One of the things that I've wanted to do for a while is lead a field trip in Portland during the Spring Migration period. The problem is, the major bird clubs in Connecticut already have a packed schedule during Spring Migration. There really is no need for additional trips in spring. I finally found my opportunity when I ran into the President of The Mattabeseck Audubon during The Connecticut Eagle Festival in February. Mattabeseck Audubon does offer some nice field trips during the year but I noticed that their field trip schedule had plenty of room for growth . When I approached Allison about having a May field trip in Portland, she agreed to the idea.
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The trip took place this past Saturday on the 17th. I scheduled it for 6:30am which is earlier than most trips start. I was curious as to how many people would show up. I've attended several Mattabeseck field trips in the past and the attendance has ranged between 1(me) and about 10 people. I prefer smaller groups but as of 6:15 am not a single person had shown up for my trip. A complete no-show would have been a disappointment. Fortunately, two birders did eventually show up.
Monday, May 19, 2008
I'm Glad Warblers Don't Read!
Monday, May 12, 2008
Kings Of The Canopy
It was 5:00am on Saturday morning when I noticed that the sky was just starting to get lighter. I gathered my binoculars and camera ready to head out for what I expect will be an exciting morning of birding. We are entering the peak of Spring Migration and reports of warblers have been promising this week.
I arrived at Portland Reservoir at 5:30am, not wanting to miss one moment of what is a perfect spring morning. The sky is clear and the forecast calls for temperatures in the upper 60's. There's something magical about the early part of the morning. It's the time of the day that my mind is at its sharpest with only the sounds of nature to compete with my thoughts. Most people are still asleep at this time allowing me to walk through the woods slowly with no distractions.
A few birds had started to already. There were the slurred singing of the Baltimore Oriole, the lyrical notes of a Song Sparrow, and the squeaking cackle of Canada Geese on the far end of the reservoir. As I walked along the path lined with towering trees, the sun made it's first appearance as its golden glow cast upon the long, soft needles of the white Pines. As I passed the small bog on my left, a beaver smacked its tail against the water letting me know that I was crowding its space. As I walked further into the forest, things quieted down again. I thought about what I had read in the Bible the night before. I rarely read the Bible but when I do, I'm left with a lot of questions. Most of them start with the word how? Science has tried to answer many of the questions we have about life. They have even come up with theories about how life first began. I find these theories to be fascinating but they leave me with one big question--why? Scientific explanations seem to imply that life was created by a series of cosmic accidents causing a chain reaction which led us to where we are at this very moment. I'm not buying the theory that the miracle of life was just a lucky coincidence. Although I'm not a follower of any particular religion, I believe someone or something definitely had a plan. The truth is I'll probably never know who, what or why. These are the kind of thoughts that run through my mind when I drink coffee and go walking in the woods at 5:30 in the morning.
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As I came to the end of my walk, I started to hear a sound from the canopy above. Chick-brrr, Chick-brrr. That is the call of Piranga olivacea, more commonly known as a Scarlet Tanager--beautiful!
It was an excellent day of birding for me. I saved money on gas by staying in my hometown of Portland. I was able to see 14 species of warbler:
At Portland Reservoir- Northern Parula, Yellow , Yellow-rumped, Black-throated Green, Louisiana Waterthrush, Common Yellowthroat, Pine, American Redstart, Black & White, and Ovenbird.
At Old Marlborough Turnpike-Blue-winged Warbler, Prairie Warbler, and Chestnut-sided Warbler.
The first video is of a Rose-breasted Grosbeak. He was quite easy to hear but getting a clear look at him was another story. I lost the bird at the end of the video but left it running so you could hear him sing a repeat verse of his song.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
My First Pair Of Binoculars
Patrick at The Hawk Owl's Nest recently did a post about his first pair of binoculars and invited other bloggers to do the same. My first pair of binoculars actually belonged to my grandfather. As I recall, they were 7x50 WWII US Navy issued binoculars. I had nothing to compare them to but they sure seemed to have a sharp, wide-angled view. As a child, I would often spend a week as a guest at my grandparents house. Those binoculars were one of my main sources of entertainment during those times.
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I didn't have much of an interest in birds back then. I would glance at whatever birds were in the feeders but that was about as far as it went. I was more interested in stargazing and searching he skies for anything of interest. This included clouds, satellites, jets, and hot air balloons. There's probably not many kids these days that would be so entertained by a pair of binoculars. I spent hours at a time using them.
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There came a point when I decided to get my own binoculars. I don't remember the brand but they were 8-16 x 40 zoom binoculars, if I remember correctly. I don't know what happened to them but they didn't last long. The optical quality was not as good as my grandfather's.
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The first binoculars I used for birding were a $30 pair of 7x35 Tascos. They may not have been Swarovski's but they seemed to work just fine for me. They were ruined when I left them sitting in the sun. The cement that held the lenses in place must have melted.
Thanks for the fun idea for a post Patrick!
