Tag Archives: chris bosak’s for the birds

For the Birds: A worthwhile detour

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Photo by Chris Bosak
A female Baltimore oriole brings material back to her nesting site this spring.

On my way to visit my family in Pennsylvania, I decided to stop at the Bashakill Wildlife Management Area in Sullivan County, New York, to see what birds might be in and around the giant marsh.

I used to canoe there frequently when I lived closer to that spot, but I hadn’t been there in many years. I didn’t have my canoe with me this time, but luckily there is a trail that follows the edge of the water and offers many expansive views.

As a bonus, the trail is wooded, so you get the shallow water on one side and the woods on the other. The Bashakill has a navigable channel winding through the middle, but the surrounding area is shallow water with thick aquatic vegetation where wood ducks and other birds find refuge. 

I parked at the boat ramp where I had launched my canoe many times in the past and took a glance at the water before hitting the trail. Canada geese and red-winged blackbirds were the only birds I saw on the water at the moment. As soon as I started on the trail, however, I was surrounded by birdsong like only spring can offer. 

The red-winged blackbirds’ familiar “conk-a-tee” call was the dominant sound, but the trees were filled with the songs of yellow warblers, warbling videos, yellow-throated videos, least flycatchers, American redstarts, Baltimore orioles, and blue-grey gnatcatchers.

I followed the trail for less than a mile when I came across a platform. It was about 15 feet high and overlooked the water. I noticed as soon as I got to the top of the platform that I was eye-to-eye with a Baltimore oriole nest with a female poking her head out of the leaves that surround the nest. She had soft nesting material in her bill, so I’m guessing she was in the process of finishing up the nest.

The high platform offered a great view of the surrounding trees. It was almost like being among the birds. On many occasions, I looked down on birds such as yellow warblers, warbling vireos and eastern phoebes. 

In the same direction, but further into the woods from the oriole nest, I noticed a white-breasted nuthatch coming and going from a hole in a tree. Again, I was about eye level with this hole, which turned out to be a nest for the nuthatches. The male came and went and brought caterpillars back to the female inside the nest. She made a brief appearance at the opening of the hole when the male returned with worms and other goodies. 

It was the first time I can recall finding an active nuthatch nest. As well-designed and camouflaged as oriole nests are, I have found those nests during the spring many times.

The action was so fast, yet peaceful, that I stayed on the platform for about an hour watching the birds. In the water, I saw several wood ducks as well as dozens of red-winged blackbirds and Canada geese. I didn’t see any ospreys or eagles, however. I found an eagle’s nest eye in a tall pine, but no birds appeared to be in it, and I never saw them flying or perched in a different tree. 

I was surprised because eagles were always a very reliable sighting there. The same goes for osprey. 

When I eventually climbed down from the platform, I was greeted at the bottom by a yellow warbler in a shrub almost within arm’s reach. This bird had no fear of me and flitted among the shrubs for a good five minutes before ascending to a higher spot in a nearby tree.

I am not usually the type to take detours when I am driving somewhere. When I drive, it is almost always about getting to the destination as quickly as possible and not about enjoying the journey. I do wish I could make it more about the journey sometimes, and I am glad I made this exception. Maybe this will inspire more journeys.

For the Birds: Don’t miss the action this spring

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Photo by Chris Bosak
Yellow warbler at Huntington State Park, Redding, CT, May 2026.

Spring migration continues to work its magic. 

My walks have been filled with migrants, including a few FOYs (first of years) each time I go out. On one recent walk, I saw a veery, red-eyed vireo, and American redstart, all firsts of the year. It’s always nice to see birds for the first time since last spring, summer or fall. 

The feeling is a little different for birds that we know are just passing through and won’t nest here. Of course, it’s always nice to see the first rose-breasted grosbeak, scarlet tanager, Baltimore oriole or ruby-throated hummingbird, but we know they will nest locally, and we will have plenty more chances to see them over the next several months.

Some birds, however, especially select warblers, will not nest locally, so if we miss them during their short window of passing through New England, we have to wait until fall to try to catch a glimpse of them as they pass through during their southern flight. If we miss that opportunity, our next chance will be the following spring.

In many cases, it can be several years between sightings of a certain species. The other day, I saw a hooded warbler, an aptly named and cool-looking olive-and-yellow bird with a black hood and throat. It had been years since I had last seen one. I spotted the bird among a tangle of vines fairly high in the canopy, which was surprising because they tend to hang out in shrubs and the understory.

Unless you’re really lucky and these birds come to your yard, you have to get out there in order to see them. Some days it’s tough to get out of bed early, and some days work doesn’t allow for a birding break, but spring is the time of year to make every moment count. 

Here are some other random birding highlights from recent days.

The northern flicker pair I wrote about a few weeks ago successfully dug out the rest of their nest in the snag in my backyard. It took several days of constant work for them, but the other day, I checked on them, and one was inside the hole with only its head sticking out.

