2013: Weeks 25 & 26 – Connecticut to Virginia

June 16^th – 29^th

       It’s been a typical June for us as we have been traveling to and fro from one graduation party to another and then down to our grandson’s baseball tourney in Virginia.  In spite of the hurried atmosphere and the tight schedule, we still manage to get a few looks at the local scenery and wildlife. 

      Last week, the best opportunity came when we visited our close friends in Connecticut to celebrate the first birthday of their granddaughter and my godson.  It would be hard to find a nicer setting as we partied along the shore of the Long Island Sound at Fairfield Beach.  While the variety was limited, the total numbers and the amount of action was not.  At low tide, the exposed sandbars (far more numerous and far more visible since the visit of Super-storm Sandy) were alive with Ring-billed gulls, Great egrets, and a few Black-crowned Night-herons. 

       The gulls were constantly jockeying for position and for “prime real estate” as they flew in to the crowds with jaws agape and pharynxes ablaze.  Even if there was plenty of open space nearby, it seemed that the small amount of territory occupied by only a few gulls was the place most desired by those just joining the scene. 

 

     

     The most surprising sight to me later in the day was the appearance of a well bedecked BC Night-heron.  I most often find these birds tucked away in the mangroves of Florida or the overhanging boughs in areas like Brigantine NWR, and so when I saw this lone bird standing on the shore of the Long Island Sound, I really thought I had something.  When I checked e-bird to see if anyone else had reported this gem, I found that the area is considered a “Hot spot” for these herons.  Truth of the matter is, that one birder reported 46 of the Black-crowns in the same area only days earlier.  When you don’t bird and area very often, everything is new and exciting, so I’ll lick my wounds and be happy with the sighting and the photos.

       Later in the week, Sharon and I took a trip north to see if we could add the elusive Grasshopper sparrow and the Upland sandpiper to the “Year-list”.  Our best venue for both these birds seemed to be the Shawangunk Grasslands NWR in the northernmost parts of our county.  Pulling into the preserve at the hottest time of day was not what I had originally planned, but that’s how it worked out, so that’s what we did.  From the parking area in the middle of the old airfield, we saw little and figured it was going to be one of those really sparse days resulting from mid-day highs of almost 90 degrees.  Nonetheless, I started out walking through the grasslands and almost immediately heard the insect-like song of the Grasshopper sparrow.  There were at least two (later to become 5) which were close to the trail and without a great deal of effort, I was able to grab a couple of shots as they flew among the grasses. 

      

       These birds were later joined by quite a few Bobolinks which were even more out in the open, but kept their distance out in the field and offered little more than “documentation quality” shots.  Killdeer were also on site and showed evidence of breeding as did the Bobos.  To be honest, it was quite a show for such a “wrong” time of day.

 

Bobolink with nesting material

       Our final venture proved to be almost devoid of birds other than the “common” ones like song sparrows, Tufted titmice, a ton of Robins, and the not-so-common Eastern wood pewees.  The opportunity to hike around this new venue for us, the Alum Springs Park in Fredericksburg, Virginia, made up for the dearth of birds, however, and in spite of the short time we had to visit, we now know that it is a place we must come back to in the future (perhaps on our way back from Florida).

      

       At the end of this upcoming week, we will begin an eight day adventure birding the North Dakota region with a group of 8 birders from the New Jersey Audubon Society.  Covering prime birding locales in ND, Wyoming and South Dakota should provide us with some pretty rich material for the upcoming blogs.  So please visit us again during the next two weeks!

      

2013: Week 24 – Gettysburg

June 9^th – 15^th

  This past week was the 45^th Annual Reunion of the Class of ’68 at Lafayette College.  Several of my old (should I say former) friends from my college days have remained close and we try to get together whenever possible.  We had a great time in spite of some rather dreadful weather which seems to be the norm lately.  The plan was that we would all travel to Gettysburg National Military Park to revisit these hallowed grounds on the occasion of the 150^th Anniversary of the famed Battle of Gettysburg. 

      And so, in spite of continuing downpours, we headed southwest for a short 2 ½ hour journey down to the park.  The weather was dreary but not a total washout when we arrived, and we spent the afternoon touring the newly renovated Visitors Center, Cyclorama, and Museum.  Later in the afternoon, we visited the Mills House where Lincoln wrote the last section of his famous Gettysburg Address.  With all these indoor activities, little birding took place other than Sharon and I trying to spot any little brown jobs along the way.

       

       The following day was even wetter, but we were determined to tour the battle field, so we signed up for a guided tour.  Being outdoors, even if it was in a steady downpour, we began to appreciate the number of species which were present in the fields and along the forested edges of the park.  As we looked over the landscape from a landmark known as Little Round Top, we gained an awareness of the true horror of the battle that took place here 150 years ago. 

       In direct contrast to this image, a beautiful soaking wet Indigo bunting (left) flew onto the scene and sang its song to those of us in tune with such things.  Sadly, I was the lone observer present and managed to capture a quick image with the little SONY Point-and-shoot.

       Among the other species of note we saw but failed to photograph were a number of Bobolinks, Eastern meadowlarks, and Field sparrows.  The weather was simply not conducive to photographing wildlife.

