It's Impossible Not To See Birds Near The Shore

I've had little desire to spend time in the woods with the wicked humidity that we've had the last couple of weeks. Fortunately, the shoreline is cooler and there are birds everywhere. Osprey nests are all along the shoreline and hanging out on piers.

These American Oystercatchers were hanging out right behind a restaurant parking lot.

Just a few feet over was a Snowy Egret standing on one foot. I know birds do that in the winter to keep their feet warm but in this case I think it is just a center of balance sort of thing.

Black-bellied Whistling Duck

I got a tip-off from a fellow birder that there was Black-bellied Whistling Ducks down in West Haven. I've never seen on before so didn't mind driving a little out of the way in hopes they would still be there. With a name like that how could I resist? The black bellies, reddish bill, and light eye ring were easily visible for identification.

They are described as goose-like ducks with a long neck.

Their name sounds like it was contrived by someone who was poking fun at birders! I didn't hear them vocalizing but I've been told that some of them are good enough to imitate the whistling section of Sitting On The Dock Of The Bay!

Sidetracked By Raspberries And Snakes

I haven't been motivated to go birding on 90 degree humid days but managed to sneak out to the woods over the weekend. I wore a long-sleeved shirt and boots which added to the discomfort but being attacked by deerflies and other critters is not on my bucket list.

I encountered what I believe to be a Black Rat Snake. Snakes don't bother me unless I think they're poisonous but I decided to take the road less traveled instead of stepping over it just in case. I do carry a box of -snake and bake- with me just in case they get out of line!The road less travelled led me to lots of raspberry bushes which in turn led to lots of smoothies!

The Crows And I Are Patrolling The Yard

I've been taking a break from active birding so that I can catch up with the yardwork. There were giant hemlocks in the area you are looking at but the woolly adelgids destroyed them. I decided to plant a few smaller shrubs and flowers in their place.

I spend a lot of time doing yardwork but ironically, I don't spend much time just sitting and relaxing in the yard. I decided to take a coffee break and enjoy the view. I caught a quick glimpse of a hummingbird visiting some flowers.

Growing herbs and vegetables is another hobby. I tried to keep things simple and easy to maintain by making a homemade whiskey barrel raised garden. I don't think the woodchucks will be getting at these.

One bird that I have found to be surprisingly interesting is the Common American crow. They nested in the woods in back of my yard and they have provided non-stop action. They perch on roofs, raid the neighbors for food, and have a wide variety of colorful vocalizations as they interact with each other and the fledglings.

Watching them in the yard has come to make me appreciate the intelligence of a bird that a dismiss in 2 seconds when I am out birdwatching.

Another bird that has been all over the pace this season is the House Wren. I hear them all the time but only see them pop out in the open occasionally. 

It's been nice taking a summer break from biding and just spending more time in the backyard. I will gradually get back out  in the birding scene again but I'm not in any hurry!
 

Black-necked Stilt Has Distinct Markings

 A Black-necked Stilt which is considered a rare sighting in Connecticut showed up at Hammonasset State Park Last week. It was a reminder of why Hammonasset is considered one of the best birding spots in Connecticut. 

This is a bird that I thought was well worth taking a ride out to see. I was fortunate enough to be able to see it. This was my first time I have seen this species. It was very busy working back and forth picking food out of the water. The thing I liked most about this one was it had an elegant posture and long pink legs. The thing I liked most about it was that it had its own unique markings. There was no mistaking it for another species. I wish all birds were considerate enough to have their own unique markings. It makes identification so much easier!

 

Sharing Birding With Others Led To 2 Rare Birds

I've been interested in birdwatching for many years. It started when I borrowed my grandfather's world war 2 binoculars to watch birds around his yard and at the feeders. That was 50 years ago and my interest in birding increased over the years until it became a regular pastime for me. 

Over the years I have tried to share the wonders of birding with others. Some people are mildly interested, some very interested, and others not much at all.

 Last year I ran into someone out on a hiking trail while I was birding. I shared a little information about birding and within one year he was all in as a birder. He already had photography experience and within a few months he became one the top birders in the area! Some people just have a knack for these sorts of things. 

That brings me to the top photo of an Olive-sided Flycatcher. The tuxedo-like markings on the chest and a call described  as quick!-3 beers are 2 things that help with identifying them. They are very uncommon and hard to find around here. The birder that I introduced to birding was able to lead me to this bird and show it to me. That's what I call a small investment of time paying dividends!

