Naturally digital

Day 43: February 12 - Biolab Road in Merritt Island NWR

2012-02-12T15:25:00.000-05:00

Mostly sunny, but chilly and windy

Well, we’ve been spoiled by the weather we’ve had up until now. We’ve spent three weeks in Florida already and have not had anything other than warm sunny days. All good things must come to an end, eh? Today, we headed out for a morning of birding with our friends Alan and Della with temperatures of 34 degrees (yes, I said 34) and winds of 20 mph to bring the chill factor down to well below freezing. We are not used to this and are not pleased. On the other hand, it is pretty sunny out and we can start the day with a nice $2.99 breakfast at the time honored Goodrich’s Restaurant in Oak Hill before actually heading into the field. So….it’s a go.

We are going to make the trip down Biolab Road in Merritt Island, a location we have yet to bird this year. We are greeted with hundreds of American robins. On most days, we see few if any robins, but today is definitely NOT one of those days. Why? Who knows. Everyday is different. Despite the cold and the winds, we managed to rack up 41 species along with some fine gator sightings.

One of our finest views is the presence of 4 Caspian terns, 1 Royal tern and a Forster’s tern all sitting side-by-side on a small sand bar. Too far for a photo, but this image is recorded in our mind’s eye at least. Plenty of egrets and herons of the usual varieties, some decent shorebirds like the Least sandpiper, both Yellowlegs, Dunlin, and Short-billed dowitchers dot the edges of the impoundments. Several Great blue herons are found including this nice fly-by.

Great blue heron

Towards the end of our trip, we revisit the area near the entrance of Canaveral National Seashore where we had such nice sightings of the Florida Scrub jays a few days ago. Della needs the bird for a “year bird” and we oblige by stopping by this productive site. I almost left my camera in the car, having captured several nice jay shots last time, but I figure you should always be prepared. As it turned out, I had two jays interact for the camera in a way I had never seen before. We know that the jays are extremely social and have tight family groups. The reason for this bill-to-bill interaction is known only to the jays, but for whatever reason, it made a nice parting shot for the day.

Florida scrub jays

Day 42: February 11 - Deep Creek Preserve, Volusia County

2012-02-11T15:02:00.000-05:00

Sunny, breezy and cool (low 60’s)

In spite of a forecast that included a 65% chance of rain this morning, the sun came out and we had a very nice morning for the Nature Photography workshop that I ran for the county. We had 10 eager participants show up at Deep Creek Preserve, a land acquisition of Volusia County’s efforts to keep that part of Florida which is still undeveloped "wild". The Preserve is presently undertaking a project to help restore the Long-leaf pine to this part of Florida.

After 1 ½ hours of classroom activity, we headed out on the Eco-buggy with program coordinator Bonnie at the wheel. Bonnie runs a lot of wonderful outings for the county and works hard to keep locals and “snowbirds” alike interested and concerned about the natural environment. Unfortunately, the breezy conditions kept the birds down to a minimum and with the exception of some cooperative Brown-headed nuthatches, a few Eastern meadowlarks, and the omnipresent Turkey vultures, we had few other options for avian subjects on which to practice out newly acquired skills and concepts. Be that as it may, we all had a great time just getting out and “playing” with the cameras on more stationary targets such as reindeer moss, wild flowers, gopher tortoise burrows and a pair of cattle in an adjacent ranch which decided to become a bit amorous during our visit. While I did hear lot of camera shutters clicking during that time, I will opt to make today’s photo of the day the more wholesome nuthatches . The nuthatch is one of only a handful of birds that is almost exclusively found in the US. It’s habitat is the pine forests of the Southeast. Regarding the cattle and their antics, I don’t want this site coming under attack due to questionable material! So, nuthatch it is……

Brown-headed nuthatch

Day 41: February 10 - Canaveral National Seashore

2012-02-10T19:42:00.000-05:00

Mix of sun and clouds with periods of rain, 72 degrees

Prepping for a photography workshop tomorrow morning and trying to get all caught up with a couple of other projects. This left only a short period of time to get out and make an attempt to get the picture of the day. We stayed close to home with a ride down to the Canaveral National Seashore only 10 minutes away. We had not traveled all the way to the end of the paved road heading south, and figured this warranted a look.

When we arrived at the boat launch, we found the pilings from the old pier were all occupied with mostly Royal terns and a lone Cormorant. Sadly, there were more terns than pilings, and there was a bit on sparring as each bird without a perch took turns trying to depose a tern already in position. One tern made at least a dozen passes as we watched, only to be turned away at each attempt. When we left, the bird had never succeeded in gaining its objective.

One more subject made its appearance prior to the rain starting to fall. A pair of Savannah sparrows were found in the top of a mangrove on the lagoon’s edge. They seemed to be determined to remain at this location, and I wondered if they were considering this as a potential nesting site. We’ll have to check back to see if they are still here in a week or two.

Time to head back to the condo and to continue work on the workshop photos for tomorrow. Till then……

Savannah sparrow

Day 40: February 9 - What you don't expect.....

2012-02-09T21:01:00.027-05:00

Mostly cloudy, 70 degrees, winds out of the north

We are up at 5:30 AM and out the door by 6:00 to be ready for our departure from the local grocery market at 6:15. We hope to be on site in Merritt Island at an impoundment know as Pump House Road. This is one location where you its either feast or famine. When we arrive, we have a decent sunrise to greet us, but the bird assemblage is not the greatest.

Hundreds of gulls are in the area, but certainly not the shorebirds, terns, and specialties we were hoping for. We do manage to record a "year-list" Ground dove, but after a half hour of scanning the area, we are convinced that there is not an awful lot more awaiting us. And so, we venture on across the road to an area known as Gator Creek Road. The heavily potholed dirt road winds it s way through the wetlands which this morning are heavily laden with a nice variety of shorebirds. Plenty of Dunlin, Least sandpipers, and Dowitchers cover the water's surface while an occasional Black-bellied plover, Shoveler and American wigeon complement the assemblage.

By far, however, the most prolific birds in the refuge today are the Coots. A conservative estimate would be 10,000 of these chunky little black birds covering virtually every impoundment. If there was open water, there were coots.

One of many large rafts of American Coots

We ended the day with an impressive 56 species, including new birds to the year-list such as Eurasian wigeon and Least and Western sandpipers. But the most unexpected sightings came towards the end of the day when we found our first white morph of the Reddish egret in several years. We had just seen one of several reddish egrets and were talking about how enjoyable it is to watch their antics as they hunt in the shallows. They prance and bounce about with such energy that you would swear they had consumed one too many cups of coffee before showing up at the refuge.

Reddish egret

When we saw a number of vehicles pulled over to the side of the road and several photographers all lined up along the road’s edge, we knew it must be some special photo-op. A beautiful white morph of the reddish was standing on a small island preening as we pulled up to join the other photographers. The bird remained in place in fine lighting for quite some time and afforded us some fine shots.

Later in the day, as we prepared to exit the refuge, we noticed some large mammalian forms up ahead. We passed two adult and 6 young Wild hogs! Quickly, I did a U-turn and managed to snap a couple of shots of one of the adults before they walked back into the woods. We have seen these hogs on occasion here at Merritt Island, but never at such close proximity. So a successful day of birding ends with a sight we rarely see. There are an estimated 50,000 wild hogs in Florida, but they are generally secretive. So to get a chance to photograph one at such close range is a real treat (if you enjoy photographing pigs!)

Day 39: February 8th - Smyrna Dunes Park

2012-02-08T16:40:00.001-05:00

Sunny, Strong north wind, mid 60’s

Ponce Inlet - Smyrna Dunes Park

It’s our first trip over to Smyrna Dunes Park at the north end of our peninsula. We have always loved this park, a pristine expanse of the dunes the way they all used to be. Home to tortoises, snakes, birds such as Ground doves, Palm warblers, and Loggerhead shrikes, the dunes are traversed by a mile and a quarter long boardwalk. Spurs off the boardwalk lead down to the beach at the south side of Ponce Inlet. The jetties to the north and on our side to the south have occasionally harbored the elusive Purple sandpiper. This bird is not at all common in Florida, but here is one place where you just might be lucky enough to find one. Well, today, the conditions are just right with winds out of the north and a high tide washing against the massive rocks of the jetty. The building of these jetties along the Atlantic coast has apparently been beneficial to these sandpipers as their numbers appear to be increasing. These sandpipers love to pick among the algae covered boulders in search of insects or an occasional crustacean. And so, today we are fortunate enough to come across one which is so busy foraging that it pays us no heed and allows us some fine close-up photos. You got to love it when things go according to the plan.

Purple sandpiper on the jetty

Purple sandpiper

As we return to the boardwalk over the dunes, I mentioned to Alan that I often get Palm warblers along this stretch of the park. Little did I imagine how true my words would be. We literally found close to a hundred scurrying along the sand, foraging on the undersides of the sparse vegetation for whatever bugs may have been unfortunate enough to have alighted there. Scanning with the binoculars, we saw a continuous succession of warbler after warbler. Alan rightfully commented that it looked more like mice scurrying along on the dunes that it did warblers!

Palm warbler

One of our targets today was in fact not a bird, but the indigenous Gopher tortoise. A rather large tortoise, these reptiles can burrow more than 10 feet back into the dunes and will usually be visable when the sun warms the sand. Although we searched all along the boardwalk, we could only fine one of these fine specimens. Tracks and other signs, however, indicate that there are many others to be found on warmer days.

Finally, I promised to keep you abreast with the progress our baby eagles on the street corner of Rte. 1 and Turnbull Bay Blvd. Here’s the latest update. First flight for at least one of the little guys cannot be far off. Today, we witnessed the bird strongly flapping its wings and hovering above the nest as one of the parents watched on with some concern. The strong north winds may have been a contributing factor, but the bird certainly looks as if it is pretty close to taking to the skies. Again, we’ll keep our eyes peeled.

Learning to fly

Day 38: February 7th - Stalk 'em or Wait 'em out?

2012-02-07T12:05:00.003-05:00

Cloudy, breezy, mild with temps in the mid 60's

A Dark and Dreary morning on the Indian River Lagoon

It’s Tuesday morning and that means heading over to Indian River Lagoon Preserve where we join others for our Marine Discovery Center’s Tuesday birding walks with leader Don. The weather is cloudy and there is a threat of rain, but we know we’re never too far from the cars and we are only 5 minutes from home. So, there is no reason not to go! We are joined by birding friends from New York and Alaska, so the trip is a must.

We always begin with a short walk around the loop through the park. You never can be sure of what you’ll find at the park. Some days, this short walk is super productive, and on other days, the birds don’t wish to cooperate. Today, there is no reason for the birds to be up and about since the sun has not warmed the vegetation enough to get the insects moving. We do manage to hear more birds than we see, many of which we hear in the parking lot. Our major visual sightings are a Gray catbird, a Yellow-rumped warbler and a nice Carolina wren singing its little heart out.

As is the norm, we head down to the dock on the Indian River for the second half of our outing. Here, it’s a case of set up the scopes and wait for the birds to come to us. Fellow Mearns Bird Club member Alan, who is staying down in the same condo complex as us for the next two months makes a great sighting as soon as we reach the dock. He has a Greater scaup and two Ruddy ducks in the same field of view at the same time. While non-birders won’t find this all that exciting, the point is that we’ve been conducting these walks for four years now and Don believes that this is the first time we’ve had Ruddies! That makes it a really neat sighting. All in all, we end up with 31 species for the day and many of those were found by hanging out on the dock in one place and letting the birds come to us. Not all days are the same, and the next time around, we may find more birds by trekking through the woods. But for today, it’s better to sit and wait ‘em out.

Brown pelicans on the lagoon

Dy 37: February 6th - Chasing vs Targets

2012-02-06T18:57:00.002-05:00

Periods of showers, high 70s

One of the more exciting aspects of birding is the "chase". Chasing or "twitching" as it is known in Europe, involves traveling to see a bird you need for your life-list or year-list. The bird is generally a rare or endangered species that has been found outside its normal range. Today, Sharon and I joined several friends to chase after a Vermillion flycatcher, a bird normally found in the deep southwest from California to Texas. Why the bird is here in central Florida, no one really knows. Could it have been blown off course by a storm. Could its "navigation" system have gone awry. Perhaps some of the "navigational aids" such as the celestial sky was obscured by cloudy weather. For whatever reason, to get this bird in Florida is a real treat. And so, after reports of the rarity were made public on the birding hotline (which all serious birders are plugged into), we set out for Orlando Wetlands Park, a trip of about 1 hour. One hour is a short trip for chasing a bird, and if you happen to miss the bird, well, it's really not a big deal. It's when you chase a bird that is many hours away that you really feel frustrated by missing it. In any even, we got the bird. A distant view, but a definitive look. It was too far for the camera, but not so far that I couldn't get a shot which is good enough to show the characteristics of the bird that make it a Vermillion flycatcher.

Vermillion flycatcher

Now, going after a target bird is different. In this case, the bird is often found where you are going to look for it. The bird ay be rare because it is only found in a certain localized habitat. Or it could be common in an area, but it is not common to you because you do not live in the area. So a bird like a Florida Scrub jay is not something you have to "chase". That bird will be there tomorrow, the next day, next week, more than likely nest year. We are with two birders who hail from Alaska and are here visiting family. For them, the birds will be "lifers". For those of us who live in the area, they are birds we are happy to have on our life-list, but they are birds we can go see anytime. We had several target birds for our friends today.....the Painted bunting, the Great horned owl, the Florida scrub jay, and the Great white pelican. Well, three our of four ain't bad.

We bagged all but the Great horned who for some reason was not at it's normal roost today. All but the White pelican were found in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. The pelicans were found in their normal winter environs on the Indian River in Oak Hill.

Tomorrow morning, we will head down to our weekly walk along the Indian River Lagoon to see what the warming temps and longer days have brought in. We'll let you know how we made out in our next entry.

Day 36: - February 5th - The City of New Smyrna - Urban birds

2012-02-05T15:40:00.001-05:00

Sunny and warm

When we think of “urban birds”, grackles, crows, pigeons, mourning doves, and an occasional robin come to mind. Here in Florida, however, that is not always the way it is. Case in point……

Yesterday, on our way to Viera Wetlands, Sharon and I decided we better stop off and grab a quick bite before entering the refuge. Since Burger King was right down the road from our destination, we decided to forego any thoughts of good dietary practice and grab a burger. As we pulled into the lot, we heard the unmistakable call of Sandhill cranes. I searched the skies and the horizon, but these calls were much closer. Then we saw the birds. Two sandhills were standing outside the door of the fast-food restaurant looking for…..well, fast food! We later found out that these two cranes are regulars here and beg French fries and whatever else the generous patrons are willing to offer.

We we dined inside the establishment, the cranes waited immediately outside the door, expectantly awaiting our departure and hopefully some tasty morsel. If fast food is not the healthiest part of the American diet for humans, I can only imagine what potential it has for birds. And so, we made our exit and denied the birds their entreaties.

