South Carolina Winter Walk

This morning I joined a group for a birdwalk at Santee NWR in South Carolina. It was a typical SC morning....in the early morning needing to scrape some frost off of the car, later shedding layers until a t-shirt is comfy.

Highlights were 10 huge American White Pelicans flying over our group. Apparently this was the first time more than one had been seen on the refuge! I also enjoyed seeing 50+ American Pipits at pretty close range, allowing good views of this less-than-spectacular bird. 2 blue phase Snow Geese were unusual (especially since there weren't any of the typical white ones). Rounding out my favorites were 6 Sandhill Cranes, 5 Fox Sparrows, and a couple of Loggerhead Shrikes!  59 species in all

My New Favorite Spot

After a cold, calm night, I discovered a number of late fall migrants had arrived in South Carolina. I was happy to find 44 species of birds in my local patch, including the first fall Juncos, White-Throated Sparrows, and Winter Wrens.

I recently discovered one little spot that is fast becoming one of my favorite places in the world! Down by a fairly broad river, there is a solitary picnic table that sits at the end of an overgrown trail. It overlooks a tiny weedy field and is bordered by woods. On the far side of the river, past a number of tall dead trees and agricultural fields you can see for miles (?) to the horizon.

This combination makes for some wonderful birding just by staying in one spot. This morning I was delighted by Pied-Billed Grebes floating by on the river, Wood Ducks flying over the water, a perched Red-tailed Hawk, and a group of jays pestering a very energetic Sharp-Shinned Hawk. Birds were constantly emerging from the tiny weedy patch: Swamp, Song, Field,  and White-Throated Sparrows, Indigo Bunting, Goldfinches, Common Yellowthroats, House and Carolina Wrens. Finally, on the wood edge were a White-Eyed Vireo, and Brown Thrasher.

The thing to learn from this I think is that often times local spots in the areas around where we live that aren't famous or heavily birded can be great spots for birds. I think combinations of habitats such as this little area are what to look for. 

View of the River from the Picnic Table

Weedy patch on the left, bordered by woodlands

Warbler Woods

My new (mobile) home is located in an oak-hickory forest. Within a 1/2 mile there is a small lake and a decent sized river. I have been amazed at the number and diversity of warblers that I have seen from my office window, and within the woods and habitats nearby.

In about 2 months of birding, I've seen 70 species of birds, including 15! species of warblers, which include about 10 seen just from my office window. By far the highlight has been not one, but two male Golden-Winged Warblers. One was in the trees above my house in late September, and the other I saw last week in a small weedy area. Other birders have assured me that Golden-Winged is not a common bird here in South Carolina (I thought it might be more common here than in NJ or VA).

Other warbler highlights have been Blackburnian, Hooded, and Worm-Eating, as well as a number of Tennessee Warblers.

I was also surprised how common Summer Tanagers are here. I think they are mostly gone now, but in August and September it was unusual if I didn't see or hear one on a walk. Brown-headed Nuthatches squeak high up in the pine trees, and Yellow-throated Vireos hide way up in the deciduous trees.

All that to say, I'm thankful God brought me to a place where trails and good habitats are right outside my door!

Rainy start to October has been excellent!

Well with yet ANOTHER camping weekend being washed out, Deb, Ron, and I were bummed out a bit. But, Deb and I decided to get some birding in anyway yesterday, even in the rain. The morning started well, as I was checking the weather we had this Cape May Warbler visit our stream/pond out front!
Having done Cape May, Brig, and Donio park a million times in the last month, I decided to go to one of my spring herping/birding routes to see what I could come up with. So we hit Jackson Road and Cedar Lake first. 2 Cape May Warblers and 2 Yellow Rumped Warblers were the highlights here amongst a modest flock of migrants.

Then Heislersville WMA. Rain coming down. Not much in the impoundments. So we decided to call it quits. On our way out, In a pretty steady rain, we ran into a very large flock of migrants, and while trying to keep the rain off our lenses, we started calling out lots of birds!
Baltimore Oriole, Redstart, Magnolia, Waterthrush, Yellow, B+W, BTB, Yellowthroat, Parula, Palm, White Eyed Vireo, Red Eyed Vireo, Phoebe...Bald Eagle above!

So in about 3 hours of birding we ended up seeing 63 species!

So I decided today I would do my usual lazy route: Donio, then the backyard.
Donio was loaded with great shorebirds. 13!! Pectoral Sandpipers! Semipalmated, Least, L Yellowlegs, 27 Killdeer, and a solo Spotted Sandpiper.

The house was even better...12 migrating Ospreys, Merlin, Chestnut Sided Warbler, Tennessee Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Redstart, Yellowthroat, Cape May Warbler, RE Vireo, House Wren, 5 Indigo Buntings.

So even though we didn't camp, we got our fair share of birds!

