Day 287: October 13th – Not so common birds today

Sunny, cold (30s) calm day

       Back to Benedict Farm in Montgomery today with the Mearns Bird Club to see if we could pick up any new sparrows or other “winter birds”.  The day was quite successful with not only plenty of sparrows but also a few birds that we don’t see that often in these parts…..at least at this time of year.

       Regarding the sparrows, we did manage to pick up a couple of nice Lincoln’s sparrows which our Orange County Check List considers to be “Uncommon” in autumn.  According to the key at the beginning of this check list, “uncommon” means not easily found in the proper habitat”.  Well, we were definitely in the “proper habitat” today, and we did find this fine looking specimen.

       Next on the list of our not so common species was a Bobolink.  This bird also earns the classification of “U” in the checklist in Spring, Summer, and Fall and is most uncommon in late fall when they should be moving out of the area.  The bobolink has a complete change of wardrobe as we move into the fall and looks nothing like he does in summer.  So when this bird showed up today, he was an “automatic” as far as inclusion into today’s blog.

       The Rusty blackbird is another bird which is uncommon in autumn and rare in winter.  As far as this birder is concerned, the rusty is even more uncommon than the others we found today.  It’s white iris sets it apart from other blackbirds and is always a real plus to see on any of our outings.

       We also had a few other species of uncommon nature that I was not able to capture on film, but are worthy of note.  The White-crowned sparrow is a sure sign of impending winter and we did in fact have several sightings of this handsome sparrow.  From a distance too great for the 400mm lens I was using but easily identifiable through the 10X bins, we had several views of Eastern meadowlarks, a nice find for this late in the year.  Finally, we had a number of Pine siskins which were featured earlier this week in the Naturally Digital Blog pages.  All of the folks in today’s birding group agreed that this has been a banner year for the siskins regarding how early they have shown up and how many have made the appearance.

       And so, the ensemble continues to change, almost on a daily basis.  Late summer is considered to be the “doldrums” of birding in the northeast, but mid to late fall more than makes up for it.  We have plenty more in store for us in the upcoming months, so stay tuned!

Day 286: October 12th – Quick trip into Connecticut

Overcast with periods of rain, chilly mid 50s, calm

       We had a short time to check out a couple of sites on our way to our son’s house in Connecticut today.  One of our favorite spots is River Road along the Shepaug River in Southbury, CT.  While it is far too early for migrating eagles to be at the dam and along the river (a favorite haunt in winter), there are several fields and ponds and well as the river in which we might find some early migrating ducks or other water birds as well as sparrows.

       At first, our best prospect for a shot worthy of blogness was the Northern mockingbird.  In spite of their being one of the more common birds in our part of the country and the fact that we can become jaded, a close look at these birds shows that they are indeed one of the more handsome members of the bird world.

       The catch of the day, however, was a group of 8 Wood ducks swimming amongst the duck weed on one of those ponds I mentioned.  With little to no vehicles on the road at this time of year, I had plenty of time to stop the RAV in the middle of the asphalt and shoot away.  Even though the light was subdued and the ducks were distant as Wood ducks often are, I was able to set the ISO down to 400 and fire away.  The result was at least one decent documentation shot of these most beautiful of ducks.

       Perhaps only the Harlequin duck can compete for sheer brilliance of ornamentation among the waterfowl community.  Even in the rainy atmosphere, the colors of the woodies are so brilliant you can’t miss them even at this distance.

       And so, while not a great variety of shots today, the Wood ducks surely fill the bill as our Shot of the Day.

Day 285: October 11th – Early siskins

Sunny, autumnal skies, NW winds with temps in the mid 50s

       The Pine siskin is a small finch closely resembling the American goldfinch in size but much more striped in appearance.  The siskins are normally found in the boreal forests of Canada, New England and northern New York during breeding season.  These little finches are normally a rare to occasional visitor to the southeastern corner of New York, but this year, they are rolling through in big numbers.  Not only are the numbers greater than normal, but they are here much earlier than would normally be expected.

        The finch forecasts for the northeastern United States this winter predicts a higher than normal incidence of these birds due to an unusually poor pine cone crop in Canada.  When these shortages occur,  a “bumper crop” of crossbills, redpolls, and yes, Pine siskins can be expected to visit the southern half of the Empire State.

