Let’s kick off the summer weekend with a portrait of an eastern kingbird. Why not?
Here’s information on this feisty New England bird.
Here’s a story about how my son Will and I saved a kingbird once.
A kingbird to kick off the weekend
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For the Birds: Red-headed woodpecker makes surprise visit to New Hampshire
It wasn’t long ago, just last week, in fact, that I wrote about uncommon birds showing up unexpectedly now and then.
You never know where or when they will appear, I wrote, but being vigilant is the key to finding them.
Not long after that column went to print, I received an email that really drove home that point. Eric from Surry wrote to say he had seen a red-headed woodpecker in his backyard.
When I opened the email, I could see only the text, not the photos. I have no way of knowing one’s bird identification skills when I get an email, so it’s always nice when a photo is attached, regardless of quality, to confirm the sighting.
Continue readingFor the Birds: Time for a chat
I was walking along a productive section of a trail in southern New England when a loud birdsong caught my attention. As is often the case, I didn’t recognize it immediately, but knew it was worth stopping for and investigating.
Sometimes when that happens, it turns out to be a seldom-used song or call from a familiar bird. Tufted titmice have a wide variety of sounds and they often throw me off. The same goes for catbirds, robins and orioles. But this time, it was indeed something uncommon.
I used the Merlin app on my phone and it identified it as a yellow-breasted chat. That would be cool, I thought, but let’s get visual confirmation. The Merlin app is a great new tool for birdwatchers, but it’s not 100 percent accurate, and I always like to get visual confirmation.
Continue readingFor the Birds: This trip up north was a long time in coming
It had been several years since I had been to Pittsburg, NH, a place I used to visit three times a year or more back in the day.
My visits gradually became more infrequent as I got older, gained work and family responsibilities and grew less inclined to make the long drive. Besides, moose sightings had become increasingly rare up there, while they used to be a sure thing. Moose had always been the main attraction for me and many others who visit there.
Even so, the area has retained a special place in my heart, and I often long to be there. I just wish I could teleport there with my truck, canoe and camping equipment.
Continue readingFor the Birds: New England has plenty to offer birdwatchers
I was finishing up a bird walk the other day when I came across another birder just starting their day’s adventure. She asked a question common among birdwatchers: “Did you see anything good out there?”
Of course, all birds are good, but the underlying question is whether anything rare or uncommon was spotted. I shared that there were a few warblers and songbirds around, but I hadn’t seen anything too noteworthy.
I started naming off some of the highlights. I had found a bluebird nest in a snag (dead tree) and the parents were busy feeding the youngsters. The warblers included American redstart, common yellowthroat, yellow warbler, ovenbird and black-and-white warbler. I had spotted a few rose-breasted grosbeaks and Baltimore orioles, but no scarlet tanagers or indigo buntings.
Continue readingWarblers up north
Here are a few warblers I saw on my trip up north. Previously, I had posted photos of loons and an eagle. Canada warblers and magnolia warblers are similar looking with their bright yellow chests and bellies streaked with black. There some obvious differences, such as the eyes. Canada warblers have an obvious eye ring, while magnolia warblers have a black mask with less obvious broken eye ring.
Eagles up north
As promised, here’s another shot of some wildlife I saw during my recent trip to northern New Hampshire. Here’s the original post with loons.
Bald eagles are getting more common throughout New England and the U.S., but there’s always something special about seeing one up north.
Loons up north
I took a trip to Pittsburg, NH, near the Canadian border over the weekend. I’ve been going up there for more than 30 years now, although the frequency of my visits has dwindled in the past few years. While the moose sightings have decreased dramatically in the last 10 years or so, the other wildlife never seems to disappoint. Here is a shot of a loon pair I got one extremely foggy morning from my canoe. More photos will follow in the coming days.
For the Birds: Oriole nests are something to behold
Everything about a Baltimore oriole nest is ingenious. From the design and materials to the location selection, the nest is a perfect haven to raise young birds safely from predators (for the most part).
Fall is the best time to find oriole nests, after the leaves have fallen. Of course, by that time, the orioles are long gone, and the nest is a mere relic of the past breeding season, but it’s still interesting to see one of the pouch-like nests dangling from the end of a branch.
The other week, I was lucky enough to watch a female oriole build one of those remarkable nests. I was walking along a trail that was teeming with yellow warblers, catbirds, and Baltimore orioles when I glanced up and saw an oriole perched at the end of a branch overhead.
Continue readingGreen heron in the rain
I missed an opportunity to photograph a least bittern (it would have been my first photos of that species) when I noticed it too late, and it quickly and silently disappeared into the reeds never to be seen again.
A few hours later, I found this green heron as a consolation prize. Not that I consider the heron a lesser bird, but I already had plenty of photos of green herons. A light rain was falling and at one point the heron shook its body to get rid of the excess water.
One day I’ll get that least bittern.
Birds of New England.com 