Milestones:
Yard Bird #115 - Tennessee Warbler
Atlantic County Bird #222 - Northern Waterthrush
Cumberland County Birds #166-168 - N Waterthrush, BTB Warbler, Magnolia Warbler

Local findings...Sicklerville birding!

Well some rain, wind, and crappy weather forced me to delay my Cape May camping trip to a further date (yet to be determined). So, I spent my Sunday/Monday/Tuesday birding in the backyard and at Donio Park and Penbryn Pond.

Sunday consisted of a few afternoon hours on the back porch overlooking the garden...and it was surprisingly fantastic! First off, 3 Ruby Throated Hummingbirds were busy all day feeding in the garden and on a new feeder I got. They are still present today.

The more exciting show though, was the steady stream of warbler surprises in the confines of the garden....the first being a very dull Cape May Warbler that I flushed from the garden, and then spent a good 15 minutes in the red cedars, where a Magnolia Warbler was also foraging. A Northern Parula, 3 Common Yellowthroats, 4 American Redstarts, a Chestnut Sided Warbler, and a Black and White Warbler also made appearances. And a blue tailed, brown-bodied Indigo Bunting spent about an hour in the backyard.

Found a Ruby Crowned Kinglet on Monday in the backyard. A sure sign of Autumn arriving!

Donio Park has been a hotspot. I visited Monday and Wednesday and in just 2 40 minute walks saw:
2 Blackburnian Warblers
1 Tennessee Warbler
4 Northern Parula
1 Black Throated Green Warbler
1 Pine Warbler
1 American Redstart
1 (adult) Bald Eagle
1 Pectoral Sandpiper, 1 G Yellowlegs, 8 L Yellowlegs, Semi Sandpipers
Rough Winged Swallows (plenty)
2 Green Winged Teal

Though the numbers aren't as impressive locally compared to in Cape May or other migrant traps, I certainly get more satisfaction out of finding stuff locally!

Herps in SC

Living in SC has been pretty warm. I've already found some interesting birds (Summer Tanagers seem to appear on every walk I take). But last night Lisa and I took a casual evening stroll through a nearby park. Shortly after arriving (while trying to find an entrance to the building with a bathroom, I went to open a door and found a surprise:

I believe it to be a Green Tree Frog!

Later in the walk as it was starting to get dark, a couple ladies passed us and said there was a snake ahead on the trail. Sure enough, this fellow was moving across the path! Now Lisa and I have seem to have a knack for finding poisonous snakes. The last three live snakes we have seen are as follows: Cottonmouth, Eastern Timber Rattlesnake, and now......Copperhead!

You never know in August...

I've always thought August was a strange month for birds. Nesters are leaving, some migrators are starting to pass through, and who the heck wants to go out in the woods in August (i.e. mosquitos, humidity, flies, bugs, humidity, mosquitos, etc. etc.)? I always used to think growing up that September and October were the times to see migrating birds. We always used to assume August was a "dead month" for migration. I don't really know why. But, I remember a few years back hitting Higbee Beach around August 20th and finding a wealth of quality birds including Cerulean, Blackburnian, Canada, and Brewster's Warblers in a 1-hour walk. The following week landed more goodies at Brig (Yellow Headed Blackbird, CS Warbler, Wilson's Warbler, etc.)

Ever since I've tried to make a better effort to get out more in the last half of August. This morning was one of those mornings! Though I only recorded 22 species in my backyard in about 2 hours, I was treated to some very enjoyable and surprising finds!

I didn't get out of bed til about 9:00, so when I stepped outside around 9:20, my expectations weren't exactly through the roof. I couldn't even find a bird for the first 5-10 minutes in the yard.

Then I found one: a White Breasted Nuthatch. Not amazing or rare, but a start nonetheless. I ventured back deeper into the woods, and all I could come up with was a ton of squirrels. Everywhere. Oh, and a few spiderwebs (that entangled my face).

So, after 15 minutes, I had more mosquito bites than bird species, and I was ready to quit, and started thinking about where I might go to find some birds, then I heard a welcoming sound, when one is looking for warblers...a Tufted Titmouse. Then I located an American Redstart....so I decided to keep looking around.

I let my woods go a bit this year, opting not to mow much and let it get overgrown in certain spots to see if that would help with habitat. Well, the male Canada Warbler that was working in that brush certainly confirmed my decision :) I watched him for about 10 minutes. Awesome.

I had been distracted watching him and hadn't paid much mind to some other birds up in the canopy of the black cherry trees above me. So I started looking up when I caught a raptor flying circles above, about 40 yards above...a Peregrine Falcon. In August. In Sicklerville. Weird!

After spending a few more minutes out in the woods, I came up with a female Black & White Warbler, then I went in to get some breakfast.

