Day 213: July 31st – Migrating swallows

Overcast, breezy, but warm (80s)

      

              I went across the island to check out the birds on the Bay side of Long Beach Island.  I was in the township of Beach Haven and drove down 5^th Street where there is limited public access to the waterfront on the bay, a commodity that is at a premium on LBI.

       At first, it was pretty quiet….a mature Laughing gull getting a drink of fresh water from a parking lot puddle and a Common tern sitting on the bulkhead. 

       As I drove around the side the side-roads, however, I started to see something I’m sure we’ll see a lot more of in the upcoming weeks…..swallows.  Many were perched on the wires like these tree swallows.  They are quite communal and are often seen in large groups.  As we get closer to migration, the groups will get bigger and bigger.

       In a smaller cluster, I found a small number of Northern rough-winged swallows.  These birds are less social but will form larger gatherings as they begin to prepare for the migration.  Speaking of which……

       The swallows will begin to move any day now.  Swallows are diurnal migrants which hunt insects on the fly.  They can ill afford to be caught somewhere where a cold spell could knock down their food supply.  And so, by early August, they are on the move.

     

       I noticed that several of the “roughies” looked a bit “rougher” than usual.  These birds will begin to molt into their flight feathers and will continue to migrate south towards south Central America as far as Panama.  Once they reach the southern coast of the United States, those that do not remain in Florida will put their migration plans on hold until they finish their molt.  This could possibly carry on until early December!  Only after they have their full compliment of flight feathers will they continue on their trans-Gulf flight.

       And so, we can expect to see large numbers of swallows moving through New Jersey in the next month and then not see them again until we are down in Florida for the winter.   

Day 212: July 30 – Maternal care

Sunny, warm, and calm

        A wonderful morning awaits us on LBI as I get an early start to check on the activity at the beach.  It’s the same cast of characters at first with the Forster’s terns working hard at getting breakfast from the crashing surf.  As the waves hit the shore and run up onto the beach, the terns first hover and then drop down to pick up whatever morsel the sea has delivered.

    

   Eventually, I notice that there are a couple of young birds which have taken up positions on the beach and are quietly awaiting their parents return with a bit of breakfast for them as well.  They remain quiet until “Mom” come near and then the younsters let the parent know that they are hungry and ready for a bit to eat.

       The parent comes in response to the calls of the young and delivers that ort the juvenile bird had so patiently waited for. 

    

    As I watched this scenario play out, it became obvious that pedestrian traffic can really interfere with the normal routine of these birds.  More often than not, as the little birds awaited their delivery,  joggers, strollers, fishermen, kids just doing what kids do and others would come by and spook the juveniles into flight.  The bird would fly away, circle around, land and take up position once again only to be chased off once again by the next passing human.

      I did notice this morning one other tern I had not seen up until now.  A Common tern was mixed in with the Forsters, making me wonder how many others had gone unnoticed.  The two species look so similar that I very easily could have must assumed they were all Forsters and overlooked the Commons.

Common tern (note dark wind-tips)

       As I prepared to head back up to the beach house, a larger bird flew overhead at some distance out to sea.  Even though the bird was far off, the silhouette was unmistakable…..an American oystercatcher. 

       My plan is to head across the island and visit the bay side tomorrow morning to see if I can drum up any new species.  Sure is nice to be back to the sea.

Day 211: July 29th – Summer sanderlings

Partly sunny, low 80s, breezy

       I got out to the beach before the throngs this morning.  Sunday mornings on Long Beach Island on a sunny day can be a real experience.  For now the birds have the run of the beach, but that will change as the morning wears on.  The tide is out and the jetty in front of the unit we are renting is exposed.  I was hoping for some “peeps” (little sandpipers) to be picking among the seaweed on the rocks, but the only sandpipers present were their larger cousins, the Sanderlings.

       Sanderlings are by far the most common sandpiper along the Jersey shore during the summer months. If you visit the shore this summer, you’ll find these little guys chasing the waves back and forth looking for small crabs and other invertebrates. 

       For the most part, these that I photographed this morning are adult birds which are in route to their wintering grounds down south.  Who knows?  We may actually find these same birds wintering with us down in Florida in January!  Our journey is relatively short compared to theirs, however.  Our trip from New York to Florida is about 1100 miles.  The breeding grounds of these birds ranges from the Canadian arctic regions to Greenland and their trip south may be up to 6000 miles!

