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.

Where's A Safe Place For Deer To Hang Out?

I did a double take when I recently found several deer roaming about in a cemetery in the Middletown, Connecticut.

Smorgasborg Saturday

Here are a few photos that I took recently and didn't really know what to do with them. The first photo is of a Swamp Sparrow. I noticed that a bit of yellow is showing at the base of the bill as described in Sibley's Guide.It seems to have a yellowish tinge about the face as well. I used the method of pulling up in my truck and waiting for the bird to land on the brush pile to get this photo. If only an Ivory-billed Woodpecker would land on the pile I'd be all set. First someone has to make up their mind as to whether they still exist or not. Do you think the Ivory-billed Woodpecker still exists?

This squirrel is a very mischievous fellow. He will often follow me over to the metal cans where I keep my birdseed and jump right in within minutes after I take the cover off. I should probably have a name for him. What should we call him?

A deer in the mist. Look at the tail on this one. It looks like a Christmas Tree or maybe a bottle brush that Fuller Brush might sell. It would sure come in handy for cleaning my tube feeders. Do you remember the Fuller Brush Company?

How would you like to go swimming in this pond? All you need is a couple of hams thrown in and you'd have enough pea soup to feed a whole city.

This was taken at Eugene D. Moran Wildlife area in Massachusetts. It was quite a long drive getting up there. The area was beautiful! It had a clear stream, fruit trees, stands of conifers, and big open fields. Unfortunately, the place was loaded with hunters before I had a chance to do much birding. I talked to one of the hunters who gave me some pointers on how to avoid being shot. I decided to move on after seeing a Dick Cheney look-a-like. I did have a nice view of a Red-shouldered Hawk gliding around. They flap their wings pretty quick in between gliding. I also spooked up a Ruffed Grouse at Notch view preserve which was right down the road.

There was one moment when I attracted the attention of some Black-capped Chickadees after pishing. I was hoping to find Boreal Chickadees which had been reported in the area. Instead I had eight ornery chickadees flying right towards my face! I've been trying to get a look at a Boreal Chickadees for a couple of years. Have you ever seen a Boreal Chickadee?

Introducing Someone To Birding

Sunday, I met up with my sister Kelly at Machimoudus Park in East Haddam . This was Kelly's first time birding. The only birds she was familiar with, were those that she had seen at her bird feeders.

I tried to keep the trip simple. We focused on birds that made themselves most available for viewing. Kelly really enjoyed nice view of Scarlett Tanager, Eastern Kingbird, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Baltimore Orioles, Rose-breasted Grosbeak,Tree Swallows, Eastern Phoebe, and Eastern Bluebirds just to name a few. We also focused on listening to the songs of: Wood Thrush, Eastern Wood-Pewee (listen to their song if you've never heard it), Black-throated Green Warbler, and the Red-bellied Woodpecker.

The only pictures I took Sunday were of this Eastern Kingbird -(Tyrannus tyrannus). It is a large dark flycatcher of open areas. I found it interesting to read that they can be very aggressive toward nest predators. They regularly attack much larger birds such as hawks and crows!

We had a great time Sunday. It was a bit of a cloudy day, but the rain held off. Kelly is looking forward to another birding trip.

Things you may want to consider if you're bringing someone on their first bird walk:

• Make sure the person you are bringing has a pair of binoculars that will work for birding. It may be a good idea to bring along an extra pair as well.
• Focus on getting good looks at birds. Don't worry about finding the uncommon ones.
• Spend some time listening to birds as well as seeing them. Assure the person that they need not learn every song. Just learn the songs of common birds and track down songs that you don't recognize.
• Bring along a field guide so that you can point out what you are seeing and hearing.
• pick a location that you are familiar with to make it easier to find the birds.
• Don't over do it. Keep the trip short and sweet.
• Give the person a list of birds seen or heard, so they can look them up later if they want to.

These are just a few quick tips.-Can you think of any more ? Have you ever introduced someone to their first birding experience, or do you recall your first time birding?