Today, we visited old avian friends, the New Smyrna Beach urban eagles. For years now, a pair of Bald eagles has occupied a nest at the corner of US 1 and Turnbull Bay Boulevard. We were cautiously optimistic that they would be here again when we returned to our wintering grounds because last year the birds failed to return to their nest. This year, however, they were back and in business. The nest is now occupied by Mom, Pop, and two little (little?) young'uns.

Our "Urban eagles"

We had a little bit of a show as we scoped out and photographed the two chicks on the nest as a vulture soared dangerously close to the unguarded nest. Eventually, one of the parents made an appearance and quickly drove the intruder away. The chicks are plenty big, but are still not ready to leave the nest. We will keep you appraised of how they progress in upcoming blog entries.

And so, we had excellent birding without ever leaving the city streets over the past two days. Oh, did I mention the Pileated woodpecker who set up housekeeping in a hole in the telephone pole on the opposite city corner from the eagles? Only in Florida……

Day 35: February 4 - Viera Wetlands Revisited

2012-02-04T17:26:00.001-05:00

Sunny, low 70s and calm winds

We continue north towards our base of operations for the next several months, New Smyrna Beach, FL. Viera Wetlands is just off I-95 on our journey, and so we decide to pay a quick visit for one drive around to see if anything different has popped up since I was here last Saturday. As we travel around to the various refuges at this time of year down here in the south, we realize that the birds here operator according to a different schedule from our birds to the north. Many birds will have multiple broods during the course of the year since the weather is amenable to bearing and raising young. We've noticed that many of the birds are paired off and already on the nest with eggs or young. Yesterday, we found many of the anhingas were building nests, sitting on the nest, tending to brand new babies or feeding those which have actually been around for at least a couple of weeks.

Today, Great blue herons were on the nests, and while we could not see any young, the adult birds were busy tending to the nests in preparation of their next brood. Many of the ducks we find are now in pairs.....Hooded merge, Pintails, Blue-winged teals, and Ring-necked ducks were rarely seen swimming alone. They invariably had a partner with them. Many of the birds are also mainly in breeding plumage and make striking subjects for the camera. The Ring-necked pair below were no exception as the male's plumage was pristine and the female's less spectacular plumage nonetheless was beautiful in its simplicity.

Ring-necked ducks

The Hooded mergansers have been paired up since our arrival in Hilton Head three weeks ago, so it was odd to find a lone male hiding in the rushes along the water's edge today with no female in sight. We can only assume that the hen was nearby and that they simply needed their "space" for a brief time.

We will continue to watch for more of the evolution into breeding plumage, courtship displays, mating and the arrival of the new-borns over the months to come. I wonder if the birds are as excited about their new families as the birders are!

Day 34: February 3 - Wakodahatchee Wetlands, Delray Beach, FL

2012-02-03T21:48:00.001-05:00

Partly cloudy, periods of rain, mid 70's

Heading back north through Florida, we make tracks for one of the most amazing birding locales in Florida......Wakodahatchee Wetlands in Delray, Florida. As is the case with a number of nature preserves in Florida, this one is a product of a water waste treatment facility. As a part of the reclamation process, impoundments are constructed which serves as wetlands for native birds, reptiles, and mammals. Wakodahatchee has turned out to be one of the most successful and productive projects and is a birder's dream.

Rather than the typical impoundment system with square ponds surrounded by dikes upon which you can hike or drive, this wetland is a true swamp which is criss-crossed by a well constructed boardwalk with several shelters along the way. Many local residents visit the facility on a regular basis just to walk and get their exercise. Those who bird and love to photograph the species found in the wetland have been blessed with a natural wonderland inhabited by some of natures most beautiful and remarkable creatures. Birds not found in many other areas of America or even Florida are reliable found here. Today, we had Black-bellied whistling ducks, breeding Anhingas caring for their young in nests so near you could almost look down into them, warblers, bitterns, rails and on and on.

Anhinga with chicks

Today, the most remarkable sighting is a breeding Wurdemann's heron. This bird is an offspring of the Great blue heron and the White morph of the species, often referred to as the Great white heron. The bird has the characteristics of both birds and is pretty much a species confined southern Florida and points south. Look at the two photos provided here and note the differences.....lighter legs, a streaked black and white head rather than predominantly black head of the great blue, white and black shoulder patches as opposed to the black ones of the Great blue.

Wurdemann's heron - Wakodahatchee wetlands

Great blue heron, Eveglades

By the end of our visit, we had added 5 year-list species. The purple gallinule was among the most striking and we'll end here today with that image. Tomorrow, we head further north and back to Viera Wetlands.

Purple gallinule

Day 33: February 2nd - The Everglades

2012-02-02T19:00:00.004-05:00

Partly sunny, warm 82 degrees, calm

Anhinga Trail - Everglades National Park

When you visit the Everglades, the first place to explore is the Anhinga Trail. The boardwalk winds through a swamp brimming with big gators.....a major plus id you are a bird buiding a nest and getting ready to start a family. Trees surrounded with water filled with the hungry reptiles makes for prime real estate for breeding birds. Amy predator with an ounce of self-preservation will not chance an encounter with these toothy beasts just to grab an egg or a chick. There is surely a more inviting environment in which to seek out your quarry, and so the area of Anhinga Trail is a photographer's dream. Folks wander through this part of the refuge 365 days a year and the birds are virtually oblivious to their presence. It is not unusual to be able to approach a cormorant, or an anhinga, or green heron to within 5 or 6 feet without raising any concern with the birds. With so much to offer, we ended up spending several hour walking the boardwalk an thanking our lucky stars that we are shooting digital and not paying for all this film!
One of the premier subjects of the day was a beautiful anhinga with eyes which looked like she just made a commercial for Revlon.

Anhinga on the nest

Of purse, all this courtship can drum up an appetite. Check out the video of this ravenous bird taking on a meal almost as big as she is. We wondered if the bird had what it took to ingest such an ample portion, but as seen here, the bird was up to the task.

One of our target birds of the day was the rare Short-tailed hawk. A southern Florida specialty, we had our hopes as high as the canopy that we would not only see the bird, but also capture an image of two of the bird. Well, it doesn't always go as you hope for, and today the hawk eluded us. We did get excited at one point as we spotted a juvenile hawk off in the distance. We tried like crazy to "morph" the hawk into the Short-tail, but try as we might, it still turned out to be a young Red-shouldered....the default hawk of Florida. Still, it made for some fine viewing and got our adrenalin going.

Red-shouldered hawk

Towards the end of the day, we pulled into an area known as Mahogany Hammock. Here we were hoping for owls and another tough bird to find, the White-crowned pigeon. No luck with the pigeon, but the owl.....now that was a different story. We pulled into the parking lot and began our walk out onto the boardwalk. No sooner had we begun walking then we heard the loud, and I mean very very loud hooting call of a Barred owl. A second owl was answering from afar. We walked over to a bench which was right next to where we heard the bird, but could not for the life of us find it in the dense canopy. Suddenly, the bird flew right over our heads. At only 10 feet or so above us, you really get an appreciation for how big these owls are. We then realized that the second owl which had been calling had come in behind us. The two birds then flew into a tree behind us and caterwauled back and forth for a time ling enough for us to watch and snap a couple of shots. One of the owls then left the tree limb and the second was soon to follow. Quite a show to end our day long tour of the glades.

We never did make it more than half way down the roadway to the end of the park at Flamingo, but that simply means that we will have to make the effort to return sometime within the next three months. It will certainly be near the top of our list.

Day 32: February 1 - Fern Forest Nature Preserve, Pompano Beach

2012-02-01T18:41:00.001-05:00

Sunny, high 70's, calming winds

A forest oasis with over 30 species of ferns and 90 species of birds is nestled in the middle of Pompano Beach. Fern Forest Nature Center and Preserve is comprised of around 240 acres surrounded by urban sprawl. As the preserve was located only 10 minutes from the condo is which we are staying, we decided it was an area we had to visit, and we did not regret it. Birdwise, we found the area somewhat sparse today with a few common warblers and a Blue-gray gnatcatcher the only species of note. Butterflies, however, were present in abundant numbers. The state butterfly, the zebra longing, was by far the most numerous.

Zebra longwing

Rounding out the list of the most prevalent butterflies today were the Long-tailed skipper, the Ruddy dagger wing, the Queen, Monarch, and the Giant swallowtail. What a pleasure to see all these beautiful creatures during February. One of my goals this winter is to learn more of the butterflies found in the Sunshine State. Below are images of some of the species we found today.

Ruddy daggerwing

Longtailed skipper

Queen

Tomorrow, it's up and out early in the morning as we head south for the Everglades. Our year-list is presently at 147, not too bad for one month into the year. We'll see what southern Florida specialties we can add to this list tomorrow. Stay tuned!

Day 31: January 31st - Pompano Beach

2012-01-31T11:30:00.002-05:00

Sunny, breezy once again, temps in the mid 70's

Once again we are blessed with a gorgeous day in spite of the ominous forecast of showers. Not a cloud in the sky and what breeze there is is a warm one. I decide to walk over to the retention ponds at the condo complex we are staying at this week in Pompano Beach. Friends of ours have swapped for a time share and as they are often so gracious to do, they have asked us to join them. We noticed a pretty large group of birds hanging around this oasis in the middle of a bustling city yesterday, so I figured I'd go check it out to see if there were any possibilities for avian shots. In short, there were many White ibises, quite a number of Cattle egrets, many Muscovies (gotta be one of the ugliest birds on the planet), and two Egyptian geese.

Egyptian goose

While the Egyptian is presently not considered a "countable" species under the rules of the American Birding Association, it is increasing across Florida as a wild species and may in fact eventually become ratified. Until then, we'll just enjoy the view and add it to our list of photographed birds for this year.
The Cattle egrets and the White ibises, however, are indeed countable and made for some fine subjects to photograph this morning.

Cattle egret

Cattle egret and White ibis lift off together

The two birds are very tolerant of one another and were busy feeding alongside each other with little concern for anything but their breakfast. The birds are equipped differently for feeding and hence are feeding on different quarry at different depths. The egret feeds primarily on bugs at the surface of the ground nestled in the grass. They are normally found following herds of cattle which stir up the grass and the bugs, making them easier to find and catch for the egrets. Could it be that the White ibises are serving the same purpose and they move along the water's edge digging into the soft soil in search for their food?

Regardless, the lighting in the early morning made for some interesting shots with the birds being illuminated while the water behind them was totally underexposed, making the background appear almost black.

I decided to take advantage of this situation and make some close-up portraits of these two Florida birds.

Day 30: January 30th - Brian Piccolo Park

2012-01-30T18:37:00.000-05:00

Sunny, mid 70's, but windy

We have continued our January journey south towards the Everglades and today are in the Fort Lauderdale area. Two years ago, we were in this region of the country waiting to take off for Panama. During our stay, we discovered Brian Piccolo Park in Cooper City. The major attraction for birders in this park are the Monk parakeets and the Burrowing owls.

Now, Brian Piccolo is not your usual nature reserve. In fact, it is not really a nature reserve at all, bu rather a recreation area of soccer and softball fields, a bike velodrome, and a skate park. According to the field guides, "Burrowing Owls are found in open, dry grasslands, agricultural and range lands, and desert habitats often associated with burrowing animals". But, as so often the case, the birds don't always read the field guides. For some reason, the Burrowing owls find the habitat here equal to or better than the "dry, open, agricultural lands". Here is a shot of the park as we found it today. The area within the yellow plastic chain is actually one of the burrows occupied by the owls.

Because of the constant presence of the people using the park, the birds have little fear of our encroachment, and were only slightly keyed into our presence. Although they continually scanned back and forth, being ever vigilant, they never showed any real alarm. And so, the picture of today took a bit of traveling to get to it, but once there was a pretty simple and straight forward process of compose, focus, set the proper exposure and fire away. Ah, if it were always this easy. (Oh, by the way, we did get the parakeets for the year list as well, but they were nowhere near as accommodating as our little owls. A shot for another day......)

Burrowing owls of Brian Piccolo Park

Day 29: January 29th - Goodrich's Restaurant

2012-01-29T18:37:00.000-05:00

Sunny and mild, mid-60's

Along the Indian River in the town of Oak Hill, FL lies a restaurant known as Goodrich's Restaurant. A couple of years ago, the place was sold and it lost a bit of its ambiance. In other words, they cleaned the place up. It has always been an institution in this part of Florida, serving the finest in fried fish you'll find anywhere. While the ownership and the atmosphere changed, the quality did not, and so it is one of our favorite haunts when we are birding that part of the state.

We got to know Goodrich's a number of years ago, not as a place to eat, but rather as a place to bird. White pelicans gather here each winter into March. It used to be that they were reliable in large numbers and could be found swimming right behind the restaurant. Now, since the place closed for a year or two during renovations, the numbers have diminished. But, you can still count on at least some of the whites being there. And so it was today. Perched upon a piling adjacent to the deck of the place, a fine White pelican was to be found. We did not see amy others here today, but I'm sure they were in the area.

White pelican

We did get a bonus today as we were on a tight schedule and could not tarry for long. On the wires above Goodrich's, a Loggerhead shrike was hunting grasshoppers in the grass below. Although the lighting was not good from our first vantage point, the bird was cooperative enough to wait for us to drive below it and get a more proper angle of the sun.

One last shot before we headed south as a winter plumaged Laughing gull flew overhead. While I've photographed plenty of Laughing gulls in my day, I decided to get in another shot of the bird in its not-so-glamorous garb. And now, it's back on the road, heading south once again.

Laughing gull

Day 28: January 28th - Viera Wetlands

2012-01-28T18:55:00.003-05:00

Sunny but cooler, temps mid 60's

Great blue heron at sunrise

When you get an opportunity to work with one of the top nature photographers in the nation, you have to seize the moment. Actually, I made arrangements to photograph in Viera Wetlands with Kevin Karlson more than three months ago and have been looking forward to this day ever since. Kevin is the co-author of the best selling field guide The Shorebird Guide, a new book The Birds of Cape May, which "Birds and Blooms" says is one of the six books published recently that people interested in their topic MUST read, and his newest entitled Visions which is due to be released later this spring.

I have been into photography since the age of 12 (that's some time ago), but I realize that no matter how long I work at it or how much I think I know about the art form, there is still plenty to learn. Kevin proved that to me today. The old myth about "you can't teach an old dog new tricks" was busted once again today as this old cur picked up volumes of useful tips and immediately put them into practice. In the photo above, I utilized several of the techniques suggested by Kevin, and I am well pleased with the results.

Kevin covered a number of topics, but his area of concentration was the photography of birds in flight. It's kind of like golf in that you need to put together a number of different elements and remember to pay heed to each and every one in order to get that really good shot. Rather than go through the tenants of the photography of birds in flight, I'll simply say that if you ever meet Kevin or have the opportunity to get out in the field with him on one of his workshops, don't think twice. I already have plans to be with him this summer on Long Island for another session in the field. It is truly exciting to be able to immerse yourself in your passion and have a true expert in the field with you to advise you on how to tweak those shots and make the camera a true tool at your command rather than having the camera dictate what it wants you to do. That's the difference between snapshots and photographs. If you want to perfect your craft, you have to seek out the guidance to bring your game up a notch. I feel Kevin Karlson did that for me today.