During a recent work-from-home day, I glanced out at the birdbath and saw a blue jay on the edge. A moment later, another blue jay landed next to it and fed it a mealworm that it had plucked from my bird feeder. Earlier this spring, I saw a cardinal pair and a house finch pair do the same thing.

My son and I were working on a car in the driveway (actually, he was working on it, and I was watching) when I heard crows cawing and blue jays squawking in the nearby hemlocks. I said, “I bet there’s a hawk or owl in there.” He turned just in time, and we watched a barred owl fly out of the hemlock branches and disappear in the woods. A bit later, we heard its “who cooks for you, who cooks for you all” song over and over.

That’s it for now. Let me know what you’re seeing out there this spring.

For the Birds: Spring birding and reader insights

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Photo by Chris Bosak
Blue-gray gnatcatcher at Huntington State Park, Redding, Conn., April 24, 2026.

For many birdwatchers, this is the best time of year. Breeding season has begun in earnest, and the spring migration is in full swing.

Every walk in late April and early to mid-May has the potential to yield something that wasn’t there the day before. The other day, I took a quick walk and spotted my year’s first wood thrush, blue-gray gnatcatcher, blue-winged warbler and black-and-white warbler.

It’s also a busy time for my email inbox, as spring’s increased activity brings many exciting bird observations and raises some questions too.

Nancy from Keene shared that a pileated woodpecker made holes from top to bottom on a snag (dead tree) in her yard. She mentioned that she hears the large woodpeckers every year, but this was the first time she was able to get a video with her phone. Now, the moment has documentation that she can enjoy at any time.

To me, the best part of the story is that Nancy said she had a tree removal service doing some necessary tree work about 15 years ago, and she asked them to leave some snags standing. A decade and a half later, that request paid off big time. I’ve written from time to time over the years about the importance of leaving some dead trees standing as long as they don’t pose a threat to self or property. Snags are a vital resource for woodpeckers and other animals for shelter and food.

Lenny from Greenfield also shared that a pileated woodpecker visited a snag on his farm as well. Lenny also reported that evening grosbeaks visited his yard, and he was surprised one day to find a crow perched on his birdfeeder pole.

Norma from Spofford had a few interesting and somewhat rare sightings at her feeder. She saw an American robin on her deck and figured she would throw a few mealworms out. The robin ate the offerings and visited her feeder to get more mealworms for the next several days. Later, she spotted a northern flicker on her suet feeder. Robins and flickers may not be rare sightings, but they are not commonly seen at feeders.

Lew from Keene had an interesting robin experience of his own when he saw a leucistic robin along the side of a road. Leucism is a loss of pigmentation in feathers or fur, making the animal appear white. It differs from albinism in that albinism is a complete lack of melanin that even affects the eyes. Leucism often makes birds appear patchy, which was the case with Lew’s bird. In my experience anyway, robins and juncos are two of the New England birds most impacted by leucism.

Patti from Westmoreland and Andy from Spofford each wrote in to say they had to stop feeding birds for the spring and summer as bears are now a threat. Andy, however, said he was a day late, as he walked out of his house one morning to find the seed and suet feeders gone and one of the poles bent into a C shape. Andy, who teaches first-graders, used the experience as a teaching moment and brought the pole into school to show how strong bears are. He said some of his students tried to bend the pole back into shape, but none succeeded.

Patti said she lost what had been her best feeder to a bear last year. She wondered if the remaining birdseed from this year will last until winter when she can resume feeding birds. If properly sealed and stored in a cool, dark place, some birdseed can last about a year. Nyjer, or thistle, seed will spoil faster.

In another coincidence, Eric from Surry and Linda from Middletown each wrote in to say they had wood ducks under their bird feeders. Eric thought it was a strange sighting as there aren’t any ponds in his area, but there are a few swampy areas. Linda also sent a photo of a bobcat in her backyard. She has been seeing a bobcat pair in her yard for the past eight years. Now that would be cool.

This is also the time when some birds, such as white-throated sparrows and dark-eyed juncos, that have kept us entertained throughout the long winter become scarce. Amy from Harrisville was recently treated to more than 30 juncos in her yard.

Thanks to those who sent in their sightings. Let me know what you see this spring.

For the Birds: Finally, a column on old bird names

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Photo by Chris Bosak
The eastern towhee used to be called chewink.

Many months ago, or maybe it was years at this point, I promised to do a column on old bird names. 

Quite frankly, I forgot about it and never got around to doing the column. I can’t even remember what inspired me to consider such a column, but I must have been writing about a bird with a relatively new name and thought it would be a good idea to look at other somewhat recent bird name changes. Perhaps I wrote about a long-tailed duck and recalled the old name of oldsquaw. Regardless of the impetus, here’s that column I promised so long ago.