My Friend Flicker

Of all the Woodpeckers that come to my feeders, I enjoy seeing the Northern Flicker the most(I don't get the Pileated and only once had a sapsucker) .They do not visit my feeders as often as other Woodpeckers. When they do come, they eat shelled sunflowers seeds, suet, and shelled peanuts.

The Northern Flicker seems to be the only Woodpecker in this area that prefers to eat from the ground. Flickers eat a variety of insects -especially ants. During winter months, their diet tends to be more fruit. When Northern Flickers comes to a feeder, you are able to see details on the bird that you may not otherwise see. This is the Yellow-shafted variety. If you look at the under side of the tail, you can see the yellow.

During the breeding season, Northern Flickers can be found as far north as Canada and as far south as Central America. The ones in the Northern range migrate towards the south and west in the winter.

• Numbers have shown that the number of (Yellow-shafted) Northern Flickers is declining. This might be due to an increase in lawn chemicals and decrease in preferred habitat.
• Call a long series of loud "wik-wik-wik" notes. Also a softer "wik-a-wik-a-wik-a," and a strong single-note "peah."

What's your favorite woodpecker? Do you see Northern Flickers in your area?

Quarry Park And Connecticut Flood Plain

I attended The Quarry Park and Connecticut Flood Plain Field Trip with The Hartford Audubon this morning. There was a total of nine birders for this trip. I was not the only Larry on the trip.

The trip leader was also named Larry. This caused a bit of confusion , as you could imagine.

It reminded me of one particular annual fishing trip. I spent a week at a Maine fishing camp with a group of six guys . Five of them were named Larry. This made for a lot of humorous moments. Have you ever been in a similar situation?

The species total was 51 which is a fairly good number for any inland location in Connecticut (not that the numbers thing means much to me personally). Some of the highlights were:

WOOD DUCK, GREATER YELLOWLEGS, LESSER YELLOWLEGS, CHIMNEY SWIFT, BLUE-HEADED VIREO, OVENBIRD, AMERICAN REDSTART, BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER, WOOD THRUSH,ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK, BALTIMORE ORIOLE, SAVANNAH SPARROW, BLUE-WINGED WARBLER, YELLOW WARBLER, PALM WARBLER, AND BELTED KINGFISHER.

We enjoyed especially good views of the WOOD THRUSH and ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK.

We enjoyed watching an AMERICAN ROBIN gathering nesting material. There was much debate over the identity of one bird. It had a buzzy song and was near the top of the tree. We felt it most closely matched the song of a NORTHERN PARULA, but the field marks didn't seem quite right. We also had some discussion about the identity of a shorebird that was seen on the banks of slow running stream. We didn't see it well enough to be sure. One birder felt it was a SPOTTED SANDPIPER, while another thought it to be a PECTORAL SANDPIPER noting the clear division across the breast of the bird. We concluded it was a sandpiper but left it at that. Fortunately, no one was hurt.

My birding skills are gradually starting to improve. I'm good at finding birds both by sight and sound. My identification skills vary depending on how familiar I am with the species.

I really don't like making a bad call when identifying a species. It feels like I'm in the "Want to get away?" commercial. Actually, I think it would be great if they made one of those commercials, featuring a birder making a misidentification. I suppose non-birders wouldn't see the humor in it.

If I'm not positive of what I'm looking at, I try to hedge my bet. Today,for example, I was fairly sure that I was looking at a BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER. Instead of just calling it out, I took the cautious (cowardly) approach instead. I said something like-"I'm seeing a Warbler with a large patch of black under its throat like a BT-Blue would have". Shortly after that, a more experienced birder spotted and confirmed it.

Have you ever been embarrassed after making a misidentification? What kind of reaction did you get?

This guy must have been having a blast flying around on a day like today. Have you ever tried this? What's it called?

Well, what can I say? It was another great day of birding. Hope you had a great day of birding as well.

SPRING MIGRATION COMES TO PORTLAND

I started birding at 6am today. It seems to me, getting an early start usually pays dividends. My plan for today was to survey some of my favorite local birding spots (at least the ones that weren't flooded).