Bald eagle, Viera Wetlands

Plunging Caspian tern

Great blue herons on the nest

Day 27: January 27th - Central Florida Specialties

2012-01-27T18:12:00.004-05:00

Rain early, then clearing with mild temps

We are heading out to the central part of the state this morning....EARLY morning! We're up at 4:00 AM and join our party at 5:00 to travel the 1 1/2 hours to the Kissimee/St. Cloud area. This reagion has several different refuges and is know for birds classified as "local" and "uncommon". Our guides are some of the top folks in Florida, so we have high hopes.

We depart under dark and dreary skies, but so far it's dry. That doesn't last for long, however, as the rain begins to fall. By the time we reach our first destination, Joe Overstreet Landing, the rain is soft but steady. We were hoping for both Bachman's sparrow, and endangered rarity, and the Snail kite, also a species in danger. Plenty of eagles as well as some new species like the Eurasian collared dove and the Purple gallinule. Our best shot is that of a very cooperative Bald eagle. The county we find ourselves birding in today, Osceola, has more nesting pairs of eagles than any other in the state, so the sighting is not that surprising. What is surprising is that the eagle lands on a piling ans allows people a reasonably close approach. The photo below was taken with a little SONY Point and shoot, but still turned out to be fairly decent.

From here, we travelled to Three Lakes Wildlife Management Area. The rain had abated for the most part, so we hiked down the dirt road towards the campground. We had a number of Brown-headed nuthatches and Pine warblers in good views. Even without the scope, they were easy to see and identify. Suddenly, the call of one of our targets the Bachman's sparrow was heard. We quietly walked further along the road, drawing closer to the song. As we searched for the songster, we found target number 2, the Red-cocladed woodpecker, out in plain view and remarkably stationary. Too distant for a decent photo (although I'll include the poor quality shot here for documentary purposes), the bird was easily seen through the scope.

Suddenly, one of our number located the sparrow as he looked for the woodpecker! For many, this was two "life-birds" back to back. Sharon and I have not had either of these birds for several years now, so it was indeed a treat to see them both at once.

One of our final stops was the "Florida Forever" Ecotour preserve. We had several new warblers, a fine Great-crested flycatcher, two Crested caracaras, our first Green heron of the year and both the White-eyed and Blue-headed vireo.

We finish out the day with one more specialty...the Snail kite at Bishman Park in Kissimee. Once again, the views is fine through the scope, but too far to capture on film.

A long but productive day and one well worth the time and effort. By day's end, we had added new year-birds and were happy campers.

Day 26: January 26th - Port Canaveral, Banana River

2012-01-26T17:58:00.002-05:00

Mostly sunny, 78 degrees, breezy

We're out on the water today...the Banana River, to be exact. Or, to be more precise, it's the Banana Lagoon since it flows neither north nor south. We are departing on a pontoon boat out of Harbortown Marina in Merritt Island, FL.

Harbortown Marina

The winds have picked up as a cold front is moving into the area, so the water has become a bit choppy and will prevent us from getting in close to the shore or the jetties. Still, we hope for the possibility that the east wind that has picked up will blow a couple of pelagics like Gannets or Shearwaters into the inlet. We are also hoping to get our first White pelicans of the year. Well, one of the three targets showed up anyway. A group of 47 White pelicans has massed on a sandbar just outside the lock which will take us from the lagoon to the inlet heading out to sea. One or two have separated from the group and are close enough to give me a decent shot.

White pelican with DC Cormorants

The pelicans are in close to proximity to their Brown cousins and the comparison of the size of one with the other is striking. The Whites are the largest birds in North America, having a wingspan of from 9 to 10 feet! They can weigh as much as 16 pounds and are therefore not good at plunge diving to get their food as the Brown pelicans are. These guys cruise along the surface and "seine" their food from the water.

The other main players on, in, and above the water today are the Ospreys. The opening and closing of the locks stirs up the water and gets the bait fish close to the surface, a perfect scenario for "going out to dinner" if you are an osprey. Several ospreys sat on the dikes rather the perching on the pilings or on the surrounding towers. They would fly up, hovers, and look for potential food before descending back to terra firma and resting before taking to the air once again.

Hovering ospreys

Tomorrow, we will head to the center of the state in the hopes of finding such Florida specialties as Snail kites, Bachman sparrows, Red-cockaded woodpeckers, and Crested caracara. The forecast is for some pretty heavy rain, but we will wait to see what tomorrow will bring.

Day 25: January 25th - Merritt Island NWR

2012-01-25T09:21:00.004-05:00

A beautiful sunny warm day..... (76 degrees)

It's another in a string of gorgeous warm sunny days here in Florida. Today is the first day of the Space Coast Birding Festival and we are planning on attending the Keynote speech by Richard Crossley, co-author of The Shorbird Guide and the Crossley ID Guide to Eastern Birds. One of Florida's best known and loved birding havens is Merritt Island NWR, site of the Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral. We introduced the area to our friends John and Rosie, and they are eager to join us.

I need to add a Great Horned Owl to the "year-list" and we have reports that the bird is nesting in precisely the same abandoned (or perhaps usurped) osprey nest where she nested last year down at the refuge. It's always a real pleasure to travel to a reported sighting and find the bird as promised. Today, such is the case.

Great horned owl

After adding the owl to our list, we make tracks to our next "promised" bird, the Painted bunting. Without question, the Painted bunting is one of the most beautiful birds of North America. So many times, you scratch your head asking the question, "What were they thinking?" when looking at a bird and matching it to its name. It the Purple finch really purple? Is the Red-bellied woodpecker really red-bellied? Well, here is a bird which lives up to its mane to the nth degree. It's as if an artist picked out the most striking colors imaginable and got to work. The colors don't even blend into one another, they are simply a collection of the most striking rich colors, each occupying their own space and making for one spectacular bird. Once again, as promised, the bird is on site and ready to be photographed.

Painted bunting

We're on a tight schedule now as we really want to make the 4mile trip around Black Point Drive, the wildlife drive for which Merritt Island is best known. For the past several years, this area has been stricken with drought and birds were in much fewer numbers than normal. The area could still use some rain, but the water levels are considerably higher than the last time we were here and the birds are showing their appreciation by showing up in nice numbers. New year-birds added to the list include the American avocet, Roseate spoonbill, American wigeon, and the bird shown below, the Horned grebe. There are too many American coots to hazard a guess as to the total numbers....10,000 or more (well, I said I wouldn't guess and then did it anyway). This truly is a birder's paradise and we've only begun. Tomorrow, we will be out on the Indian River by boat to see what we can find. See you then.

Horned grebe

Day 24: January 24th - Indian River Lagoon Preserve

2012-01-24T16:47:00.000-05:00

Sunny and warm

On each Tuesday while we are here in New Smyrna Beach, I help a Florida birding buddy Don conduct a bird walk through a local park, Indian River Lagoon Preserve. The park is run under the auspices of the Marine Discovery Center. Don has been running this program for several years now and has a loyal following of half a dozen or so "snow-birders" as well as many folks who join us for a week or two while vacationing here in the sunshine state.

Indian River Lagoon Preserve

John Bart is with me this morning as I make my first showing of the season. It's great to see many of the "old gang" once again and to get back out onto the trail with them as we try to garner Don's mandatory "25 before anyone is allowed to leave". It should be a perfect morning for birding as the skies are calm and the temps are warm. But in this game, you quickly learn that you never say "never" and you never can confidently predict that the place will be "dripping" with birds. In spite of what we would consider ideal conditions, it is quiet.....dead quiet. The preserve is comprised of a short trail through woodlands and then a second short trail out to the lagoon's edge. It is usually no major feat to have sightings of 30+ birds in the first 1 1/2 hours of so. Today, we really have to work for the birds and we eventually end up the day with 29 after 2 1/2 hours of 10 birders searching the trees, the grasses, the water's edge, the surface of the lagoon near and far and the skies overhead.

Common loon

Our best sighting was probably the common loon which although remaining somewhat distant, still afforded us lengthy looks through the scopes. The ever-present Yellow-rumped warblers provided us with constant action, but it still only counts as 1 species.

Yellow-rumped warblers

Mourning doves are the second most abundant and the Carolina wrens provided the sound track while remaining reclusive regarding visual contact. We'll be at it for the next three months and it is always of interest to see what the next Tuesday brings. So....don't go away!

Day 23: January 23rd - Canaveral National Seashore

2012-01-23T14:27:00.002-05:00

Sunny and warm 75 degrees

View from Turtle Mound, Canaveral National Seashore

Canaveral National Seashore is an extensive stretch of pristine beach protected from development and set aside for the preservation of habitat and wildlife. While I don't consider the refuge the "birdiest" of our haunts, it does have a lot of character. In the past, the town of ElDora sat along the shores of the Indian River Lagoon and acted as one of the major waystations for the vessels carrying the native fruit north from the many orchards along the river. Today, a restored building is the only real remnant of this time gone by. As you walk down the old access road to the statehouse, you pass under the overhanging limbs of the giant live oaks so typical of the part of Florida. In the spring, the oaks are a favorite haunt of migrating warblers, but during the winter months, this habitat can be pretty quiet. And so it is today.

This is one of the best locations to sight the little armadillos as they forage along the roadside, digging their snouts into the sandy soil in search of bugs and grubs. A little one we spotted today would occasionally rear up on its hind legs like a begging puppy.

Their beady eyes serve them poorly and if you remain motionless, they will often walk within a foot of you, paying little heed. Their platy armor serves then well therefore, so they will roll into a tight ball if threatened by predators.

We also spotted a nice close-up osprey perched on a limb overlooking the lagoon.

He disappeared shortly after I took this shot and swept out over the water, plunging to take a nice fish. A nearby immature eagle was obviously watching this activity, and quickly flew in to relieve the osprey of his quarry. This is a scene we see very often down here. When Ben Franklin fought against the establishment of the Bald eagle as our national symbol for this very reason. The eagle is more of an opportunistic plunderer than a skilled hunter or at least it would seem so from our observations.

We'll be heading up to the Halifax River Audubon's meeting later this evening in Holly Hill, FL, so we use cut our trip through the seashore short. We will return for sure in the near future, however.

Day 22: January 22nd - A Walk on the Beach

2012-01-22T16:21:00.001-05:00

Sunny, calm skies, warm with temps in the low 70's

New Smyrna Beach

It's our first full day on the beach in the town of New Smyrna Beach, and it is gratifying to see some of our old "friends" we have grown so accustomed to working the shoreline. It's a totally integrated cast of characters as we find Royal terns, Laughing gulls, Ring-billls, a few Herring gulls, two Great Black-backed gulls, and Ruddy turnstones sharing their turf with the Sanderlings.

Ring-billed gull

Many of the birds are simply standing in place, all facing into what little breeze there is, but the Sanderlings are doing what Sanderlings do....chasing the ebbing waves into the ocean and then retreating quickly as the surf comes rolling back onto the beach. A Willet or two are also to be found and they also are foraging along the surf line in search of any little morsel which might come floating by.

Royal tern

Our shot of the day goes to a Royal tern which is trying to prepare for his cameo by preening and getting his "-do" just right for the camera. It's an incredibly beautiful day for mid-winter even by Florida standards. We can only hope that this is the beginning of an extended period of warming temps and dry weather for us northern birders.

Day 21: January 21st - Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge, GA

2012-01-21T21:00:00.003-05:00

Mostly sunny, warm (70's), calm winds

Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge has become one of favorite stop-overs as we travel back to New York from Florida in the spring. It is a haven for Yellow-crowned night herons and other herons and egrets as well as many passerines returning north along with us for the warming climes of their breeding grounds. For whatever reason, however, we rarely pay a visit to this refuge during the winter months. We are anxious to see what birds will await us when we visit today.

Well, we are somewhat disappointed by the lack of the night-herons...both black and yellow-crowned. But at the Woody Pond where we are used to seeing the herons, we do find many other birds. In the distance, a lone Red-shouldered hawk is watching over the pond which is littered with coots, Hooded mergansers, a few Pied-billed grebes and two pair of Buffleheads. In the low-lying brush adjacent to the pond, a diminutive Ruby-crowned kinglet is picking little bugs from the undersides of the leaves.

Ruby-crowned kinglet

Waxwings and robins fill the surrounding trees as Chipping sparrows and Goldfinches work the lower brush and grasses.

Chipping sparrow

We travel on around the wildlife drive and park the car to walk in along one of the old roadways of what was a military air field. Lesser scaup, a Little blue heron, some more Hooded mergs, and Buffleheads are in the shallow impoundments as an occasional Forster's tern flies overhead. The best sighting for me, however, is a small group of blackbirds perched in a tree overhanging the shallows. A quick glimpse with the binoculars reveals that pale iris which says, "Rusty blackbird", a bird I haven't seen in a couple of years!

Rusty blackbird

A nice addition to the year list which makes the stop at this marvelous refuge well worth the time and effort to visit here. I'm sure when we return in May, we will finally get those Yellow-crowns we missed today. For now, we'll gladly take the Rusties. Time to get back on I-95 as we continue our journey south.

Day 20: January 20th- Hilton Head Island

2012-01-20T17:44:00.001-05:00

Mostly sunny, calm, high 60's

A most pleasant day today as we spend our final day on Hilton Head Island exploring the last few "Important Bird Areas" on the island. We began by exploring the beach and found surprising few birds. A few shallow depressions filled with water were being foraged by a half dozen or so Sanderlings, and Ring-billed gulls were seen out over the surf. But that was about it for the ocean environs.

The beach at Hilton Head, NC

From the beach, we headed to a local park by the name of Jarvis Creek. Beautiful little park with a good size deck overlooking a pond which was just filled with Double-creasted Cormorants, Ring-billed gulls, and a lone Wood stork (first of the year). There were so many small fish near the surface that the cormorants were all dipping down and coming up with a fine morsel on virtually every attempt. The gulls were swooping down with similar success and a pair of Greater scaup (also FOTY) were crossing the opposite bank.

Cormorant buffet

DC Cormorant

At the end of the day, however, I finally capture what I have to consider as the "Pick of the Day". The quality was not the best, but the subject and the context make it stand out in my mind. Of all places I've photographed Eastern bluebirds, I never before captured the image of this bird while perched on a deck brush. The bird, located on a boat at Harbour Town, was more than cooperative and wins the honors of the day. Here he is......

