Kathie's Birds

Sunset at Lake Cochichewick SWF

2012-02-23T15:43:00.000-05:00

Sunset at Lake Cochichewick in North Andover 2-17-12

A coot swimming in the glinting light of sunset.

Cooper’s Hawk-A Hunter is Born

2012-02-21T14:28:00.001-05:00

The Hunter in the Woods 2-18-12

On day 2 of the Great Backyard Bird Count this immature Cooper’s Hawk appeared in my yard. For the next 3 days it hunted my feeders without success.

Saturday

Watching 2-18-12

Sunday

Sitting on the brush pile where the sparrows like to hide 2-19-12

Monday

Cooper’s Hawk after it flew up into the tree 2-20-12

On Monday afternoon just as the small birds were starting to return to my feeders, so did the Cooper’s Hawk! I saw it perched on the logs of my woodpile as I was taking the laundry downstairs. I dropped the laundry and ran for my camera but when I tried to stealthily open the backdoor and stick the lens out the bird bolted for the trees.

After watching it awhile I went back to doing what I was doing, which was sitting by the fireplace reading a book. When I went back for the laundry later I looked out the back window again. By now the sun had set and the light was dim and gray. I scanned the trees and the brush pile but saw nothing, and then, something moved beneath a branch!

I grabbed my camera once again, and this time I went into the spare room and shot through the double-pane window. I did not want to scare the hawk off its prey. I know how hard it is for them to be successful, and this young bird finally was. But…what was it eating? I tried so hard to see through my lens and with my bins, but in the dim light I could not tell.

I left the bird to its dinner and I went back to my laundry,

my cozy fire, and my book.

In the morning I went investigating.

The young hawk was perched on these logs when I first saw it out the backdoor. If you scroll back up and look at some of the close-ups from last night of the hawk on the branch you will see a bit of red dangling from its beak. I started to suspect that it may have already killed it’s prey and was eating it here but I did not notice it then.

Sure enough, I found feathers on the ground!

And more feathers in the leaf litter in the woods where the final pictures were taken.

It definitely ate a bird. I am hoping it was a house sparrow.

Though I searched and searched I never found any bones, legs, or a beak.

I do not think it will be long for this young hawk to become an expert hunter…

leaving only feathers behind.

A Feather Remains

(Note: I do not think this is from the same bird that was killed last night. This feather was with a few others underneath the feeders on the side of my house and I think it may be from a mourning dove.)

World Bird Wednesday

I wore myself out this weekend doing the Great Backyard Bird Count. If you click on the link and go to the home page you can see some of the results. If you want to see how your state ranked, just click on the “Explore the Results” Button to see State Tallies and the Top Ten Lists. I always have fun doing the GBBC. This year I submitted 21 checklists and added 2 new bird species to my yard list when a mallard and a rock pigeon flew overhead. Happy Birding Everyone! Now I’m going to take a break…if I can! See you soon!

Birding for the GBBC (OWT)

2012-02-20T11:12:00.001-05:00

Stirling Street Bog 2-18-12

All weekend I have been counting birds around Massachusetts for the Great Backyard Bird Count. The Great Backyard Bird Count is run by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and is done every year for the 4 days over President’s Day weekend. It is a citizen science project that helps get people involved with nature and helps track bird populations during the winter time. The GBBC, as it is fondly called, was my springboard to becoming a birder, instead of just a bird watcher. So, besides counting birds in my own backyard, I walked down to the Stirling Street bog every day so far and counted birds.

Male Belted Kingfisher 2-18-12

On Saturday I saw this First Of The Year (FOTY) male Belted Kingfisher at the bog.

Revere Beach 2-18-12

Later in the day Gus and I drove down to Revere Beach and…

while Gus walked the sidewalk…

I headed for the water’s edge…

where I saw patterns in the sand,

Herring Gull at Revere Beach 2-18-12

and gulls,

gulls,

and more gulls!

Sunday

On Sunday I decided to see if I could find any birds at West Parish Cemetery.

West Parish Cemetery in Andover 2-19-12

While the cemetery seemed like it would be a perfect place to count birds I did not see or hear a single one, even though I was there for a half an hour. It was such a beautiful day and so peaceful that I did not mind. I entered a bird count of zero for this location, because the scientists need to know where the birds aren’t as well as where they are.

Baker’s Meadow

Ring-necked Ducks 2-19-12

From West Parish Cemetery I headed for Baker’s Meadow, an AVIS property, where I found Mallards, Hooded Mergansers and Ring-necked Ducks.

Mute Swan at Baker’s Meadow 2-19-12

I also found a pair of of Mute Swans.

Sacred Heart Park in Andover

American Robins at the park 2-19-12

My final stop for the day was a Sacred Heart Park in Andover where robins ruled as I counted over 50 of them in the woodland eating bittersweet berries. I walked down along the river where I counted a few Canada Geese and a couple of mallards. As I headed back to my car the shadows were growing longer and the robins had landed in the soccer field dotting the lawn with their bright red breasts.

Cooper’s Hawk in my backyard 2-19-12

Back Home again the Cooper’s Hawk was still hanging around the backyard keeping all my small birds away. It was here yesterday and has been here all afternoon. Earlier it was perched in a tree, but now it was down on the brush pile where all the sparrows like to hang out. None of them dared show its face, but a little red squirrel came out and scolded the hawk, then darted back into the brush. Today is the last day of the GBBC. I wonder what birds I will see today!

Our World Tuesday!

Sundog seen at Revere Beach on Saturday

GBBC Around Town

2012-02-18T14:09:00.001-05:00

Cooper’s Hawk in yard 2-17-12

I counted birds all over Andover yesterday, including my yard, the bog, and the Post Office!

The Shawsheen River flows right by the post office.

Canada Geese and Mallards in the Shawsheen River 1-17-12

I often find geese and ducks in this little cove along with sparrows and cardinals along the banks. In the summer I can see swallows, blackbirds and phoebes. Crows, robins, gulls and hawks are also seen at this location, but today I simply saw geese, a few mallards, a song sparrow, a cardinal, and lots of house sparrows.

In the evening we drove by Steven’s Pond in North Andover where I found some Mute Swans along with some geese and mallards again.

Sea gulls on an ice shelf in Lake Cochichewick 2-17-12

From there Gus drove me around Lake Cochichewick. The south end was all frozen over, so we did not stop, but the north end near the dam had some open water where I found 10 Hooded Mergansers, 2 common Mergansers and 2 coots! Out over the water sea gulls swooped and soared. some were landing in the water and some on the ice as the sun was sinking beyond the horizon.

American Coot floating in the glinting light of the setting sun 2-17-12

Yes, I am out counting birds again today for the

Great Backyard Bird Count!

Day 2 New Bird species seen so far today:

White-throated Sparrow in my backyard
Blue Jay in my backyard
Belted Kingfisher at the Stirling Street Bog
Northern Flicker at Sacred Heart Park

So far I have counted 26 species in Andover and 8 species in North Andover!

GBBC in My Backyard

2012-02-17T12:12:00.001-05:00

American Goldfinch seen out my kitchen window this morning 2-17-12

I got up this morning, brewed myself a cup of green tea, donned bathrobe, warm shoes and gloves and went and sat outside on my back porch to do my very first bird count of the day for the Great Backyard Bird Count!

Gray skies await me this morning, but the temperature is actually mild at 42F degrees. At first is is so quiet that I do not think I will see many birds this morning.

All the feeders are empty, but I sit and wait and sip my tea.

