Mesmerized By One Proud And Noble Bluebird

 It was a beautiful Fall morning yesterday with crisp, clean air and bright blue skies. I was out making my rounds looking for birds that I haven't seen yet this year. I don't consider myself to be a "lister" but I have been keeping track of bird species that I see in my county during the year. It's sort of like completing a puzzle but in this case it's a bird search instead of a word search.

  I was at Machimoodus Park walking the trails at a moderate pace, taking inventory of birds along the way when I encountered a flock of bluebirds out in the field. My whole plan came to a halt when I came face to face with one particular  bluebird.

 While the other birds were coming and going,  I would move a couple of steps closer to him every minute or so but he did not move. this went on for 20 minutes until we were just a few feet away from each other. As other bluebirds came and went he stayed rock solid and continued to look me straight in the eye.

Such a proud and noble bluebird he was!

Birdie Beauty Contest

 I took a lot of bird photos over the last week and didn't know what to do with them so I thought I'd have a bird beauty contest. My favorite for this week was this Cedar Waxwing so I'm giving it first place.

 I thought these baby Canada Geese were kind of cute. They remind me of those little marshmallow chicks that kids used to get in Easter Baskets.

Owls are so beautiful that I purposely took a photo of a Barred Owl hiding behind branches just to make it fair-(If you believe that I've got a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you!) .

Okay, so beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I will say that Black Vultures have lots of personality and they save us town tax money by cleaning up the road kill! 

What's your pick for the winner of the birdie beauty contest?

The Robin Says Why Am I Not Good Enough?

Most birders I know don't get all that excited when they see a robin.  No one would want gold if it could be found if everyone's back yard. It is part of human nature that we tend not to appreciate what we have but instead covet what we don't have.

The American Robin is a beautiful thrush whose only crimes are  that they have good survival skills and have mastered the art of reproduction. I see the robin as a reminder to count my blessings. 

Stared Down By A Merlin

 I went down to the shoreline this weekend looking for shorebirds but was stopped in my tracks when I came face to face with a Merlin.

We stared each other down for at least a minute as we both sat perfectly still.

No one was going to come between her and a meal. Not even a birder with a camera.

Finding First Of Year Birds On Your Home Turf

 I've enjoyed keeping track of the bird species I've seen on eBird this year. I've focused mostly on birding in my own county so far and I've reached that point when I've tallied up most of the easy to find birds. I made a list of some of the birds I haven't seen yet hoping that I could find some right in town. I originally planned to start at our local meadows but found that the road leading to the meadows and the entire area was flooded. This happens every spring when the ice melts up north and causes the water level of the Connecticut River to rise.

One of the advantages of looking for birds on your home turf is that your familiarity with the local habitat. I knew that the local power lines would be a good place to find some first of year birds like this Eastern Towhee. I was also able to add other first of year birds today including: Fox Sparrow, Pileated Woodpecker, and Red-shouldered Hawk. It was great being able to find them close by without having to drive all over looking for them.

 For those of you that use eBird: How is your county list going so far?

Plenty Of Birds In February on Lower CT River

 The area that I've spent most of my tie exploring this winter had been the lower section of the Connecticut River, particularly between Chester and Old Saybrook. There is a nice mix of birds to be found in the woodlands,wetlands, and coves along the river as well as on the river itself. 

To get the most out of the birding in this area you need to do a little backroading. I found a dozen turkeys along river road in Essex  including several toms showing off their impressive fans.

 I found a flock of 50 cowbirds at an Essex cemetery where they are building up strength so they can be ready to sneak their eggs  into the nests of unsuspecting migrant birds that will soon be arriving. 

 With the surprisingly warm weather we've had this week it won't be long before the robins can start pulling up earthworms.

 There has been a large group of Ruddy Ducks hanging out in South Cove in Old Saybrook. I also saw a dozen Long-tailed Ducks and many scoters just around the corner at saybrook point.

In just a few weeks there will be plenty of bird activity on my hometown stretch of the Connecticut River (further north) but for now, I'm happy to be able to take a short ride south where the bird 

Don't Look A Gift Bird In The Bill/Beak

I wish that I could tell you that I'm filled with joy and excitement every time I'm out bird-watching but that would be a lie. The truth is that there are days when I feel uninspired by what I'm seeing and wonder why I wasted my time bird-watching when I should be doing something else more important. I know from experience though that this is a temporary condition that is brought on by my current state of mind. Nature is always spectacular but we are not always receptive to the beauty it offers.