Image of the day - Bluebird in Harbour Town

Day 19: January 19th - Robber's Row Golf Course

2012-01-19T22:01:00.002-05:00

Sunny, temperature 61 degrees

Robber's Row Golf Course

The jury is still out regarding the effect of golf courses on our environment. Do the chemicals used by so many of the courses have an adverse effect on the surrounding area, or are course management strategies changing....becoming more "green" to the point that they might actually enhance the habitat? Well, there is no getting around the fact that the local environs are altered to a fairly substantial degree. I have mixed feelings in that I love nature, I love birding, I love photography, and I also love playing golf. So, obviously what you are getting here is not exactly an unbiased reflection.
What I have seen over and over is a great deal of wildlife activity taking place around the courses I've played. The positive side is the addition of water features, the efforts by many courses to preserve the surround habitat which might otherwise become strip malls, condos, parking lots, and any other of a plethora of other less desirable constructions. The courses also provide "edges" along which many birds find excellent hunting opportunities.
A brief anecdote regarding yesterday's outing at Robber's Row Golf Course on Hilton Head Island. The entire left hand side of one of the Par 3's was a water feature. The shallow pond extended about 125 yards and was about 30 yards across. Along the far edge, we observed 5 turtles being ever so slowly stalked by an alligator. The gator was moving almost imperceptibly towards its quarry while to our amazement a flotilla of 6 Hooded mergansers swam in right next to the gator. Within a few moments, a Great egret had also joined the group. We didn't have time to see any outcome (if there indeed was one), but I do know that gators will gladly feed on any unsuspecting turtle not vigilant enough to avoid becoming a meal. Note the "heads up" posture of the turtles in today's "photo of the day". I have the feeling that none of these guys was going to satisfy the gator's appetite today.
Golf, birding, nature, photography...it doesn't get much better than this.

Turtles and Gator in waiting

Day 18: January 18th - Sea Pines Forest Preserve

2012-01-18T19:40:00.000-05:00

Early clouds, becoming sunny and mild (61 degrees)

Well, what a pleasant surprise. Less than 5 minutes from the door of our condo in Sea Pines, Hilton Head, we discovered the Sea Pines Forest Preserve. The 605 acres was set aside in 1970 for wildlife habitat and outdoor recreation. One can drive throughout the preserve or park and hike the several miles of woodland trails, bridle paths, and wetland boardwalks. Several of these lead to observation decks, fishing docks, and a major picnic pavilion.

Lawton Rice Field Boardwalk

There are four lakes within the preserve and our first sightings of Anhingas this year were on this preserve. One of the trails is aptly named the "Anhinga" trail, and all along the shoreline, we found both male and female birds.

Female anhinga

The shot(s) of the day go to a series of photographs which show a Forster's tern taking advantage the rich bounty of baitfish upon which the terns were feeding. As we watched their plunges into the water, we could tell that the success rate was high with more birds emerging from their dives with fish in their bills than not. This preserve is a gem and we will revisit it in the future.

Forster's tern - begins the dive

Locked on the target

Impact is imminent

Day 17: January 17th - Savannah National Wildlife Refuge

2012-01-17T18:43:00.004-05:00

Partly sunny, 68 degrees, calming winds

As I wandered through cyberspace this morning, Googling new locations to bird around Hilton Head Island where we are stationed for the week, I realized that we were only 28 miles from another great National Wildlife Refuge, Savannah NWR. I proposed the possibility of a visit to this site to our group, and with little hesitation, we packed the SUV and were ready to roll.

Laurel Hill Wildlife Drive, Savannah NWR

Upon arrival, we scout the area around the kiosk at the head of the Laurel Hill Wildlife Drive, a 4 mile gravel road around the impoundments of the refuge. A few "LBJ"s (little brown jobs for you non-birders) are flitting around the trees, but we are anxious to get out onto the drive.
We drive through the 4 mile drive in a blistering mile an hour pace.....that's right, 4 hours to complete 4 miles. Harriers, kestrels, Red-shouldered hawks, and at least one Sharp-shinned hawk are patrolling the area as a nice collection of shovelers, Blue-winged teal, Gadwalls, the omnipresent American coots, Pied-billed grebes, Lesser scaup and others dotted the surface of the impoundments. With all these on site to choose from, finding the "shot of the day" was going to be difficult. That was until we ran into our first-of-the-year Logger shrike sitting out on an open limb in perfect lighting made its appearance.

Loggerhead shrike

At day's end, we did manage to add 5 new "year birds" from the 40 birds we listed for the day. Great weather for January 17th, an enjoyable productive drive around the preserve, and a nice visual images of some wonderful birds made for another fantastic day in the field.

Day 16: January 16th - Pinckney National Wildlife Refuge

2012-01-16T10:17:00.005-05:00

Partly cloudy, calm winds, 54 degrees

Pinckney NWR is a wetland located 1/2 mile west of Hilton Head Island, SC. Our targets today include any of the sparrows associated with salt marshes....Seaside, Saltmarsh, and Nelson's. Let's see what we can find!

Pinckney National Wildlife Refuge

Plenty of hiking around the refuge and very little in the way of a "drive-around". The hiking is very easy, however, as the "trails" are as wide was most wood roads and are steady underfoot. Our targets today are the sparrows as mentioned above, but they were so elusive as to make identification difficult at best, skulking in the depths of the thick cover of reeds and rushes as they are want to do.
We travelled along the Ibis Pond Trail and eventually came upon the "pond". More of a fresh water moat around an island of low lying scrub and trees, the area was an oasis for the local avian life. Passerines were flying in and out of the shrubs, and "first-of-the-year" Common gallinules, Coots, and Hooded mergs were swimming in the water surrounding the island.

On our right, as we circumvented the island oasis, a thick stand of long-leaf pine seemed like a likely habitat for the Brown-headed nuthatches which had eluded me up at Santee. No calls, no visual sign, but man, it looked like such ideal habitat for the Brown-heads. So, I pulled out the "jam" and gave a few "shout-outs" to see if I rouse any these little guys. Within 30 seconds, three of the nuthatches descended upon me. I grabbed the Nikon and fired away....evidence of another year bird.

Brown-headed nuthatch

Coming around to the back side of the island oasis, we came across a pair of Hooded mergansers. The male was obviously interested in the female as he had his hood fully raised and was certainly making headway, or so we thought. Before long, he seemed to lose interest and with lowered hood, swam away from the female with an air of "who needs you?" Playing hard-to-get may pay off for the drake, however, as when we were about to leave, the hen seemed to be moving in closer, trying to close in and perhaps make amends with the male. It is the middle of winter, and this may in fact be mere role-playing. But for now, it appears to be a "man's world" with the male in control of his own destiny.

Video: Hooded mergansers

Day 15: January 15th - Shelter Cove, Hilton Head

2012-01-15T18:39:00.002-05:00

Beautiful sunshine, cool mid 50's, Calm winds

Our first full day on Hilton Head is led by our friends John and Rosie who scouted out the area prior to our arrival yesterday afternoon, They have located a community park called Veterans's Memorial which is part of the Shelter Cove Park system. They had nice birds there yesterday, and so we head out with eager anticipation.

White ibis

We begin with a mature Bald eagle soaring overhead, an indication of things to come. Our second bird of the day is a chevron of three White ibises doing a fly-by as we watch from the observation deck overlooking the marsh. Great blue herons and Great egrets dot the landscape as we scan the horizon for any other new species. We come to a meadow which is literally inundated with Yellow-rumped warblers on almost every tree, shrub, and sapling. A pond the size of a football field lies beyond this meadow and a cursory glance reveals a large group of male and female Buffleheads. We move around the pond behind the protective cover of wax myrtle and bay to find that there are much more than the Buffleheads to keep us looking. Great blue herons, Great egrets, more than 10 Black-crowned night herons, a lone Pied-billed grebe, a Bonaparte's gull, half a dozen Double-crested cormorants, and both Turkey and Black vultures overhead join the myriad of Yellow-rumps and Palm warblers to set this beautiful stage with a remarkable cast of characters.

Shelter Cove Park

We spend 20 minutes or so watching the show and then head back towards the car. On our way, we come across a small group of Eastern bluebirds which descend upon us to see what we are up to.

Eastern bluebirds

As we leave the area, we make one more stop at a marsh across the street and walk a short way along a black-topped trail. Coming around a blind corner, we run headlong into a low flying Sharp-shinned hawk which "buzzes" us before continuing down the trail. Our final sighting is a group of 4 Great egrets along with 2 "first of the year" Snowy egrets. It's time to head back to our quarters to watch the Giants-Packers game. Quite an afternoon for just staying close to our condo. We have a listing of 9 more nature preserves on the Island to visit, and so we know that we will not be at a loss for places to check out.

Day 14: January 14th - Santee National Wildlife Reserve

2012-01-14T16:25:00.001-05:00

Calmer winds, temp = 54 degrees, sunny

Santee NWR wood road

Never says never! Our major target bird as we descend upon Santee National Wildlife Refuge was the Brown-headed nuthatch. Every time we travel through this part of the state, we stop at the same kayak launch in the Cuddo Unit of the refuge. It's a sure thing. "We never miss this bird". Well, "never" ended today. We waited and we waited for the nuthatches to appear as they always do. But not today. Somewhat of a disappointment in that this is a bird that is difficult to find. And today is not the day to check this little guy off our year list. BUT..... as we are waiting to find the nuthatch, Sharon spots two Ruby-crowned kinglets flitting as kinglets do amount the branches of the pines. They are called "ruby-crowned" because of the striking red crowns these birds display when aroused. You "Never" see the ruby crown, except for today. Both kinglets were in full display with their crimson swatches glowing in the midst of the dark green of the pines. So, you take what you get. No nuthatch, but a rare sighting of two kinglets in full regalia.

Ruby-crowned kinglet

The red heads are the color of the day as we also have un unusually fine sighting of a red-bellied woodpecker along one of the wood roads in the preserve. The lighting was ideal and the bird was well positioned to give me one more decent shot for the day.

Red-bellied woodpecker

It's time to head south again, and it's off to Hilton Head for at the next week. Stay tuned and we'll see what the upcoming week has to offer.

Day 13: January 13 - Mattamuskeet NWR, NC

2012-01-13T19:13:00.002-05:00

Sunny, cooler with temps in the low 40's, windy!

We drove down to the area near Mattamuskeet NWR around Swan Quarter yesterday afternoon so that we would be close to the refuge this morning. Our goal is to get decent shots of the Tundra swans, and the rangers we called said Mattamuskeet was the place to check out. Upon our arrival, we found our first of the year Hooded mergansers in close and in great light. Whether we find the swans or not, this sighting makes the trip well worth the time and effort and puts our fears of a Friday the 13th jinx to rest.

Hooded merganser

Along the wildlife drive into the headquarters, we find no swans, but we did have good looks at Pintails, a fine juvenile Bald eagle, tons of Coots (again), our first DC Cormorants of the year and some nice Ruddy ducks and Pied-billed grebes.

At the refuge headquarters, we struck up a conversation with one of the park rangers and asked him about his thoughts as to our best chance to capture some decent images of the Tundras. He sent us back out to the main road we followed on our way to the refuge access road and said to check all along the road sides along the impoundments. Although the birds were somewhat distant, we did eventually find a group close enough to give us acceptable shots....couldn't ask for much more than that.

Tundra swan

Following a couple of hours at the refuge, we take off for Santee, SC where we will visit Santee National Wildlife Refuge tomorrow morning. From there, it's on to Hilton Head Island where we will spend the next week with our northern NY friends John and Rosie. Hilton Head is new to all of us, so it will be a case of the blind leading the blind around the island. Wish us luck.....

Day 12: January 12th - Chincoteague Island, VA

2012-01-12T19:20:00.001-05:00

Sunny, mild (60 degrees) calm

The Beach at Chincoteague

Continuing our journey south, we bird Chincoteague Island along the Virginia coast in search of some new year birds as well as two sought after mammals, the wild ponies of Chincoteague and the endangered Delmarva fox squirrel. To be honest, at this time of year, the wild ponies are herded into paddocks and kept safe for the winter, so finding these is not exactly like the proverbial needle in the haystack. It’s much more like going to the petting zoo. But, they are wild, they are not tame, and they are charismatic. So, here’s the first picture of the day….the wild ponies of Chincoteague.

Wild ponies of Chincoteague

As for the “year birds” we were hoping for, we did even better than anticipated. At one point, we had Bonaparte’s gulls, Forster’s terns, Snow geese, Tundra swans, Marbled godwits, Pintail ducks, and many more “expected” birds all in the same pond at the same time. We checked the beach in the hopes of spotting “first of the year” surf scoters as well, but that was to no avail.

Snow geese and Tundra swans

Bonaparte's gull following Forster's tern

We are still heading south and therefore could not spend as much time as we would have liked at this birding magnet, but for the two hours we were able to devote to the site, we were more than well rewarded. As we reluctantly departed from the Island, we did manage to come across our first of the fox squirrels, a fitting farewell to a fine stopover. For now, it’s “on the road again”.

Delmarva fox squirrel

Day 11: January 11th - Atlantic Coastal Plain

2012-01-11T17:15:00.003-05:00

Occasional showers, calm winds, 47 degrees

Atlantic Coastal Plain south of Diver, Delaware

We're on the road, heading south through New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and now Virginia. Living in the Hudson Highlands, we are in "topo shock" as we leave the mountains and enter the Atlantic Coastal Plain. The Coastal Plain is an area of low elevation and low relief what extends all the way from New Jersey to Florida. Composed of mostly sandstone and in many areas covered with deposits of sand, the region is ideal for agriculture. Unfortunately (in the eyes of many of us birders), it is also ideal for development. Flat, good drainage, and proximity to the attraction of the shore makes this prime real estate. The combination of the dreary weather, the occasional rainfall, and the fact that we are in transit, makes for limited wildlife observations today, but tomorrow, we plan on visiting Chincoteague Island in Virginia, and we should be able to more than make up for our "sacrifice" today. So, until tomorrow......

Day 10: January 10th - Vulture Roost

2012-01-10T16:45:00.000-05:00

Cloudy, calm, 46 degrees

It’s a cloudy and damp day. Although the temperature is far too warm for snow, the humidity and the dreary skies belie that fact. It’s the kind of day where a shot of vultures seems just the ticket…..dark subjects for a dark day. Rings Pond in Cornwall, NY has for whatever reason become a favorite roosting site of vultures these days. These roosts may attract 50 – 60 vultures at any one time. The dominant species on this day is the more gregarious Black vulture. The Black vultures are distinguished from their more common “cousins” the Turkey vultures by a black wrinkled face, shorter tails, and wing-tips which appear to have been dipped in a silvery wash.

Black vultures

Why the vultures have chosen Rings Pond is a mystery to me. These birds feed on dead animal matter called “carrion” and most often are seen along roadsides and landfills where such material is generally quite available. Rings, however, is a municipal park with a pond much more attractive to the gulls, mallards, and escaped domestic ducks which are commonly observed here.

While locals may not be thrilled about the prospects of these neighbors moving in, the vultures are in fact quite sanitary. Their digestive juices are so strong that their excrement is considered to be disease-free. And while their appearance puts them in the ranks of the less charismatic characters of the natural world, their activity helps to dispose of dead and decaying animals and may in fact prevent the spread of certain diseases. And so we see that in nature, beauty is only skin deep.

