Always thankful to live in the greatest country in the world. Happy Fourth everyone!
Happy Fourth of July
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For the Birds: Loons and memories are the makings of a good camping trip
The loons were the wildlife highlight of the trip, but the short camping trip had meaning beyond the birds and mammals that were seen.
It was the first trip my oldest son Andrew and I had taken in a few years. Andrew, now 20, is a reluctant birdwatcher as it is not a hobby of his, and he pushes back on my requests to take walks specifically to see birds, but he can identify several birds by sight and sound. (Wonder where that talent came from.) He does, however, like the outdoors and is always up for a camping trip. In fact, he initiated this outing and had been asking for several weeks to go camping.
We like to go camping when there are no crowds. That means either during the week or during the off season. In this case, it was both. We each took a Monday and Tuesday off work and left for Grout Pond in southern Vermont on a Sunday afternoon in early May.
We underestimated the time it would take to get to the site and it was already dark by the time we had arrived. We improvised by pumping up the air mattress and sleeping under the stars in the cab of the pickup. Thankfully, it was a dry night. It was, however, a cold night, it being early May in Vermont. The lows were in the mid-30s, but it was actually quite refreshing to sleep outdoors again.
Not surprisingly, I awoke before Andrew and took a walk down one of the trails near where we had parked the previous night. A broad-winged hawk immediately flew overhead and swooped in for a landing in a nearby dead tree. It was the start of a good wildlife watching day.
Andrew eventually woke up and, from the pond’s launch site, we eyed a spot along the pond to set up camp for a few days. I was to canoe to the spot with the majority of our equipment and Andrew was to haul the backpack to the site using the trail that runs along the pond. The plan worked well, and I was pleased that the canoe held up with me and our stuff in it. The 14-foot Radisson aluminum canoe had been hit by a fallen tree over the winter and sustained a good-sized dent at one of the ends. A little water seeped in, but overall, it was fine.
The few people who were there in the morning had packed up and left by the afternoon. Andrew and I now had the place to ourselves.
Continue readingFor the Birds: Bobolinks never fail to provide a thrill
I went to my usual bobolink hot spot in southern Connecticut for my annual photo shoot with the enchanting birds and, as usual, it was an enriching experience.
Bobolinks grace our fields and meadows during the spring and summer months and are as interesting to listen to as they are to look at. I can usually spot one almost right away keeping watch on a tall blade of wild grass. Shortly after that, I hear a few males singing their bubbly, tinkling song as they fly in circles above the meadow. To me, their song sounds like a video game from the 1980s.
Bobolinks are members of the blackbird family. They require field or meadow habitat to breed. Unfortunately, that habitat is disappearing and the habitat that does remain is often tricky to maintain for bobolinks because of agricultural purposes. Bobolinks build a cup-shaped nest within the tall grasses. It is recommended that farmers do not mow fields with nesting bobolinks until after the young birds have fledged. Mid-July or even early August is usually a safe time.
According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the bobolink population has declined cumulatively since 1966 by about 56 percent. They rank 14 out of 20 on the Continental Concern Score. That puts them on the Yellow Watch list, which means they are at risk of extinction without conservation actions.
It would be a shame to lose bobolinks, even years and years from now, as they are handsome and charismatic birds. Males are mostly black with white backs, rumps and upper wing feathers. The back of their head and neck are dull yellow. Like many species, females are dull in color to protect them and their nests. Females are still lookers with yellowish heads, buffy brown plumage underneath and streaked backs.
Continue readingFor the Birds: Bobolinks never fail to entertain
I went to my usual bobolink hot spot in southern Connecticut for my annual photo shoot with the enchanting birds and, as usual, it was an enriching experience.
Bobolinks grace our fields and meadows during the spring and summer months and are as interesting to listen to as they are to look at. I can usually spot one almost right away keeping watch on a tall blade of wild grass. Shortly after that, I hear a few males singing their bubbly, tinkling song as they fly in circles above the meadow. To me, their song sounds like a video game from the 1980s.
Continue readingFor the Birds: What impact will fires have in long run?