       It’s interesting to see the birds in their breeding plumage.  This will be changing as the seasons wear on, and they will change their dark brown coats for a much lighter almost gray plumage.  Note the two photos below.  One was taken this morning along the beach here in Jersey while the second is from this past winter down in Florida.

Wintering sanderling, New Smyrna Beach, FL 

Summer sanderling, Long Beach Island, NJ

         The other bird of note this morning was the Greater Black-backed gull, our largest gull.  While often seen acting like a typical gull and scavenging food scraps as well as dead marine organisms washed up onto shore, this bird is big enough and mean enough to act like a predator and attack and kill prey.  The Greater version of this bird is what we generally see here on the east coast, but if one appears on the scene with yellow legs, we know we have the rarer Lesser black-backed gull.  We’ll continue to keep and eye out for this rarity for the next couple of weeks.

Day 210: July 28th – Long Beach Island

Partly sunny with periods of T-storms

       It’s back to the beach for the Bakers.  After being back in the hills of the Hudson Highlands for the past 3 months,  we return to the beach….not New Smyrna, but Long Beach Island in New Jersay.  As we walked the beach before the thunder storms hit, we watched several Forster’s terns and an immature Laughing gull work the shallow surf and shoreline for an early dinner.

       During the summer months, it is a bit difficult to tell the difference between Common terns and Forster’s from first glances.  Upon closer examination, however, you can easily distinguish between the two by the hue of their “primaries”, the longest feathers of the bird’s “hand”.  In Common terns, these feathers are darker than the rest of the wing, while in the Forster’s, the primaries are lighter.  Note the shade of the longest wing feathers on this image taken this afternoon and you should be able to identify this bird as a Forster’s tern.

       One of the principal methods used to identify terns is the color and extent of the
“cap” on the bird and its bill color.  In both species we’re considering here (Common vs Forster’s), the cap is totally black in summer.   For much of the year, the Forster’s is just a black mask through the eye and the forehead is all white.  Not so in summer, however.  So, with both having a totally black cap running all the way back down the nape of the neck, we have to look more closely at bill color.  Again, it’s a matter of degree here, but the Forster’s tends to be a bit more orange with a hint of black near the tip of the bill.  Take a look at the bill of our bird today.

       The other bird we saw at the water’s edge was the Laughing gull.  These birds will all eventually have a totally black head, but the one we saw was a second year bird.  First year Laughing gulls will have an all dark except for a white rump and trailing edge of the wing.  By the second year, the bird is beginning to look more like an adult with a dark gray mantle blending into black wingtips.  The head, however, is still not all black and looks more like a winter adult with its blotchy head.

       Tomorrow, it’s back to the beach to see what other birds of the ocean shore we can find.  We love the mountains, but it is always nice to return to the water and sort through a new assemblage of birds.

Day 209: July 27th – Visitors at the lakeside

Sunny, breezy, and warm

       It’s always interesting to take a walk along the lakeside of Long Pond on West Point property.  The combination of interesting birds, butterflies, and dragonflies at this time of year means there is something to look at around every corner.

       Today, as Sharon and I sat at the picnic table next to the lake, we heard the unmistakable call of the Eastern towhee.  As many times as we’ve seen this bird and heard his call and song, he is always a welcome visitor.  He always appears to have dressed just for this occasion.  I walked over to the brush row on the opposite side of the dirt road leading around the pond and saw him skulking about in the foliage.  He was simply giving the call at first, but soon broke into the full song. 

       As I snapped away, a House wren showed up in a bush almost directly next to the Towhee as if to see what all the fuss was about.  He likewise flitted from branch to branch, but his presence was silent.  He offered no song or chipnote and preferred to remain in the background.

    

  A little further along the road, a Gray catbird was making his presence known with his loud cat-like calls.  What had all these birds moving about so much in the mid-day heat I can only speculate about.  Training exercises are in full swing in the surrounding military base and the reports of mortars bing fired echo loudly off the surrounding hillsides.  Was this what had these birds so riled up? 