I have a blanket over my lap and a fuzzy pillow to sit on. I see motion off to my left and count 7 starlings in the treetop. Then the chickadees start to call and come in to the feeders. they are followed by titmice, nuthatches and house sparrows. Before I know it, I am watching a birding bonanza as seagulls drift overhead, a lone house pigeon flies by, the downies come to the suet and the cardinals come out of the woods. A song sparrow starts to sing form the top of a twig in the woods and then a mallard flies overhead beating its wings for all it’s worth! In the end I count 20 species of birds in my backyard. It is my first count of the day.

As I head inside, the clouds are starting to break up. Time to go count more birds!

It’s not too late! You can participate also! It’s easy and fun. Just click on the button in the sidebar or below to learn how. You do not need to count birds everyday to participate. Even one count form your own yard or a friend's; from a walk in your neighborhood or from any natural area. Wherever you are, you can count the birds!

My Morning Bird Count:

Mallard-1
Red-tailed hawk-1
Ring-billed gull-3
Herring Gull-1
Gull species-1
Rock Pigeon-1
Mourning dove-6
Downy woodpecker-1
American Crow-1
Black-capped chickadee-3
Tufted titmouse-2
White-breasted Nuthatch-2
American robin-2
European Starling-7
Song sparrow-1
Dark-eyed Junco-8
Northern Cardinal-4
House Finch-1
American goldfinch-5
House Sparrow-24

The GBBC Begins Tomorrow!

2012-02-16T14:51:00.001-05:00

Juvenile Red-tailed Hawk in my backyard 2-12-12

The Great Backyard Bird Count begins tomorrow!

Male House finch at my feeder 2-12-12

Whether in your own backyard…

Eastern bluebird at Bog today 2-16-12

…or in a nearby nature area,

Will YOU be birding?

Just click on the button to learn more!

All on a Winter’s Day

2012-02-14T18:00:00.000-05:00

American Robin at Sacred Heart Park 2-6-12

It is a mild winter’s day in February when I set out to walk to Sacred Heart Park in Andover. I first came to this park over a year and a half ago. It was the very first day that we looked at this apartment which we are now renting. In that span of time I have only visited here a few times, watching and counting birds here whenever I could. It has been fairly quiet at the bog lately so I have been coming here more often, mostly to walk the dog, but today I am leaving the dog behind and bringing my camera and binoculars along instead.

I set off down a leaf strewn pathway behind the neighborhood houses and alongside the commuter rail tracks.

This is just a little strip of nature tucked in-between everything manmade, but I like it. Sometimes I see cardinals and even hawks along this path, but today it is fairly quiet. I see no birds.

At the end of the trail I cross the pavement to the soccer field and playground. A brilliant and cloudless blue sky is vaulted overhead. The mild temperatures have the feel of springtime about them, though the buds have yet to swell or the grass to start its flush of green. Here I turn southwest towards the tree line and walk along the edge of the woods. As I near the naked trees tied together with tangles of bittersweet vines I start to see a few robins. Lower down in the brush the dark-eyed juncos hop. I follow the along the edge of the field towards a path that leads to a bit of a clearing down by the Shawsheen River.

The sun is casting long shadows over the still brown grass. I see the Shawsheen glimmer in the cool winter’s sun. The river bends and twists here forming a small pond and a marshy area. As I head to a little wooded alcove at the top of a small hill I am surrounded on three sides by water and marsh. Only the grassy lawn I walk on is firm ground, and the rise of the woods towards the soccer field.

I look above me to the tangle of vines dotted with bright red berries. The robins are flitting about from tree to tree and back again.

Below the ground is littered with berries and they continue to drop like pebbles around me as birds forage in the treetops.

But as I stand here in the sunlight and shadow with bittersweet tangles rambling every where I am mesmerized by the soft sound of the thrush’s wings as they fly from place to place.

I watch and listen and close my eyes just to hear this soft sound, then, afraid I might miss something, I open my eyes again. It appears to be raining robins! I count 75 or more in this little woodland fluttering everywhere!

The brilliant blue sky shows off the brilliant red breast of this bird surrounded by berries so red and ripe. It is a perfect picture for me and I drink it all in.

In a nearby tree a little downy climbs the tree trunk searching for insects on this mild winter’s day.

I am feeling a bit dreamy with wonder as I wander back down the grassy slope towards the river’s edge.

As I head north I pass the little pond to my left formed as a backwater of the river. While the river is flowing, this little pond is still mostly frozen and I can see signs of a skating rink formed where someone had pushed the snow back. Now it is too slushy to skate on or even stand on. I can see melt water on top of the ice and a few places where it is totally melted through. Sparrows like to gather in the brush along these banks, and I can see a low branch hanging over the pond where I saw a phoebe hanging out one day last summer.

Above the frozen pond and mostly hidden in the trees I spot a yellow-shafted northern flicker perched on a branch. The red V on the back of its head and the bit of its white rump peeking out through its folded wings are all that give away its presence.

Though everything is bare and gray and naked, I see a spot of green moss across the river on the opposite shore reflected in the languid river. The Shawsheen rolls along shallow and lazy here. If it were summer it would be tempting to wade in this clear water, but today the thought of that cold water chills me to the bone.

From the bank of the river I look back up the slope I have just walked down. Sunlight and shadows play with my mind…

…for I see a monster in a tree!

I turn to follow the river where it takes another sharp bend as it heads north toward the Merrimack River to flow out to the Atlantic Ocean between Salisbury Beach and Plum Island, two of my other favorite places to bird. Here at this bend I once spotted a Belted Kingfisher, but there is none today. Just blue sky and russet brown leaves reflecting in the silent water.

Through the shallow water I gaze at ripples in the sand forming patterns on the river’s bottom, enhancing my dreamy state of mind.

The ground starts to rise steeply before me and with it the oak-lined river bank which is loosely carpeted with last year’s leaves.

Here I emerge from the woodland to the other section of the park. The buildings of Andover are visible beyond the grassy field.

A walking track circles the inner part of the field, but there are no birds there. Because the bank is so steep here a chain link fence has been erected along the river’s edge. I follow the fence line now, gazing through chain link for birds either in the trees above or below me in the water. I soon spot a few mallards floating lazily in the current. Overhead some mourning doves coo their mournful song. When I draw near they take flight, their wings whistling as the air rushes through them.

I am captivated by the contrast of russet leaves and cobalt blue water.

With the sunlight behind them the leaves just seem to glow.

I have such a peaceful and dreamy feeling now. I walk up to the chain link fence to view the river below. Here the fence stops at a short but steep slope down to a shallow flat area before coming to a stone edged drop off to the river below. The river is forced into a manmade channel here as it flows through the park to head out of town. As I near the edge of the fence I have my camera slung over my left shoulder and my bins on a harness across my chest. Sunlight is streaming down on me. The river looks so peaceful and lazy. I am feeling peaceful and dreamy and oh so happy to be outside. I take another step closer to the edge of the fence on what I think is solid ground and just as my hands are grasping the links the world slides out from beneath my feet!

I now realize the fence is not attached at the bottom! My fingers lock on the cold metal links. My feet are slipping and sliding on that russet carpet of oak leaves which had blown up against the bottom of the fence making it appear as if it were solid ground. Since the fence has now bent forward and away from the flat area behind me, my feet are beneath the bottom of the chain link and I am dancing on peanut butter. For a brief moment I dangle there like a scarecrow, the muscles in my arms taut, my mind racing. I don’t have time to think about how ridiculous I look. All I can think about it that cold water below and how I don’t want to be IN IT! I kickback to try to find a purchase and with a huge effort, find solid ground again and pull myself up and back. It is only when I am sure that I am standing on solid ground that I let go of the fence. I look below me to the river, flowing cold and dark and slow. It almost seems to be laughing at me. But I don’t care. I straighten myself out, dust myself off, and decide I’ve had enough of bird watching and nature for today.

