For the Birds: March is a good time for ducks

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Digiscoped photo of a hooded merganser.

March is a good time to look for ducks, assuming, of course, there is some open water.

I took a short drive the other day to a large reservoir and found that the water was still largely frozen. There were plenty of open spots, however, and one, in particular, caught my attention. I saw mallards from a distance and zeroed in to see if anything else was lurking there.

The mallards I had seen were not mallards at all but a pair of American black ducks. Male and female black ducks resemble female mallards from a distance with their overall bland coloring and similar size and shape. A closer look revealed the black duck’s darker coloration. Male black ducks also have a yellow bill, similar to a male mallard’s bill. The females of both species have duller bills.

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For the Birds: Robins are bountiful this winter

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American robin on snowy branches in New England, Feb. 2022.

It appears to be a good winter for juncos, blue jays and goldfinches, based on feedback from readers. Other than a few reports of pine siskins, it doesn’t seem to be a particularly strong winter for the typical irruptive species as sightings of redpolls, grosbeaks and red-breasted nuthatches have been scarce.

I’ll add American robin to the list of birds that have been seen in abundance this winter. This doesn’t mean that spring is here already, of course. As I write this, a winter storm is predicted for the next day. Several more weeks of winter-like weather are ahead of us, I’m sorry to say.

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A few more burrowing owls shots

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I know it’s out of my turf, but I can’t post just one photo of the burrowing owls I saw during a recent trip to southwestern Florida. So here are a few more. Click here for more photos from Florida.

Redpolls and siskins north of the border

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My friend Andrée from Quebec sent me a bunch of photos from her yard this winter. The siskin and redpoll numbers are staggering. The photos speak for themselves … Thanks Andrée.

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For the Birds: More of what readers are seeing

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Photo by Chris Bosak A blue jay stands on a fence post during a snowstorm in New England, Jan. 2022.

The reports keep coming in, so why not dedicate another column to what our neighbors are seeing in their yards?

Eric from Surry wrote to say he can’t keep up with the goldfinches and pine siskins and their appetites for thistle (Nyjer) seed. He said it’s been a while since goldfinches have visited his yard in large numbers, but this winter has been different.

Eric also has a few Carolina wrens that have been around all winter, while juncos have been around in large numbers. The juncos, as well as a handful of cardinals visit early, so Eric has to make sure the feeders are filled before dawn. Now that’s dedication to the birds and this great hobby. He also gets the usual woodpeckers in addition to red-bellied woodpeckers and yellow-bellied sapsuckers.

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A few shots from a recent trip to Florida

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Photo by Chris Bosak Burrowing owl in Cape Coral, Florida.

I ventured out of New England last week to visit my brother in southwestern Florida. Here are a few shots I got in my travels. Two of my brothers and I went to Marco Island to see burrowing owls, but came up empty. We arrived in the middle of the afternoon and they were all hunkered in their burrows. By chance, two days later I was in Cape Coral, which is the other hotspot for these beautiful birds. I got up early and found my target.

Thanks for looking and indulging me. Back to New England for my next post.

Anhinga, photo by Chris Bosak
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In honor of goldfinches

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I often receive photos of birds from readers, but it’s not often that I get poems about our New England birds. Cyndy Martell from Peterborough, N.H., sent in this tribute to American goldfinches, which have been plentiful in her yard this winter.

Winter Goldfinches Galore

(A Phenomenon One Cannot Ignore)

By Cyndy Martell

Photo by Chris Bosak An American goldfinch perches on a coneflower head, Nov. 2018.

So many  Goldfinches

Clutching the feeders 

Is frustrating at best

To accurately calculate.

So many Goldfinches

Bouncing on branches

Of bushy trampolines

Ever ready to evacuate.

So many Goldfinches

Take flight impulsively 

Crashing into windows

Sadly sealing their fate.

So many Goldfinches

Studied by Chickadees

Who sit and just wait

But are seldom irate.

So many Goldfinches

Not in summer gold

But in winter’s green

Singing in sweet debate.

For the Birds: Seedy winter for many birds

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Photo by Chris Bosak An American goldfinch perches on a coneflower head.

At a certain point, my shared driveway splits in two. My neighbor is off to the right. I’m on the left. A row of about 10 eastern hemlocks separates the driveways.

The other day as I drove down the driveway before it splits, I noticed hundreds of little hemlock cones under the trees. Maybe thousands. It instantly brought me back to one of my favorite winter birding moments.

I was still relatively new to birdwatching when I took a long walk in Pisgah State Park. The park has several entrance points. The one I used on this day was my favorite entrance. The trail from the parking lot leads down a long hill. Once at the bottom of the hill, it’s like the rest of the world is a million miles away. No houses, cars or anything. Just woods and other interesting habitats to explore and enjoy.

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A few more bluebird photos

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Photo by Chris Bosak An eastern bluebird perches on a branch in New England, Jan. 2022.

Here are a few more eastern bluebird photos I managed to get in addition to the one I used to support my last column, which may be found here. It appears to be another good year for seeing bluebirds this New England winter as I’ve heard from several readers who have seen these beauties.

Photo by Chris Bosak An eastern bluebird perches on a branch in New England, Jan. 2022.

For the Birds: Bluebirds highlight winter walk

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Photo by Chris Bosak An eastern bluebird perches on a branch in New England, Jan. 2022.

My foot was finally feeling a little better so I figured I’d try a short bird walk. Turns out, it wasn’t ready for prime time. I walked a few hundred yards on the uneven snowy terrain and had to turn back.

The little I did manage to walk was along a wood’s edge with good, thick brush forming a barrier, perfect for birds to hide in. A lone white-throated sparrow and a lone tree sparrow were the only birds I saw, however. There was also a male cardinal, but he never left his protected spot among the bramble and I could spy only specks of red.

On my way back, I noticed a white-breasted nuthatch and a woodpecker in a big tree beyond the truck. I figured it was worth a closer look because I had seen a yellow-bellied sapsucker in that very tree some time ago. It turned out to be a downy woodpecker, and it had flown off to a more distant tree by the time I hobbled over there anyway.

Not all was lost, though, as the detour led me to a small flock of eastern bluebirds. Some were perched in the low branches of a nearby tree, and some were in the brush picking at berries of some sort.

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