Looking back, I can remember the exactly where I was and what I was thinking when I took these photos. On the morning I took the photo of these Wood Ducks I was on my way to another promising birding location.Two male Wood Ducks were out in full display posing for me but I just had to get to that next spot. When I reached the desired location birds were nowhere to be found, other than a Song Sparrow or two.

 I came across this Red-tailed Hawk on another day when birding was overall slow. Red-tailed Hawks are so common that I didn't take time to appreciate this awesome bird of prey perched out in the open on a tree stump just a few feet away from me.

 Ho-hum-nice to see a Hermit Thrush as I was driving to the next birding spot. Little did I know that it would be the best bird of the morning.

 I was at a forest swamp the morning I saw a pair of Sharp-shinned Hawks. 

 They were chasing these bluebirds as  they were being chased by Blue Jays. At the time, I was disappointed that I had driven so far out in the forest but only saw 10 bird species. Looking back at the photos I realize what a privilege it was to witness nature in action.

It was a slow day at Hammonasset the day I took this photo. There was nothing new or out of the ordinary, I thought but when it's the middle of winter with a foot of snow on the ground I'll be dreaming of a warm summer day when I can see 10 Great Egrets gathered together in a marsh.

It's easy to miss what's right in front of us if we're too busy looking ahead. 

Big Time Birds At Small Time Places

 I've been spending the last couple of weekends searching the Middlesex County portion of Connecticut's shoreline for birds. The major beaches are crowded in this area during the summer so I concentrated on finding small overlooked areas as potential birding spots. 

The gazebo you see above is located right behind the town hall and overlooks the Indian River Marsh. I'm sure I've drove by it a number of times but never noticed it. It's a nice place to relax and set up a scope if you get there first thing in the morning.Yellow-crowned Heron was among one of the interesting species I was able to find there. There's also a walking trail right next to it.

I've had good luck finding Yellow-crowned Night Herons this year along the shoreline in Middlesex County.

This one was right near a bridge on a tiny mud-hole of a river called Oyster River. I always thought that you had to head towards Milford to see yellow-crowned Night Herons so I've been plesantly surpised to find them closer to home.

This Cattle Egret has been hanging out near a small farm pond in Old Saybrook just down the road from a Macdonalds. Apparently it's looking for its own source of fast food. The bird was very active when I was there, picking bugs off the ground and what looked like bees from the bush. this is the first time I've seen one in Connecticut in breeding plumage.

As an added bonus, 52 Glossy Ibis dropped in next to some Canada geese to take a bath on the opposite shoreline. You'd never know that such an ordinary looking farm pond could attract such birds. That is why I have learned that a little bit of habitat can go a long  way when it comes to finding birds near the shoreline.

First Real View Of Black-backed Woodpeckers!

The Black-backed Woodpecker has been a bird that I've wanted to see for several years. They are  found in certain areas of northern new England where there is boreal habitat. They peel off bark looking in search of wood-boring beetles in specific spruce stands where some of the trees are in the process of dying after a fire, blow-down etc. I've been to the areas where they exist during fishing trips over the years but I always came up empty handed when I searched for one. The Black-backed Woodpecker became my "bogey-bird" and after numerous misses it started to feel more like a search for Bigfoot.

This year, I decided to put an end to the losing streak. I used ebird to look for locations with the most recent report of Black-backed Woodpeckers. I went camping where they were reported and then contacted Tom who is the board president of the Northeast kingdom Audubon . Tom kindly agreed to meet up with me to help me my search for them. He knew the best places to look for them and showed me where there was a nest sight. We waited patiently watching from a distance but only had a brief view of the male sticking his head out of the nest-hole cavity.

We moved to a different patch of woods where the sound of a Yellow-bellied Flycatcher caught our attention. We hiked deeper into the woods to try to find the flycatcher and it was then that we heard the unique pik note of A Black-backed Woodpecker. We found a male (above) and a female busy moving from tree to tree in search of food. It was quite a thrill to finally find them and be able to watch them up close! 

Thanks Tom and also to Vermont Birder Blog!

Why Did The Pheasant Cross The Road?

Maybe he "chickened out" when I pointed my camera at him?

It Ain't Spring Until The Snipe Come To Town

There's no groundhog coming out of a hole looking for its shadow in the town of Portland  but when the snipe start to descend upon the fairgrounds we know that Spring has finally begun.

 There is a little skating pond at the fairgrounds and soon after the ice thaws out the Wilson's Snipe start showing up probing for food in the muddy soil that surrounds the pond. This weekend I counted 10 but there have been years when I've seen as many as 50 at a time.