I was telling Deb how the only "getable" hawk I had left to get for a yard bird was a Broad Winged Hawk which I told her would probably be a long shot....not 15 minutes later...that longshot was flying at 20 yards high right over the Meads house! I couldn't believe it! Deb and I ran out to the front and watched it circle over the field across the street for a bit.

The last interesting find this morning was a flyover Lesser Yellowlegs.

So 4 new birds for the yard (113 now) on a warm August morning was a surprise, though I'm starting to expect these crazy finds in August!

Birding by Kayak

Sunday I spent 3 hours with my father-in-law and brother-in-law kayaking on the Rappohannock River near Fredericksburg, VA. Beautiful sunny morning, and though I wasn't there to bird, I managed to hear quite a nice list of birds, including a surprising number of warblers! We covered 6 miles on the river total. Most of the birds were heard, but not seen. Here's the e-bird list:

Rappohannock River-Hole in the Wall to Motts Run, Stafford, US-VA
Jul 3, 2011 9:45 AM

Mallard  1
Great Blue Heron  1
Green Heron  1
Turkey Vulture  2
Mourning Dove  2
Yellow-billed Cuckoo  2
Northern Flicker  1
Eastern Wood-Pewee  3
Acadian Flycatcher  4
Eastern Kingbird  3
Yellow-throated Vireo  1
Red-eyed Vireo  5
Tufted Titmouse  1
White-breasted Nuthatch  1
Carolina Wren  1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher  2
Wood Thrush  3
Gray Catbird  1
Cedar Waxwing  6
Northern Parula  3
Yellow-throated Warbler  2
Ovenbird  2
Louisiana Waterthrush  4
Kentucky Warbler  1
Hooded Warbler  1
Scarlet Tanager  1
Northern Cardinal  3
Indigo Bunting  5
American Goldfinch  4

Virginia Woodpeckers and Warblers

It's been a while since I've gotten to bird much, but this past weekend Mom & Dad were visiting, and we were able to head out to Thompson WMA and Sky Meadows SP. Had some great birds, the highlights of which were Cerulean Warblers (4), Kentucky Warblers (2) and an extremely cooperative Red-Headed Woodpecker, which landed on a fence post before we even entered the park. Having gotten about as good a look as you can get of these guys, we decided that we had had our fill and didn't need to pay the $4 to enter the park!

Here is a video of one of the Kentucky Warblers. I suspect that this pair was defending young or a nest, because they were extremely vocal the whole time and almost seemed to follow us down the path. They also were in the same area 45 minutes later when we came back through.

Lisa snapped this great shot of the Red-Headed Woodpecker:

Look what surfed in at Sea Isle!

Dad and I went striper fishing down at Sea Isle today. What a gorgeous day!

Only caught two (non-keeper) stripers and several kingfish.

There were about two hundred shorebirds in assorted flocks at the water's edge, including Sanderlings, a few Least, 2 Ruddy Turnstones, and Semi-Palmated Plovers. Also saw one Osprey and the usual Laughing gulls fighting over the clam shells.

Suddenly, about 150 feet down the beach, about 30 feet out, I saw a large bird floating in the water and coming in through the surf. I grabbed my camera and ran down to see it. Unbelievably, the bird came right in, almost to my feet. It was a juvenile (first year?) Northern Gannet with perhaps a broken right wing.

I was able to get many great pics of it. Eventually two young gals came down and asked what it was and what we should do. They made a phone call and got connected to the Wetlands Institute in Stone Harbor, who said put a wet towel around it and bring it in. Easy to say, when you're not looking at that strong bill. But that's just what they did.

So, Lisa, you can be extremely happy that this bird may not meet the same sad fate as the young Gannet of yesteryear!

Looks like it's smiling . . .

Willow Flycatcher & Cerulean Warblers

Saturday the Yeichs and I headed West to Thompson WMA and Sky Meadows State Park for some late spring birding. Our target bird was Cerulean Warbler, and they did not let us down! In fact, the first one we saw was on the ground in the path in front of us! Very unusual for a treetop species. We got looks at both males and a female. The other highlight at Thompson was a pair of Kentucky Warblers that were following each other through the understory and gave us excellent views. The whole time they were making a harsh chek note. Other highlights were Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Scarlet Tanagers, and Rose-breasted Grosbeaks. We also found a dismembered Luna Moth, whose body had been eaten, but whose wings were scattered on the path.

Our plan was to observe the Red-Headed Woodpeckers at Sky Meadows, however that quickly changed when we found out that we couldn't enter the main part of the park without paying $20, because of a strawberry festival that half of the people in Virginia were attending. So we went across the street to a different trail, and were pleasantly surprised with a life bird: a singing Willow Flycatcher beside a stream!