I’m lucky enough to work at a place where there is a small wild area with a circular trail running along the outer edge. The entire tail takes about five minutes to walk, but at least it’s something.
For such a small area, there are varied habitats such a meadow, woods, thickets, stream and a very small pond. I’ve seen wildlife such as deer, garter and water snakes, wild turkeys, Canada geese, hooded mergansers and a variety of songbirds. I’m sure there are otters, minks, muskrats and plenty of other critters that I haven’t been lucky enough to see yet.
The other day, I took a short break and visited the area. I heard a yellow warbler in the thickets, and a few goldfinches flitted among the meadow. Then I heard a song I did not recognize in a tree overhead. I launched my Merlin app, and it identified the songster as an orchard oriole. That made sense because I have seen orchard orioles in the area before.
Continue readingFlag Day in the USA
For the Birds: Another fine warbler season
Another warbler season is in the books.
Sure, there are still the late-migrant stragglers that will be seen into mid-June and, of course, the ones that will nest and stay with us all summer, but the peak of the warbler season has, sadly, passed.
For me personally, I did not see a huge variety of warblers, but I did see plenty of the more common warbler species over the last few weeks.
The warbler sightings, for me, started in late April with a walk that yielded dozens of yellow-rumped warblers. Over the last few weeks, it has been largely blue-winged warblers, common yellowthroats and American redstarts. In the last week or so, yellow warblers have been showing up more and more on my walks and are becoming the dominant warbler species.
Those are also the main warblers that will nest in my area of New England. Each part of New England has its common nesting warblers and, thankfully, we will get to see them throughout the summer. If we are lucky, we’ll see their youngsters too.
It has been fun over the last couple of years getting to know the American redstart and blue-winged warbler better. I found a few places where redstarts nest, and I visit there frequently in late spring into early summer. Redstarts are, in my opinion anyway, one of the more interesting-looking birds and remind me of Halloween every time I see one. The black and orange coloring is unique in the warbler world. At least among the ones we see in New England.
Blue-winged warblers are largely yellow, like many warblers that nest or pass through New England, but their unique, black eye straight gives them a different type of look – almost like a little bandit. Blue-winged warblers are also unique and fairly easy to find from their insect-like call. It appears to be a rather subtle call, but it can be heard from far away, especially during an early morning walk when the world is still quiet and calm.
Yellow warblers and common yellowthroats will nest throughout New England. In both cases, the birds are usually heard before they are seen. That is if they are seen at all, as they like to hang out in brushy areas and remain hidden if possible. Yellowthroats often like to stay low to the ground in their skulking.
I’ve focused on warblers in this column, but I also had some good luck finding other colorful songbirds such as rose-breasted grosbeak, indigo bunting and scarlet tanager. I watched a female rose-breasted grosbeak collect nesting material a few weeks ago. It’s good to know they will be sticking around and raising young here.
With spring migration mostly behind us, what’s next for birders? Birds won’t be as noisy or active as they have been over the last several weeks, and the variety won’t be as great, but watching them raise young is always a highlight of late spring and early summer. Of course, many birds have had their first broods already, but the nesting and rearing will last for the next few months.
Every season has something to offer birdwatchers. There’s always something interesting to observe so be sure to get out there as much as possible.
A few more green heron photos
Other birds from my Maryland walk
The other day, I posted a few photos of a green heron I saw at Patterson Park in Baltimore while I was visiting my son in school. Here are a few of the other birds I saw during the walk. Here’s the link to the green heron if you missed it.
Green heron highlights walk
Waders (herons, egrets, bitterns) are one of the easier birds to photograph. I’m not saying they are easy by any stretch, but compared to other types of birds like warblers or other songbirds, they are easier. Waders are bigger, which alone makes for an easier photograph, but they can also often be approached stealth-like to fill the frame even more. Plus, they are all pretty cool looking. Green herons are among my favorite waders, and some of my better photos over the years have been of green herons.
I got these photos at Patterson Park in Baltimore, Maryland, when I was visiting my son at school a few weeks ago. Not New England, I know, but still acceptable on this site.
Birds of New England.com 