Hawk Rescue

While walking back to my home in Harlem from Columbia University in NYC yesterday, I came upon a small group of people who were staring at a bird in the middle of the sidewalk. Though they didn't know what it was, it was quickly apparent that it was a hawk, which I thought was probably a Cooper's Hawk. It was lying on the sidewalk and not looking too lively, but clearly also still breathing. They said it had just hit one of the large plate glass windows three stories up on an apartment building.

I told people that I would contact a rehab place in the city to see if they could come get the bird. Then I went home and contacted the Wild Bird Fund here in Manhattan. They told me that they are not able to come out and get birds, but they could care for it if I could bring it in. Now I was heading to a meeting in less than an hour, and the Wild Bird Fund is about 1.5 miles from where the hawk had been lying.

I decided to go back and see if the bird was still there, bringing a blanket with me in my backpack. When I arrived, the hawk had actually jumped up onto a bush and was looking more energetic, but still clearly had a broken wing.

Knowing that a New York bus driver probably would never let me onto a bus with a Hawk in a blanket (!), I considered making the 30 block walk. But first I had to actually pick up the hawk--something I've never done. While a Cooper's Hawk is not an eagle, it does have some pretty nice talons and a sharp beak. I took the blanket and tried to scoop him up in the blanket, however my first two attempts failed as he squeezed out.

Finally, a cop car was driving by and another guy helping me flagged them down. After some consideration the cops agreed to drive me to the Wild Bird Fund if I could pick up the bird. This time I placed the blanket over the bird's head, and it was much, much easier. I gathered the hawk in my arms like a little baby, climbed into the back of the police car, and we were off.

After a 10 minute drive, I walked in the Wild Bird Fund, and the awesome volunteers there quickly got the bird some fluids and vitamin K. Apparently, it is not that unsual for them to get hawks that have hit buildings....one week in January they had 5 Red-Tailed Hawks brought in over a period of 5 days!

Here are photos of the hawk's damaged talon (on left of photo) and giving him fluids:

I don't yet know the outcome of the story for this Cooper's Hawk....they said that it was bleeding from the mouth and must have had a serious impact, so I don't know whether it will make it or not. However, it felt good to be able to rescue it at least for the time being, and it definitely makes for a good story!

****Update***
Just got a call from the rehab place, and the hawk did make it through the night and is showing good signs (increasingly loud and fiesty I think :). It may not have broken its wing after all (they have yet to take x-rays), but it would have died from dehydration lying on the sidewalk she said. They will transport it to the Raptor Trust in NJ where it can recover in an large outdoor cage.

Two Rare Gulls

Typically, gulls don't get met to excited. I admit that gulls still exist in my mind as mostly confusing and less than fun to sort through. Warblers I love. Sparrows even are interesting. But gulls?

Today I got a text that a Black-Headed Gull was on the Central Park Reservoir. Since this would be a life bird I decided to hop on the subway and ride down the 15 minutes to see if I could find it.  When I approached the big body of water, I saw some birders setting up a scope, so I figured they might have it. I was happy that before they showed me where it was, I actually found the Black-Headed Gull, on the close side of what was probably 400 gulls! Actually, as gulls go, Black-Headed is really quite beautiful. Red legs and bill.

A bonus was a first year Iceland Gull--another unusual one! Only spent about 30 minutes there and got two great birds.
-Mike

Two Owls in NYC

The middle of Manhattan would not be the first place to come to mind when you think of great places to see owls. However, Central Park this year has turned into a fantastic place for owls. The truth is that although it is a large park, there are relatively few conifers in the park, and since owls typically roost in them during the day, there are less possible places for them to be, making them easier to find.

This morning I ventured out hoping to find an owl I've never seen before--the Northern Saw-whet Owl. One had been reported numerous times in the park this year and had been hanging out in one particular area.

I explored the area where I knew the owl had been hanging out, finding only a pile of whitewash (old I think) where it had previously roosted. Feeling slightly bummed I walked away from that area, somewhat aimlessly, when I witnessed a bunch of birds gathering in a nearby pine tree. They were clearly agitated and as I watched, the birds came flying in from all directions. Several Blue Jays, probably fiive Tufted Titmouse, an Eastern Towhee, a White-Throated Sparrow, and two Cardinals all took turns in the general area of the same small tree. Two Squirrels added to the uproar.