       The next day, as we prepared to head back north to New York, Sharon and I managed to take a quick ride back to some of the areas we had visited with the tour the previous day.  We actually had a short period of sunshine which we relished for the 45 minutes of its presence.  As we drove up to the Gettsburg Eternal Light Peace Monument, we found a number of avian visitors including a singing Chipping sparrow, Gray catbird, and Field sparrows.

 

Gray catbird

       Further along the route, we stopped to check out the 150^th Pennsylvania Volunteers monument which caught our eyes.  The entire monument is in the shape of a tree, complete with nesting birds captured in stone.  

       We wondered how much thinking of such peaceful settings were on the minds of those thousands of young soldiers facing almost certain death.  As we looked at the various monuments, a Song sparrow lighted upon the top of a nearby obelisk and began to sing out its familiar refrain.  Again, no one nearby really paid it any heed other than the two of us.  How much richer our world is since we began to bird and pay closer attention to what is constantly in close proximity to us regardless of what else we are doing.

       Eventually, we found ourselves back home.  We had reports of a Mississippi kite that was being spotted back up in Saugerties, not far from where we traveled last week to find the King rail!  And so, off we went once again.  When we arrived on site, we both saw the bird flying off to the east.  We both had good looks through the bins, but the cameras were both in the back seat.  Not to bother. Surely the bird would return to its reported perch and allow me to get some nice photos.  As luck would have it, after three hours of patiently waiting for the kite’s return, we realized that we had gotten our one and only sighting as we drove in.  Better than nothing, but it would have been nice to get a little better view!

       

        As we waited, we did get some nice birds who came by our own perch.  A Wood thrush sang loudly and closely, though as usually the case, out of view.  Several Great-crested flycatchers put on quite a show for us high in the bare trees as did a small contingent of Cedar waxwings.  A phoebe came in close to allow me a decent shot (above), but it was little consolation for not getting a good look at the kite.  Summer is only beginning, so maybe we’ll have another shot at the bird later.

       After a rain-laden week, the forecast for the upcoming days looks a bit better and we will be happy to get out and get some more comfortable birding in.  In just a matter of weeks, we’ll be visiting North Dakota and we are both really looking forward to that!

2013: Week 23 – Springing into life

June 2^nd – 8^th

       We began our week with a quick look at one of our favorite Orange County birding venues, Benedict Farm in Montgomery.  We had other family affairs to attend to and so figured we’d just get a quick birding fix before tending to those.  We can usually count on the farm for a variety of sparrows and swallows as well as Bluebirds, grassland species like Bobolinks, and Goldfinches.  In the short time we spent looking around the farm, we had plenty of finches and sparrows to look at and photograph.  The finches are now in their pure golden phase and are a joy to behold.

 

       They were joined by a number of Song sparrows, but try as we may, we were unable to bring any other sparrows into view.  A couple of Eastern kingbirds and Phoebes did come in to investigate what we were doing on their turf if for only a brief time.  Barn swallows were also abundant and the old abandoned farm buildings certainly afford these swift insect hunters a fine place to set up house.  Peering into the empty wooden structures, we could easily see a number of nests ready for the new brood of youngsters.

       

       The following day, a number of us took part in the annual Silloway Wildlife Count for Harriman and Bear Mountain State Parks.  By days end, we had tallied 100 species of birds as well as many reptiles, amphibians, and insects.  The one species we had trouble counting were the 17 year cicadas which are really beginning to let their presence known.  After 17 years under ground, the noisy critters are out and about, singing their hearts out to woo any interested females into joining them for a little amorous interactivity.  Millions of the insects are now choral members of one of the most massive vocal displays witnessed on the planet.  We will be serenaded for another month or so before the newly hatched young fall to the ground and bury themselves in the soil for the next decade and  a half.  I suppose we really have to forgive them for being a little overwhelming when we figure they only get out once every 17 years!

     

         Later in the week, Sharon and I went on yet another “chase” as we pursued a King rail reported to be haunting the grounds of a marshland up in Ulster County.  Ulster is pretty far north of the normal breeding range of these wetland birds and recently, the King rail has been declining in the north.  It is still pretty much a “regular” down in Florida, but for us to find one this far north is quite unique.  We did not find the rail when we first arrived as it was remaining quiet and was well hidden in the vegetation.  Eventually, a truck drove down the narrow road dividing the two parts of the wetland, and for whatever reason, this noise or vibration seemed to get the rail going.  His call is one that’s hard to miss as it is as loud as it distinctive.  We drove down to close proximity of the call, but gave the bird enough space so as not to spook it.  Sure enough, after about a 10 minute wait in our vehicle, the rail came out close enough to the roadside to give us a nice look and a decent photo.  We’ve been quite fortunate in finding the birds we chased this year, and it was rewarding to finally get to see and photograph this northern rarity.

King rail

       Finally, it looks like we are going to be “grandparents” again as the House sparrows have once again set up quarters in the eaves of our home.  Some people find these “exotics” annoying, but when you really look carefully at them, they can be quite handsome.  This morning, I was apparently not the only living being to find them so, as a female succumbed to the advances of an exceptionally fine looking male and allowed him to have his way with her.  And so, can youngsters be expected in the foreseeable future?  We’ll let you know in upcoming installments of “Naturally Digital”.