Roosting Black vultures

Day 9: January 9th - The Silent Winter

2012-01-09T21:56:00.004-05:00

Sunny, light winds, 44 degrees

“Those who dwell, as scientists or laymen, among the beauties and mysteries of the earth, are never alone or weary of life.”

― Rachel Carson

One of only two Red-tails seen today

In 1962, Rachael Carson first published her epic work entitled The Silent Spring. Her book warned of a time to come when if things did not change, there would be no bird song to wake us in the morning or lull us to sleep at night. Our use of pesticides was so rampant and indiscriminate that our avian neighbors were slowly being eradicated before our very eyes. Well, thank God, those conditions were greatly remediated, much to the credit of Carson’s warnings, and we slowed the rapid decline of birds in our world.

Well, things are not so dire as they were in the 60’s and the reasons for our “Silent Winter” while not being well defined are more than likely the result of a fluky weather pattern that has developed across the Northeast this winter. Many birders and others who spend a good deal of time in the forest have noticed an eerie silence this season when walking though the woods. Our recent Christmas Count came up with the identical number of species as last year but the total numbers of individuals was half of what it was in 2010! Today, members of the Harriman State Park “League of Naturalists” were out in the field to observe and count the number of birds and other wildlife species which were found in the park on this day. Again, the numbers were way down.

Tree sparrow

True, there were pockets of good numbers of birds like this Tree Sparrow, and the White-tailed deer seen here were in good numbers (our group counted 43 today), but there was an almost frightening quietude as we hiked the trails of Harriman in most areas.

Unusually warm temperatures? Results of the devastation wrought by Hurricane Irene and the freak October snowstorm in the second half of last year? One can only guess. But it certainly will be interesting to see what is headed our way for the rest of 2012.

Check out the video of the many White-tailed deer seen during today's wildlife count.

Day 8: January 8th - Bald eagle Roost Count

2012-01-08T18:54:00.001-05:00

Partly sunny, calm, 42 degrees

What a difference a year makes. Each year, the Trailside Museum and the League of Naturalists at Bear Mountain and Harriman State Park help the state conduct a three part Bald eagle “Roost Count”. The idea is that if you know where the eagles which are wintering here in the Hudson Valley will roost for the night, you can get a fairly accurate count of how many eagles are in the area by having volunteers set up to watch these eagles arrive at the various sites and count them. Since we have a number of roosts covered by different volunteers at the exact same time, you know that the same birds are not being counted twice. The site to which we have been assigned is known as the “Anchor Monument” near Tompkins Cove, NY.

Anchor Monument Roost Area

Bald eagle (archival photo)

Last year, the weather pattern was just the opposite of this winter. Last year, there was snow on the ground and ice on the river. When there is ice on the river, you get eagles visiting this part of the Hudson.. North of us, if the lakes and rivers are frozen over, the eagles have no access to the fish within those waters. And so, they migrate south to our location where there is easy access to open water and fish. Last year, an unusually cold and snowy winter, we counted over 60 eagles at our site alone.

Fast forward one year. The winter of 2011-2012 has up to this point in time been inordinately warm with only a couple of days where the temperature has not risen above the freezing point. If there is unfrozen water on the lakes and streams north of us, the eagles need not make the trip to the Highlands. They have ample access to food right where they are and are content to remain there. That is apparently the case this year as evidenced by our latest count at the same roost area…..two birds. That’s right, over 60 last year and two this year. The second bird to be counted actually arrived at the very end of the observation period as the sun set and the full moon rose.

The winter has only begun, and what will transpire in the next two months remains to be seen. But for now, the eagles in the Hudson Valley are few and far between.

Day 7: January 7th - Sunrise over Storm King Mountain

2012-01-07T18:43:00.002-05:00

Sunny, gentle warm breeze, 54 degrees

Sunrise over the Storm King Mountain above West Point, NY is always different. Each day is spectacular in its own way. The valley may be shrouded in fog while the tops of the mountains peak just above the mist. On other days, the autumn sun paints a remarkable scene with an incredible palette of pastel colors. Often in winter, the snow blankets the entire topography, and the sun glistens brilliantly off the reflective surface with a cool blue tint. Today, the sun was just rising above Cro’s Nest, the mountain to the southeast of Storm King and its shadow crept almost imperceptibly down the valley wall as the sun was lifting above the horizon. The rich golden hue seemed even deeper than normal this morning, and the warm tones mirrored the balmy temperatures….remarkable considering that we are heading into the second week of January. It surely was a beautiful commencement to another magical day in the Hudson Valley.

Day 6: January 6th - A Fine Consolation

2012-01-06T18:25:00.000-05:00

Partly cloudy, 46 degrees, Calm

Much of the birding we do is dependent upon reports we receive via the Internet. “E-bird” has become the life-line for many a birder, especially those of us who like to “chase” rare birds. E-bird and the New York list-serve have been posting reports of an extremely rare find in New Jersey…..a Common chaffinch. This colorful finch is quite common indeed in Europe and western Asia, but to find one in the States is definitely unique. The bird has been visiting a back yard feeding station in Union, New Jersey since December 20^th, and for whatever reason, I’ve been putting off the 2 hour trip….until today. If it has been in Jersey since before Christmas, surely it will be an easy North American lifer for both Sharon and me. So off we go.

Carolina wren

When we arrived at our destination, the handwriting was on the wall. The street curbs looked like the worst mall parking lot on “Black Friday”, a real nightmare. When we finally parked and walked up to the house where the owners were kind enough to allow birders to come and visit, there were 62 birders, not counting Sharon and me, jostling for position to see the expected Chaffinch. Whether it was the crowd, the unnecessary conversation, or simply that the bird had finally moved on, we were not going to see this bird today. We gave it our best, waiting patiently for 2 ½ hours for the bird to materialize, but to no avail. I did manage to pick up a couple of nice “year birds” in the form of a Ruby-crowned kinglet and a Carolina wren. But those certainly don’t equal a bird visiting from Eurasia! This story does have a happy ending, however.

I began by saying that we birders rely greatly on networking in our quest for new birds. In my house, I am “king” of computer networking. My wife, Sharon, however is definitely the “queen” of social networking, and she will always “work the crowd” to find out whatever info is to be had regarding other neat sightings in the immediate area. Today, she struck up a conversation with a well know photographer who gave us the lowdown on another great find, the Snowy owl. We plugged in the appropriate coordinates into the GPS and off we went. When we arrived at our destination, it was only a ¼ mile hike back into the base of the dam at Merrill Creek Reservoir in Washington, NJ. With the help of a local birder, we were quickly on the owl, a young supposedly female who with a little maneuvering could be seen in the clear. Distant, yes, but still a clear enough shot to warrant the “image of the day” title. So, Chaffinch or no Chaffinch, the day was a success with a great sighting.

Snowy owl

Day 5: January 5th - Ducks in love

2012-01-05T16:30:00.000-05:00

Overcast, temps-high 30s, breezy

One of our local ponds is not dissimilar from most other bodies of fresh water in that you can always count on at least a small population of Mallards to be present. I thought today might be different in that we have had several nights of rather severe cold with temperatures in the low teens to single digits. The ducks need open water to feed, and once the ponds are iced over, the mallards move on in search of ice-free water elsewhere. "Elsewhere" usually means areas of wider expanses of water such as the Hudson River or areas where the water is moving such as the outlet of a stream into a larger body of water.

Well, today the Mallards were still content to sit it out at Roe Pond in spite of the fact that this body of water was close to 99% iced over. But….there is an inlet into the pond where an area of about 8 X 5 feet was open. Whether or not the area was large enough to supply vegetation for the 8 ducks that were present is another story, however. Each and every car that pulled in to park for a look at the lake drew a crowd. The ducks quickly left their little pool and waddled over to the car, waiting for a handout. Obviously, folks often pull into the lot with scraps of bread for the little beggars and they know a good thing when they see it. If the car windows remained shut and no offering was made by the drivers, however, the ducks were quick to return to their quarters and wait for the next vehicle to pull in. If you look closely towards the end of the video clip, however, one pair of mallards decided to take advantage of their "time alone".

It happened so quickly, however, that by the time the first duck began to return to the pool, the love-birds were all finished and acting as if nothing at all had taken place. Ah, winter, and love is in the air.

The weather promises to get warmer over the next couple of days and the thin skim of ice will quickly disappear, opening up the water once again and allowing the ducks free reign over their dominion,

Day 4: January 4th - Shawangunk National Wildlife Refuge

2012-01-04T19:11:00.003-05:00

Cloudy, temp – 26 degrees, light breeze

We head north today to the New Paltz – Shawangunk region. We have 4 target birds we need to get for the year while we are still in the northeast….. the Red-headed woodpecker, Northern harrier, Rough-legged hawk, and the Short-eared owl. We began the day at the swamp located at the intersection of Plutarch and Weston Roads in New Paltz.

This is one of the few areas in this part of the state where Red-headed woodpeckers can be usually found. It took a while for the Red-headed to appear today, and in meantime, we had a nice Yellow-bellied sapsucker, several White-breasted nuthatches, Red-bellied woodpeckers, and a Downey or two to keep us company. Eventually, however, the first of our target species fell and we were off to a good start.

Red-headed woodpecker

From here, it was off to the Shawangunk Grasslands National Wildlife Refuge in Wallkill. We knew that to have a shot at the owls, we really needed to get on site about ½ hour before sundown. We were pretty much right on time, and the three remaining members of the day’s quarry were quite punctual as well. The Rough-legged hawk was the first to appear, a “light-phase” bird perched nicely in the open for good scoped views. We eventually had two more dark-phase roughies as well. Shortly thereafter, the harriers showed up in good numbers, and the owls were soon to follow. At one point, we had 9 harriers, a rough-legged and two owls all in view at the same time. The shot of the day went to one of a Northern harrier as it skimmed past in the waning light of day, close enough to give us a respectable photo. Cold? Yes. But worth every shiver!

Northern harrier

Short-eared owl

Day 3: January 3rd - Mine Road

2012-01-03T19:57:00.001-05:00

Sunny, breezy and pretty chilly….26 degrees

Our friends Bobby and Diana who live nearby told us of several recent sightings of Ring-necked pheasants along the roadside of Mine Road in Fort Montgomery. The area is quite pristine other than the road which winds through the hilly topography. Popolopen Creek parallels the macadam and along with the grasses and shrubs offers some prime habitat for song birds, game birds, turkeys, and raptors.

Popolopen Creek along Mine Road

You can get a feel for this area by watching the video below.

As I ride along slowly, looking for any signs of the pheasant, I come across a recently struck deer which already shows signs of scavenger activity. This could be the opportunity for my image of the day. Eagles are in this area and often take advantage of a free meal like this. I pull my portable blind (AKA Toyota RAV4) off the road at some distance from the carcass and wait patiently. Within minutes, a juvenile Bald eagle sweeps down across the sky just above me. I stir with the anticipation of the eagle coming down for a nice close encounter only to have my hopes dashed by a pair of American crows which fly onto the scene and drive my eagle away. Forty-five minutes more waiting proves to be of no avail, and so today’s shot of the day is that of a dead deer carcass. Nobody said it was all gonna be pretty!

(oh yeah...for the record, I never did see or hear any sign of the target pheasant today)

Day 2 - January 2nd - Winterfowl

2012-01-02T19:46:00.003-05:00

Sunny skies, mid- 40’s, breezy

Male bufflehead
It feels much more like winter today as the colder air mass headed our way is making its presence known. There is still no ice on any of the local lakes and ponds, and so it is an ideal time to check and see if any of the winter ducks have arrived. Each year, we are blessed with a wide variety of waterfowl which makes the Hudson Valley home as long as the water is free from ice. Rockland Lake happens to be one of the areas where these ducks love to congregate at this time of year, and I decided to see if I could call upon one or several to pose for today’s “image”.

Well, the lake produced as promised and I was fortunate to get a nice assemblage of cooperative birds which are now quite used to having joggers, skaters, walkers with their dogs and any other pedestrians walk along the paved trail around the western side of the water. Buffleheads were by far the most photogenic species of the day, and both male and female “models” came in close to shore to have their portrait done. These have to rank among the top of the list as the “cutest” ducks on the planet. We never tire of watching them dive endlessly in search of vegetation off the pond floor.

Female bufflehead

The most numerous fowl were the American coots with well over 300 scattered around the lake’s surface. “Birds of a feather flock together” was never truer than it is with coots. When you see one, you’re going to see hundreds.

Coots

Some of the most handsome ducks on hand today were the Common mergansers. Females far outnumbered the males for whatever reason, but there were enough males to afford me a decent shot.

Male Common merganser

Bald eagle

Where there are ducks, there are bound to be eagles looking for an occasional meal and today was no exception. A fine Bald eagle was seen far above the water in no hurry at this time to explore the offerings. Still, if I were a coot, I’d be plenty wary. And so, today proves to be a fine day in the field. What will tomorrow bring?

Day 1: January 1, 2012

2012-01-01T12:50:00.003-05:00

Clear skies, calm winds, 52 degrees

It’s the first day of the new year and the first installment of the “Image a Day” project. Beginning with today, I will make the attempt to capture at least one image of the natural world for the next 365 consecutive days…and what a day it is to begin. Here we are officially in winter with bright sunny skies and temperatures in the 50’s. The winds are virtually non-existent, and it feels much more like the beginning of spring than winter. But, we had to expect this. After all, the entire fall was unusually warm with only one freak snowstorm back when the leaves were still on the trees. The warm weather has left us with an uncommonly low number of song birds visiting us from the north. Recent Christmas Counts from around the region support this observation with record low numbers. Will the weather suddenly change and bring us a more typical New York winter? Only time will tell.

Nonetheless, today is one of new beginnigs. The year 2011 was pretty productive with a year list topping out at 330 North American species, 13 more than the previous high. Today, however, the slate is wiped clean and we start anew. The honors of First of the Year goes to the Tufted titmouse which was singing its song as I walked by daughter’s dog Lassie around the property.

Tufted titmouse - First bird of 2012

The titmouse was soon joined by Bluejays, Downey woodpeckers, House sparrows and a White-breasted nuthatch which looked as if it was just returning from a New Year’s eve outing, dressed in his finest ensemble.

Downey woodpecker

A ride up to nearby Cragston Lake provided a number of Mallards and a Belted kingfisher for the 2012 Year List, but other than these birds, the ponds were quiet.

The lily pond at Cragston Lake

The year is full of promise with a major birding trip to Montana planned for June as well as journeys to such birding meccas as the Everglades, Adirondacks, Magee Marsh in Ohio, and an international jaunt to New Zealand and Australia. I’ll try to post the images and notes on a daily basis, so all our family and friends can “join” us on our trips. Here’s looking forward to a Great New Year!