Some Pics From Our Family All Day Bird Trip Around South Jersey

Local Notes: Blackpolls and an Owl

Last night Lisa and I took a walk through a local nearby park. I had been told that at a place where the trail crosses a road Barred Owls had nested in the past, and so we headed that way to see if we could track one down. Sure enough, when we were getting close to the street, we spooked an owl 30 feet from us. He flew back a ways, but then a band of Blue Jays managed to chase him back our way, where he perched for several minutes!


Then today when I pulled into a parking spot at my doctor's office in Falls Church. In a little 20 ft tree beside my car were two male Blackpoll Warblers with a third singing nearby. Also heard two more in our apartment complex while taking out the trash tonight. It's amazing how much can be seen in the most common of places.

I'm also excited to have a Gray Catbird eating hulled sunflower seeds off my porch, along with the oddball American Robin that has been feasting on the sunflower for over a month (and visited some last year as well).

I'm Alive!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey all. Been a while since I last posted. I may backtrack and do a few posts from trips over the last few months.

But, for now, I will catch you up on recent occurences.....there haven't been too many. I've been working a lot, doing yard work alot, and have very little free time to get out and about.

But, in my yard this month I've already recorded 51 species of birds and a handful of butterflies so that's been good.

The yard/field across the street highlights are as follows:
May 3 - 3 singing male Northern Parulas and a singing Prairie Warbler
May 4 - 1 American Redstart, 3 Yellowthroats, 1 Prairie Warbler
May 6 - a male Blue Grosbeak, a singing Blackpoll Warbler, a singing Yellow Warbler
May 7 - Brown Thrasher, Osprey, American Kestrel
May 9 - a male Scarlet Tanager flyover, a Great Crested Flycatcher, 2 E Kingbirds
May 10 - a male Indigo Bunting, Blackpoll Warblers continue

The latest interesting butterflies in the yard have been an American Copper, a Silver Spotted Skipper, and a Red Spotted Purple. Eastern Tiger Swallowtails have become regular in the last few days, as well as American Ladys.

I'll be doing a herping post soon from a few weeks ago.

NJ Nature Notes

I would be remiss to omit some interesting sightings of the last week:

First, I have heard and then located a striking male Baltimore Oriole (of the non-baseball variety) in a front yard tree twice in the past week. I took some photos, but they are more or less like a Where's Waldo picture.

Second, a male Rose-Breasted Grosbeak visited our front yard on Thursday in the early afternoon. This species has visited us four of the last five years:


2007 - male on May 2
2008 - female on May 2, male on May 8
2009 - male at window feeder on May 2, male & female in BigTop feeder on May 7
2010 - No grosbeaks seen
2011 - male feeding on ground under tube and window feeders on May 5th
















Last, but not least, some sightings on the Sea Isle trip:

• Thousands of high-flying brant in long lines, headed north



• Several schools of dolphin, passing close off-shore.



• An amazing Little Blue Heron in the bay marsh off Corsons Inlet



• Semi-palms (plover and piper) and 2 least on the beach



• A kestrel over the ocean (sighted by Dad).



• These crazy gulls fighting over the leftover bait:

We bird, we herp, we fish

There has been some discussion as to whether fishing photos are allowed on our nature blog. Let me resolve this controversy by saying that I have decided they are allowed and here they are.

Dad and I had a wonderful time at Sea Isle this very fine Mother's Day. The weather was perfect -- sunny and 70 degrees with a light wind. Dad set four surf rods out, baited with fresh clam. The first (supposed) striper of the day took not only the bait but the entire rig off of line #1. That was a good omen.

Next, Dad reeled in a 30", 8#11 oz striper and no sooner had beached that one, then he was pulling in another non-keeper.

Dad with his stripers

About an hour later, another rod bent and this one was mine. I started fighting what ultimately turned out to be not only my first striper ever, but the largest keeper of the day at 10#4oz and 30". I thought I was in good shape, but man, what a fight! Complicated by the fact that Dad was reeling in something on the line next to me. That turned out to be a skate . . . AND my line. At that point, I was convinced that my fish was off. The lines were tangled -- and a mess. About a minute later, Dad realized that the fish might still be on my line and hand pulled my fish to the beach!

Then, ten minutes later, the big surf rod bent again and I was off to the races fighting my second fish which fought harder than the first. My shoulders and arms eventually gave out and I had to let Dad get this one onto the beach for me also. It was a first for the Webster family: a black drum 25", 9.5#. An strikingly beautiful fish which takes its name from the drumming noise that it makes (and we heard). Since we heard that it's not as good eatin', we threw it back.

What a day --one that I will never forget!

We bird, we herp, we fish . . .

Only we sometimes eat the fish.

Hummer Pic & WV birds

For over a week now we've had a female Ruby-Throated Hummingbird coming to the feeder on our office window. I managed to get quite a few more photos the other day, the best of which is here.