       As I returned to the picnic table at waters’ edge, I noticed a great deal of dragonfly activity as well.  These creatures need no prodding or stimulation to be on the move other than the warmth of sunshine, however, and there was plenty of that around today.  It was really nice to just go and relax at the pond today and have the wildlife come to me.  It doesn’t always have to involve some strenuous hiking or chasing to get our “shot of the day”. 

       Tomorrow, it’s off to Ocean County in New Jersey to check out the shorebirds which should be moving on down the coast by now.  Keep in touch and we’ll relate our findings to you right here at Natdigital.

Day 208: July 26th – Nature’s Palette

Stormy start, sunny and hot afternoon, stormy finish

       After a stormy start to the day with a strong thunder storm rolling across Storm King Mountain, the skies eventually cleared and the day became…..what else?   “hazy, hot and humid”.  We figured that this would be a good day to take the grandkids out to the local beach at Long Pond.  Only Emily took us up on the offer as the boys had other plans.  When we arrived at the beach, the local authorities had already closed the area and sent the patrons and staff home in eager anticipation of the impending storm.  I had heard on the news that the storm’s ETA had been pushed back to around 9:00 PM and just didn’t get the premature concern. 

       Anyway, Em and I decided to take a ride out on Mine Road so that I could introduce her to the Indigo buntings that reside there all summer.  We were not surprised to find one singing it’s refrain of “Fire, fire, quick, quick, put-it-out, put-it-out” while perched on a phone cable overhead.  Em got good looks through the bins while I snapped off a couple more images of this beauty.  I’ve probably shot this bird 2 dozen times in the same pose along the same stretch of road, but it never ceases to entertain me.

       What we quickly began to notice today was the bright sunlight illuminating a rich palette of colors along the roadside.  We had blue chickory, rich yellow goldenrod, black-eyed susan’s, and purple loosestrife.  Some of the wild-flowers like this Joe Pye Weed were ornamented with complimentary colors supplied by butterflies like the ubiquitous Tiger swallowtail.

       American goldfinches were about and even the dragonflies added their iridescent hues to the mix.  The Slaty skimmer and Widow skimmers wings emitted a spectral aura in the brilliant sunshine not to be missed. 

Slaty skimmer 

Widow skimmer

       By the time we headed home, around 4:30 or so, the skies were still cobalt blue and the foliage of the trees were emerald green.  Quite a colorful afternoon in the “calm before the storm”.

Day207: July 25th – Kenridge count

A beautiful sunny, warm and dry day

       For the past year, the bird club to which I belong, the Mearns Bird Club, has been conducting a survey in which we have been taking an inventory of the birds which are present at Kenridge Farm in Cornwall during the course of each month.   Today, five members walked the property and found a total of 34 species, many vocalizing.  Late July is not known for being very productive for birding.  Some birds on are the nest, some have already begun to head south, and some simply remain somewhat inactive in response to the heat of summer.

       And so, when we tally 34 species during a two hour walk, we are quite satisfied.  One of the most interesting bird sightings of the day was the high number of  barn swallows we found.  Some of the more than 40 individuals gave me a nice shot as they lined up along a metal bar along the side of the main barn on the site.  The shadows they cast upon the barn wall clearly displayed the feature which sets these swallows apart from all other local sparrows….their forked tails.  This has been a banner year for the barn swallows here at Kenridge (now officially known as the Outdoor Discovery Center of the Hudson Highlands Nature Museum) with many nest successfully fledging multiple young.

       In terms of abundance, the next most impressive bird species would have to be the American goldfinch.  We counted more than 50 individuals during the course of the morning.  Each year, when the Spotted knapweed comes into bloom, you can count on the goldfinches showing up in large numbers.  The knapweed, although being an invasive plant, is also relished by a number of butterflies.  The Tiger swallowtails were here in larger numbers than any of us recall seeing before and it was not uncommon to see a half dozen at a time flitting from one purple bloom to another.

       Thistles are a favorite nectar source for a number of butterflies.  This Monarch was seen taking advantage of a full-blooming thistle.  Unfortunately, much of the habitat of this native plant has been taken over by the knapweed which outcompetes the thistle for growing area.