My first stop was the Old Marlboro Turnpike Power Lines. It was about this time that I had seen Prairie Warblers there last year. Unfortunately, there were no Prairie Warblers today. I was surprised when I saw a WHITE-TAILED DEER and a WILD TURKEY at the top of the hill. They seemed to be having a private conference.

There was also about 6 or so EASTERN TOWHEES singing- drink your tea-. I was fooled by one towhee that was calling out a single note. It was raspy sounding, so I thought it might be a Tanager.

After leaving the power lines, I drove a short way up the road to The Portland Reservoir.
The first thing I noticed was the CHIPPING SPARROWS. There was so many of them that I was hesitant to open my mouth in fear that one might fly in. I took a walk along the reservoir enjoying views of BELTED KINGFISHERS, BALTIMORE ORIOLES, and TREE SWALLOWS along the way.

At the end of the reservoir, there is a stand of pines on the left. It was here that I heard the little tin horn call of the Red-Breasted Nuthatch. I spotted the bird picking at a stump on the ground, but it flew further in to the woods before I took a picture. In this same area, there was a BLUE-HEADED VIREO, PINE WARBLERS, and BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLERS. The BT-Green has an easy to remember song which can be found here.

My last stop of the day was at the Portland Riverfront Trail. As I passed by the flooded field, I noticed some water birds on the far end. They looked very strange to me through the binoculars. I had forgotten to take my field guide, so I started to make primitive sketches. I took a photo that could be used for i.d. purposes. I recognized one of the birds as an AMERICAN WIGEON.

I moved a few feet up the path and saw my first BLACK AND WHITE WARBLER of the year. There was another warbler in the area that was making a strange buzzy song that was unfamiliar to me. It was similar in tone to a Blue-Winged Warbler's bee-buzz song, but the notes had a totally different pattern. I could not get a good look at this bird, and it was driving me crazy. I followed it for 30 minutes before finally, it showed itself. What was it?
It was a BLUE-WINGED WARBLER of course! I wasn't aware they had an alternate song. Not once did it bee-buzz me. Where was this bird's consideration?

I also saw my first HOUSE WREN, BLUE-GREY GNATCATCHERS, and an EASTERN COTTONTAIL RABBIT.

When I returned home, I searched my field guides to determine the identity of the water birds I had seen earlier. It turns out they were BLUE-WINGED TEAL. I had never seen them before, and they did not look the way that I had envisioned them. I have seen Green-winged Teal which seem to match their name in appearance. Today was one of those days that I learned a few things.

1)Do you remember being excited about figuring out a new species or learning one of its songs?
2)-Can you think of a caption for the Deer and Turkey Photo?

This Baltimore Oriole was a nice surprise. I've put orange slices and grape jelly out many times trying to attract Orioles. It never worked. Flickers ate the oranges and catbirds ate the jelly. I had no idea that they would eat peanuts. This picture was taken just before a European Starling chased it off. Even though I took the picture through a closed window on what is a cloudy day, the bright orange color still showed up nicely.

Today's Birding.

I visited Machimoudus Park today. I had the whole park to myself. Birds were singing away as I sauntered down trails like the one in the above picture.

Machimoudus is a reliable place to find American Kestrel. It was very overcast today, and I was unable to get a good picture of this Kestrel. Interestingly, it would fly off when I tried to take its picture, but seemed to follow me after I left an area.

This is an interesting looking abandoned building on the grounds next to the park.

I saw this Turkey Vulture perched in the tree on my way out.

To sum up what I saw at the Park -( besides the Kestrel and Vulture).

• A lot of noisy Brown-headed Cowbirds. -(they could have driven a plumber crazy with all that dripping noise).
• Several noisy Eastern Phoebes (Feee-beee Feee-beee).
• A handful of Eastern Bluebirds and Tree Swallows
• Male Northern Cardinals chasing each other and facing off to see who wins the real estate battle.(they seem to be fairly polite about it).
• A Pileated Woodpecker which was more heard than seen.
• Red-winged Blackbirds and American Robins in big numbers.-(both of which sing better than Sanjaya from American Idol).
• Chipping Sparrows.
• I was hoping to find a Pine Warbler but did not. (strangely absent-just like Don Imus).