Today while watching my brother-in-laws motorcycle racing in WV, there were a number of Baltimore Orioles around, and I also heard Scarlet Tanager. A couple of Northern Parulas were singing in the area around my apartment complex.

A Real Owl Sighting

This morning I spent an hour trying to track down a Mourning Warbler that had been seen a day before in an area not far from where I work. The disappointment of my search for that bird can be summed up in these words: I might have seen it. I had heard a rustling sound in the leaves beside the path. Thinking that it was awfully close for a bird, and probably one of the many squirrels, I took a step toward it only for it to fly. Clearly warbler sized...thought I picked up yellow, though truthfully it could  have been the Ovenbird that I spotted later. Anyway, it flew in far enough that I couldn't relocate it. Someday I'll find a Mourning Warbler.

On the bright side, a group of 5 or 6 crows alerted me to the presence of a Barred Owl, which they eventually managed to flush. Also saw several warblers, two Scarlet Tanagers and a FOS Swainson's Thrush. Interesting that White-Throated Sparrows are still lingering around.--Mike

Unusual Owl Sighting

This morning the alarm was beeping at 6:00am. I gave the snooze button a rude slap and nestled down for what I thought would be five minutes. Instead, I slipped back into dreamland where the following scene took place:

I was standing in the bedroom at my parents’ house where I grew up, peering out the window overlooking our neighbors open front lawn. I saw an object spiraling down out of the sky towards the grass. It was apparent that it was a large bird, but its flight indicated it could be injured. While watching this object plunge, I witnessed another healthy owl fly down and snatch the other owl out of the air. This rescuer owl then landed in my parents’ backyard. This should have been my first clue that this owl was something special.

Zzzz….break in dream where I don’t remember what happened.

The next thing I knew the owl was in my parents’ living room. It stood about 18 inches tall, but it quickly became apparent this was not your average wise old owl. As I edged into the living room, the owl began igniting the fuses of multiple pyrotechnics around him….primarily sparklers. I’m not quite sure whether that set him off to dancing in the middle of them or what. I just remember being struck at how clever this guy was.

I don’t think there is any moral to this story. Just a strange dream. And an unusual, pyrotechnic-loving owl.

VA Appalachian Trail Birding

Today I joined the Northern Virginia Bird Club for a morning walk to Thompson WMA and the adjacent Sky Meadows SP. I knew that this area was good for some breeding warblers, and I had never been out there before. It turned out to be a great walk. Here are some of the highlights:

10+ Cerulean Warblers (including views of at least 5)
3 Hooded Warblers (great views)
Yellow-Throated Vireos, Worm-Eating and Kentucky Warblers (heard only)
Bobolink
10+ gorgeous Red-Headed Woodpeckers at close range, and even on open fenceposts!
1 Blackburnian Warbler
1 Nashville Warbler

If you're in this area this summer, most of those birds are breeding birds, and you'd have a good shot at them in the right location.

P.s. If I had kids, I would totally subscribe to this magazine: Nature Friend Magazine

20 Visit Hummer

The previous post mentioned the hummer had visited 15 times. It actually ended up being about 20 times during the course of the day. Here are the times, on average about every 15-20 minutes.

11:05, 11:25, 11:41, 11:53, 12:06, 12:25, 12:36, 12:56, 1:10, 1:14, 1:47, 1:59, 2:23, 2:37, 2:54, 3:06, 3:22, 3:33, 3:37, 5:06

As you can see from the above picture, on the last visit of the day, she had something stuck to her bill!

Ruby Throat

This little female Ruby Throat has been at our feeder 15 times throughout the course of the day! Ah, the pleasures of working from home.

Neighborhood Notes

Yesterday, I had the first hummer of the year appear at my feeder, and she returned this morning as well. Exciting!
Also, I took 50 minutes yesterday to stroll around my neighboorhood, a tiny wooded park, and a lake nearby. I came upon some surprising birds: Northern Waterthrush, Swamp Sparrow Common Yellowthroat, and Black-Crowned Night Heron. Sometimes it's amazing what can be found in places you wouldn't expect. This is inside the DC beltway, after all.

Overcast Morning Birding

Despite the threat of rain and overcast skies, my walk with two co-workers to Occoquan Bay NWR turned up 60 species. Highlights were King Rail (heard), 10 Bald Eagles, Prothonotary Warbler (one of 6 species of warbler), and Rusty Blackbirds.
 Complete species list is below:

Canada Goose     8
Wood Duck     6
Gadwall     80
Mallard     5
Ring-necked Duck     2
Lesser Scaup     20
Hooded Merganser     3
Ruddy Duck     50
Wild Turkey     1
Common Loon     2
Pied-billed Grebe     1
Double-crested Cormorant     10
Great Blue Heron     20
Black Vulture     1
Turkey Vulture     5
Osprey     15
Bald Eagle     10
Cooper's Hawk     1
Accipiter sp.     1
King Rail     X
American Coot     200
Solitary Sandpiper     1
Greater/Lesser Yellowlegs     1
Caspian Tern     12
Mourning Dove     3
Chimney Swift     6
Belted Kingfisher     1
Red-bellied Woodpecker     5
Downy Woodpecker     2
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted)     1
Eastern Kingbird     1
Blue Jay     3
American Crow     5
Fish Crow     2
Purple Martin     6
Tree Swallow     10
Barn Swallow     3
Tufted Titmouse     3
Winter Wren     1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher     8
Eastern Bluebird     2
American Robin     5
Northern Mockingbird     2
Brown Thrasher     1
European Starling     3
Yellow Warbler     12
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle)     4
Prairie Warbler     2
Palm Warbler     1
Prothonotary Warbler     1
Common Yellowthroat     5
Eastern Towhee     3
Field Sparrow     2
Song Sparrow     2
Swamp Sparrow     3
White-throated Sparrow     15
Northern Cardinal     5
Red-winged Blackbird     40
Rusty Blackbird     5
Common Grackle     18
Brown-headed Cowbird     6
American Goldfinch     10

FOY Hummer

If you hang it, they will come . . .

Put up our porch feeder yesterday at Lynne's urging ---
And an adult male showed to eat about the same time as Dad did!

Woohoo!

Morning Walk in the Woods

This morning I made it out for a 75 minute walk in the woods beside a local lake, Lake Accotink. Besides being a beautiful morning, there was some great birds to be seen. Seeing a bird that you haven't seen since the fall is like rediscovering an old friend. :)

Highlights today were Winter Wren, 40 YR Warblers, 4 Palm Warblers, 1 Pine Warbler, Rough-winged and Barn Swallows, and a Bald Eagle.

Spring Migrants

Spent a couple hours birding this morning at Occoquan Bay NWR (VA), and found some new spring birds. The most beautiful was a gorgeous male Yellow-throated Warbler. I was also happy to find a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. And there were lingering winter ducks as well: 3 Redhead, lots of Ruddy Ducks, as well as Ring-Necked Ducks, Lesser Scaup, Horned Grebes, Gadwall, and American Wigeon.

Osprey have returned and are nesting.

New ID Guide

You know you're really into birding when you read a 500+ page bird identification book page by page.

Now, granted, I don't think I'd do that with most field guides. But I have been benefiting greatly from a new guide released earlier this month. It is the Crossley ID Guide, written by Richard Crossley, a Brit who lives in Cape May (two more reasons to like the book). I actually got to hear him speak about a month ago, when he shared his life story and the reasons why he put together this book and thinks that it is significantly different from the loads of other id guides out there. I have to agree with him: it is different, and I think it really does have great potential to increase your ability to identify a bird. 

The reason I think that is this guide really gives you a better feel for the typical habitats where birds are found. If you were to take a typical field guide (say Sibley or Peterson) into the field trying to find a Horned Lark, it wouldn't be much help in terms of where to look. But one glance at Crossley's guide and you get a sense of the places Horned Larks hang out. You probably also get an idea of what a Horned Lark looks like at a distance, in flight, and in multiple plumages. The most interesting thing is you get all of this combine on one page, in one conglomerate photo.

This guide may not be the prettiest, but there is much to be learned, especially for the intermediate-advanced level birder.

Check it out!: Crossley ID Guide

By the way...I enjoyed seeing a Red-Breasted Nuthatch behind the Wild Bird Center where I work last week. Also saw my first Eastern Pheobe of the year yesterday (while sitting a friends deck table)

Florida Top Ten Photos: #1

Here it is...the grand finale to my Florida adventures:

 This Wood Stork, combined with the rising moon, created a really neat photo op. Can anyone figure out what the other bird in this picture is?

Below, here is a video of the area where these bird were. It was such an amazing night.

Surprise Visitor

We had a surprise visitor to our yard today. A new lifebird, yardbird and Feederwatch bird, to boot.

Imagine walking out the side door with the recycling and seeing this in front of you:

What in the world was a chukar doing in our yard?

To answer the question that you are asking, "No, it is not an escapee from Bringhurst's." They do not raise any chukar.

Here's the video as I approached it and it ran off. Note the quiet "chuckling", or "chukaring" it made as it went:

Florida Top Ten Photos: #2

One of the birds I really hoped to see in Florida was this rainbow colored Purple Gallinule. It had been more than 10 years since I had seen one, and it is such an intriguing combination of colors, rivaled only perhaps in the US by the Painted Bunting, which is a bit more gaudy.
Florida didn't let me down, as we saw at least 6 different birds, including four individuals on the Anhinga Trail at ridiculously close distances. I was surprised to see several birds climb into low trees to nab buds off the trees. One look at their long toes tells you they're not exactly made to climb, but still it managed to get up in the tree and hold on:

Florida Top Ten Photos: #3

I like the lighting on this breeding plumage Snowy Egret. I also like how the shadow of the bird on the water makes its "golden slippers" very apparent.

