by Chris Bosak
A Snowy Owl flies across the beach at The Coastal Center at Milford Point in early March 2014.

More photos below (click on “continue reading.”)

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Why are birds attacking my windows?

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My latest For the Birds column was prompted by a question I received from a reader. It was a good question and one I’ve received several times in the past. So here’s my attempt at answering the question: “Why are birds attacking my windows?” (By the way, if you have a bird question for me, feel free to send it to bozclark@earthlink.net.)

…

Photo by Chris Bosak A Northern Cardinal eats berries from a cedar tree.

Photo by Chris Bosak
A Northern Cardinal eats berries from a cedar tree.

The good news is that signs of spring are everywhere in the birding world. The bad news is that this winter doesn’t seem to want to loosen its grip.

So for now let’s focus on the signs of spring and think warm thoughts. Not quite bird related, but I’ve noticed several plants poking out of the ground already. A nearby bed of daylilies has produced several of the plants jutting out about an inch already.
In the bird world, yes, American Robins have been seen in large numbers, but they are not necessarily a sign of spring as many robins stick with us throughout winter. To me, a sure sign of spring is hearing cardinals sing for the first time. Cardinals have been “chipping” or calling all winter to keep in contact with each other, but I’ve heard on a few occasions cardinals singing their famous songs. I assume they were male cardinals, but female cardinals also sing. Cardinals also have a variety of loud, whistling songs.

Read the rest of the column by clicking here.

Yes, more Hooded Merganser photos

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Over the years I’ve taken tons of Hooded Merganser photos. I just love those little ducks and find them infinitely interesting.

So this weekend, what did I do? I took more Hooded Merganser photos, of course. About five males and four females were utilizing a small pool of unfrozen water on an otherwise frozen lake at Sellecks/Dunlap Woods in Darien, Conn. The males were not displaying, but that time is coming soon. (A video I took last winter of their breeding display behavior is included at the bottom of this post.)

Here are the latest. (Remember, you can always send me your bird photos and I’ll include them on my “Reader Submitted Photos” page. Send me your photos at bozclark@earthlink.net.

Now for those hoodies:

Photo by Chris Bosak Hooded Mergansers swim in a small unfrozen section of water at Selleck's/Dunlap in Darien, Conn., in Feb. 2014.

Photo by Chris Bosak
Hooded Mergansers swim in a small unfrozen section of water at Selleck’s/Dunlap in Darien, Conn., in Feb. 2014.

Photo by Chris Bosak A Hooded Merganser swim in a small unfrozen section of water at Selleck's/Dunlap in Darien, Conn., in Feb. 2014.

Photo by Chris Bosak
A Hooded Merganser swim in a small unfrozen section of water at Selleck’s/Dunlap in Darien, Conn., in Feb. 2014.

More photos below …

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A poem about this New England winter

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I hope everyone enjoyed the warm weekend as much as I did. I know I got out and did a little birdwatching without my heavy winter jacket.

But, of course, the warm temperatures were short-lived. It’s colder today already and will only get colder as the week goes on. There’s even the possibility of some more snow later in the week.

Photo by Chris Bosak An American Tree Sparrow perches near a feeding station during the snowstorm of Feb. 13, 2014.

Photo by Chris Bosak
An American Tree Sparrow perches near a feeding station during the snowstorm of Feb. 13, 2014.

So, with that mind, here’s a poem contributed by a reader of my “For the Birds” column.

I’m not from Montana or Alaska –
What’s all this snow – I must ask ya?
I’ve been shoveling snow for weeks –
It’s no surprise my knees feel weak.
Windshield scrapers, snow and ice –
Only a warm fire will suffice.
Bring in the kindling and the wood –
Let mother nature behave as she would.

Poem by Mary Ann Ancker of West Norwalk, Conn.