I also saw a bunch of other stuff, but that should be enough detail.-Did you see any interesting birds today?

There's No Place Like Home

I started the day out by making a short visit to Devil's Hopyard State Park in East Haddam, CT. This is an excellent area during spring migration but I think that I showed up a few weeks too early. There weren't a lot of birds around but I enjoyed a nice view of the falls.

After leaving the park, I made a stop at some power lines along Mt. Parnassus Road. I enjoyed watching this NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD displaying it's wing-flashing behavior.

There are a few theories as to why they do this. One is that they are trying to scare up insects to eat. I'm not buying that one. Some scientists think that they are tyring to spook off other predators from trying to attack them. They are kind of vulnerable when they are searching for insects in the grass so this might be possible.

Whatever the reason, it is a an interesting behavior to watch. I was tempted to go over to the bird with an oil can to put a few drops of oil in the wing joints. The deliberate mechanical wing-action brings to mind the rusted tin-man in the Wizard Of Oz.

Just before returning home, I decided to make a quick check of my local patch. It was noon time, so I wasn't expecting much. I heard the high-pitched ringing sound that alerted me of a possible BROWN CREEPER. Sure enough, I spotted a creeper working it's way up the trunk of a tree searching for food. I've taken several pictures of these birds, but they never seem to come out well.

I decided to check a nearby field. As I started to walk through the field, I flushed about 6 Wilson's Snipe. I tried to tell them to stay still so I could take a picture, but they flew in to deep cover. I took a quick look, and decided to let them be.

Once again , I drove around looking for birds but they were right down the street.

Finding Your Own Birding Spots

Many birders seem to prefer birding in areas where rare or uncommon birds are consistently found. These areas are referred to as birding hot spots.

Some of the more popular hot spots in Connecticut, such as Hammonasset State Park and Milford Point are located along the shoreline. I enjoy going to these places on occasion because I know there's always a possibility that you are going to see something "good."

That is part of the problem for me. You may not take the time to appreciate some of the more common birds when you are expecting to see something uncommon.

I enjoy checking out new locations. You can spend more time taking in the beauty of the area, and will likely be more appreciative of the birds that you do see. Maybe, you can even take some time to note an interesting behavior or make a few notes.

If by chance something out of the ordinary turns up in this new area , you will be that much more excited about it. There's nothing wrong in adding to your lists and finding rarities. There are, however, other things to appreciate outside of a high species count and finding rare birds.

Maybe a new location may surprise you with the sheer number of birds due to an abundant food supply. Perhaps, you may find an area that is particularly attractive to frugivores. There are many other possibilities.

I have about four new places in mind that I am excited to check out this spring. To me, not knowing exactly what I will see there is enough to keep my interest. The Bobolink and Orchard Oriole in the above pictures were two nice surprises for me. I found them both in areas that aren't known for their birding.

Do you like to explore new areas?-or- Do you prefer proven hotspots? Do you plan to explore new areas this year?

Declining Numbers of Wild Turkey In Connecticut

I read a recent article in the Hartford Courant which stated there has been a big decrease in Connecticut's Wild Turkey population over the last few years. They are attributing much of the decline to the wet spring weather we've had in Connecticut over the last two years.

If there is a lot of wet weather when hens are sitting on the nest, they don't have a chance to dry their feathers. This causes them to give off a stronger scent which makes it much easier for predators like coyotes and fishers to find them. After the predators find them they generally don't want to make small talk-they just eat them. Last June there was more wet weather, causing some of the newly hatched young turkeys to get a pneumonia-like illness that kills them.

Wild Turkey was one of the last birds to make it on to my January List. A couple of years of good spring weather should bring the numbers back up.

Here are a few interesting facts about the Wild Turkey :

• A Wild Turkey can run as fast as 25 miles an hour (especially around Thanksgiving).


• They can reach flight speeds between 50-55 mph in a matter of seconds.


• A wild turkey has a field of vision of about 270 degrees.