The New 2012 Daily Blog

2011-12-21T11:09:00.001-05:00

Golden eagle over Bear Mountain, NY

Five years ago in 2006, I began a project in which I vowed to create a journal in which I would capture at least one nature photo per day for the entire year. (No fair going to the archives for a new photo....each must be taken on the day it is posted!) On New Year's eve, 365 days later, I photographed and printed out my final entry. Well, I'm ready to repeat the challenge of a photo a day with a new twist...I'll plan to post each and every entry for the entire year on my blog. The new format will allow me to capture and post digital movies as well as stills. I know from the last attempt that there will always be the possibility for an occasional roadblocks that get thrown into the path, but I'll do my best to capture an image for that day. Hope you'll join me on the journey which will include such already scheduled venues as the Florida keys, Wyoming, and even farther away from home, Australia and New Zealand. Hope to see you on January 1st. Have a great holiday.

Winter in the Dacks

2011-12-03T15:29:00.002-05:00

Whiteface Mountain

Sharon and I are lucky enough to be attending our grandson's hockey tournament here in Lake Placid this weekend. It's been great as the weather has been chilly but without an abundance of the white stuff, our team is playing in the finals tomorrow morning, and we've been able to sneak away between games and hit nearby places in the Adirondacks that we love to bird . So far, we've visited Bigelow Bog, Lake Placid and Whiteface Mountain. Even though we only get away for an hour or so each time, it's been enough to bag two new year birds and an elusive lifer for me, the Boreal chickadee.

Boreal chickadee

There were several Boreals at Bigelow Bog sprinkled in among a larger flock of Black-capped chickadees which were all in resplendent fresh Black, white and gray plumage.

Black-capped chickadee

Siskins were found along the road up to the gatehouse at the entrance to Whiteface Mountain drive. We had searched the other areas pretty thoroughly with no results until we found this pair.

Pine siskins

The Red-breasted nuthatch has been a nemesis for us this year. We had the white-breasted and the Brown-headed, but I really was beginning to believe that we'd go the entire year without this bird. Fortunately, the first edge of bog and coniferous forest that we checked produced the nasal note of this red-breasted and eventually fine views.

Red-breasted nuthatch

What a great weekend all the way around! We head back to Orange County tomorrow after the tournament finals and hopefully a gold medal for the boys. Basically, we were all winners this December weekend.

Cape Ann, MA

2011-11-21T10:19:00.007-05:00

Brace's Cove, Gloucester

One of the signs that the holiday season is quickly approaching is the trip to Cape Ann in Massachusetts to see the wintering birds along the Atlantic coastline. Our targets for this annual outing include loons, alcids, wintering seaducks like Long-tails, eiders and Red-breasted mergansers, and THE bird we all head north for, the Harlequin duck. Our main quarters for weekend are in Gloucester, a beautiful seaport steeped in a tradition of commercial fishing and sailing. Visitors flock to this year-round resort just to bask in the embiance of the rugged coastline. The headlands serve to afford us birders with an outstanding vantage point from which we can survey the protected waters of the harbors.

Common eider

Northern gannets plunge into the frigid waters from high above while the Common eiders swim in small groups closer in to the beaches. This is definitely a location where spotting scopes are a necessity as many of our quarry prefer to remin farther out from the shore. It's a challenge to distinguish between the Red-throated loons and the Red-necked grebes as they bob in and out of view while riding the surf. I often find myself excitedly training my glass on a potential Black guillemot (not so black in winter!) only to discover that in fact it is another of the myriad of buoys marking the locations of the lobster pots scattered upon the harbor floor. While the lobsters are foraging in the depths, the seals choose to take advantage of the unusually warm temperatures and are seen sunbathing on the rock outcrops peeking up above the surface of the water.

Harbor seals

In the 2 1/2 days we spent skirting up and down the coast, we managed to see most of what we came north for. Highlights along the rocky shoreline included Horned grebes, many Common eiders, Common and Red-throated loons, all three species of scoters, the Black guillemots, Long-tailed ducks, and of course the most strikingly handsome of the entire group, the Harlequin.

Harlequin duck

Further inland we were treated to pleasing looks at a lone Snow bunting at close range, and a field of Canada geese sharing their turf with a half dozen Snow geese with a couple of Blue morphs. Best of all, one handsome Barnacle goose was situated squarely in the midst of the crowd.

Barnacle goose among Canada geese

And so, as we headed back to SE New York, we were pleased to have been able to add a number of new birds to our "year lists" and in the process to have unofficially begun the 2011 holiday season.

South Carolina Birding

2011-10-29T10:16:00.000-04:00

Huntington Beach State Park

We've made our annual trip down to Myrtle Beach to spend a couple of weeks birding and golfing with our friends from the New York "north country". Each year, we join around a dozen folks....some who love to play golf, some who love to bird, some who love the beach and some who just love this part of the country. Sharon and I usually come down a few days early and get some serious birding in at Huntington Beach State Park, one of the finest refuges in the state. We found things much as we had hoped for with the reported Roseate spoonbill and Wood storks still on site.

Wood stork

Roseate spoonbill

We also found a good number of waders and shore birds which took advantage of the extensive mud flats exposed during this new moon low tide. Never saw the tide this low in Huntington Beach and we certainly had great numbers and varieties of the birds.....Baird's, Black-bellied and Golden plovers, Sem-palmated sandpipers and plovers, Spotted sandpipers, Dunlins, Dowitchers, Least and Western sandpipers, and more. We were somewhat surprised to find a good-sized flock of avocets working in concert to scour the floor of the shallow fresh water impoundment.

Plenty of herons (Great blue, Great egret, Tri-colored, and Snowy) as well as many Clapper rails which were heard, but only one seen.

Snowy egret

We added a year-bird while visiting Brookgreen Gardens which are located across Route 17 from Huntington Beach. Part of the gardens is a small but well maintained zoo. As we were walking through the gardens, a fellow birder told us that he had come across a Barred owl tucked away in the forest near the Alligator pen. We've often had good luck birding in zoos and today was no exception. When we arrived at the gators, Sharon located the owl as described. Nice opportunity to find the bird!

Barred owl

Regarding songbirds, we found that the male Painted buntings had headed south, but there were still a few females around. A beautiful Yellow-throated vireo as well as Yellow-rumped, Black and white, Northern parulas, Palm and other warblers were present but somewhat tough to find. One of our most memorable sightings was late in the day while we were watching at least 200 dunlin all busily probing the mudflats. Suddenly, they vacated the area with explosive activity. We figured something had triggered this sudden movement and sure enough, a Peregrine falcon came soaring through the area about 3 feet above the water. Not sure how he made out regarding his attempts to find an early dinner, but he certainly was making a gallant effort at doing so. We still have a few more days here along the shore and we will add to our list for sure. Great friends, great weather, great golf courses with a concern for keeping it "green", and great birds. What more can we ask for?

Block Island

2011-10-24T09:20:00.002-04:00

Earlier this month, Sharon, friend Joe and I all had the pleasure of visiting Block Island, RI with Connecticut Audubon. The island has a great reputation for birding during the fall migration and like the other islands we have birded, a lot depends upon the prevailing winds. We left with our guides and fellow travelers from Port Judith on the last day of September and almost immediately had our first Common eider of the year. The rest of the ferry ride over to the island was fairly tame with mostly cormorants and Herring gulls in view. The forecast for the weekend was mostly cloudy with periods of showers and chilly temps. The weathermen could not have called it further from the truth. We had great sunny skies and warm temps in the 70's throughout most of the weekend. Unfortunately, the winds were not what we had hoped for with fairly steady breezes coming up from the south. Nonetheless, the birds were still plentiful even if we did miss the hoped-for "fallouts" of migrating warblers. To describe the term "plentiful" as used here, I can only mention that at one point I had Cape May, Parula, and Blackburnian warblers all in the same bins view at the same time.

Yellow warbler

No complaints from this birder or any of the others in this regard. One of our highlights of the trip was a reported Nighthawk called in from one of the other Audubon groups on the island. Block Island is only 12 miles or so long, so when a report comes in, it's only a matter of minutes before we can be on site and in hot pursuit of the bird. That being said, Nighthawks are masters of evasion and tend to "hide in plain sight". The bird was doing what Nighthawks do during the mid-day hours......sleeping on the limb of a tree and blending in almost perfectly.

Common nighthawk

Unless the bird moves, it will most often go undetected. The bird is generally not be in any hurry to vacate his sleeping quarters during the daylight hours, and therefore we expected he should be pretty much in the location reported for an extended time. Well, our directions to the bird were quite specific and we did eventually find the bird after more than a hour's search.

Nelson's sparrow

Another target bird was either (or both) of the "sharp tail" sparrows. Guide Andy knew of an area where the birds have been seen in the past and so we made a concerted effort to try and locate one of the birds. Sure enough, after some serious searching, a Nelson's sparrow was located and we all had excellent albeit a bit distant looks. Later in the trip the Saltmarsh was also found....two more year birds!

Yellow-billed cuckoo

The final tally for our trip was a little over a hundred species with a nice Yellow-billed cuckoo, a number of raptors, and the warblers being the finest sightings beyond the Nighthawk. Our leaders, Andy, Joe, and Priscila, provided us with expert sightings in a beautiful setting and we will surely return with the hopes of even better wind conditions. Can't imagine it getting much better than what we had on this weekend!

Cape May, The Fall Migration

2011-10-11T12:04:00.000-04:00

Sharp-shinned hawk

Cape May, NJ is without question one of the premier birding hotspots on the east coast. In the fall, hawks by the thousands fly overhead in an attempt to stay over dry land for as long as possible on their journey south. Warlbers are also funneled down to this point of land which is the final dry spot before venturing out across Delaware Bay. The birds will spend some time here, fattening up a bit and waiting for the perfect northwest winds to help carry them across the bay. Even though the winds were not perfect on this beautiful warm fall weekend, the birds were still plentiful. Warblers, vireos, raptors, thrashers, creepers, ducks of many varieties and more were all to be had for those who had do nothing more than look around.

Yellow-throated vireo

We were up on each day before the sun rose in an attempt to get the birds when they first become energized after spending the night in the protection of the foliage. When the sun rises and begins to warm the vegetation, the insects become more active. When the bugs get going, so do the birds which feed upon them. Warblers and sparrow can be found flitting along the ground, at mid-level of the trees, and up into the highest levels of the canopy. In summer, the show usually quiets down as the morning wears on, but here in fall, the activity just keeps going as the birds seize the opportunity to get a free meal in preparation for the continuation of their journey to Central and South America.

Cape May warbler

Our best spottings of the weekend were some birds who have traveled further than normally would be expected. A fine Brown booby, a bird normally found around the extreme southern tip of Florida past the keys. For whatever reason, this bird has found New Jersey and for the time being is quite content to spend some time with the other tourists. The bird has been here for over two months now and nobody knows when the bird will head back down south. For now, it makes for some rare viewing for us northern birders.

Brown booby

A Cackling goose also showed up this weekend. This smaller version of the Canada goose is distinguished from its larger relatives by size and by a small stubby bill. Again, this is not a goose common to our area.

Cackling goose in front of larger Canada goose

And finally, to add to the 115+ species we found at Cape May this weekend, a female Eurasian wigeon from the Old World has made a showing. While these birds are now known to nest in North America, they do make an occasional appearance here in the US and today, we are privileged to be able to watch here swim among here American counterparts, the American wigeons. All in all, the Cape has produced what she promised....three days of wonderful birding in wonderful warm October weather.

Hurricane Irene August 2011

2011-09-26T12:31:00.001-04:00

This is probably old news by now, but for those of you who have not seen the video footage of Hurricane Irene I took and especially for those of you who are from or are at least familiar with the Highland Falls area, this one's for you. It has been several weeks now since Irene paid us an visit and we certainly felt her wrath. The county is still reeling from the "shock and awe" and areas like the black dirt farms of Orange County will be feeling the financial repercussions for some time to come. We just aren't accustomed to weather phenomena like this in SE New York. So....that being said, take a look at Irene's fury here in Highland Falls earlier this month.

Hawks over Bear Mountain

2011-09-20T11:04:00.001-04:00

The fall is a season of rejuvenation for birders. After the doldrums of summer, the migrants begin their trek south and the birders dust off their binoculars and scopes and head back into the field. The warblers come through in large numbers but are obscured by the foliage still clinging to the trees and by their suits of camouflage, trading in their brightly colored plumages of the breeding season for a much more discreet and safe drab wardrobe. So you really have to work hard to get the warblers.

Red-tailed hawk

Hawks on the other hand are easy and spectacular pickings at this time of year. Moving through the Hudson Valley in massive droves, they are a sight to be held by birders and non-birders alike. We often find ourselves up on the top of Bear Mountain, joining a small group of dedicated "counters" who man their posts each day to count, identify and report the movement of these wonderful raptors through the valley. The show starts slowly in the beginning of September with a few Sharp-shinned hawks, some ospreys, a Bald eagle or two and some vultures moving through. Soon, however, in mid-September and as if on cue, the big show begins....the migration of the Broadwings. For us on Bear Mt., the winds of choice are from the southeast, and such winds were the prevailing forces yesterday. As we watched and counted the occasional Bald eagle, osprey, and Red-tail, a stray Broadwing would fly overhead....a sign of things to come. Suddenly, one of our number called out "Here comes a Broadwing....there's another, another!"

Boadwing hawk

Broadwing kettle

Suddenly, the sky was darkened by the thick could of Broadwings directly overhead. The "kettles", formed a swirling mass as they caught the updrafts of warm air rising over the mountain. It's a sight you don't see every day, but in mid-September, it's a sight you can be reasonably sure will pop up if you are just ever so patient. And it is a sight well worth the wait! And so, today, it's back up to the mountain to see what this day will bring.

The Black Dirt Farms

2011-09-20T10:34:00.000-04:00

Golden plovers

The onion fields and sod farms of the Pine Island area of Orange County are always an interesting and productive area to bird, regardless of season. But this past month was a real bonanza for birders and a real bust for the farmers. Hurricane Irene delivered a knockout punch to the owners of the Black-dirt farms as the waters of the Wallkill rose and spilled over its banks, flooding some of the fields with up to 12 feet of water. The waters of the Wallkill are the lifeline for the farmers, but the river gives and the river takes away. In the midst of all the heartbreak for the area, we were blessed with an incredible influx of shorebirds which came in to feast on the worms which were forced to the top of the soil by the saturating rains and floodwaters. Baird's sandpipers,
White-rumped sandpipers, Sanderlings, Buff-breasted sandpipers, Golden plovers, Semi-palmated plovers and Killdeer by the hundreds made an appearance. The show lasted for about a week and then as quickly as they had appeared, they were gone. The waters of the Wallkill finally receded and the devastation of the crops was made evident. Onions were strewn across the roads, pumpkins lay rotting on the soggy soil, and what were green fields of gorgeous sod were brown with the silt deposited by the flooding river. No water, no worms, no birds.

White-rumped sandpiper

Lesser yellowlegs

In a matter of a day or so, the show for us birders came to a close. We reveled in the incredible display of migrating shorebirds, but for sure, we would give it all up in a heartbeat to have saved the farms. Nature can be kind, but she can be a tyrant.