Cornell Sound Recording Workshop
I was contacted by Pat from Cornell a couple of weeks ago. She asked if I would post information from Cornell on my blog. I was happy to meet this request since I use Cornell's All About-Birds frequently. -Larry
Contact:Tammy Bishop, Macaulay Library(607) 254-2198 For immediate release macaulaylibrary@cornell.edu May 8, 2008
Workshop Fine-Tunes the Passion for Sound
Cornell Lab of Ornithology Course Taking Registrations Now- Ithaca, NY From June 7 to 14, the annual Sound Recording Workshop offered by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology returns to San Francisco State University’s Sierra Nevada Field Campus in the spectacular surroundings of the eastern foothills of California’s northern Sierra Nevada mountains. Participants learn state-of-the-art techniques for capturing bird sounds, guided by experts. Learn to capture the sounds of wildlife through lecture, discussion, and daily field recording sessions participants learn how to effectively handle a portable field recording system to make scientifically accurate recordings of bird vocalizations. Participants learn how to conquer wind, how a roadbed can help overcome the sound of a rushing stream, and why placing a microphone on the ground is sometimes the best strategy. There is also an introduction to the science of sound analysis which converts sound waves into visual images called spectrograms. With signal analysis it’s possible to visualize a bird song note by note. The Sound Recording Workshop fee of $895 covers tuition, class materials, ground transportation, food, and lodging. A $100 deposit is requested to reserve a space, which is limited to 20 students. Registration and payment are due by May 31. Learn more at: http://www.birds.cornell.edu/macaulaylibrary/Contribute/soundRecordingWorkshop.html or contact Tammy Bishop at (607) 254-2198 or macaulaylibrary@cornell.edu.
# The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is a membership institution dedicated to interpreting and conserving the earth’s biological diversity through research, education, and citizen science focused on birds. Visit the Lab’s web site at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/ .
Sunday, May 4, 2008
The Return Of The Yellow Warblers
I am writing this post in reverse chronological order starting with Sunday evening. It 's been about 5 years since I took my first walk with the sole intention of looking for birds. My first birding spot was a trail that runs along the Connecticut River that is within walking distance from my house. One of my first great revelations came when I discovered there were tiny yellow birds with thin red streaks on their breasts living in the bushes near the river.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Camping And Birding In Kent Connecticut
This weekend did some camping at Macedonia State Park in Kent, Connecticut. Kent is located on the Western border of Connecticut right next to the State of New York. Like many of the towns in rural Litchfield County, it is known for its scenic beauty. Everywhere you look there are steep hills, green fields, rushing streams and waterfalls like the one seen above. It is also well known by birders for having one of the best Spring Migration birding spots. River Road follows a portion of the Housatonic River and serves as a natural corridor for migrant birds during the spring. Birders have been known to see as many as 25 warbler species in one day during the peak of migration season. The campground I stayed at was conveniently only a couple of miles down the road from River Road.
The warbler most commonly heard singing in the area was definitely the Louisiana Waterthrush. Every time I passed over a brook, I would hear one singing. In previous years I only saw a couple of waterthrushes all season. I would usually see them in the summer and Fall when they weren't singing. Have I just been overlooking them in the spring or are there more of them this year? I'm not sure. When you watch these videos, notice how the birds like to change positions and bob their tail when singing. This waterthrush sang throughout the day near the brook where at my campsite. It was very hard to locate though. The first few notes seem fairly even which was typical of the many waterthrushes I heard throughout the weekend.
This one particular bird which I encountered along River Road had a different beginning to its song. the first few notes alternated up and down. I wondered if this was a Northern Waterthrush whose song I was unfamiliar with. After much searching, I found the bird and identified it as another Louisiana Waterthrush. I asked another birder who had a Birdpod to play a comparison between the Northern Waterthrush and Lousiana Waterthrush. I found out that the northern's song was quite different. This particular Louisiana Waterthrush stuck with the same beginning to its song every time while all the others in the area sounded like the one in the first video. I wonder why?
I was exploring a back road in a different area when I came to a group of cars that were blocking the road. There were some people were wandering around with cameras and talking as though they were making plans to shoot a movie. While I was waiting for the scene to clear, I looked up and I saw a nest about 30 feet up in some ledges. I wondered what sort of nest it was. As I got back into my truck , a Raven came swooping down into the nest. I shot the video from my truck window. Seeing the baby ravens begging for food was quite a site. I didn't stay for long because I didn't want to disturb them.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Contact: Pat Leonard(607) 254-2137pel27@cornell.edu For release: April 24, 2008
New Project Spotlights Life in the NestNestWatch project takes off, seeks participants Ithaca, NY-What could be cuter than baby birds all atwitter in the nest? But amid the “oohs” and “aahs” are real data about the rhythms of bird biology and how they may be changing as the result of human activity. Combine the “wow” factor of the former with the scientific value of the latter and you have NestWatcha new, free citizen science project developed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in collaboration with the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center and funded by the National Science Foundation. Participants visit nests during spring and summer to collect simple information about location, habitat, species, number of eggs, and number of young in the nest. Then they submit their observations online.“NestWatch introduces birding and simple methods of scientific inquiry to families, children, retired adultspeople of all ages and skills,” says project leader Tina Phillips. “It’s easy and fun. It helps people reconnect with nature in their own yard, nearby park, or nature preserve.” Peter Marra from the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center at the National Zoo says, “Each and every observation is important because it helps scientists measure the impact of such things as climate change and habitat destruction. Without citizens across the country collecting this information for us it would be almost impossible to track these large-scale destructive processes.” The always-popular NestCams companion site has been revamped and is now up and running. Live cameras show the nesting activities of Barn Owls, Wood Ducks, and Northern Flickers in Texas and California. More cameras will be going online across the country in the weeks ahead at http://www.nestcams.org/.All NestWatch materials and instructions are available online at http://www.nestwatch.org/, including directions on how to find nests and how to monitor them without disturbing the birds. “One of the most exciting things about NestWatch,” says Phillips, “is that we’ll be able to take in data from as far back as 1900!” Anyone who’s been keeping nest records on their own will now have a way to put that important information to use. With all this information from NestWatchers, scientists will be able to track changes in reproductive timing and fledging success which may be linked to climate change. For more information and to sign up, please visit http://www.nestwatch.org/.
# The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is a membership institution dedicated to interpreting and conserving the earth’s biological diversity through research, education, and citizen science focused on birds. Visit the Lab’s web site at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/ .