Florida Top Ten Photos: #4

Tricolored Heron, Breeding Plumage

Florida Top Ten Photos: #5

The Wood Stork is the dinosaur of birds. It's head truly gives it an ancient look (which my wife Lisa thinks is ugly :). The white of the Wood Stork is quite brilliant and contrasts beautifully with the jet black of the flight feathers. My favorite part of watching the wood storks was seeing a peculiar feeding habit they would use. While standing in shallow water, a stork would hold one wing out to the side, creating a shadow on the ground. At the same time it would use its opposite side foot to "tap" the ground/mud, raising it up and down. Presumably, the foot would stir up prey which might head for the shadows created by the wing? At one time I was close enough to hear the hollow "clop" of the storks bill shutting. Apparently, they keep their bill submerged until prey touch it, when they close it at an incredibly quick rate.

We were a little early for the Storks to be nesting, but I suspect by this time in late February/early March they are in the thick of things. One of the best places to see them  nest most years is Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary .

Florida Top Ten Photos: #6

The Anhinga is a bird that is hard to avoid in southern Florida. If you're near any type of water, they seem to be around. While at first appearing similar to a cormorant, they are easily distinguished by their longer, straight, pointed bill and long, almost turkey-like tail. Like cormorants, Anhingas often are seen with wings spread on a low branch above water. They spread their wings to help they to dry more quickly.

At one point during our trip we watched an Anhinga attempt to swallow a catfish it had caught. For at least a few minutes it tried to flip the catfish just so that it would begin to slide headfirst down the bird's throat. The problem was that this catfish was just a little bit too large. After repeated attempts (and presumably frustration), it finally gave up and left the catfish on the bank.

Another interesting thing to note about the above picture is the blue orbital (eye) ring on this bird. This is a male in bright breeding plumage. I was surprised to find that though it was only January, the Anhingas were very much in the middle of their nesting season. We saw many nests (fitttingly, on the Anhinga trail in the Everglads), and some with young as well (here a male sits on the nest with chick).

 

Florida Top Ten Photos: #7

This bird was one of the ones I most wanted to see on our trip. The Limpkin is found almost exclusively in Florida in the US. It feeds primarily on Apple Snails, one of which we saw this Limpkin eat! Though not nearly as brilliant as Florida's many other wading birds, I was very excited to find this one at Anhinga Trail in the Everglades.

Florida Top Ten Photos: #8

While butterflies weren't our main pursuit in the Everglades we did happen upon several of these striking Zebra Longwing Butterflies along the Snake Bight trail. This is the state butterfly of Florida. They were not the only insects on the trail. We got bit pretty good by mosquitoes, which even got Lisa through jeans!

A Long Black Eared American Headed Pipit Gull.

Wouldn't that be quite the sight. Well if you can actually interpret that you can understand my highlights of the day. But, I'll break it down for those that aren't so inclined :)

Ron and I took a stab at the rarities/life birds being seen in Cape May County today: Black Headed Gull, Common Redpoll, and Greater White Fronted Goose. My goal was 1 of 3, and that is what we got!

We went to the Cape May Ferry area and immediately got an adult Black Headed Gull on the beach with a few Ring Billed Gulls. I got a distant shot of it, above.

Though we didn't nail our other goals, we got a bunch of good stuff.

5 American Pipits were a highlight (and a lifer for Ron) at the Beanery. We caught a large Sparrow flock as well which is always fun (3 A Tree, 1 Fox, 6 Field, 8 Savannah, 20 Song, 12, White Throated)

The very large excitement of the day came at the state park. We were on our way out, and walking up on the section of conifers on the boardwalk trail (by the parking lot). I decided I would jump off the path and venture through the woods, hoping to find a Long Eared Owl. Well if I knew it was so easy, I'd do that every winter day! I literally walked ten feet, and about fifteen feet in front of me was a Long Eared Owl looking me in the eyes!!!!!!!!!!! I froze, hoping to not spook it until Ron saw it. It flushed, and we chased it a bit around the woods and then it was gone! But, it was only the second one I've ever seen, and the first in sixteen years!

Other nice finds were a wintering Seaside Sparrow at Stipson's Island Road, 4 Bonaparte's Gulls at the Concrete Ship, a Purple Sandpiper at Avalon, a Ruddy Turnstone at Reed's Beach, and 2 Red Backed Salamanders at Bennet's Bog and Kimble's Beach Road.

70 species. 3 lifers for Ron. 1 lifer for me.

Good stuff.