Pumpkins lost to the flood

Croton Train Station Wheatear

2011-09-08T10:04:00.002-04:00

Northern wheatear

This story begins over 2 years ago when my wife Sharon and I drove out to CT in search of a reported Northern wheatear, normally a Eurasian bird. After traveling for more than 2 hours, we arrived on-site and met another "chaser" who had seen the bird earlier. We waited patiently for over 3 hours with no luck. The wheatear is generally a bird of barren lands and likes to be around gravel piles. Well, the gravel pile here in CT was huge and I imagine extremely inviting if you were a wheatear. In my infinite wisdom, I decided to move away from where the bird had been sighted in the past and walked to the back side of the pile. There, I waited expectantly for about 15 minutes with no luck. When I returned to the vehicle, Sharon informed me that the bird had just been there in plain sight, but flew as I rounded the pile en route back to the car. In short, no wheatear for me on that day.

Fast forward 2 years and for whatever reason another wheatear decides to visit NYS. This time, the bird is only 20 minutes away at Croton Train Station. I got the call on Tuesday evening, but it was too late to get down there by then. So, on Wednesday, we sped on down and almost immediately were put on the bird by folks who had arrived earlier. Good things come to those who wait. Several other Mearns Bird Club people arrived and we all enjoyed seeing this NY rarity. While relishing the wheatear, we also got nice views of an immature bald eagle, a Common tern, and a merlin....not birds we see every day on the Hudson. The weather was overcast and misty, but we hardly noticed. Just another great day in the field and "just another" North American life-bird

Merlin

Pre-Irene Brigantine

2011-08-31T12:28:00.002-04:00

Black-bellied plovers

When we visited Brigantine National Wildlife Refuge last week, we had no idea what was lurking around the corner. Our visit was on a warm, sunny, calm day where the worst inconvenience was the presence of green flies. Even those little tyrants were a minimal nuisance as we worked our way around the wildlife drive. The plan was to head out to the back side of the refuge as soon as we arrived to take advantage of the sun's eastern position in the morning sky. Lighting is at a premium in the morning and you want to seize the moment when the soft light is at your back. On the way out, however, we ran into some welcome "roadblocks"....namely a fine Clapper rail running across a mudflat out in plain sight and three juvenile Yellow-crowned night herons out foraging the flats. We carefully examined each heron in an attempt to determine whether or not these were indeed Yellow-crowns and not the much more common Black-crowned variety. Careful examination through the scopes and later looks at the photographs proved our initial assessment that they were in fact the more prized Yellow-crowns. The dark thick bills, the tiny spots along the wing edges and the large orange eyes. A nice find....

Juvenile Yellow-crowned night heron

Along the back side of the refuge, we found a good number of Black-bellied plovers many still in breeding plumage. All in all, our total was 51 species for the day. Several days later, the area was buried in a torrent of water as Hurricane Irene came ashore. Mother Nature has a way of taking care of her own, however, and the recent reports are that the refuge survived quite nicely and is back in operation, less than 3 days after the deluge. It seems that nature has a more resilient way of dealing with these natural disasters than do we humans!

Short-billed dowitcher

Semi-palmated plover video

Root/Ames, NY

2011-07-12T12:19:00.001-04:00

My birding friend Joe and I took a day trip up north to the area of Root and Ames, NY in Montgomery County where the NY rarity the Mississippi kite has been a local resident for the past three years. Reports of a Henslow's sparrow and a number of Upland sandpipers thrown into the mix made the temptation of traveling 3 hours north too good to pass up. We were not disappointed in the least. Maybe it was the fact that we were making the trip on lucky 7/11, but we scored quickly on all three targets. The Henslow's was located as promised by Peter Schoenberger's posting on the NY list-serve.....immediately across from mailbox 221 on MacPhail Rd in Ames (Montgomery County).

Henslow's sparrow

The bird was singing and was perched at first low down in a Queen Anne's Lace, but later few up into the top of a stand of wild parsnip at close range. There he presented us with great looks at a bird which happened to be a "lifer" for both of us.

From here, we moved down to West Ames Road, following a tip from fellow birding club member Greg Prelich. At the end of the road are a series of horse paddocks and fields. In one of the larger fields, we first noted what were looking for....an Upland sandpiper. We were thrilled to then see another, and another, and....before we were done counting, we had 17 of the birds in clear sight!

Upland sandpiper

Two down and one to go. We still needed the Mississippi kite to round out the trifecta. Sharon and I had seen the bird two years ago when it first appeared in Root. I knew the general area and we headed over to the junction of Donato and Mapletown Roads. As we turned onto Donato, we saw what we throught was the kite perched on a utility pole, but it quickly flew as we approached. We parked the vehicle and begin to search in the skies above the field across from the car as we ate our lunch. Within minutes, an adult male Mississippi kite flew into view.

Adult male Mississippi kite

It was only a matter of time before a second kite, what we believe to be a first-summer juvenile, flew onto the scene and afforded us more good looks and photo ops. We had three targets in mind when we left this morning on a three hour car ride to the farm fields of central New York State. We nailed all three in quick succession....quite a day's birding for a hot 90 degree summer day. How can this summer's birding get any better than this?

Ferd's Bog

2011-07-01T09:24:00.003-04:00

Nestled in the heart of the Adirondacks, just outside of Racquette Lake in the hamlet of Inlet, lies one of the pure gems of the mountains......Ferd's Bog. Birders from all over the northeast make the bog their primary focus as they search the Dacks for boreal species. We still need the Black-backed and Three-toed woodpeckers as well as the Boreal chickadee. Today, I make the 2 hour journey from our friends' home in South Colton to visit the bog for the first time.....another check on the "bucket list".....in the hopes of getting some other checks on the "other" list. It's a four mile drive along dirt roads into the trail head, but them only .3 miles down a rough washed-out trail to the "boardwalk" out onto the bog. As I enter the trail, I meet up with a couple of birders from down home in Orange County. They inform me that they have had the Boreal chickadee as well as the Black-backed woodpecker down at the bog.

I quickly bid them adieu and scramble excitedly down the trail. En route, I hear a Nashville warbler singing high in the canopy, but the woodpecker is still further along, so I'll try to photograph this fine songster after dealing with the Black-back. Down on the boardwalk, I encounter another lone birder, and I hear the words that all birders chasing a lifer dread...."Gee, she was here all morning, but she left about 5 minutes ago and I haven't heard or seen her since". Well, patience is a virtue and it pays off as the bird finally returns to a bare snag adjacent to the boardwalk.

Black-backed woodpecker

I quickly snap off a few shots, but the bird is in no hurry to leave and I can photograph her at my leisure. She continues to drum loudly on the dead tree and eventually we think we know why. A male (her mate?) flies in overhead and past us, landing in a stand of conifers on the far side of the bog. We're hoping that her tapping will bring the male back to the same tree to give us an opportunity to photograph him, but as luck would have it, it is she who flies off for the rendezvous. The female does in fact return later, but the male was not seen again. But, I have a new life-bird and even if the lighting is a bit overcast, the view is fairly close and clear.

Black-capped chickadee

A chickadee flies into the tree right next to the location of the woodpecker, but I can easily see that this the "wrong" chickadee, a Black-capped. I neither hear nor see the Boreal I was hoping for. Lincoln's and Swamp sparrows are in abundance as are White-throats. I grab a few shots of the Swamp sparrow and move back into the forest to see if the Nashville is still present. He is and although he stays up high in the trees, the open forest at the edge of the bog affords me a clear view of the warbler. Another "Year bird" for that list.

Nashville warbler

The skies begin to clear and the warmth of the sun is most appreciated. Unfortunately, I have a long drive back to our lodgings up closer to the Canadian border and must begin my trek back up to the parking area. As I approach the lot, a call of "Quick-three beers" resonates through the forest....a first-of-the-year Olive-sided flycatcher. Even if there were no new birds for any list, this trip would have been more than worth-while. The Adirondacks are a magical place and Ferd's Bog is truly the epitome of why we come to the mountains.

Ferd's Bog

Bloomingdale Bog in the Adirondacks

2011-07-01T08:21:00.002-04:00

Bloomingdale Bog

My last posting dealt with the birds of Massawepie Mire. At that time I mentioned that we still had a couple of days to search for the elusive boreal species....specifically the Boreal chickadee, the Black-backed woodpecker and the Gray jay. Although the Three-toed woodpecker is also technically on my "wish-list" as we head into the Dacks, I'm realistic enough to know that this bird is the toughest to find and I don't have high expectations regarding this species. None-the-less, we head out to Bloomingdale Bog on a day that is overcast and with showers in the forecast. In route, we encounter several heavy downpours and we are wondering if we will even have a chance to get out of the RAV4 when we arrive at our destination. As luck would have it, however, the storms have abated (at least for the moment) and we head down the old railroad bed in search of our quarry. Our first encounter is with chickadees! We listen, we watch and eventually we come up short with nothing more than the common Black-capped chickadee. We know that the Boreal species of this bird often associates with the BC, but we don't see any such behavior today. We move on. Further down the trail, we have marsh wetlands on both sides......perfect habitat for the Lincoln's sparrow. It is only a short time before we have two Lincoln's flitting back and forth along the trail. We have great looks, but the birds refuse to come out from within their cover of thick conifers. With the limited lighting due to the cloudy skies, a photo is all but impossible.

Gray jay

As I continued to stalk the Lincoln's, refusing to just give up on the image, one of our companions motions to me to come along down the trail. He has something I might be interested in. And so it is! A life-bird...the Gray jay. Not just one, but four of them, and these birds are not shy. They fly back and forth, feeding in the pines and coming in close to see if we have any better fare. Apparently, folks around here feed these birds and they have become quite tame. No excuses for not getting a few decent shots here! With the threat of rain, I have only carried the "Point and Shoot" camera which I can easily keep under cover, but the birds are close enough so that I really don't need the "big guns". The rains do in fact return return and we continue down the trail hoping for one quick look at the Black-backed, but the rains intensify and we head back with at least one life bird checked off on the list. Tuesday, I'll head down to Ferd's Bog in one last attempt to capture an image or two of the "missing" boreals.

Gray jay

Massawepie Mire

2011-06-24T11:29:00.005-04:00

We have journeyed north up into God's Country....the Adirondack Mountains......for a week of birding with our friends in South Colton, NY. My roots are in the "Dacks" as my Dad was born and raised in the north country and many a fond memory was made as we vacationed up here during my childhood.

Cedar waxwing

Yesterday, we took our first birding venture out to Massawepie Mire, the largest mire in the Adirondack preserve. Our targets are the boreal species....Boreal chickadee, Gray jay, Three-toed and Black-backed woodpecker, and Lincoln's sparrow. On the road into the "back country", we encountered many a warbler.....Black and white, Black-throated blue, Common yellowthroat, Yellow, Blue-winged, and more. Great sightings of Cedar waxwings and Ovenbirds afforded me fine opportunities for photos.

Ovenbird

But the sighting of the day was a mammal rather than a bird. We spotted two Fishers, an adult and a youngster, walking down the wood-road and heading directly towards us. The adult, noting our presence, veered off the trail and into the woods, leaving the young fisher to its own resources. The little fellow looked lost as it wandered back and forth, into and out of the woods apparently looking for Mom. We watched for 10 minutes or more before we started to continue down the path. Eventually, the young fisher headed back into the wooded edge of the road. We can only assume that he found Mom impatiently waiting for her offspring to rejoin her.

Fisher

We still have several more days of opportunities to find our target species, and the sighting of the martens more than made up for our "misses". The Adirondacks are indeed a place which borders on the spiritual and we are blessed to be able to spend time up here with our good friends. This morning (Friday), its back into the mountains in search of whatever the "dacks" will yield and once again, the mountains treat us to a fine display as an American bittern is hiding in a wet grassy area right next to Route 68 in Pierrepont. As cars sped by, the bittern would raise his head allowing him to check out his surroundings while remaining all but invisible to the passers-by. Were it not for our "eagle-eyed" host, Rosie, we undoubtedly would have passed by with the rest of the travelers. Got to love the mountains "inside the blue line".

American bittern

Bear Mountain

2011-06-08T17:48:00.000-04:00

Looking south from Bear Mountain

People often ask me if I would ever consider leaving the Hudson Valley and move permanently to our second home in Florida. Well, we do have some pretty severe conditions up here with the snow and all, but we don't get an awful lot of hurricanes or tornadoes either. We do have the fall which means I have to rake up all those bushels of leaves that fall to the ground. But they do look beautiful while they remain on the trees. And yes, I do miss looking out the front windows and looking out onto the wonderful sea, but on the other hand, we are not exactly hurting for inspirational vistas here in the Highlands. Take today for example. Sharon and I travelled up to the top of Bear Mountain, a 1400' granite block which overlooks the Hudson and offers some great birding and some great views. At this time of year, the canvas is painted in an extraordinary array of green, white and pink as the mountain laurel has just reached peak blooms.

It is unbelievable to drive up the mountain along Perkins Memorial Drive and witness one of nature's premier works of art. There are few gardens in the world that can match the mountains literally covered with the glossy leaves and white and pink clusters of flowers.

Add to this the birds that like to call the mountain peak home and you've got all it takes to make for a wonderful day of birding or just sitting on the mountain and taking in the sights and sounds.

Eastern towhee

Our best birds of the day tried to rival the flora with the Great Crested flycatcher's lemon yellow breast and the Scarlet tanager's brilliant red coat serving to accentuate the floral arrangement of the peak. The songs of the oriole, the warbling vireos, the Eastern towhee and the Chipping sparrow added a third element to the mix, just to round out an overall breathtaking experience.

Scarlet tanager

Great crested flycatcher

So, will I ever leave the valley for the Sunshine State (which I also love!)? Not in this lifetime........

Brigantine NWR

2011-05-31T15:47:00.001-04:00

Ruddy turnstone

In southern New Jersey lie two of the premier birding locations on the east coast.....Cape May and the Brigantine unit of the Forsythe National Wildlife Reserve in Galloway Twp. While it's a bit of a trip for those of us in the Hudson Valley, it is well worth the effort and time to travel down to these gems. This past weekend, 10 members of the Mearns Bird Club made the trek to "Brig" as it is affectionately know to local birders in search of shore birds. At this time of year, the birds are all adorned with their finest plumage as the breeding season is now well under way. Birds which can appear dull and drab during the dull and drab days of winter now are alive with bright hues. Seeing birds joined as pairs is another plus for us during the rites of Spring, and Brigantine produced as promised.

Herring gulls

Rails are always a major bonus for birders as the birds may be present, but they are not always prominent. You may hear an occasional Clapper rail at the Brig during other times of the year, but during May, they seem to be all around us and their distinctive tapping call was heard throughout the journey around the impoundments. Not only were they heard, but they were easily seen as well and made for great subjects for those of us with our cameras ready.