I introduced another person, my cousin, to birding about 10 years ago. He was slow to get hooked on the hobby. For the first 5 years he would describe birds in general terms: big, small, red, noisy, etc. He would carry his partly broken binoculars around on his car floor wiping the lenses clean with his shirt a couple of times a year. He did not really start identifying birds seriously until recently when he surprised me by naming a few different types of warblers he had seen. 

A couple of weeks ago he told me about a spot he found near some powerlines where he encountered a medium-sized, noisy bird that he thought might be something interesting. I had heard stories like this from him before but hadn't been compelled to follow up on them. Then a week later he told me the same bird was still there and that he noticed it had an eye ring. Once I heard that I was there early the next morning. 

It turned out to be a Yellow-breasted Chat which is another rare bird not often seen in this area. As its name indicates it makes a lot of chatty noise. It also has a bright yellow breast and a prominent eye-ring. That is another example of how introducing someone to birding can pay dividends later. Then there is the most important dividend of all. The privilege of being able to pass on the joys of birdwatching to someone new! 

After identifying the chat I was able to share the sighting with other birders who were interested in seeing it. That is another fun part of birding. Being able to share a bird you found with other birders!

Is Playback To Attract Birds Bad?

I visited a local nature preserve the other day It had nice habitat with a stream surrounded by thickets, steep hillsides with mature trees, and then it led down to this swamp. The thing I liked it about it most was that no one was there. It was just me and the birds.

I don't get a lot of warbler photos. They are tough to keep up with using my point and shoot. This is a Black-throated Green Warbler which are usually high up in the trees. 

I got lucky when this one came down to a puddle to take a bath. I also decided to stop trying to chase new species to add to my list and instead, visit places that appeal to me using my own instincts. I wanted to slow down and stay in one place for a while instead of rushing to get through the trail. 

One way that birders get better pictures of birds is to playback the song of a bird to attract them. Some birds respond more than others with this technique. There is controversy over doing this because it is thought that it can disrupt birds, especially during nesting season. It could move them off of their territory or agitate them causing them to waste energy on chasing down an imaginary rival. There hasn't been enough conclusive research yet to see exactly what effect it really has. Some are completely opposed to it and others are 100% for it. I believe that many birders/photographers secretly call birds but don't want to be seen by others while doing it. For years I never did it. I was opposed to it. Now, I do it occasionally and only for a minute or two before moving on.

Put Down That Phone Down And Watch Those Birds!

The Merlin bird sound identification is a great app that can identify birds by sound using your phone but like most good things it does have its downside. I now see birders walking around looking at their phone screen while birds are flying all around them! I've been guilty of it myself at times this year and have come to realize it's not a good good habit.

 It also picks up bird that you may never see or hear yourself. That drives me crazy when it happens because you know you might be missing out on some great birds! It is fairly accurate but does misidentify some birds songs too.

This morning I decided to put that phone away and just use my ears and eyes while I was out in the middle of Meshomasic forest. It turned out to be a good decision because if I wasn't paying close attention I might not have noticed the Barred Owl hunting in the woods.

I also had my hands free to snap a picture of my first American Redstart of the year. Technology is great but once in a while you just have to give it a break and get back to basics. It is a decision that comes with rewards!

New Birds Keep On Coming!

It's a crazy time of the year when all the spring migrants start pouring in. There was a little rain and clouds this morning but it didn't slow the birds down! 

The top bird is an Orchard Oriole. There's not as many of these around as there are Baltimore Orioles in our area. A lot of people pass them off as being robins if they're not paying close attention. Orioles are in the same family as blackbirds where as American Robins are in the thrush family.

This is a Yellow Warbler. They are one of the most abundant warblers in the summer. I like them because they stay closer to the ground than some of the other warbler species.

 Looking up at all those treetop warblers can give you one heckuva stiff neck! Sandpipers like this Least Sandpiper allow you to look down and stretch your neck!

My First Rose-breasted Grosbeak Of The Year!

It was still early in the spring migration when I got my big boots on and started mucking my way through the swampy zone where the Great Blue Herons gather on their grounds.

As expected, there were plenty of Red-winged Blackbirds which are nice but that wasn't really what I was hoping to find.