That dreamy state of mind left with the adrenaline rush of survival. It’s time to go home for a cup of hot tea where I can watch birds safely out my kitchen window! But don’t you worry Shawsheen River, I will be back again!

~The End~

Bittersweet Robin ‘n Red Squirrel Sky

2012-02-09T02:40:00.000-05:00

American Robin and bittersweet 2-6-12 at Sacred Heart Park in Andover

Red Squirrel seen in my neighborhood January 1, 2012

Skywatch Friday

Birding with the BwBTC Group

2012-02-07T00:01:00.000-05:00

Dawn Fine and Mardi Welch Dickenson

Last October I finally got to go out birding with the Birders who Blog, Tweet, and Chirp. I had missed several opportunities to go birding with this group over the past couple of years due to conflicts with other trips or even moving across the county, but finally it worked out for me. My first outing with them had been two weeks before at Plum Island in Massachusetts. Now, just two weeks later I found myself on my way to Wilton, CT to go birding once again. I knew I would have fun if I could just get there! Since I was already in Connecticut visiting my family it seemed like an easy choice to make until I discovered that Wilton was down by the New York border--the opposite direction from where I currently live! To drive down there would turn my 2 hour trip home into a 5 to 6 hour round trip! Oh, but I had so much fun two weeks ago and I would get to meet more birders and see more birds and…oh heck, why not! So, I got up before dark, got on the highway and drove southwest across the state.

Palm Warbler hiding

Though I got there a bit late, it was not too late to see birds. However, the birds were not cooperating with me and my camera. Sorry, but there will not be any outstanding bird photos today, but there will be fun!

American goldfinches on weeds

We met at Allen Meadows Park. The crisp autumn morning soon warmed up and birds flitted around everywhere. In tangles and hedgerows, in trees and brush they flew and perched and fed.

Dawn Fine, Cynthia Cage and Mardi Dickenson

You can tell from this photo we were all having fun and I found it a bit hard to focus on the birds. I finally had to walk off by myself just to see some birds!

Diana Frugulietti, Dan Huber, Jeff Fine and Chris Ciccone

I saw some of the same people I had met two weeks before, and I met some new ones. You can read about that adventure over at Birding is Fun today.

Since the birds weren’t cooperating I took pictures of flowers instead.

I was able to capture this one fuzzy shot of a Vesper Sparrow, a first for my Connecticut Life List.

Autumn Leaves

Cooper’s Hawk

All in all I saw 38 species of birds at Allen’s Meadow Park! After a brief stop for coffee and a restroom break we headed over to Schenk Island in search of more birds.

Schenk Island

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Red-bellied woodpecker in shade

Red-bellied woodpecker in flight with acorn

Autumn Leaves…

…and Nutty Birders!

What fun I had! What fun people I met. Though I only saw 16 species of birds on Schenk Island I saw my first ever Dickcissel and I was the one who spotted it first and noticed that it had a larger beak than a sparrow. I was so proud of myself! However, the photo I took of the bird is terrible, so, no pictures of that one either!

World Bird Wednesday

Links:

Bird List for Allen’s Park Meadows

Canada Goose
Turkey Vulture
Cooper’s Hawk
Sharp-shinned hawk
Red-shouldered hawk
Red-tailed hawk
Merlin
Ring-billed gull
Mourning Dove
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Northern flicker
Pileated Woodpecker
Eastern Phoebe
Blue jay
American Crow
Black-capped chickadee
tufted titmouse
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Eastern bluebird
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
Blackpoll Warbler
Palm Warbler
Chipping Sparrow
Vesper Sparrow
Savannah sparrow
Song sparrow
Lincoln’s sparrow
Swamp sparrow
White-throated sparrow
White-crowned sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Indigo bunting
Common Grackle
House finch
American Goldfinch
House sparrow

Schenk Island Birds

Red-bellied Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied sapsucker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Phoebe
Tufted Titmouse
American robin
Cedar Waxwing
Palm warbler
Yellow-rumped warbler
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
White-throated sparrow
White-crowned sparrow
Dickcissel*****Lifer!

Boston Museum of Fine Art

2012-02-06T14:30:00.000-05:00

Glass Sculpture at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts 2-3-12

Gus and I spent a few hours at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts on Friday. It was out first time ever to visit and the place is massive! I really liked this towering glass sculpture in the Sharpiro Family Courtyard. Since we came in the Fenway entrance it was one of the first things we saw! We spent about 4 hours there and then came home. There was so much to see, we will definitely have to go back again!

Narcissus on the Campagne by Elizabeth Lyman Boott c1872

Of all the magnificent and famous paintings in the museum, this tender little flower in the corner of a room we were passing through caught my eye. I fell in love with it and was surprised to learn it was painted by a female American Artist from the 1800’s. Her name was Elizabeth Lyman Boott and the information next to the painting said that she died at age 40 from an illness and her effigy was displayed behind me. I looked at the painting for awhile, then turned to see the effigy.

Elizabeth Lyman Boott Effigy carved by her husband, Frank Duveneck

She looked so sweet, peaceful and beautiful and I couldn’t get her out of my mind. When I went searching for information on this artist I was surprised to read this tragic love story:

Lizzie dies young

Early in 1888, the little family returned to Paris where Duveneck reconnected with his Munich friends. Lizzie, saddled with a child, husband and elderly father, had a new view of Parisian life. But despite it all, she took up watercolors again, and she and Duveneck submitted work to the jury for the 1888 Paris Salon.

On the day the jury voted, Lizzie went to bed with a chill. Four days later she died of pneumonia.

Duveneck returned to the States in 1889, placed his son in the care of the Boott family in Boston at the insistence of his father-in-law, and settled in Cincinnati where he worked on a funerary monument for his beloved wife's grave.

A simple effigy covered with a palm leaf was cast in bronze and later copied in plaster - one awarded an honorable mention at the Salon of 1895 - and sent to the Boston Museum of Fine Arts (among others) where his son could see it.

James traveled to Florence to see the bronze memorial and wrote to Lizzie's father, "One sees, in its place and its ambiente, what a meaning and eloquence the whole thing has - and one is touched to tears by this particular example which comes home to one so-of the jolly great truth that it is art alone that triumphs over fate."

You can read the entire story by clicking on this link: Elizabeth Lyman Boott

Please Visit Our World Tuesday for a tour of the rest of the world!

Meeting Greg Miller at the Brookline Bird Club

2012-02-05T20:10:00.001-05:00

Greg Miller speaking to the Brookline Bird Club 2-3-12

On Friday night I had the privilege of going to the Brookline Bird Club’s winter meeting in Bedford, MA, where Greg Miller was speaking. Greg Miller is one of the birders from the book The Big Year by Mark Obmascik. Jack black played the character modeled after him in the movie by the same name. I first read The Big Year back in 2004 when it was first published. At that point in my life I was still a beginning birder, and though I had participated in The Great Backyard Bird Count and Project Feeder Watch, I still was not the birder and bird lister that I am today. When I first read this book I had never heard of a “Big Year,” nor had I ever met anyone who kept lists of all the birds they had seen. It was quite an eye-opener for me and I loved the book because it wasn’t just about birds, it was about people and how an obsession can take over your life. Mark Obmascik is a good writer and the story is very well told. I couldn’t put the book down when I first read it.

The crowd listens intently while Greg tells us his stories.