       At our home, we have a number of feeders which we keep filled for much of the year.  Siskins are truly a rarity here, for whatever reason, but not so this year!  Last night, I glanced out to check the activity at the feeders and found no less than two dozen of the little finches feeding at the thistle feeders, the sunflower seed platforms, and on the ground below the mixed seed dispenser. 

       What a treat to have these visitors from the north so early and in such great numbers.  Today, they were still around albeit in fewer numbers.  Hopefully, we will find that these little guys will stick around for much of the winter.  We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again.  You just never know what to expect in the natural world.

Day 284: October 10th – Riverfront birding

Cloudy and rainy with temps in the mid to upper 50s

       Birding along the Hudson River’s waterfront is somewhat predictable depending upon the season.  In winter, a wide variety of ducks join the swelling population of visiting Bald eagles and make for some very interesting birding.  At times, during the fall migration, thousands of swallows will gather by water’s edge as they make their way south.  Today was much more typical of a lazy fall day, however, with the standard avian assemblage.

       Things you can always count on at the waterfront….gulls.  At this time of year, the dominant species is the Ring-billed gull.  Smaller than the Black-backs and Herring gulls which will be prevalent all winter long, the Ring-bill is easy to identify.  As the name implies, the tip of its bill is circumscribed with a black ring.  Hundreds of these gulls were found along the water’s edge, in the parking lots, and on the river.  As expected……

       Also as expected, there were ducks.  Unlike the winter assemblage, however, the collection of ducks here today consists of one species, mallards.  With the exception of  few “domestic” ducks (many of which will readily breed with the mallards),

 there were no other ducks to be found along the entire quarter mile stretch I scouted today.  The Common mergansers, Canvasbacks, Buffleheads, and Hooded mergansers which can be found here in December are still hanging out in their summer digs and cannot be found here quite yet.

  

    Even the songbirds are precious few here today.  The omnipresent Northern mockingbird does show up for me and give a nice pose sitting upon a split rail fence near the ferry terminal.  Several others were also here today, but they were all unexpectedly silent.  Generally, you can hear them way before you ever see them, but today, for whatever reason, they have elected to sit quietly and watch the goings-on at the wharf.

        Last (and perhaps least) is the ubiquitous Rock pigeon.  Virtually everywhere in the world can be called home to a population of pigeons.  And yet, as common as they are, they still are quite handsome in their varied array of iridescent feathers.  Perhaps we all get a little jaded about this bird which is often referred to as a “trash bird” because of its commonness, but I do know that others are quite fond of the pigeon…namely kestrels, Cooper’s hawks, Eagles, and so on.  They must be tasty little morsels if you are a predator looking for a squab dinner.

       Time to call it a day.  We will revisit the Newburgh waterfront later this winter to see what shows up to spice the place up a bit.  Until then, we’ll have more than enough new sites to keep us busy.

       

Day 283: October 9th – Sparrows at Benedict

A mix of sun and clouds with a chill in the air

       Every day seems more and more autumnal as the hours of daylight fade and the accompanying cool temperatures make their presence known.  With the change in weather, we await the changing cast of characters in our avian production.  Winter will bring a new group of birds such as juncos, siskins, and White-throated sparrows.  Today, as the changing hues of the season portend these changes, we head over to Benedict Farm in Montgomery, NY to see if any of the changing of the guard has begun to take place over there.

Song sparrow

       For the most part, we see the sparrows we’ve found at Benedict for most of the spring and summer.  Many have undergone a recent molt, however and appear “fresh” with subdued and yet “cleaner” plumages. 

Savannah sparrow

       The young birds may not yet look quite like their adult conterparts.  Take these juvenile House finches, for example.  Their plain gray lightly striped appearance will help them blend in with their surroundings, a definite plus as the leaves begin to fall and will offer little in the way of cover in the next month or so.

       Our only “winter bird” today is a “first of the season” White-throated sparrow.  Soon, these will be regulars at our home feeding stations.  It’s so nice and almost rejuvenating to see our winter guests begin to arrive. 