I wasn't looking for Song Sparrows either but if one is going to perform an avian opera in front of me I might as well listen for a few minutes. 

There in the very top of a tall tree singing his heart out was what I was looking for. They sound a little like a robin singing but faster and more melodic sounding to me. My first Rose-breasted Grosbeak of the year!

Who Doesn't Love Owls?

Who doesn't love owls? Now that I think about it, probably rodents and other small animals! 

This is a male Great-horned Owl  probably doing security detail for a nearby nest.  I could imagine Clint Eastwood's voice coming out of his mouth-"Go ahead-make my day"

California Condor Landed In My Yard!

How about "Belted Kingfisher landed on a branch?"

Notice the female is the one with extra color in this species with a chestnut-colored belly band and flanks which he male does not have. It's usually the males that are more colorful when it comes to bird species. 

"White-throated Sparrow visits Wadsworth Mansion grounds!"

"Great Egret Arrives from migration trip and is caught standing in the rain!" 

Oh well, sorry my headline didn't live up to expectations but Happy Easter to those who celebrated and since I'm actually posting this on the first of the month: Happy April 1st!
 

Calling All Birds! Spring Has Arrived!

Today is officially the first day of spring! There are always some Red-winged Blackbirds around during the winter but it's around this time of the year that the males really start to make their presence known. Some spring migrants have already started to arrive but they will soon be descending from the skies in huge numbers!
 

Breaking The Birding Addiction

Life is full off potential addictions. There are obvious ones like food, drugs, and alcohol but when you break one addiction another less obvious one can easily take its place

 Birding seems like a healthy and wholesome activity. I think that in most ways it is, but birding can become an addiction too! Usually this applies to listing or having an appetite to constantly see new species. It's happened to me before but at I'm usually able to recognize it when it starts to creep back in. I spent the month of January and February anxious to see new species and adding numbers to my list. That was a fine way to help avoid the winter doldrums but now it's time to move on.

 As March begins, I plan to find balance. I will take the emphasis off of chasing new birds around and instead just take things at a relaxed pace. If I want to go see a rare bird that's close by, it' not a problem. If I just want to sit around taking pictures, that's fine too. I want to enjoy each experience and not worry about any specific goal. There! that wasn't so hard! I'm pretty sure I've convinced myself to buy into my own bs! 

-The photo is of Ring-necked Ducks taken at the Helen Carlson Wildlife Sanctuary. The ring around the neck isn't usually visible unless sunlight reflects off of it. In this case, there was no sunshine. only clouds.
 

Turkeys And Vultures In All The Wrong Places

Sometimes, I can't get withing a 1000 feet of a bird but this turkey was right in the middle of the road! I know you might be thinking that the road is full of turkeys but I'm looking for the feathered kind that let's me take pictures. This tom was busy strutting his stuff for a couple of hens.

I was just busy deleting pictures from my camera when this female Bufflehead popped up in front of me. Usually, they fly off or swim off by the time I raise my  camera. It's nice to get a better look at the more subtly marked female for a change as opposed to the male who are all white on the back of their head.

This final picture is of Black Vultures perched on top of a convalescent home roof. There was a dozen of them all together. If I was in a convalescent home I don't know if I would want them hanging out up there! kind of creepy.

Most Birders Are Kind And Helpful But..

Birders learn about birding at their own pace. Some learn quickly and are experts in no time. Others take years to graduate from identifying birds at the feeders to identifying a few warblers and never reach the level of expert. I fell somewhere in between. I learned a lot quickly but never ascended to that expert level. I still make mistakes and second-guess identifications. There are still certain categories of birds I have difficulty with. 

The top photo is a female and male Gadwall. That was one of those duck species I wasn't confident with early on. The markings are subtle compared to some other ducks. The male is showing a silvery-gray color with a black patch near the tail here. The female which looks kind of like a Mallard is showing that patch of white but this is in good lighting. Sometimes they might be far away with poor viewing conditions and then they wouldn't be easy to identify.

 Birding is fun but some birders take it very seriously. There is something called a birder's code of ethics. It's basic things like don't destroy bird habitat, don't overuse bird song playback to attract birds (especially during nesting season), and don't give false reports about seeing rare birds etc. There are many variations of the birding code of ethics. Here is one of the more well known ones: ABA Code Of Birding Ethics.

