Sunday, March 31, 2019

Birding In The Sunshine & Blogging In The Rain

 My only opportunity for birding this weekend was Sunday morning.The forecast called for rain but the birding gods rewarded me with a bright, blue sky.
 I spent most of my time walking along the main trail at one of my favorite local spots, the Portland reservoir. It has trails that lead you through pine forest, across forest streams and circle around the edge of the reservoir. What more could I ask for on a beautiful spring morning?
 I'm not sure why people are always making rock piles like this but I think it has to do with some sort of game.
 I was happy enough with the beautiful scenery and cooperative weather but birding would not be much fun without birds.The Dark-eyed Juncos will soon be heading north and....................................
The male Red-winged Blackbirds are make their arrival known with the their unique call that is described as sounding like: conk-la-ree. Bird call descriptions are kind of subjective so they don't always make sense to everyone. It's sort of like looking at constellations in the night sky. You really have to use your imagination to see the star pictures the way they are described.

It was sort of nice that it rained in the afternoon while I was doing this blog post- (at an unnamed coffee place with green on their cups). Birding in the Sunshine and blogging in the rain. Almost sounds like a song title. 

Sunday, March 24, 2019

I'm Ready For Some New Birds!

 I've seen enough gulls in the month of March!

 One day this month I counted an amazing 35 Black Vultures in back of a shopping plaza setting up their own bedroom! eBird warned me that this was an unusually high number of Black Vultures to report for this location at this time of the year. Warning! warning! warning Doctor Smith!
I can't say I get tired of seeing Bald Eagles. They just about disappeared from Connecticut at one point due to ddt but they are back in full force now!

I am excited to see the new birds starting to show up already. Today I saw my first of year: Eastern Phoebe, Killdeer, Wilson's Snipe, Tree Swallows, Northern Shoveler, and Red-necked Grebe. In another week or 2 the warblers will be arriving, then it's game on!

I was recently introduced to a new website called Optics & Lab. Here is their link to a page for bird blogs entitled: "Best blogs for bird lovers".

Sunday, March 17, 2019

Eagles and Ducks On Connecticut River

I can start to sense Spring Coming along the Connecticut River. New birds like Killdeer and Osprey are starting to show up.
I continue to keep my eye an eye on the Bald Eagles.....
..and the Bald Eagles keep an eye on the ducks (Ring-necked).

Side note: I had to replace my 8 year old laptop with a new one. The HP seemed like a good deal when I bought it but a lot of programs that used to come with it for free aren't free any more. By the time the sales person started adding all the options of extended warranty, virus protections, and programs I need the price doubled. I decided to take my chances opt for free programs that I found on-line. It has taken me a while to figure all that stuff out. We'll see how it goes.

Sunday, March 10, 2019

From Pristine Pines To Back Store Vultures

 You never know for sure where the good bird locations are going to be. Ideally, I would like to be in a setting where there are crystal clear streams and towering pines. I was recently at such a place but the only birds I could find there were a few titmice, a downy, and the always curious Black-capped Chickadees.
 I had better luck at this mud puddle of a fairground pond.I saw 18 Northern Pintail here one morning which is the most I've seen in one place.
Yesterday I found 35 Black Vultures hopping around on the ground, dumpster diving, and perching on the rooftops.
Unfortunately it wasn't in that pristine setting I desired. I found them in back of a big box discount store.These birds go where the food is. Watching their antics brought to mind the phrase "Eats like a vulture".