When the movie came out I went to see it with Jeff and Dawn Fine while I was in Connecticut. If you haven’t seen the movie, it was really good. It is out on DVD now, so you can get it and watch it at home if you’d like. I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to make this meeting because Gus had the day off and he and I took a drive into Boston to go to the Boston Museum of Fine Art. We came home earlier than expected, so I was able to go after all.

Kathie and Greg Miller

Greg is a really nice and friendly guy and was very patient with everyone who wanted to have their picture taken with him. He is an excellent speaker and a good story teller. He told us how he became a birder in the first place, about doing his Big Year, and about how his life became the subject of first a book and then a movie. At the end when he let us ask questions most people wanted to know how reality and the movie differed. When he was telling us his story he told us how after his Big Year it was discovered that he had leukemia. He told us how that affected him and his life, but he never told us how it all turned out. So, I raised my hand and asked him myself. With a Big Smile he told us that his doctors now consider him cancer free! Yes, birds and birding are very good and for me they help make any dark day brighter, but I must confess that I was very happy to hear that at least for now, he has beaten cancer.

Greg and Diana Frugulietti

I wish you well Greg Miller! Keep on smiling and watching those birds!

Yesterday’s Yard Birds

2012-02-03T16:32:00.001-05:00

How many people get to have a Red-tailed hawk as a yard bird?

This one was hanging around my yard most of yesterday morning. As long as it was in this tree, I never saw a single gray squirrel in the yard. I’d like to hire him to hang around the yard full time, because the rest of the birds seemed quite at ease and chirruped and fed merrily away. For some reason, the Red Squirrels did not seem to be afraid of it at all!

Juvenile Red-tailed hawk in my backyard

House sparrows and Juncos feeding beneath the tree

Red Squirrel

Female Cardinal

Cardinal near woodpile

Dark-eyed Junco at the edge of the woodland.

The Watcher!

Red Squirrel still eating, but there are no gray squirrels around!

If you were walking by, would you see the hawk?

There it is!

It’s One of those Gray Winter Days

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

Storm Clouds over Stirling Street Bog 2-2-12

If the groundhog were in my area today he definitely would not see his shadow. I walked down to the bog to see what birds are hanging around.

On January 31st the bog was still frozen but yesterday’s spring-like temperatures must have melted all the ice. Still, with a cold north wind blowing the only birds I saw were some mallards, Canada Geese, a couple of crows, and a few wayward gulls riding the wind.

When I left the house at 10:50 a.m. the temperature was 42F, but by the time I returned 30 minutes later it had dropped to 38F! Brrrr! Time for some warm soup!

Bleh!

What a difference a day makes!

A cloudless sky on February 1, 2012

Happy Skywatch Friday!

and

Happy Groundhog Day!

come see my

Robin’s Egg Blue Sky

Big January Totals and Photo Essay

2012-01-31T19:48:00.001-05:00

Northern Cardinal Andover Backyard 1-22-12

Andover Backyard Birds

White-breasted Nuthatch 1-1-12

American Goldfinch 1-1-12

Downy Woodpecker 1-1-12

Blue Jay 1-1-12

Male House Finch 1-1-12

House Sparrows 1-1-12

Mourning Doves 1-1-12

White-throated Sparrow 1-1-12

Stirling Street Bog

Red-tailed Hawk 1-1-12

Swamp Sparrow 1-1-12

North Andover Birds

Canada Geese 1-1-12

Great Blue Heron 1-1-12

Northern Pintail Ducks and Mallards 1-14-12

Plum Island Birds 1-10-12

European Starlings

Bald Eagle 1-10-12

Bald Eagle, Great Black-backed Gull, American Crow

Cherry Hill Reservoir Birds

Canvasback 1-14-12

Cooper’s Hawk 1-24-12

Gloucester Birds 1-16-12

Bufflehead, Herring gull, Common Goldeneye

Black Ducks and Greater Scaup

Greater Scaup

Iceland Gull

Juvenile Iceland Gull

Common Eider

Common Loon

Webster, Massachusetts 1-19-12

American Coot

Ring-billed Gull

Salisbury Beach 1-24-12

Northern Mockingbird

Turkey Hill Road 1-24-12

Mute Swans

Out-of State Birds

Turkey Vulture 1-19-12 Willimantic, CT

Northern Hawk Owl 1-29-12 Palmyra, Maine Life Bird*

It was a fun and busy month of birding. I ended up with 66 species of birds here in Massachusetts and 68 species of birds overall. the last few days of the month I was gone a lot and not able to get out birding again, but I did hear an Eastern Screech Owl on the night of January 27th right after I got home from Connecticut while I was out walking the dog. Then, my final bird was a Common Raven I saw alongside the highway in Haverhill, MA area on our way up to Maine for this past weekend.I beat my last year’s total by 11 species for Massachusetts and 13 species over all. If you did a Big January please let me know by leaving your total in the comment section below. You can see my complete Big January 2012 Bird List by clicking on the link. I added 6 species to my Massachusetts Life List and 3 species to my Life List so far this year! And to think the year is still young yet!

Our World Tuesday

and

World Bird Wednesday!

Kathie’s Stats Year-to-date

January 2012 Stats	Life	Year
Total Species	423	68
Total Checklists	3910	84
States Birded In:
Massachusetts	166	66
Connecticut	136	23
Maine	108	18
New Hampshire	62	3

Big January 2012 Birders and Totals:

Larry, The Brownstone Birding Blog-83
Robert Mortensen, Birding is Fun-65 species
Ruth, Body, Soul and Spirit-54/93 species
Kathryn, My Mountain Green-33 species
anyone else?

The Northern Hawk Owl Adventure

2012-01-29T20:07:00.001-05:00

Riverside Estates, Palmyra, Maine 1-29-12

When I knew for sure we would be heading to Maine for the weekend I knew my plans would include a side trip to see if I could find the Northern Hawk Owl that everyone has been talking about. I consider the Northern Hawk Owl to be one of those species of birds that I would never see in my lifetime. It just seemed too exotic and elusive to me. I was sure it would take a trip on snow shoes or by dog sled to ever find one, yet one has been reported for over a month in Palmyra, Maine, right off route 2 and just east of Skowhegan. Since Skowhegan is about five minutes from where my in-laws live, I could hardy pass up the chance to look for this bird.

Sunday morning is a bright blue day as we head west from Newport on Route 2. Puffy clouds fluff themselves in the sky driven by a strong NW Wind. At my request Gus is driving slowly along the road while I scan the snow-covered farm fields and woodlands on my side of the road. From the eBird report I know that most of the sightings of this species have been on the South side of route 2 in an area bordering the Madawaska Stream. As we come down a little hill that will cross the waterway I look off to the south where I see a road sign that says Cutis lane, and a bigger sign that says, “Riverside Estates, Lots for Sale.” Gus turns the car around at the first opportunity and we head back.

We enter on the snow covered dirt road and start scanning the surrounding woods and open areas. I have my bins in hand, but suddenly realize my camera is in the far back of the vehicle. Gus stops the car for me and I jump out to retrieve it and then jump back in. The last thing I want to do is find this bird and not be ready to photograph it, but as we reach the end of the road and turn the car around, Gus and I both know we are searching for a needle in a haystack. The last report sighting of this bird on eBird was January 16, over 10 days ago. Really, what are my chances of seeing it now?

The lump in the tree

Gus is letting the car creep along slowly. I have rolled my window down to listen and look. We are headed towards Route 2 now and I am looking to the right while Gus is driving and keeping an eye on the left side. I say to him, “If you see anything that looks like a lump on a tree or a bush, tell me!” He answers me by saying, “You mean like this?”