Some birders might shame someone for breaking one of the rules in the code of ethics, or be hypercritical when someone misidentifies a bird. They forget that one of the most important rules in the code of ethics is to always be kind and helpful to other people who share an interest in birds. This is especially true when it comes to new birders. The last thing you want to do is to say something that will discourage or embarrass them! Give them a break! Fortunately, the majority of birders go out of their way to be kind and helpful when it comes to sharing their knowledge with others.

Brant Were getting On My Nerves!

I took several trips down to the shore in January and not once did I see a Brant. Other people were reporting them and I even went to a location 10 minutes after they were reported there. No dice. Finally, I came across some in Clinton. There were about 3 dozen in total. I was relieved to put that behind me!

No Repeat February Breaks The Monotony

Last month I was able to spice up January birding by trying to see as many species in my county as possible within the month. 

This month I decided on a different approach to keep things fresh. I'm doing a no repeat February. Meaning that I will go to a different location every time I go out birding. Many of us get into a routine of only going to places that consistently have a great variety of bird species. Meanwhile, there are tons of nature preserves, wildlife management areas and land trusts that people rarely visit. They might try it once but if nothing out of the ordinary pops up they might not go back to that location again.One such place I visited this month was the Bamforth Wildlife Preserve. A name like that kind of builds up expectations. People might expect to see wild animals roaming everywhere. I did see a few deer and I'd bet there is a bobcat or fox hiding around that might come out at dusk. I noticed that the field is being managed to have certain types of beneficial native grasses. 

I was committed to giving this place my time and patience and was rewarded with a nice view of a hermit Thrush warming itself in the sun. Someone thought to build a couple of brush piles out in the field that attracted what Ebird says is a high number of Field Sparrows for one location (5).I see Red-bellied Woodpeckers everywhere I go but it's always nice when you see them hard at work.Visiting different areas that aren't the usual hotspots doesn't guarantee you'll see anything new or exciting but how will you ever know what species of birds are at those forgotten nature preserves if no one ever gives them a try?

There's a place nearby called Miller road. It's just a country road with a little bit of marshy woods and a stream running through it. Birders stop by the area occasionally but it's certainly not a top location. That is, until recently when someone had a rare sighting of a Northern Shrike! Now there are dozens of people going there to see it every week!

At one point I was watching the shrike perched in a tree with bluebirds and goldfinches. They are both right at the top of the menu for a shrike! Maybe they didn't know what a shrike is capable of? These birds have the nickname butcherbird because they have been known to impale victims on a branch to create their own version of a shish kebab.

Anyway, trying to focus on seeing as many different species as possible is one way of going about things but after a while you've seen just about everything there is to see. By focusing on appreciating places you are visiting then the birds you see are just icing on the cake. Using this approach is a good way of breaking the monotony and bringing you that much closer to spring.

There's Lots Of Birds Even In January!

One of the ways I've tried to make the winter pass by more quickly is by keeping track of how many bird species in can find in the month of January. There are more species in Connecticut during the winter than you might think. I've found 100 species in the Connecticut during the month of January and there are others who have found many more than that. Driving around Connecticut gets to be tiring so now I only pay attention to what I find in my own county. A lot less time consuming and a lot more fuel efficient. 

It was 20 degrees and windy on the morning I saw this great Blue Heron. It was standing completely still. It's hard to believe it was out there day and night while I could only tolerate a couple of hours in that kind of weather before packing it in and calling it a day.

Colorful ducks like this male Hooded Merganser are one of the premier attractions during the winter. I'm not going to get anywhere near to seeing 100 species in Middlesex County before the end of January. I am at 82 right now. My next goal is to try to hit 85. I'll worry about the next goal if I can accomplish that. The best part about it though is that January seems to be going by so fast!
 

What Is The Rarest Breeding Bird In Connecticut?

The rarest breeding bird in Connecticut is the Red-headed Woodpecker. The birder who saw the most species in Middlesex County last year (Danny) started this year by finding this rare species near his home turf. That allowed many other birders like myself to go see one for myself. I've seen a few over the years. The adult Red-headed Woodpecker is the only species of woodpecker with all red head and neck. I saw it on a cloudy afternoon high in the tree so not such a great photo but better than nothing. As  it turns out, there are now 2 of them at the same location!

Where The Treetops Glisten

I looked out the back door this morning and admired the view of ice glistening from the tallest treetops.