Thanks For Hanging A Bag Of Seed!

During the Christmas count we covered a section near the state forest. Someone had set a feeder in the middle of the woods which allowed us to have a nice view of a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.

15 Minute Pink-footed Goose

A birding friend alerted me that there was a Pink-footed Goose spotted near Lyman's Orchard which is right down the road from me. I only had 15 minutes to drive the 5 miles and spot the goose. There wasn't enough  time for me to get into the perfect viewing position. I  shielded my eyes from the sun so I could get the goose into my camera's viewfinder. 

They are common over in Greenland but considered rare around here. It was first time I've seen one so I was lucky it was still around when I got there! 

Birder Hibernation Ends On Sunday

I've been in a state of birder hibernation for the last month. Life decided that other things needed to take priority. I decided to at least upload the last 3 bird pictures that were on my camera. 

I was being mocked by this mockingbird as I passed through the neighborhood on my bike. 

American Robins flocked to our crabapple trees all day long until there were crabapples no more!

I went to a local pond to find ducks but instead found a male Purple Finch which is a nice bird for me. It would have been nicer if the sun wasn't behind him though. 

I haven't picked up binoculars for about a month but the Christmas bird counts have already started. I am going on the annual Salmon River circle bird count tomorrow. It's a fun event because suddenly every species of bird seen becomes important again. Everyone works as a team to find as many species of birds as the can in their territory.

Of course, you do need to withstand the cold and unless you are working the shoreline, you won't see as many species as you would during migration. Nevertheless, I am looking forward to it!

A Bee Or A Fly? A Bug Or A Moth?

I've been paying more attention this year to insects and butterflies that visit the flower garden. At first glance I thought it looked a little like a honeybee, but then I noticed the eyes which reminded me of a fly's eyes. I posted it to an insect forum and found out that it is a type of hover fly, also referred to as a flower fly. This particular species is a tranverse banded drone fly. They are important pollinators.When I first saw this colorful creature I thought it was some sort of bug. It turns out that it is actually Ailanthus webworm which is a type of moth. It is an invasive species originating from South America but does not cause much damage. During the caterpillar stage they eat plants as would be expected but are pollinators while in their adult stage (above).