       Finally, as one more bird species worthy of mention we had a female Common yellowthroat.  With sightings of both a male and a juvenile last week, I have to believe that these birds are breeding here at the Discovery Center.  In the future, we hope to have this area along with the surrounding environs declared an Audubon “Important Bird Area” and sightings such as this can only help the cause.

Day 206: July 24th – Ducks on the pond

Sunny, 90 degrees, low humidity

       It was a wonderful day to be out boating with my grandkids and towing them around Greenwood Lake on the New York/New Jersey border.  I brought my camera gear figuring that this would be an ideal place to gather the shot of the day as well.  In reality, I was reminded that this is the end of July and things have not quite yet swung into full motion as far as the fall migration goes.

       A Turkey vulture, quite a few Canada geese, and a good number of Mallards were about all I could conjure up.  This mallard swam right up to the side of the boat looking for a handout…..not too exciting.

       When we returned to the dock, we were greeted by the marina owner who is a bird fancier himself….especially ducks.  He showed us two little 2 week old ducklings which he had incubated from eggs laid by one of the many domestic ducks found around the lake.  Cute?  Without a doubt.  Part of “wild America”?  Certainly not.  But, when you need a shot, you take whatever is offered.

       Last year, it was pretty much the same through July, but once August arrived, so did a number of migrants moving through.  I am including a shot of one of a pair of Green herons which visited the marina last August.  They only remained on site for a day or two and then moved on. 

       We know that the migration will begin in earnest very soon, and we are looking forward to more visits like this one.  In the meantime, we’ll have to be content with the geese and the mallards.

Day 205: July 23rd – Goosepond Mountain State Park

Partly sunny and warm, 84 degrees, and humid

       Goosepond Mountain State Park is a 1,558 acre open area park located along Rte 17M in Chester, NY.  While there are quite a few miles of trails located throughout the park, it is pretty much undeveloped and has limited parking.  From the parking lot just west of the Ranger’s residence, you can access an easy walking trail/boardwalk which winds through the grasslands and swamp.  This is the path we took today in search of our shot of the day.

      

       Our birds of the day were the Cedar waxwings perched atop a dead snag just as we entered the park.  Several American robins shared the perch, but the waxwings were certainly the stars of the show.  With berries and insects being the main staple of the waxwings, this is prime habitat for them.  They are sociable birds and it is rare to see a solitary waxwing.  Such was the case today as they congregated on this dead tree.  One individual appeared to be doing a Dracula impersonation as I took his photo!

       Butterflies were also abundant, taking advantage of the many blooming wildflowers along the trails edge.  Our first encounter was with a find specimen of a Spicebush swallowtail.  The bluish swash along the hindwings makes this butterfly one of the easier ones to identify.

       Monarchs and Tiger swallowtails were also present in good number, but the next one to catch my attention was this Question Mark.  I’ve have seen them before here at Goosepond and today this individual was close enough to get a decent image of even if somewhat concealed by the shadows of the bush in which it had landed.

       Song sparrows, Blue jays, a Red-tailed hawk and a lone Indigo bunting rounded out the avian cast of characters on this overcast day, but this is an area certainly worth checking into from time to time.

Day 204: July 22nd – Connecticut coast

Low 80s, plenty of sunshine and calm skies

       An absolutely gorgeous summer day in Connecticut and one in which we figured we’d take advantage of our location and the great weather to do some fine coastal birding.  What we didn’t know was that we would have to rob a Brink’s truck to gain access to the coastal waters of the “Nutmeg State”.  We were in Fairfield visiting old friends and enjoying their beachfront property yesterday and should have stayed there for a while today.  But we headed home and figured we stop by one of the state parks on the way.  First park…..Sherwood Island.  The place looked very promising until we got to the admission gate.  Out-of-state plates?   That’ll be $22 to gain admission!  I just wanted to see the place and do a little birding.  I didn’t want to buy land there.