Watching this activity I was pretty sure that there must be something in the tree, and since it was a small tree, the Saw-Whet seemed likely. After a few minutes of mobbing, the birds dispersed and I was left in silence, wondering if I could find whatever they had been so upset about. The area where the uproar took place was was fenced in (off limits for people), so I walked in about a 270 degree circle behind the fence, looking at the tree from various angles with my binoculars. Shortly, Thom Schuchaskie, a nature photographer joined me in trying to discover the presumed owl. After about 10 minutes of searching and searching I thought I could make out the rough shape of something roughly owl shaped in the most dense and hidden crook of the tree. Finally it moved just slightly and I was pretty sure that I got a glimpse of a Saw-Whet face.

After another 10 minutes of trying to find a good angle, walking away for a bit, and returning, I discovered the one angle where I had a view of the bird. Sure enough, it was a beautifuly little Saw-Whet Owl.
Here is a photo  of the bird in the pine tree. See if you can find him! He is really small!

 If you couldn't find him in the first photo, how about this zoomed in shot?

The owl continued to be occasionally visited by birds during the 90+ minutes I was there. But it moved very little, just opening and closing its eyes, and at times opening its beak wide and throwing its head back when it was mobbed by other birds.

Apparently, it is probably one of two Saw-whets in the area, since one rehabilitated bird had been released in the area the day before, and there previously was another one hanging out in the same area.

Thom came back to the area later and got this great photo of the bird, including a look at his yellow eyes (which I didn't get to see).

Before I left the park, Lisa and I also spotted a nice Barred Owl roosting in a conifer.  NYC is cool!

Barnacle Goose in the Bronx

Today I chased down a report of a life bird for me--Barnacle Goose. More and more often these Geese seem to be wandering over to the east coast, though they typically inhabit Greenland and parts of Europe I believe. Some seem to be escapes, but the increasing number definitely means that wild ones are here.

After taking the NYC subway for about 45 minutes or so, I arrived in the Bronx and a big park area call Van Cortlandt Park. The Barnacle Goose had been reported in a large flock of Canada Geese. It wasn't too hard to find the big flock of geese, but after several scans, I was getting worried that the Barnacle Goose had departed.

Finally, I found it out in the middle of the geese! Here are some (not too great) photos:

As you can see, the Barnacle is a pretty distinct bird. Still, finding any goose in the midst of hundreds of others can take time, since it may have its head down, be behind another goose, etc.

Yard Birds!!! Lotsssssss

The last 45 days in the yard have brought many birds, 76 species...The above Scarlet Tanager was a weekly visitor for about a month...always in the same spot in the cherry tree. 

This bird has also been a regular visitor....unfortunately this one wouldn't sit still and got 'on the wing' before I could snap it...though this flight photo serves as a good photo quiz! Guesses?

Kinglets have been plentiful in October...Golden Crowned dominating the numbers, though this Ruby Crowned spent alot of time picking bugs from around the garden, and specifically took a liking to this Sedum 'Autumn Fire'.

This particular photo shows the birds that have specifically destroyed my wallet in the last week :) Well not really...but feed is going at a pound a day :) 4 birds in this photo...all different species...all something in common...Quiz.....GO!

This beauty (Purple Finch) is one of 3 Purple Finches that have been visiting the feeders for nearly a month...I did have a total of 5 Purple Finches yesterday, my high for one day...

Nuthatches have been a plenty, both varieties...this RB had a particular fascination with my pond...frequenting this specific spot several times yesterday...

Quiz pic #3....a bird that spent about an hour bouncing through the garden feasting on bugs, maybe a few seeds as well...

Last but not least, the Yeichs are no longer the only family member to have a Selasphorus (Rufous/Allen's) Hummingbird in their yard :) This bird has been here for 5 days now....still a mystery on exact species but I am THRILLED! Most of our sightings have been in this spot, sitting on a bare branch of my Milkweed, regularly feeding on the annual Salvia and perennial Physostegia that surround it....I will keep all posted on this bird!