       I’ll begin to refill all of our feeders in the hopes of attracting some of these birds to our yard.  With plenty of food to go around in summer, I generally keep only one or two feeders filled, more for my own enjoyment than for the welfare of our feathered friends.  In winter, once the snow falls and the naturally seed supply becomes more scarce, the birds will welcome the additional supplies.  For now, however, as in summer, the extra feed with sate my “hunger” more than theirs.

Day 282: October 8th – Final day at Cape May

Mostly sunny with a light NW breeze and cool temps in the mid 50s

       It really feels like fall today and the migration of songbirds in Cape May is in full swing.   Looking down each trail, you can see the birds zipping across from field to trees and back again in search of “fuel”.  We found one such bird, an Eastern phoebe, who had struck it rich in his search for a repast.  An unlucky Red admiral butterfly obviously “zigged” with it should have “zagged” and wound up as a meal for this adept flycatcher.

       There were plenty of larger birds on the move as well….Northern flickers, Brown thrashers, a Swainson’s thrush, Blue jays, and more.  But the stars of the show this morning were the smaller songbirds, predominantly warblers.  This handsome Prairie warbler kept us busy by diving down into the thickets and then popping up momentarily to give us a quick view before disappearing back into the foliage.  Eventually, however, he condescended to come up and give us the extended view we felt we all deserved.

      

When we talk about the changing colors of autumn, we most often think of the leaves of the maples and birches.  Many of our most colorful birds in spring and summer, however, also change their hues and turn to something that appears entirely different.   Take the Scarlet tanager for example.  Today, I photographed an individual perched atop a tree in its typical fall plumage.  Scarlet it is NOT.  The bird in fall is yellow on the face and underparts with black wings and tail. 

      This photo (left) from earlier this year is indicative of what the bird looks like in its breeding plumage.  It’s easy to see how the bird gets its name.

        Unfortunately, it’s time to head back north to New York.  After 4 days and over 130 species of migrating birds, we are reminded why Cape May is often referred to as the birding capital of the northeast and one of the top spots in the entire country.  We had great birds, a great trip leader in Warren, and great fellow birders to share our weekend with.  

Day 281: October 7th – Up to Stone Harbor

Overcast with periods of rain, a chilly 56 degrees

       With the winds coming out of the northwest, we once again venture out to Higbee Beach Wildlife Management Area in Cape May, NJ.  The winds will hopefully help the migrating warblers fly south while the threatening weather may deter the birds from flying across the Bay.  What this means, hopefully, is that we will have plenty of birds which have flown all night and are now ready to hold fast here at Cape May and spend their time searching for insects to refuel their tanks.

       The skies are dark and the contrast between the birds and the trees in which they are perched is minimal making identification difficult at best.  Since most warblers have very similar silhouettes and are not singing at this time, we’ll have a tough time telling whether a bird is a Yellow-rump or a Chestnut-sided.  Even Northern flickers and small hawks look similar from long distances until they turn their heads and give us a good profile of their heads.

       We continue to walk the trails of the fields at Higbee in search of new species, and in spite of seeing hundreds of birds flying into the area and landing in the fully leafed trees, we can only guess as to the id of many of the birds.

       One sighting of interest which we can make without great light is the beautiful elegant porcelain berries.  With a soft sheen like fine china, these blue, pink and purple berries attract a number of birds.  Unfortunately, the vines are agreesive and grow rapidly, choking out the native species.  Once again, it seems that beauty is only skin deep.

    

          As the skies darken and the rains begin to fall, we head north to Stone Harbor to check on the beaches and bays of the area.  We find what we hope for including this Least sandpipers, American oystercatchers, Red knots, egrets, herons, cormorants, and Brant.

       Lesser yellowlegs are working the flats but become skittish as we park the cars and emerge.   I manage to get off a quick shot as they depart.

       Finally, we have a nice close-up encounter with one of our most colorful warblers.  Even in fall foliage, the bright yellow, blue and green hues of the Northern parula glow in spite of being seen in the dim light of the rainy skies. 

     The rain is increasing now and it’s time to forfeit the rest of the day to the elements.  We have one more half day to see what other migrants we can find in this most productive birding venue.  Regardless of the weather, there is always a good possibility of observing some new travelers as they head south to Florida, Central and South America.  With the weather turning 25 degrees colder in the past two day, these birds may get a lot of human traveling companions in the very near future.