I lean over him and look out his driver’s side window and there at the tippity top of the trees I see a feathered lump with a long tail streaming out behind it. That’s it! I cry! I cannot believe what I am seeing! I open the car door and step into the bright sunshine using the vehicle as a shield. The sun is behind the bird and the wind is rocking the tree but the bird clings tenaciously to its perch! I snap off one quick photo, then try to still my heart to snap off some more. However, I know that this birds is backlit by bright sunshine at the top of a swaying tree and will appear as little more than a silhouette against that bright blue sky, so I get back in the car and Gus backs up to see if we can get a better vantage point with a better angle of the sunlight on the bird. But the more we back up and the light gets better, the more the trees start to get in the way.

In frustration I jump out to take more shots of the bird, walking around to find open areas in the tangle of twigs and branches.

By now the bird has spotted me too. It has its eye on me.

As I find what I hope is a sweet spot and go to take a shot, the Hawk Owl launches itself into the wind and disappears over the treetops.

I lower my camera and get back inside the car. I am filled with wonder over the fact that I even saw the bird, and disappointed that I did not get a longer or closer look at it. But I DID see it and it is Life Bird number 423 for me!

Blue Skies

For the rest of the day whenever I say, “I cannot believe we found that bird,” Gus responds by saying, “Me either! It was like looking for a needle in a haystack!” We are both incredulous. Me, because I never thought we would see one, Gus because he never thought we would find it. But we did! And it didn’t require snowshoes or a dog sled after all!

“Blue Skies, shining on me…nothing but blue skies, do I see…”

A Winter Marsh Sky

2012-01-27T01:20:00.000-05:00

Marsh at the Salisbury Beach State Reservation 1-24-12

Earlier this week I went to the Salisbury Beach State Reservation in search of birds. It was an unusually warm winter day with bright sunshine and temps in the 50’s. Here by the marsh the wind came rushing up Black Rock Creek, but down by the ocean it was actually a bit warmer. For me, it was a perfect way to spend the day with blue skies and birds. Besides, who knows when we will get another as nice as this one. Click on the link below if you want to see more…

Skywatch Friday!

In Search of a Mockingbird

2012-01-25T22:54:00.001-05:00

Northern Mockingbird at Salisbury Beach 1-24-12

After last weekend’s snowstorm I kept my eye on the weather looking for a good day to go out birding. After a warm rain on Monday that melted all the snow I decided I would head out on Tuesday since blue skies and warm temperatures were predicted. As I tired to decide where to go birding this time, I thought about Salisbury Beach. For me it is only about 40 minutes from where I live and I know that I have seen Mockingbirds there on the road into the beach area almost every time I have gone. Now, mockingbirds may not be everyone’s target bird, but we seem to have relatively few here in Andover and I do not have one on my Big January 2012 Bird List…yet. It is nearly noontime by the time I point the nose of my car north for Salisbury in Search of a Mockingbird!

As soon as I turn off Route 1A into the reservation road I roll my windows down and start creeping along at 5 miles per hour searching for birds. At first I do not see much, but a few starlings fly over the road and land in a tree. Next I see a small flock of pigeons flying from the neighborhood that runs along the north side of the road. I stop for a blue jay that is bathing in a puddle on the roadway in front of me. As I pass the entrance gate my eye catches some movement off to my left. I pull the car over and park, for there in the bushes by the marshy area is a Northern Mockingbird! It is sitting so close to the road that I am able to photograph it with my cell phone camera, though in that photo it only shows up as a fuzzy gray dot! Then I see another mockingbird as it flies further into the marsh, the flash of white in its wings and tail giving it away. In the marsh grasses I spot two song sparrows, and in some other nearby bushes I find 2 tree sparrows.

I continue my drive along the road, past the campground and towards the boat launch site all the while scanning sky, trees, grasses and water for birds, but there are few. No raptors. No owls. No new ducks. Just a couple of black ducks which I have already seen elsewhere. But when I park the car at the boat launch where the Merrimack River meats the sea, I finally find three white-winged scoters out where the water runs swift. The tide is coming in now, pushing against the out-flowing river causing all kinds of turbulence. With the wind blowing over the water it is making me cold and I jump quickly back into my warm car. From here I continue my drive past the rest of the campground and towards the beach.

I drive into the parking lot filled with gulls and grab my peanut-butter and jelly sandwich before exiting the car. I tuck it into my jacket pocket so the gulls will not see it and mob me. As I head towards the path to the beach I pass a few cedar trees lining the grass. Once I am past this green wall I take my sandwich from my pocket and eat it in peace. Golden sand slides beneath my feet as I head for the deep blue sea!

Down through the dunes the sound of the pounding surf beckons me.

I look north towards New Hampshire,

then head south towards the breakwater and the pounding sea.

At the end of the rocks the Great Cormorants gather.

This is another new species for this year and also new for my Massachusetts Life List! I walk along the shore and turn back to the parking lot where I get in my car and head for the next spot. I had seen on eBird yesterday that a snow goose was seen at Plum Island Parking lot 1, so I decide to head there and see if I can find it. as I head past Joppa flats there are no birds in the cove, so I continue east down the road towards the island. As I am nearing the Plum Island Airport I spot a flock of birds across the street. I pull over and roll down my car window as cars whizz by. There sure is a lot of traffic out here for 2 o’clock in the afternoon!

I scan the flock of geese for snow, but do not find one. All I see are geese,

geese,

and more Canada Geese! Not a Snow Goose or a Brant in the bunch!

The Town of Plum Island

As I scan the marsh on the north side of the road near the drawbridge I spot a pair of gadwalls paddling in and out of the curves of the marsh, but they are too distant to photograph, so I snap a shot of the town beyond instead. I pull into the refuge next and drive right past the ticket booth. Suddenly I hear a voice shouting, “Hey!” I look in my rearview mirror and am surprised to find there is actually a park ranger managing the booth. Last time I was here there was no one there, but it was much colder then and there were fewer people in the refuge. So, I back my car up and apologize, explaining I didn’t expect anyone to be there. I pull out my Duck Stamp which is my pass into this refuge and any other National Wildlife Refuge. I bought it last fall when I was here. As I pull forward with permission now I see that today there are at least 15 cars in the first parking lot and many more driving up and down the road. I do not see any birds nearby and with so many people this is not fun. The warm weather has brought them out in droves, so I turn around and start to head home, but I decide to “Go Home by Another Way” as James Taylor would sing.

Mute Swans along Turkey Hill Road

I am heading west now with the sun in my eyes as it is getting late in the day. I drive through Newbury to West Newbury on Route 113 looking for Turkey Hill Road which will lead me to Moulton Road and Cherry Hill Reservoir. I have seen Turkey Hill Road marked as a Birding Hotspot on eBird and I want to check it out for myself. I pull off into a parking area when I round a bend and see a family of mute swans in the water. From the edge of the road I scan the water and find a few coots, a few common mergansers and a few crows as well. It is a pretty drive and I know that I will now do this again for it isn’t long before I am at Cherry Hill Reservoir.

Juvenile Cooper’s Hawk in trees across the street from reservoir

The sun has dropped behind the hill as I pull my car over to scan the trees. I see a soft brown and pale vertical shape in the midst of all the thin gray saplings. Though the light is poor and the bird is far across a field I am able to get at least one half-way decent shot, my last new bird of the day and species number 64 for this year.

I roll along the edge of the frozen lake slowly looking and listening for birds, but all I see is a flock of geese huddled on the ice at the center of the lake. Darkness is falling and I realize need to go home. I follow the back roads until I come to Route 133 which takes me into North Andover. As I come to the junction of Route 133 and 125 I see the lights on in Mad Maggie’s Ice Cream Shop. They must have opened today for the good weather! Mad Maggie's makes all their own ice cream on premise. I don’t have to think about this for too long, I quickly turn my car into their parking lot and park. Inside I order a waffle cone with one scope of Almond Joy and one scoop of Khalua Brownie Fudge! Yum! This sure beats peanut butter and jelly! What a way to end a full day of birding!