Some names used to describe a group of snipe include: a "walk",  "volley" , "leash",  "winnowing",  and "whisper" of snipes.

 snipe can reach a flight speed of 60 mph .

Trying to get photos of snipe can tricky because they like to hunker down in the grass where they're hard to see and they're easily flushed if you get too close. 

I like get there in the early morning as they start waking up. At first, they are perfectly still and look like little clumps of dirt. On  cold mornings as the sun warms their bodies you can see their bodies expand and contract  and they start to wake up.  

Different species of ducks like the Green-winged Teal also start showing up at the skating pond in April. Last weekend we counted over 150 Wood Ducks. This past Saturday there was also 2 Red-necked Grebes in the river next to the meadows.

 I took too many breaks from birding this winter but now that the snipe have officially declared it Spring I plan to make up for lost time!

Redheads And More At Meriden's Hanover Pond

I visited Hanover pond in Meriden for the first time the day after Christmas. Much of Meriden is an urban area but they do have their share of hiking trails, ponds and birding areas. This is a photo of the undeveloped side of the pond.

I've been curious about this particular area and when it was reported that Redheads were seen there I thought I would go look for them. It was the first time I've seen this species of duck. Their heads are round, puffy, and rufous (that word always sounds odd word to me). The black-tipped bluish bill was also noticeable. 

As I was watching the ducks a sharpie was watching my every move from the tree above me.Later in the day I also noticed a Bald Eagle perched in one of the trees. Interestingly, the ducks started swimming toward the other side of the pond when the eagle showed up.

There was also plenty of Common and Hooded Mergansers (above) in the pond.

On the other side of the pond was a parking area near a ball field. I tried to take photos of the birds over there but the goose in charge said no Paparazzi!

I like when swans display their feathers like this. It gives them a more elegant appearance.

 I'm looking forward to a return visit to explore some of the other trails in the same area. This historic red bridge leads to the linear trail which follows alongside the Quinnipiac River. 

It's always nice when you come across a new local spot that is good for birding.The weather was great, there were lots of birds and I seeing the Redheads for the first time was like getting another Christmas present.

Eagles Offer A Gateway To Birding

There are many times when I'm out birdwatching that I here the question-"Have you seen any eagles?". Sometimes I'm just asked if I've seen any with the assumption that I must be looking for eagles. Every winter people in Connecticut who have little interest in birds beyond what they see at their feeders venture out on the weekends with their binoculars in search of Bald Eagles.

It was over 10 years ago that I was doing the same thing. I was amazed by how many eagles could be found right here in Connecticut as they traveled down from the northern states in search of open water. Now they regularly nest here and can be found along the Connecticut River year round. Once I saw my share of eagles I started to point my binoculars in the direction of other birds. That was the turning point when I went from someone who looks at birds to someone who actively seeks them out-(aka-a birder). 

For some it may have been the sight of their first bluebird, oriole, owl, or Great Blue Heron that first lured them away from their backyard birdfeeder and into the local farm field with their binoculars but the eagle has got to be near the top of the list of birds that have served as a gateway to the world of birding.

Behold The Kinglet With The Crown Of Gold

 I was in the midst of birding along the shoreline when I came across a cedar tree with several Golden-crowned Kinglets fluttering from the branches as they searched for food. Up until this point my unofficial objective was to look for a variety of sparrows and keep my eye out for certain species of birds that had been reported in the area. 

After several minutes of viewing I realized that these kinglets weren't going anywhere soon which presented me with an opportunity to observe them more closely.

 Golden-crowned Kinglets are a tiny bird with beautiful markings, especially their golden crown which is outlined in black.They mainly eat tiny insects and can survive in 40 degree below zero temperatures.

 It's not uncommon to find Golden-crowned Kinglets in Connecticut, especially this time of year. One of the things which frustrates me about them is that they move around so frequently that I find it difficult to photograph them. Usually, I end up with an out-of-focus photo showing blurred wings with the bird in an awkward pose. This time, I was able to follow their movement pattern until I was finally able to catch a few in the proper position. I spent an hour standing in front of the same tree but it was worth it to me.

 A Brown Creeper also came in to visit the same tree. They usually blend in with the color of the tree bark making them difficult to see. Catching one in this position with a mouthful of food was a pleasant surprise.

There were also several Ruby-crowned Kinglets in the area that day as well. Trying to catch one with its crown raised is a challenge for another day or maybe even another year.

I usually have some sort of plan when I'm out birding but I think it's important to be aware of special opportunities when they present themselves. There may be a limit to the number of birds you can see but the variety in which you can appreciate the world of nature is limited only by your imagination.