Snowy egret, Cove Island

       We had been to another park in Stamford called Cove Island last year.  They have a lovely area just for birding with trails, feeders, fields, beaches, etc.  We had been there in the off-season and simply drove in, parked and birded.  Today…well it’s summer.  The folks at the gate informed us that it would cost us $20 to bird the area today.  We turned around and drove down one of the side streets which paralleled the cove.  We actually found one area where there was a parking area for about 5 cars….free!  We pulled in and were treated to our first egrets and herons in some time.  Snapped off a few photos and then noticed a nice big parking area almost empty across the cove.  We hopped into the RAV and drove around to the entrance to parking area to find a big “Valet Parking Only” sign.  It was a restaurant, and even though the place was virtually devoid of vehicular occupancy, there was a big bruiser of a guy by the name of “Mad Mike” waiting to take our money.  Sharon aked him about the name on his nametag and he explained he got that when he was a bouncer.  We struck up a conversation telling Mad Mike our tale of woe and he said,  “Yeah, around here you’re not going to park anywhere near the water without paying good money.”  Then, Sharon struck up a conversation about her cousin Mike in Alaska and Mad Mike said, “Yeah, sounds like I’d get along real well with him.  Go ahead, go on in and take your pictures and see your birds.” 

Ring-billed gull,  Cove Island

       So, bottom line is if you really want to check out coastal Connecticut birds, either go to the Audubon center in Milford (fantastic place) or stay home on the weekends. (Or, look up “Mad Mike” in Stamford and tell him you came all the way from New York to bird the Connecticut coastline.  Anyway…..here are some images we captured from our limited venues.

Day 203: July 21 – Southford Falls, CT

Sunny, mild. Dry and calm breeze

       Finally, a wonderful dry, warm, calm day in the southeast.  We are in the Oxford area of Connecticut at a small park known as Southford Falls.  We expect to find Dragonfiles in the shallow ponds of water associated with the falls as well as butterflies and birds taking advantage of the flowers and other insects found here.

       The dragonflies are plentiful although difficult to capture on film as they refuse to stay still for more than 3 seconds.  The butterflies, mostly Cabbage whites, are not much more cooperative and flit from blossom to blossom as I try to get the camera on them, focus, and then fire before they take flight once again.

    

      The bird I expected to find here is indeed on site and is actively pursuing his prey at the prescribed site…..a waterfall.  Constantly bobbing his tail and then flitting out into the area around the falls in search of the little airborne insects he feeds upon, he is always in view but always a challenge to capture on the camera.  Occasionally, he will stop long enough to give me the chance to click the shutter release and maybe, just maybe, seize the moment and freeze the bird in motion. 

       Sadly, it is time to move on once again.  The thing about trying to capture an image a day and visiting these wonderful places is that you still have a normal life to lead.  All these things still obviously matter a great deal and you have to balance the "project" with other factors in our lives that are in fact more important than capturing the image.  But, it certainly is enjoyable getting to visit all these places and seeing all that Mother Nature has to offer wherever we go.  So we are off until tomorrow....

Day 202: July 20th – Bent of the River

Cool, rainy, and calm

       On a day that has given us the mixed blessing of cooler temperatures with a solid dose of precipitation, Sharon and I figure that spending some time under the cover of the Bird Watchers Porch at Bent of the River Audubon Center of South Britain, Connecticut sounds like a reasonable idea. 

       By the time we reached the “Bent”, the rain had slowed to a drizzle and the birds were attacking the feeders with a vengeance.  As has been the case wherever we’ve gone in the past week or so, the American goldfinches have been plentiful.  The thistle is in bloom and some is starting to go to seed…..a sure sign that the finches are in the area.  As bright as they are, it is amazing how they can sit down in the grasses and not be seen until something sets them off and all of a sudden you have a dozen or so in flight.

  The other major birds to offer up fine images were the male and female Red-breasted grosbeaks.  The male is the more colorful as is so often the case, but in this species, the female is nothing to scoff at either.   Take a look at this fine individual as she visits one of the many feeders at the Bent.
   

      Mourning doves were also on the property, perched atop the sunflower feeder and keeping watch over the reserve. 

       The final “catch” of the day is one more hummer.  Most of my hummingbird photos are caught at the feeder as I suspect most others are as well.  So it is always nice to find one perched in a more natural setting. The porch where we are looking from today is on the second floor of the nature center.  There are a number of trees surrounding the porch in close proximity, so when a bird, like this Ruby-throat, decides to perch in these trees, it is almost at eye-level.

       We’re actually in Connecticut to see our grandchildren, so it is time to head out to their place and share the evening with them.  Tomorrow, we’ll visit friends on the beach at Fairfield and should have some nice opportunities to capture images of some different species.