Day 280: October 6th – Cape May Birding

Sunny, cooler, and light southerly winds

       Up at the crack of dawn (or before) to get out to one of Cape May’s premier hot spots, Higbee Beach.  If you’re not at the parking lot by 6:45, the other birders will have the entire lot filled and you’ll have to walk a considerable distance from the overflow lot.  Anyway, no problem as we are only the third car in the lot and have plenty of time to down our breakfast sandwiches and coffee.

       As we head out to the trail around the fields of the refuge, one thing becomes very evident.  When you have large numbers of warblers and other small birds migrating through an area, you are bound to attract a large number of raptors which feed on these little guys as well.  And so it is….there is a constant stream of Sharp-shinned hawks, Merlins, Peregrines, and Cooper’s hawks streaking across the sky, often in pursuit of a small tasty bird just ahead of them.  The chase is something to watch, and although we never saw a little guy get nailed, you just know that none of these predators is going to go hungry today.

Cooper's hawk

       After hiking around the Higbee Beach area, we headed over to the Hawk Watch area where a Clay-colored sparrow has been sighted.  We hike over to the brush pile where the bird was seen and after a short time find the bird.  Clay-colored sparrows are not a common bird in the northeast, and so this is a fine addition to the day’s count. 

       The next stop is a site called the “Magic Tree”, a Siberian elm in which aphids  hole up to hibernate.  The warblers probe into the fissures of the tree, excavating the aphids which are a tasty morsel.  Today, the tree is less productive than usual, perhaps because of the higher than normal temperatures, but it still produces several nice warblers such as this Bay-breasted warbler.

       Warblers are not the only birds attracted to the tree, and this Red-breasted nuthatch, one of many seen this weekend, was taking advantage of the feast as well.

       We rounded out the day with a cruise on the waters surrounding Cape May in search of waders and shorebirds.  While on the water, we had a good many sightings of another species of bird heading south in droves….the Double-creasted cormorant. 

Tri-colored heron

       Other hard to find species spotted on the cruise included American bittern, Tri-colored heron, Oyster catchers, and Little blue herons.  At the end of the day, we all had to agree that it was a great day for birding and a great day to be out with so many of our friends and fellow birders.  The birding community is certainly a special social group, one we are happy to be a part of.

Day 279: October 5th – South Jersey

Sunny, warm (80s), and calm

       An incredibly summer like day to begin a four day outing down to Cape May, New Jersey…..migration capital of the northeastern seaboard.  Each fall, we venture down to this migrant trap in the hopes of adding new year-birds to our list and getting great photo-ops in the process.  We started our endeavor at the Brigantine Unit of the Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, and as we expected, we were not disappointed.

       Beginning at the boardwalk, we had our first migrant warbler of the trip, an Eastern Palm warbler.  Tail bobbing gives this bird away, and we had no trouble identifying this little brown job and adding it to the trip list.  Throughout the day, we found both the eastern and western varieties.  The western are much more deeply hued and made for fine photographs.

       A little further down the walk we had a Green heron which from talking to locals has been a regular here for at least two weeks now.  We were certainly glad that the bird decided to wait for us and come out onto the flats to pose.

       The rest of the 8 mile loop was equally productive with beauties like the Northern harrier,  Boat-tailed grackles, terns, gulls, egrets, herons, sparrows, and more.  We always find the Boat-tails at our haunts down in Florida, but they are not so common here and made for a fine photo.

       Night-herons, skimmers, Semi-palmated sandpipers, Black-bellied plovers, and the list just goes on and on.  Time was growing short, however, and we had a 4:30 appointment with our leader Warren down in Cape May. 

        At “The Meadows” in Cape May, we made the loop out to the beach and back through the wetlands collecting new species like the Gadwalls, Ruddy ducks, Wood ducks, Pintails, and Northern shovelers.  It’s great to see that the ducks have returned to our area.  Many of them will be content to hang around the northeast as long as the waters remain open and free from ice. 

       The “shot of the day” comes compliments of a Merlin which flew directly overhead in ideal lighting conditions.  I have gone for months without even seeing a merlin and now I have had at least 5 sightings this week.  Migration is a great time to be out in the field birding.