Birds Species Seen Today:

Northern Mockingbird*-Salisbury Beach
Blue Jay
European Starling
Rock Pigeon
Black Duck
Song sparrow
Tree Sparrow
American Crow
Ring-billed gull
Herring gull
Great black-backed gull
White-winged scoter*
Red-throated Loon
Common Loon
Common Eider
Great Cormorant*
Northern Harrier-Plum Island
Mallard
Red-breasted Merganser
Hooded Merganser
Common Goldeneye
Gadwall*
Bufflehead
Mute Swan-Turkey Hill road
Common Merganser
American Coot
Cooper’s Hawk-Cherry Hill Reservoir*

*New Species for my Big January 2012 Bird List

(Click on the link to see the complete list!)

Birds Through the Glass

2012-01-24T17:54:00.000-05:00

Northern Cardinal in Yew Tree 1-22-12

On Saturday the 21st we had a small snow storm here. In the morning a flock of 10 Cardinals were gathered in my backyard trees and bushes and at the feeders. Cardinals do not normally flock and this is the most I have ever seen here in my yard! Still with all the usual birds, I kept hoping the storm would bring a Carolina Wren to my yard. I have not seen one yet this year, and though I watched and watched all day long, no wren appeared. But then the next day as I was looking out the window I saw one on the suet in the backyard! Yeah! Species Number 59 for my Big January 2012 Bird List! Seeing the wren prompted me to get my camera out and though I saw the little wren several times throughout the day, I never did get its picture. However, here are a few of the birds I saw though my double pane kitchen windows! Enjoy!

Male Downy Woodpecker 1-22-12

American Goldfinch 1-22-12

Carolina Wren 1-21-11

What…? I thought you said you did not get a photo of the wren, Kathie. No, I did not. This is a picture taken Last Year and almost to the same day! I’m sure glad it finally showed up. I just wish I could have gotten a new picture! You can see even more birds at…

World Bird Wednesday

Birding My Way Home: Webster, MA

2012-01-23T22:37:00.001-05:00

Juvenile Ring-billed Gull 1-19-12 Webster, MA

Last Thursday I birded my way home from Connecticut after taking Mom to one of her appointments. Learning that a snow storm was coming, I did not linger in Connecticut or stop to count birds at some of my usual places. Instead I got on the road and kept on driving until I crossed over the Massachusetts state line. I decided to get off Route 395 at Exit 2 to see what I could see. As I traveled east on the road I passed a little cove with a few birds in in, so I turned around and went back.

I parked at the Webster Fish and Game Club and cross the busy street.

Because the road is narrow here, I stepped across the guardrail to be well out of the way of the traffic. I saw Canada Geese and a few Mallard in Sucker Brook Cove.

Then to my utter surprise, this little coot paddled out of the reeds!

It started splishin’ and a splashin’ as it tried to eat some greens!

That makes species number 58 on my Big January 2012 Bird List!

I drove around to the West side of Webster Lake and parked near the shore. Webster Lake is also known by the Native American Nipmuc name, Lake Chaubunagungamaug, but who has time to say that? The lake was coated with a thin sheet of ice.

While some gulls were out on the ice, most relaxed in the parking lot.

Other than a couple of crows, I really didn’t see a lot of birds here. But then I saw something that made my heart go cold with fear…

This guy came walking into view on the thin ice!

Every few feet he would stop and pound the ice with his pole!

Then he walked on!

I couldn’t take the fear, I left! It was time to get back on the road anyway…

The sun was setting!

As I drove north the clouds continued to gather. By the time I got home it was already snowing in Connecticut. It was not a big storm for us, just a dusting. We got more snow over the weekend and Connecticut got nearly a foot! Good thing I left when I did. As for the man on the lake, he must of survived, because I never heard anything about it on the news. However, over the weekend a different person went through the ice on a nearby lake in Dudley, MA and, though they pulled him from the water within 15 minutes, he died today. So, my fears were not unfounded. Read the full story here. We have not had a solid cold spell here all winter and it’s warming up again tonight. It’s raining now and by tomorrow it will be back into the 50’s! Time for me to go find some more birds!

That’s Our World Tuesday in Winter!

Please stay off the ice!

Big January Continues in Gloucester

2012-01-21T04:21:00.000-05:00

Gloucester, MA 1-16-12

On Martin Luther King Day I decided it was a good time to drive out to Gloucester to see what I could see. The day started very cold but eventually warmed to near 30F. I got a late start to the day, trying to get a few errands accomplished at home before I left, so it was nearly 2 p.m. by the time I rolled into town and parked. I parked along the main beach near the Fisherman’s Memorial and got out. A cold blast of wind hit me right away, and though I was bundled in my long down coat my hands soon got stiff with cold in the thin leather gloves I had on.

Bufflehead, Herring Gull, Common Goldeneye 1-16-12

I saw red-breasted mergansers and Common eiders right away along with Herring Gulls galore, but soon added a Bufflehead and Common Goldeneye to my list.

Gull and Goldeneye 1-16-12

Greater Scaup

Down in the cove by Stage Fort Park a small flock of Greater Scaup floated along with some American Black Ducks. At the eastern end of the walkway the pigeons gathered and walked or flew, looking for some poor fool to toss them few bread crumbs.

After scoping out all the birds in the harbor I drove over to the Jordrey State Fishing Pier where I found…

Gulls…

…and more gulls!

Gulls of all varieties and plumages were using the moss covered warehouse roof as a roosting place. While I was scanning the gulls for one special species…

Coming into port

I spotted this huge boat coming into port through the lens of my camera.

Kumlien’s Iceland Gull?

But I was here to find one special gull, and I think I finally found it! There in the water was my target bird…an Iceland Gull! I saw it as it landed with little to no black in its wingtips. Another birder with a scope came over and set it up for both of us to take a look. With the wind gusting fiercely it made picture taking difficult at best, even with vibration reduction on my 70 to 300 mm lens, but I did my best to steady myself and in the fading light captured a few shots. I looked all over the internet for information on this gull and found an excellent article by Corey on 10,000 Birds: What is a Kumlien’s Gull?

Juvenile Iceland Gull

In another part of the harbor another birder had his scope set up and we spotted this juvenile Kumlien’s Iceland gull. This sweet little bird had no black in its wingtips and a soft brownish checking on its body. I’m sorry for the poor quality photo but by now the wind was gusting, the light was fading, and my fingers were freezing and my eyes tearing up! And, the bird was far across the harbor. Still, you can see the lack of black in the wingtips,

Juvenile Iceland gull in flight

especially on this in-flight shot. (Click to enlarge any photo for the best view.)

Common Loon in winter plumage

While I also saw Common Eiders, Red-breasted Mergansers and a couple of Double-crested Cormorants in the waters off the state pier, the other birders and I also spotted something else. The tall man with the scope showed me the peregrine falcons atop the town spire. I had looked for them earlier but did not see them. From this location and with his scope, I could clearly see two falcons on the rooftop ledges. But then the man noticed something much closer and a bit different. Across the harbor from us we could see a warehouse and docks and some yellow lobster cages on one of the smaller docks.

View of docks at State Fishing Pier

What’s that on the yellow lobster cages?

Perched on top of those yellow lobster cages was a bird-like lump. We were both agreed that it was a large raptor of some sort, but was it a hawk, or an owl? It’s short thick neck and rounded head suggested an owl, and I think it was a short-eared owl.