• There are five subspecies: Eastern, Osceola (Florida), Rio Grande, Merriam's and Gould's.


• The color of their heads and neck can change with their mood, a solid white head and neck color means that they are excited (normal color bluish head/red throat).


• Benjamin Franklin didn't like the idea of the Bald Eagle being the national bird and suggested the Wild Turkey instead.

They are going to be tracking sightings of Wild Turkey in Connecticut between June 1st and August 31st. This should help them get a better idea of what the numbers are at now. They estimated the poulation at about 40,000 four years ago. If you would like to report a sighting starting in June , you can call 860-642-7239 or e-mail- michael.gregonis@po.state.ct.us.

From what I am told, the name of this dragonfly is the Widow Skimmer. I took this picture at Nehantic Forest in Lyme Connecticut last August. I couldn't seem to get a picture of a bird so I resorted to insects.

A Case Of Mistaken Identity

Last August I bought a 1 gig sd card which meant I could take a lot of pictures with my camera at one time instead of the limit of about 10 that I had before that. I was very well pleased with this new option-which gave me an idea. I thought-I should leave my binoculars and field guide at home so that I can concentrate on taking lots of new pictures-maybe even some that are worth looking at.

So here's what happened. I was driving around town looking for some photo opportunities ,when I passed by the town dump and saw some Turkey Vultures---a lot of them.

I walked in slowly (it was closed), and started clicking away. I noticed that a few of the vultures didn't have red about the head and figured they must be immature . -no problem.

Later that day, I took a look in my field guide at the Turkey Vultures and saw that the immature ones didn't have red on the head.-"O.K. that must have been it"-I said.

A Black Vulture never even crossed my mind at the time, because I've never even seen one reported around Portland. I'd never seen one myself before, and they're still very uncommon for most of the state. They are known to be more aggressive than a Turkey Vulture, capable of driving them away from a carcass. They hunt by sight, not smell and occasionally kill small animals to eat.

Months later , when I keyed in on the two vultures in the photo, the light bulb went on-then a sick feeling came over me. I decided to pull out the field guide to look up Black Vulture. Wouldn't you know the description matched my photos to a tee. I had missed out on what have been an exciting find for me.

I'll never intentionally leave my binoculars and field guide behind again.

Along The CT. River In East Haddam, Connecticut

There are a good number of Ducks and Eagles to see at The Salmon River Boat Launch in East Haddam CT. this time of year. This is where the Salmon River empties in to the CT. River.

My wife, Joan, was very impressed with what she saw today. She spotted several eagles before I did and is starting to become a bit of a birder herself. She especially enjoyed seeing the Wood-Ducks.

It seems ironic to me that after all the effort has been made to help increase the Bald Eagle population, some people are worried that the Eagles have come back too much. Over the past two days I've heard from one avid birder who is concerned that the Gulls have diminished in an area that used to be loaded with them . He has witnessed Eagles feeding on gulls in that area on several occasions. I heard similar complaints from another birder concerning ducks.

East-Haddam is home to one of the most scenic stretches of The Connecticut River. The town has a nice mix of history and natural beauty.

Show here is Gillette Castle in East Haddam CT. as seen from the opposite side of The Connecticut River in Chester.

This castle was home to William Gillette. He was a famous stage actor in the 1800's. He was most known as the the actor who brought Sir Conan Doyle's character Sherlock Holmes to the stage. He added many details to the character such as the pipe and hat that many people have come to associate with the character of Sherlock Holmes.

Gillette never referred to the home as a castle even though it was designed after the ruins of a medieval German fortress. The castle stands 200 feet above the CT. River on a ledge. It is 14000 square feet with 24 rooms. The Walls are made of solid native granite and are five feet thick at the base. There are many secret passageways. Gillette also built his own miniature working railroad so he could entertain his guest by giving them rides around the property. One of his most famous friends was Mark Twain.

Today the whole area is a park with plenty of acreage. It contains trails and picnic areas. It's also a good place to find a nice variety of birds throughout the year. If you are ever in the area, it is well worth checking it out.