Merlin

       Tomorrow, it’s up and at’em early in the morning before sunrise and out to an area here in Cape May known as Higbee Beach.  With northwest winds helping to push the warblers into the area, we are eagerly anticipating big numbers of the birds, but the reality is….we can only wait and see what tomorrow brings.  Stay tuned……

Day 278: October 4th – Bits and pieces at Kenridge

A warm (80), overcast day with periods of rain

       Pretty much a carbon copy of yesterday’s weather except that today is about 10 degrees warmer.  In trying to keep tabs on what is going on at Kenridge Farm, the Outdoor Discovery Center of the Hudson Highlands Nature Museum in Cornwall, I try to visit several times each month and get a grasp on any changes in the avian cast of characters which are frequenting this lovely refuge.  Our birding group, the Edgar A. Mearns Club, has been keeping records over the course of the past year and a bird of interest to me today, the Belted kingfisher, has only been recorded by our group in September of last year and then again last month.  Today’s sighting may well be that same bird, but regardless, he is here again and that’s good news.

       The other major birds regarding numbers are the Song sparrows.  They were present in large numbers and throughout the refuge.  Soon, we expect to see their numbers decline as the seasons change and winter takes hold.  Then, it will be the White-throated sparrows that will take top billing.  That is several months off, however, and right now, it’s the Songs that control the meadows.

Chicory

       Another sign of fall that will not last too much longer are the many wildflowers, many of which we have featured in this blog over the past several weeks.  The Chicory and Asters that were so prevalent only a couple of weeks ago are starting to wane just as the leaves are beginning to change their colors in earnest and actually many are actually beginning to fall.

       We’ll have a club outing here next week to officially count the species that are still here or that have moved in for the winter.  It’s always interesting to watch the evolution brought on by the waning hours of daylight and the cooler temperatures that follow.  Watch for our results on next Wednesday’s blog.

Day 277: October 3rd – Black Dirt Birding

Overcast with periods of light rain, calm winds

       It’s been a while since we visited the “Black Dirt” farming region of Orange County, NY.  With the rain we’ve had, there should be some nice surface puddles and ponding on the fields and that often brings in some shorebirds which are migrating south.

       As we drove through the first of the farming areas in Florida, NY, Sharon noticed several birds flitting about the plowed fields and staying near the drainage canals carved through the black dirt.  The black soil here is a remnant of a glacial lake bottom and extremely rich in nutrients…..great for farming.  This concentration of such fertile soil is the largest north of the Florida everglades.  After plowing, worms and insects are easily accessible for the hungry birds and makes for some great birding.  When the rains fall, the worms are pushed to the surface and the hunting gets even better.  Anyway, the birds Sharon took note of were Killdeer and rather than a couple, it turned out that there were probably between 40 and 50 working the fields.  Our hopes were raised for what we would find at the “more productive” Pine Island fields.

        As we drove out to and along Skinners Lane, one of the more reliable birding areas in the black dirt region, we began to feel that our hopes were short-lived.  In spite of a good deal of freshly plowed fields and plenty of standing water, there were precious few shorebirds to be found.  What we did find was a lone leafless scrub tree alongside one of the pull-offs.  There were several birds roosting in the tree and I decided to mount the flash on the Nikon to compensate for the overcast skies and wait it out, hoping more of these little brown jobs would join the few that had since flown off as I approached.  I parked, shut down the engine and watched the tree with a slight level of anxiety. 

Yellow-rumped warbler

       Sure enough, in flew a small brown bird when I checked on him through the bins proved to be a Yellow-rumped warbler.  A second bird, a Song sparrow, was soon joined by a third, a fine Savannah sparrow.  Not exactly what we were here for, but nice birds to photograph in any case.  Suddenly, the all took flight!  I was sure I hadn’t spooked them and there were no other vehicles or farm equipment nearby to cause them to all fly in unison.  Then, it became apparent why they had “flown the coop”.

Savannah sparrow

       In came a beautiful Merlin which landed in the same tree where my subjects had been so cooperatively posing.  I have to admit, I was thrilled to have the merlin at such close range and did not begrudge him for working his “magic” in making the other birds “disappear’. 