Short-eared owl?

But though we looked through his 60x power scope and I looked through my bins and took these pictures with my 70-300mm zoom all we could see was a fuzzy image like this. The wind was just too brutal. I still think it is a short-eared owl, but unless I can confirm that, I will not add it to my Big January 2012 Bird List. While I have seen short-eared owls before, I have not seen one in a very long time and never on the east coast. It would be such a thrill to see this bird again. Without counting the owl I added 6 species to my Big January 2012 Bird List today for a total of 57 species! that’s 2 species ahead of my total from last year, but far behind Larry of the Brownstone Birding Blog, or Robert Mortensen of Birding is Fun! With a trip down to Connecticut later in the week, and a few snow storms predicted, my birding days in January are running out. I wonder where I should go to next?

Flock of Great Scaup at Gloucester Beach Cove

Birds Seen in Gloucester on 1-16-12

Canada Goose
Mallard
American Black Duck
Common Eider
Common Goldeneye
Bufflehead
Red-breasted Merganser
Greater Scaup
Horned Grebe
Herring gull
Ring-billed gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Rock Pigeon
Double-crested Cormorant
American Crow
Iceland Gull*
Common Loon
Peregrine Falcon

*Life Bird

Gloucester Sunset SWF

2012-01-20T14:33:00.001-05:00

Skywatch Friday

On Monday I took a drive out to Gloucester, Massachusetts to see what I could see. While bird watching at the State Fishing Pier I watched this ship coming in to port just as the sun was setting. What a sight! However, it was freezing cold! The wind was gusting and the temperature was dropping rapidly from the high 20’s to the lower 20’s. Shortly after taking this picture I hopped into my car and headed home. Did I see some new birds? You bet! Come back tomorrow to get the whole story! Big January Continues!

Big January Update: 2 New Birds, 2 New Places to Bird

2012-01-16T11:55:00.001-05:00

Cherry Hill Reservoir 1-14-12

I’ve been too many days without a new species and with the cold weather predicted for Sunday I decide to take advantage of the somewhat milder temperatures on Saturday. So, Gus and I head off to a place I have seen as a Birding Hotspot on eBird, but I have never been to. It is called Cherry Hill Reservoir, and from where I live, there is no direct route to get there. We must travel back roads, so off we go.

Our route takes us around Lake Cochichewick and though we should turn right onto Route 133 towards Georgetown, I decide to have Gus go straight across onto Bradford road where I have seen another Birding Hotspot marked on eBird. I have never been on this road in the year and a half that I have lived here. As we come down a little hill to a wetland area I see a huge flock of mallards in the still unfrozen water. Gus pulls over for me to count the birds and I am all excited because, mixed in with all the mallards I see…

a pair of Northern Pintail Ducks!

We continue our journey over hill and dale, around curves and across intersections. We travel past golf courses, through neighborhoods of modest homes as well as mansions, past farmland and woodlands and finally we are there! As we pull into the first pull off so I can jump out to see what I can see, I see this huge castle-like mansion sitting on the brow of the hill, overlooking it all.

Far out in the lake I spot four common mergansers.

Then a car pulls in next to us and asks if I can see the canvasback that has been hanging out here. I did not even know a canvasback was hanging out here! It is getting very cold and the wind has picked up. I have jumped out of the car so quickly that in my excitement I forgot to put my gloves back on. My hands are freezing, but I look into the cove below the mansion where they say the bird hangs out. I can see nothing. I scan the whole shoreline. Nothing. So, they pull away and I jump back into the car. Gus and I head down the road, passing the water on our left and more homes on our right. We come the end of the water and the road continues up a little hill. We turn around and head back, then Gus pulls over at the south end of the reservoir. I jump out once again to see what I can see, but all I see, at first, are some crows flying over the water. Then, suddenly, I spot a glistening silver body at the north end of the water right where I just came from! I jump back in and and have Gus drive us back. As we pull alongside the guardrail I can see the duck right outside my window! Gus pulls over and I start shooting pictures from inside the car.

Canvasback 1-14-12 Cherry Hill Reservoir

The duck looks at me warily over its shoulder, then paddles away towards the cove. Apparently, while we were looking for it in the northwest corner, it was somewhere along the middle of the western bank hugging the shoreline and close to the road. Now as I stand watching and photographing, it paddles its way slowly back to the northwest corner where the other birders told me it is usually seen.

As the sun sinks lower and the wind blows colder I jump back in the heated car with Gus. (If you enlarge the photo above you can still see the canvasback as a tiny silver dot in the lower right corner of the photo just to the left of the bush!)

While I only saw 3 species of birds here today, I will definitely come back to this place, though it would be nice to find a quicker way to get here! Earlier this fall a vagrant Cassin’s Kingbird was seen hanging out around this reservoir. Another birder told me it was seen as late as January 8th of this year! Well, that’s a bird for another day, but I am glad I finally took the trip to Cherry Hill!

Click on the link below to see the latest update on my

Big January 2012 Bird List

Battle of the Birds on Plum Island

2012-01-15T03:00:00.000-05:00

Bald Eagle on Plum Island 1-10-12

Last week when I was on Plum Island one of the first birds I saw was this Bald Eagle perched on this pole along the Parker River by parking lot one. As I stood at the edge of the road taking pictures I watched a bird battle unfold before my eyes. Two great black-backed gulls started to harass the eagle along with some crows. Following is the series of photos I took. Scroll down to see who wins!

Mobbing!

Ambush!

Eagle, Crow, and Gull

Bird stack!

The eagle flies

The crows laugh

The eagle comes back…but so do the gulls!

The eagle thinks,

the eagle flies,

the gulls give chase…

The gull claims the throne!

Our World Tuesday!

An Update on Mom

2012-01-14T02:47:00.001-05:00

My Mother on December 28, 2011

As many of you know, my Mom has been fighting breast cancer since last fall. She underwent surgery in October and has been receiving chemotherapy ever since. In her usual style she has dealt with it all gracefully, though she has had her share of tough moments. Right before Christmas all of her hair fell out. Here she is wearing one of her new hats. She has just finished her first round of chemo and will start the next in two weeks. I never thought she would have to deal with this or that I would have to learn about this or join this club, this “family” of people who have fought or are fighting cancer. Still, in spite of her own trials, Mom still continues to be Mom and her concern is for her children. She continues to watch over all of us. I asked Mom if it would be okay to post her picture and she said yes, so, here’s to my Mom, the one person on earth who has shown me, and many others, God’s Unconditional Love. May He now shower her with Grace and mercy, because we still need her here.

Plum Island Sunset SWF

2012-01-13T01:00:00.000-05:00

Sunset at Sandy Point on Plum Island 1-10-12

Beach and Sky at Sandy Point 1-10-12

I went bird watching at Plum Island earlier this week and as the sun slipped towards the horizon it colored my world with magic. I hope these photos help you feel it as well. I did not want to leave. I felt the beach and the ocean calling me…but I turned and left anyways. It was getting dark.

Happy Skywatch Friday!

Winter Beach Song

I pad across the damp beach sand

As the fireball sinks behind me

Illuminating an empty winter beach

It seems to throw its last rays of the day into the tattered clouds

Burnishing them with gold where they hang like flames above my head

I hear the gentle lapping of this calm ocean

As the beach sands turn from gold, to blush, to blue

Then all becomes indigo and I feel the press of nightfall

Yet I hear the ocean calling me, and I linger,

Just one moment longer

I hear the song of the ocean, its wildness enticing me,

But I turn my back and hurry down the sandy path

Through dunes with grasses lashing in the wind

To my car with heated seats, and I drive home

Resisting the pull, yet still hearing the song

In my soul.