Now, I did write a column last summer about the most recent name changes by the American Ornithological Society. In that column, I relayed that the powers that be changed the name of the house wren we see in New England to northern house wren. A year earlier, I wrote that the three redpoll species were lumped into a single species called redpoll. 

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For the Birds: Great Backyard Bird Count is coming

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Photo by Chris Bosak
A red-shouldered hawk perches on a branch during a snowy day in New England, January 2026.

It should come as no surprise that birdwatching is growing in popularity, according to several studies and other metrics. It had been gaining in popularity for years, but the pandemic greatly accelerated the movement.

As I researched the Great Backyard Bird Count for this column, I was surprised at how much birdwatching had gained in popularity, at least as it is measured by the number of GBBC participants.

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For the Birds: Another successful Christmas Bird count

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Female harlequin duck, Christmas Bird Count 2025, Stamford, Connecticut.

I’ve participated in the Christmas Bird Count in all types of weather.

I can recall bitter cold days, unusually warm days, pouring rain, sleet, light snow and blustery snow squalls. Once a date is set far in advance, it is usually held on that day regardless of the weather. 

This year, the count I did with my friend Frank in southern New England took place in a wet snow that accumulated before our eyes. It made for beautiful scenery but also frozen fingers and toes, damp clothing, steamed optics and fewer birds than usual. 

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For the Birds: Winter birding surprises

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Photo by Chris Bosak
An eastern bluebird braves a New England winter and visit a backyard for mealworms, winter 2020.

The calendar may not show it yet, but in the New England bird world, we’ve officially entered what could be called winter birding season. The vast majority of southbound migrants have left, and the birds we get to enjoy for the next couple of months are either trusty year-round residents or northern visitors who have traveled as far south as they intend to go.

Winter is, of course, the prime time when juncos and white-throated sparrows are found in high numbers. My personal favorite part of winter birdwatching is tracking down different species of ducks. That is, if you can find some open water.

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For the Birds: Cedar waxwings like these apples

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Cedar waxwing on crabapple tree, fall 2025, Huntington State Park, CT.

Sometimes, the path less traveled is the way to go. In fact, it almost always is when it comes to birdwatching.

The park I frequent in southern New England features a variety of habitats: ponds, woods, fields and marshlands. The fields are quite large and have a path running through the middle. In the spring and summer, visitors are restricted to the path to protect nesting birds such as bobolinks, field sparrows and red-winged blackbirds.

In fall and winter, however, after the fields have been cut, the restricted signs come down. Most people, in fact almost all people, still stick to the path as it’s the quickest and easiest way to get to the woods. They don’t see (or care about) the tremendous opportunities that exist along the brushy edges of the fields.

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For the Birds: Sparrows of a different kind

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Photo by Chris Bosak An eastern towhee in New England.

I pulled into the lot at the park, and a small flock of dark-eyed juncos scurried into the tall grass as my wheels came to a stop. The white border on the tail makes for an easy identification of juncos, even from behind.

Ten minutes later, as I walked along a trail with brush on either side of me, I heard the unmistakable call of the eastern towhee: “tow-hee,” with the second part rising in pitch. I spotted the beauty a few moments later.

There is a fairly short window in New England to see both of these birds on the same day. Towhees, the vast majority of them anyway, fly south before the juncos arrive from their northern breeding grounds. Juncos do breed throughout New England, but they are much more visible and numerous when the weather gets colder. Towhees are early arrivals in the spring and late departures in the fall, offering windows to see them and juncos on the same bird walk.

Eastern towhees and dark-eyed juncos look nothing alike. They aren’t even the same size, as the towhee is larger and much bulkier. Yet they are from the same family. Even more interesting is that neither one of them looks like other members of their family.

What comes to mind when you hear the word “sparrow”? Many people likely think of a house sparrow. Even though they are not native to the U.S., they are the dominant member of the sparrow family, in terms of numbers anyway. House sparrows look like sparrows. They are mostly brownish and rather plain-looking, at least from a superficial glance.

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For the Birds: Birds sightings can happen anywhere

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Photo by Chris Bosak – A Cooper’s hawk eats a meal in New England, summer 2025.

“One of the nice things about birdwatching is …”

I’ve started many sentences with that phrase over the years. The backend of that line may be finished in almost innumerable ways:

… everyone, regardless of age or skill level, can enjoy it.

… it can be done during any time of the day or year.

… no two days are alike.

… there is always something new to learn or discover, regardless of how advanced you are.

… each time of year brings its own delights.

For the purposes of this column, the sentence will read: “One of the nice things about birdwatching is that it can be done anywhere.” Not many hobbies can be enjoyed in the woods, in a canoe or kayak, at a local park, or sitting in the kitchen looking out the window with your morning cup of coffee.

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