Clapper rail

Next is the numbers of birds present during spring. Without a doubt, there were hundreds of Semi-palmated sandpipers on every available mudflat....literally thousands when all were taken into account. Black-bellied plovers in breeding plumage are a sight to behold and when you see one, you feel that you've seen something quite special. So you can imagine how I felt when I sighted a sand bar with 296 of these handsome birds standing "shoulder to shoulder". When we returned the next day to the same spot, the tide had changed and the huge numbers of plovers were no longer present. Another case if being in the right place at the right time.

Black-bellied plovers (Click on the image to enlarge)

Finally, there are the "rarities". As often as I bird, I can count on one hand the number of times that I've had good looks at the Gull-billed tern. Every time that I have seen it, it has been here at Brig. Today was not going to break my string of good fortune. Our first stop gave us great views of a Gull-bill flying in close proximity with ample chances for good photos.
And so it goes.....we travel around the state, the country and this entire world and there will always be a few special locations where it is almost magical. Brigantine is surely on my list of those sites.

Gull-billed tern

Spring

2011-05-18T14:43:00.002-04:00

One reason we leave Florida and head back to our home in New York is that we like to follow the birds as they migrate north. May in NY is magical with so many of the most beautiful (and handsome) birds, the wood warblers among others, working their way through the state. The combination of brilliant "definitive" plumage, vibrant song, and sparse foliage on the trees make May the premier birding season in this state. So far, we have not been disappointed.

Rose-breasted grosbeak

Even the birds at our feeders prove to something special in spring. When the Kentucky Derby weekend approaches, we can always count on the radiant Rose-breasted grosbeak (photo above) to be a guest at our fruit and nut feeder. Like clockwork, three days before the derby, there they were.....a fine pair of grosbeaks. We watch and appreciate the sight while we can, for they will only linger for a few days before moving on. As I write this, the grosbeaks are no longer to be found here.

Chestnut-sided warbler

Moving into the forest, the warblers are obviously the main attraction. Listen for their songs and chip notes, watch for the movement of the leaves in the trees and train the bins on some of the most spectacular avian art you could ever imagine. The bright yellows, blues, greens, and black and white hues are some of Mother Nature's finest work. In trying to attract a mate or stake out some top real estate for a nest, the warblers make a spectacle of themselves.

Prairie warbler

Look and listen closely now, however, for within the month, many of these birds will have moved on to their nesting grounds in the north. Those which have remained behind will no longer be singing and will try to stay out of sight as they sit on their nests and try to keep their whereabouts and the location of their nests difficult for would-be predators to ascertain.

But for now, we will seize the moment and spend each day watching and listening for this truly entertaining annual display. And, don't forget....it's not all about warblers. Many of the other birds will also be more vocal and more conspicuous as they enter into the rites of spring. Normally, the Virginia rail is fairly reclusive....a tough bird to see, let alone photograph. But several day ago, while out on the Bashakill Marsh, this fine little specimen paraded right past me as if daring me to take its picture, but more likely searching for a mate. Spring is indeed a magical time here in the Empire State.

Virginia rail

Heading North

2011-05-01T09:42:00.001-04:00

Our time in Florida for the winter of 2011 has drawn to a close and it's time we begin our own migration north. Leaving the sunshine state at the end of April assures us of a wonderful seasonal journey....two springs each year. We have watched as the first waves of warblers....Yellow-rumps, Black-throated blues, Yellows, Parulas, and others....have pushed through the south and now we will catch up to them and see the rest of the songsters as they arrive in the north. On our way back to our New York home, we made two side-trips to a couple of our favorite birding locales on the east coast....Santee NWR in South Carolina and then Bombay Hook in Delaware. The first day was a day of playing cat and mouse with some severe storms moving up the coast. We tried to move slowly enough to just stay behind what turned out to be some of the most damaging tornadoes in US history. Our plan worked well as we arrived in Santee just in time for the skies to start clearing and the birds to start singing.

Blue grosbeak

Orchard oriole - First summer male

We added a couple of "year-birds", the Blue grosbeak and the Orchard oriole, to our list as we totaled over 40 species in several hours. Believing that we had given the storms plenty of time to get far ahead of us, we then made our way further north up to Fayetteville where we stayed for the evening. The next day we headed up to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel so that we could stop and visit the Eastern Shore of Virginia NWR. Had our first Chipping sparrows of the year as we ate our lunch on the grounds. From there, it was up to Bombay Hook where we were able to spend a couple of hours of twilight getting great views of such elusive reed dwellers as the Clapper rail and Marsh wren. As we left in the waning hours of daylight, we were treated to a brief spotting of a Red fox peering out from a field to our left. After seeing us, however, he darted back into the grass and I could not get a shot off from the Nikon. In the morning, we returned to see what he early daylight would conjure up for us. It was a chorus of birdsong awaiting us as we checked off Purple martins, White-crowned sparrows, another Blue grosbeak, Yellow warblers, and splendidly hued Goldfinches before ever getting out of the parking lot of the Visitors Center.

The rest of the morning was equally productive, but the sighting of the day was not avian, but rather another beautiful Red fox which had come out behind our vehicle to watch us drive down the dirt road. Had I not glanced into the rear view mirror, I'd never had seen him. As I exited the vehicle, he paid me little mind and allowed me to watch and photograph for several minutes before he trotted off across the field.

Bombay is well know for its fox population as well as its birds and today we were not disappointed. We are home now and preparing for what the rest of the spring migration may bring. We are most assuredly looking forward to our "second spring" of 2011.

The Galapagos Islands

2011-04-23T10:18:00.000-04:00

Galapagos tortoise

Blue-footed booby

Courting frigatebirds

Elliot's storm-petrel

Red-footed chick

A dream of most nature lovers, birders, and photographers is to one day visit the Galapagos off the coast of Ecuador.

American oystercatcher

Galapagos fur seal

Red-billed tropicbird

Sharon and I lived this dream last month and came home with incredible memories of an incredibly beautiful and wondrous place. We spent 8 days on board the Isabella II visiting 7 of the major islands of the archipelago with each island offering a new assemblage of birds, reptiles, mammals, and flora.

During the course of the 8 days, I managed to shoot well over a thousand photos and came home with 850 after culling our the duplicates and blurry shots. I rarely needed to use a lens of more than 200 mm as the subjects were more than willing to pose up close and natural.

Great frigatebird

Well, here we are back home and after a full month, I've finally got most of the shots edited and filed. Here are several of my favorite shots of the classic Galapagos wildlife. I should mention that our trip was arranged by Tauck Tours out of CT and they did an exceptional job. Our guides were all native Ecuadorians with an in depth knowledge of the flora, fauna, geology, and history of the Galapagos.

Nazca booby with chick

It's only April, and already we have had an incredible year of birding in new vistas. We are looking forward to a banner year!

Short-eared owl

Galapagos sunset

Rio Grande Valley

2011-03-13T09:57:00.001-04:00

Altamira oriole

When our good friends from northern NY e-mailed us to tell us they had arranged for a time-share condo in the southern Rio Grande Valley and would like us to join them, it took us all of 15 minutes to get on the phone and start making plane reservations. This is the kind of offer birders don't think twice about, you just seize the moment and do it! The Lower Rio Grande Valley is a mecca for birders. You can find species here that you'll never see anywhere else in the United States of Canada. Add to this the number of "visitors" which fly across the border and you've got the makings of one wonderful week of birding. Our only regret was that we were only going to be in Texas for the one week. So many locations, so many species, and so little time! That being said, we certainly made the most of what time we had, visiting 10 great birding locales in 5 and a half days. We brown-bagged our lunch so that we could eat on site while birding.....didn't want to miss a second of this wonderful opportunity.

Green jay

We began on Sunday morning with a visit to Sabal Palm Grove Preserve. This site is right on the border of the US and Mexico. In fact, you have to pass through the infamous steel wall to get to the preserve. One of the docents there told us that many visitors turn around at the wall thinking they are illegally crossing the border. Well, we weren't deterred by that ominous wall and continued to the parking lot of the preserve. At the preserve's center, a small building adjacent to the parking lot, we met Andreas, a staff biologist, docent, and student at UT in Brownsville working on his Masters in Ornithology. He was the perfect contact to meet on our first day. We had already received great information from several of our birding club members back in New York as to the "must see" sites in south-east Texas, but our new friend refined our search for birds and gave us further excellent advice. What a way to start our trip.

The "front yard" of the office was comprised of a small patch of bare ground under the lush canopy. Feeders and water features were present as were orange halves stuck on the limbs of the trees. Within the first half our of our first experience in birding Texas, we had 8 "life-birds": the Altamira oriole, Green jay, Olive sparrow, Long-billed thrasher, Golden-fronted woodpecker, Buff-bellied hummingbird, Black-crested titmouse, and Great-tailed grackle. A trip out to the "Resaca" or 0x-bow lake gave us many more birds including a new NA lifer, the Least grebe. On the way back to our home base, we stopped at the University of Texas - Brownsville campus and added the Neotropic cormorant to our life-list as well as the Couch's kingbird. Ten life birds on the first day was not a bad way to begin our Texas birding experience.

Black-headed gull in Florida

2011-02-20T13:20:00.000-05:00

Sharon and I were up early this morning to travel up to Port Orange, FL in search of the Black-headed gull which has been seen sporadically in the area. When it does show up, it is generally in the same spot, a dock along a back road which runs along the Halifax River. We've made several trips up here already, after all, it is only a 20 minute drive. But up until this morning, this is one chased bird which has eluded us. When we arrived, we found 4 other birders who had been on the site for at least an hour with no results. We arrived at 7:45AM and spent over an hour checking out the one dock on which the bird was 'supposed' to appear. Several of the birding party left after an hour or so, but one more arrived.

Bonaparte's gull (left) with Black-headed gull

We spent another 15 minutes or so and then discussed the possibility of heading out to breakfast and then returning for a bit more effort in spotting the bird. All of a sudden, Laura, the newest on the scene, announced she had the bird in the scope! As we all got on the bird, the party which had left returned, saying they just had to give it one more try. And so, we all had good looks and nice photo-ops of this Florida rarity. Normally the bird will only occasionally appear in the NE United States. And so, the opportunity to add this bird to our Florida life-list as well as our Year-list was well received. Another chase has yielded a wonderful bird.

Florida Bobcats

2011-02-12T17:47:00.000-05:00

Well, we are firmly back on Florida soil and have been kept busy trying to hit all our favorite birding haunts after a 9 month absence. Close to the top of the list if not actually number 1 is Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. We spent yesterday with a group of our birding buddies from the Halifax River Audubon Club and had a great albeit chilly day. With clouds, stiff breezes and temps in the mid 50's, it was not what most people think of as ideal Florida birding conditions. But, nonetheless, we had a great day with a final tally of over 60 species. Among the more special Florida birds we found were the Painted bunting, plenty of Roseate spoonbills, Scrub jays, a fine Great horned owl, and a gorgeous Red-tailed hawk (not so common down here as we see them back home in NY). Topping the list for sighting of the day, however, was not one of our avian targets, but rather a handsome mammal....the Bobcat.

We were fortunate to have a good sighting in two consecutive days last year, but today's sighting actually lasted longer than the combined viewing time for last year's two day total. We watched the hungry cat tenaciously work at securing its prey (never did figure out exactly what the prey was) for over 10 minutes. Although the day was overcast and lighting less than ideal, several of us managed to snap off quite a few shots from which we hoped a few would be acceptable. The thing I liked best about the shots that I got was that the looks the part of the hunter....snarling and all. What a great experience for all who were privy to the cat's hard work.

Later, we found a pair of Painted buntings feeding on the seeds of an American Elm. Once again, the dull gray skies could do little to dampen our enthusiasm for shooting plenty of pix of this Florida beauty and its spectacular colors came through in spite of the less than azure skies. Once again, it was a great day to birding in the Sunshine State even if it perhaps didn't live up to its name today.

2011 Florida birding begins

2011-01-25T14:37:00.001-05:00

Marbled godwits

We're back in sunny warm Florida and have begun our southern birding adventures in earnest. We could not have a better way to begin as we are joined by 6 superb birders from the Cape May Birding Observatory back in New Jersey. They are here for the Space Coast Birding Festival, but came down a little early to get in some extra time in the field on their own. I have the honor of showing them some of Sharon and my favorite haunts.
Today, we spent most of the morning and afternoon birding Merritt Island. The reserve is pretty dry in spots as we are experiencing a major drought in the south. Still, we and the birds manage to find some of the wetter areas and wind up with almost 100 species for the day. As we wind up today's trip, we throw in one more often productive locale as the daylight wanes. Riverbreeze Park in Oak Hill, FL can be very interesting, especially if the tide is out. An exposed sand bar close to the fishermen's pier generally yields a nice number of skimmers and today, well, the tide couldn't be better. As if on cue, over 200 black skimmers have crowded onto the fairly small exposure of sand and are joined by a bird much harder to find on most occasions, the Marbled godwit. Well, not only are they joined by this more elusive bird, but it turns out that by our count, there are 59 of them! None of our birding team has ever seen anywhere near this number at one time. What a wonderful way to wrap up a great day of Florida birding.

Black skimmers at Riverbreeze Park

More Winter Specialties

2011-01-12T16:18:00.002-05:00

Horned lark

Off to the black dirt farms again as we try for a few more winter birds before heading south. One of our most reliable spotters from the Mearns Birding Club has posted reports of Horned larks, Snow bubtings, aand other winter specialties on our Group Site. We are pretty sure that when Rob says you'll find the birds along Missionland Road in Pine Island, they'll be waiting for us when we arrive. Sure enough, the Horned larks are precisely where he said and we waste no time setting up the scope and getting out the camera.

We also had nice sightings of a White-throated sparrow, a majestic "Grey ghost" male harrier, American pipits, and Lapland longspurs. As the time for our departure for the sunshine state draws near, it is certainly nice to get these northern birds on this year's list before we leave.

American pipit

First redpolls of the year

2011-01-04T13:11:00.007-05:00

Sharon and I are off and running once again as we start to compile the 2011 Year List. We won't be here for much of the winter, so we figured we'd better get out and get some of our visitors from the north while they and we were still around. A listing from the NY List-serve noted that there were several flocks of Common redpolls in the Sullivan County area, and so, we hopped into the RAV4 and set out sights on these handsome winter finches. We've been very fortunate lately in scoring on the "chases" we've set out on. And today was no different. As if we had set up an appointment with the Redpolls, they were exactly as had been described in the posting. It was another case of the GPS saying, "Arriving at your destination" and us looking up at the hoped for birds. The flock we encountered numbered around 30 birds and they flew to the trees most closely situated along the roadside. Without getting out of the car, we were able to get fine looks and nice photos. I even had the chance to try out the new video recording feature on the Nikon D300s that Santa brought me on Christmas day!

Having been so successful so soon on our trip out to Neversink, we decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather of the day and head south to Mongaup and the Rio Reservoir to see if we could add Bald eagles to the year list. Again, without much effort we rang up 9 fine specimens in a short amount of time. Indeed, we spent much more time riding out to the sites than we did actually birding today, but it was a great day and a perfect day to be out in the field. We can only hope that the rest of this year will be so productive.

Bald eagle - Rio Reservoir