       So, while out venture did not end as we had planned, we were quite content to have this gorgeous falcon come in and sit for us for today’s blog entry.  You just never know what Mother Nature is going to throw your way.

Day 276: October 2nd – Autumn in New York

Rainy, cool but calm

    

       A touch of autumn is definitely in the air as we head out this chilly and rainy morning to bird Goosepond Mountain State Park in Chester, NY.  Truly, today’s blog may better be titled “Singing in the Rain”, and if it were May and the birds were in full voice, I would have chosen that over the song for which today’s entry is named.  Anyway, the day started out with threatening skies and horrible lighting for photographing or even just observing birds for that matter.  When the skies are gray, there is a certain glare and most of the birds always seem to be backlit, showing little definition in the coloration of their plumage.  Without song to guide us at this time of year, a day like today is a birder’s nightmare.  But as they say, a bad day of birding is better than a good day at work.

       While not great for seeing the birds, these days of dark misty weather offer us something a little different from the warm bright days, and the change of pace is somehow refreshing.  With all my complaining, we still managed to find just under 40 species with some fairly good looks at some warblers, towhees and sparrows.  None were out in light decent enough to be captured on my instrument of choice today, the little SONY Point and Shoot.  Too dark and too long a hike to carry the really big guns and my other camera is still in the shop.  So, you take what you've got and go with it.

      I tried to capture the feeling of the day with several shots of the beautiful rustic landscape preserved in the 1500+ acres here at Goosepond.  With a variety of habitat including woodlands, marsh, riparian, and meadows, there is always something to see if you wait for the movement of the birds and train your binoculars on those spots.  A rustle high in the cedars may well produce waxwings.  The movement in the cattails turns out to be a swamp sparrow while a Common yellowthroat is seen scurrying from shrub to shrub along the trailside.

       Even in this subdued light, the colors of autumn are beginning to emerge as the days grow shorter and the hours of darkness are greater each day.  The brilliant red leaves of the Virginia creeper (above) on this tree bear testimony to the changing of the seasons as do the blooming New York Asters along the trail.

       And so, while not ideal conditions for capturing images of birds, such a day still has much to offer and its beats the daylights out of sitting in front of the flat screen watching “Days of our Lives”.  Autumn in New York….what a great time to get out and into the woods, regardless of the weather.

Day 275: October 1st – It takes a village

Sunny, windy (north), and a chilly 65

       With apologies to the former first lady, the title of today’s blog refers to the group consciousness that led to the identification of a mystery bird at today’s hawk watch atop Bear Mountain.  The actual identity should have been a no-brainer, but several elements came into play that caused the confusion.

       As we scanned the horizon for the object of our hunt, migrating hawks, I heard a bird calling from a nearby tree.  I could not place the call and was not so proud as to admit my shortcomings.  I asked one of our knowledgeable birders to help me out with the song and I was surprised (and somewhat relieved) to find that she could not put her finger on the source of the mellow notes being broadcast to our small band of birders either.

       We left our posts and began to scour the treetops for the individual responsible for the sweet refrain.  Finally, we saw movement and then flight.  Fortunately, the flight was short and we quickly found the bird perched high in a maple just above our heads.  When we finally got a look, the sun was illuminating the bird in such a way as to make it appear somewhat brown on the flanks and bluish on the head.  Quickly I snapped off three shots before the bird fled the scene. 

       Our first thought was Bluebird, but several of us had gotten the impression that the bird was too chunky or blocky for said bird.  “Not elegant enough” said Doris.  When I got the bird in the screen on the back of the Nikon, the colors looked a bit different and bluebird was starting to make more sense.  Still, that song bothered us.  I grabbed the BirdJam and played the songs associated with the bird.  One refrain did sound very much but not exactly like the bird in question.  We finally came up with the consensus that the bird was a juvenile Eastern bluebird.

       Shortly after, we spotted more movement in the brush just below our vantage point on the mountain.  Sure enough, a group of bluebirds, one looking quite familiar and not exactly like the more typical adults was flitting from branch to branch in plain view.  Suspicions confirmed…..Easter bluebird it was.  All that brain power, photographs, recorded songs and further observations all to confirm what is a common and easy to identify bird……except when it isn’t.  Never say “always”.