Other YARD BIRD highlights not pictured....several Tennessee Warblers, Cape May and Canada Warbler, a Blue Headed Vireo, up to 33 Pine Siskins at once, Red Shouldered Hawk, Broad Winged Hawk, Kestrels...

Please send your quiz answers to my e-mail :) 

Hope all your yards are filled with Siskins eating your thistle for 12 hours per day! 

Matt  

Sparkleberry Swamp Kayaking Trip

Lisa and I had the privilege of going for 7 hour kayak trip recently in the Sparkleberry Swamp in SC. Tom, who supplied our kayaks and was our unofficial guide, has a great write-up of our trip here:

http://www.randomconnections.com/birding-in-sparkleberry-swamp/

Mystery Bird

Yesterday, Mom and I were birding at Poinsett State Park. A couple friendly birders from Oregon told us about a bird they had seen hopping around in front of their car. They thought the bird might be injured. I went over to take a look and was surprised to find this small bird. It was hopping on the ground, eating insects along the way. It allowed me to approach it pretty closely, and presumably was unable to fly. I would like opinions on the species of this bird. I have my own idea, but I'd like to see what others say!

On Monday, the Congaree Swamp (SC) held this fellow:  

  

Then today the Rose-Breasted Grosbeak that showed up two days ago on our deck rail revealed what he likes to eat: suet! He made at least 4 visits during the day today!!

 

And speaking of surprises . . .

How many people can say that they saw two adult Bald Eagles AND two Great Horned Owls within 3 hours right across their street?

Scott B. was the hero of my day, banging on my door to report: first, a bald eagle sitting in the middle of their field and second, that an owl was calling in the woods.

The eagle took off as I made my way down the lane, when Tim B. shot a groundhog nearby. It disappeared for a few minutes, then came soaring over the next field at treetop level, soon joined by another magnificent bird. They circled with each other, getting higher and higher, and I was hoping for one of their locking freefalls, but alas, they flew off toward Berlin.

A few hours later, another knock on the door and Ted and I were off with Scott to discover the two owls who were calling while it was still light in the woods behind Marilyn's. We knew they were very near, but couldn't see them from the edge so walked in on the open path. We saw the silhouette of one perched at the top of a snag and it abruptly flew. Then I spotted the second, just as it flew after the first. We heard them several more times, this time much farther away. I will be waiting for a phone call from Terry tonight. She has promised to call me when the owl starts calling from the large pine outside her bedroom window. It's covered with fresh whitewash and is apparently the roost from which it has been nabbing their chickens over the last week.

In other bird news, Ted and I saw the Baltimore Oriole at the window feeder at 9 this morning. It is fully molted into the striking orange and black adult male we suspected it was.

And this PM, neighbor Marilyn had her first male Ruby-Throated Hummingbird at her feeder.

On  my way to classes this afternoon I made a detour to drop something off at the student center, and happened to look over an expansive area where I can see for probably a mile West overlooking the Broad River. I noticed a distant raptor, had my binocs with me, and checked it out.

Boy was I surprised as I continued to scan the sky! I was counting raptors......1...3.....7....9 Mississippi Kites! There was a stiff wind, and they were enjoying it. I also spotted  an Anhinga that was enjoying the currents (a first for this location!).

A bright male Rose-Breasted Grosbeak surprised me a couple days ago by landing on our deck rail by our sunflower feeder. 'Tis the season for surprises!

Spring Tidbits

Although the current week has brought few new migrants to SC, the weeks previous brought Great-Crested Flycatcher, our first R-T Hummingbird, and a couple of warblers (Black-and-White, Prairie).

The recent weather, combined with finishing up my semester hasn't resulted in much beyond the typical local birds, but they are beautiful as well. Cedar Waxwings are one of those birds that puzzles me. Their movements seem very random, and they seem to nest in a variety of habitats that are unpredictable. One time this winter there were probably 200 waxwings in a small area on campus, many of which were swarming a holly tree for its remaining berries.

Mike

Spring!!!

Today I had a Clouded Sulphur and 2 Cabbage Whites flutter through the yard!

The Bluebirds are eying up the houses across the street, Field, Song, and White Throated Sparrows are singing their hearts out!

The Spring itch is here!


Matt

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