The Veery is a thrush that can be heard deep in the woods throughout the spring and summer. They have a subtle appearance but there is no mistaking their unique call. If you ever played video games back in the arcade days you might recognize their call as the ending sound of Pac-Man.
Listen for yourself:
End of Pac-Man game sound
Compare to sound of Veery
Okay, maybe not an exact match but I think you can see where I'm coming from!
It was one of those magical spring migration days at Machimoodus Park. The air was crystal clear and birds were dripping from every tree. We saw 55 different species in a matter of a a couple of hours.
I was too busy looking up in the tree tops to bother taking my camera out but always make an exception for an owl. This Barred Owl flew off before I could catch him in the open but I was happy enough just to see him.
There are several species of warbler that I can expect to see every year but the Cerulean Warbler is not one of those. It's a lucky day when I get to hear one of these and even luckier to get a good look at one. These tiny birds stay high in the tree tops and are constantly bouncing from one branch to another.
On Days like this I wish there was 2 of me. One to watch birds through binoculars and one to take pictures!
It started with a catbird about a week ago. He was calling from the tangles seemingly warning me that many migrants are heading are way. I will see hundreds of catbirds this year. If truth be told, I'll grow a little tired of hearing their scrambled squawking by the end of summer. There's nothing like the first one of the year in early morning light.
Birds are everywhere in May. I'm looking up in the trees trying to find orioles while Wood Thrushes are singing their beautiful songs deep in the woods.
You can't even ignore the mud puddles because their might see a little peep wading around.
As I traveled along a steep trail their were yellow Warblers protecting their bushes every 20 feet. I was so wound up about the birds I was finding that I didn't get around to tying my hiking boots until I walked through a mud puddle and had the laces slap mud on the back of my pants.
My head was spinning form all the birds I was hearing and seeing. It was almost like having money falling from the sky and desperately trying to pick up the bills before they blew away.
Maybe this frog has the right idea. Just sit still in one place and watch everything that's going on from your hiding spot.