Florida Top Ten Photos: #9

Vultures are everywhere in Florida. Both Black and Turkey Vultures were quite common. And nowhere were they closer and more apparent that at the Anhinga Trail in Everglades National Park. Probably 20 or more vultures hung out right beside the trail. At one point we watched them eat a catfish that someone else had failed to eat. But the greatest thing about the vulture was when they lined up on the railing to sun bathe. They placed themselves at exactly the same angle with wings outstretched, reminding me of someone raising their hands in worship at church or perhaps conducting an orchestra.

Florida Top Ten Photos

In the next blog posts, I'll be posting my top ten photos from the Florida trip, along with some descriptions or comments. Here is photo #10:

This is the view from the little cabin where we stayed for a week on Lake Whippoorwill, south of Orlando. Besides the beauty of the gorgeous sunrises and sunsets, every morning a host of egrets, ibis, and herons would head north and then at sunset they would all head south again, returning to their roosting area at the south end of the lake. I had done hawk watches and warbler counts before, but never heron counts! There also were hundreds of gulls moving every morning, and I spotted a few Bald Eagles as well.

Birdwatching in Central Park - 7/28/05

Florida Life Bird #1

While driving south from Orlando to Ft. Myers through the heart of Florida on Route 17, I really had one bird species in mind. I knew that it was my best shot at seeing it on our entire trip, as they are not typically found in South Florida. The bird I was after? Crested Caracara

Lisa and I drove through lots of upland grassy areas where cattle were grazing and every vulture anywhere in sight I was double checking. Finally we were getting closer and closer to Ft. Myers, and I thought our chances were getting slim, when while cruising along we approached three birds on the road side. I saw white on the neck and knew we had found them!

I pulled off to the side of the road probably 50 yards past the birds, and was able to get a decent look at one adult and one immature Caracara feeding with a Black Vulture.

Florida Reptiles

I recently returned from eleven days in the Sunshine State. Needless to say it was a great time. I could post hundreds of pictures (and will post more), but I wanted to begin with something a bit out of the ordinary for me: reptiles.
During my trip, Lisa and I of course happened upon probably a hundred of these guys. We kayaked among alligators , heard them bellow, and enjoyed watching them hunt a bit.

Much more surprising than the crocs, however were two snakes we happened upon. The first one surprised us while we were hiking on a trail. I had been looking down at some Brown Anole lizards, was about to take a step forward when this guy really scared me --I was about to put my foot down pretty close to his head. I'd like to know what species you think he is. I have my guess:

The second snake sighting happened about an hour later. You might recognize this one by the rattle on the end of his tail! This was less of a scare, as we were in the car and it was crossing the road. I got some decent shots of him as well as a video (e-mail me if you want it)!

Photo ID quiz

Alright guys, here's a little photo quiz. I used photos that I took in the winter (That could be a slight hint). I will do these periodically. The first picture, ID the primary bird of prey in the picture. The second, ID all four species in the picture. Do NOT look at my flickr and cheat at all :) E-mail me your guesses, then I'll post the answers on here in a day or two. I want full participation!

Yard birds galore!

Well the snowy day didn't let me down! Recorded 32 species in the yard today.

Geese were non-stop flying west all day long. Counted for about 90 minutes this afternoon. 1235 Canada Geese and 205 Snow Geese. 2 Mallards were in the mix as well.

Feeder birds were also good with at least 146 individuals visiting the feeders. Our Fox Sparrow, a solo Pine Siskin, 53 DE Juncos, 20 WT Sparrows, 2 WB Nuthatches, 2 Downy and 2 Red Bellied Woodpeckers, and a nice Chipping Sparrow. Another interesting sighting was 2 pure white Pigeons (they are neighborhood birds but I've never had them at the feeders).

5 Eastern Bluebirds were hanging on the front wire for awhile as well.

Odds and ends

It's been pretty quiet overall lately, since all the lakes in South Jersey are frozen solid....

But, the backyard has been busy still. The solo Fox Sparrow and Red Breasted Nuthatch continue and a flock of 25 Pine Siskins visited the feeders for about an hour yesterday.

An adult Sharp Shinned Hawk has been staying nourished. I've seen him hit a DE Junco and a RW Blackbird in the last few days, which is pretty cool.

A trip to (predominantly frozen) EB Forsythe yesterday was pretty quiet with only 32 species. However, great looks at 3 different Eastern Meadowlarks were awesome, a distant light-morph Rough Legged Hawk was really cool, and a handful of songbirds made it interesting including 10 Savannah Sparrows, a Swamp Sparrow, a Grey Catbird, 2 Hermit Thrushes, 2 Eastern Towhees, and a Brown Thrasher. Ducks were scarce though. Outside of Geese and Black Ducks, just a few Greater Scaup, a solo RB Merganser, and 2 Snow Geese.

That's all for now. I'll be watching the feeders all day tomorrow. Maybe somethin odd will show up!