~Kathie Adams Brown (January 12, 2012)

Poem for a Winter’s Day

Plum Island Birding for my Big January

2012-01-11T23:11:00.001-05:00

Snowy Owl on beach at Sandy Point State Reservation 1-10-12

Too many days have passed without me adding to my Big January 2012 Bird List, so on Tuesday I jump in my car and point the nose east. After watching the weather I chose this day to go since it will be the warmest and sunniest day of the week. A snow storm is predicted for Thursday and on Wednesday the temperature is suppose to drop before the storm. After a great first day of birding on January 1, I am currently only at 32 species for the year, far behind where I hoped to be.

It only takes me about 40 minutes to get to Plum Island but I pull of the road at Joppa Flats and start counting birds. The usual Canada Geese are there.

But these black ducks are the first new species for my list.

On top of the Mass Audubon center a lone crow picks at a meal.

Over at the Turnpike bridge I spot starlings, pigeons, and a Killdeer.

At the Parker River Refuge a Bald Eagle sits right across from Parking lot 1 .

After watching the eagle and a few other birds for awhile I move my car nearer the boardwalk and get out. The sun is playing tag with the clouds and though the air is warm, the wind is cold.

Still, the bit of blue I see beyond the dunes is beckoning me.

With the sun currently behind the clouds the empty beach looks foreboding,

but then the sun starts to break through…

…and turns the beach sands to gold.

The ocean is calm and quiet today, barely lapping at the shore and in these azure waters I see red-throated loons 3, 4…6 of them! They paddle along close to the shore and dive underwater only to emerge nearby once again. I watch them play along the shoreline for awhile, then finally turn and head for my car. Time to find more birds!

As I drive along the Plum Island road I have my car windows open looking and listening for birds. Most of the marshy areas and ponds are frozen over and I am trying to decide where I should stop next when I see a flock of turkey in a field near a turnoff called “The Pines.” As I pull in and start to snap a few shots off a group of three people come walking down off the Pines trail. It is a young man and two women. They walk past me and set up their spotting scope as I am attempting to turn around. I look up to suddenly see the young man walking towards me. I roll down my window and he asks me if I would like to see a cool bird. I ask if it is a snowy owl and he says yes. I throw my car into park and jump out!

As he leads me over to his spotting scope I look to see this tiny speck of white out on the dike. Yep, it is a snowy owl and if he had not told me, I would never have seen it! I introduce myself and ask his name. I learn that he is a pre-med student at Colby College in Waterville, ME and his name is Keith. I also learn that he was able to see the Northern hawk owl that has been spotted up there in Palmyra recently.

We turn to watch this male Northern Harrier coursing low over the field.

Then one of the turkey pops through the fence to say HI! He is not shy at all!

as we are talking another birder pulls in, asks about the owl out on the dike, then tells us that there is one down on the beach at Sandy Point standing over a duck it has just caught. We all jump in our cars and head down there, though I stop on the way to check out a pond with some ducks. I find a small flock of Northern Pintail ducks, my first ever for Massachusetts and another species for my Big January count. When I finally get to the Sandy Point parking lot I discover that you have to hike in to the beach parking lot. It is gated off. I quickly change into a warmer coat and jump out of my car. I hot foot it down the dirt road to the boardwalk, then pause as some song sparrows hop up on the path. Once I am sure of what species they are, I head on down the boardwalk. As I come over the hill I see Keith and his friends standing by their scope. they are waving at me and pointing. I walk slowly down the trail because I do not know where the owl is and I do not want to startle it. As I step off the boards and onto the sand I turn my head and look. Nothing. I walk a little farther and still I cannot see anything. It is not until I am next to the other birders that I finally see the owl.

It was hidden from my view by the log.

Of course, I start snapping away, trying all kinds of settings on my camera.

The owl takes a nap, all the while clutching its prey.

The setting sun casts a golden light on its wings.

The owl turns and looks at us, but does not move.

We all keep our distances. I have to say that no one there got too close to the bird. No one wanted to disturb it, at least, not in our little group. We chat some more and Keith tells me there are hundreds of purple sandpipers across the channel. He focuses in on them with his spotting scope, but they appear as little more than lumps to my old eyes.

With the sun rapidly sinking I decide to head for the nearby rocks to see if I can find some there. We say our good-byes and I head off to the north…

…while the beach behind me becomes a gilded paradise.

Overhead the clouds glow like the golden fleece!

As I head towards the rocks I hope I can find my way back to my car without having to backtrack. I had seen another trail heading off to the beach when I parked, but I have never taken it.

I see the slight indent in the dune and reassured, I walk on,

because there in front of me I see a flock of purple sandpipers on the sandbar. This is a Life Bird for me! I walk towards them purposefully, hoping to get a better and closer shot. There is a lot of beach and water between us and them, but as I stop to raise my camera…

…they take wing and fly away in the dusky light!

Now the beach is bathed in the dim light of the gloaming.

Though it is getting darker by the minute I find myself drawn to this peaceful place. I feel it calling me and I do not want to leave, but I also do not want to be caught out here alone in the dark, so I hurry towards the path and jump in my car. I turn up the heater and turn on my heated seats. As I travel the road north I come around a curve where I look up with surprise. There, silhouetted against the almost twilight is a perfect benediction to my day…

…a pair of white-tailed deer!

I thought my day was already as full as it could be, but that night as I sit in my den with with husband watching TV, I keep hearing a strange sound. I pause the TV and listen. Nothing. I turn the TV back on, I hear it again. It is an odd, almost hooting kind of noise. I pause the TV again. Gus is starting to think I am crazy, but then I hear it again, and though the night is cold outside I open the window next to me and I hear it even more clearly. It is an OWL! A Great Horned Owl! I jump up, grab my coat and a flashlight and head out the door. I have not seen or heard an owl since I moved away from Sycamore Canyon near Tucson over a year and a half ago! I am so excited now!

Outside in the cold night the almost full moon glows. I hear the owl calling from behind the house and so I walk down the street. I am hoping I can find it on a rooftop or in a tree but soon decide it is in one of my neighbor’s yards and I cannot be shining my flashlight back there. So I listen for awhile, and then head home. I am really smiling now. It has been so long since I have heard this wild sound and I am so happy. This makes species number 48! I have added 15 species to my Big January Bird List today! (You can click on the link below to see all the latest updates!)

Big January 2012 Bird List

Snowy Owl on Plum Island

2012-01-10T23:21:00.001-05:00

Snowy Owl at Sandy Point on Plum Island 1-10-12

This is just one of two snowy owls I saw today out on Plum Island where I went searching for more birds to add to my Big January Bird Count. By the end of the day I added 15 species to my count bringing my total to 47. More pictures and the story to follow! But for now…Good night!

Big January 2012 Bird List

World Bird Wednesday

Winter Birding in Maine

2012-01-09T14:58:00.001-05:00

Lake Auburn Parking lot on Route 4

On Saturday, January 7th Gus and I arise early and head to Maine. The air is cold, the skies gray as we head north. As usual, Gus is driving and I am counting birds. I count three red-tailed hawks along the way, two in Massachusetts and only one in Maine in York County. After that I do not see any other red-tailed hawks for the rest of our 320 mile round trip. Before we left I had checked out the View and Explore Data tab on the eBird website and saw that very few birds were reported for Androscoggin County, Maine so far this year and zero birds were reported for Franklin County. So, though our destination is Norridgewock, Gus agrees that we can travel through Livermore Falls and Farmington, Maine and stop to count birds along the way.

Our first stop is Lake Auburn just north of town on Route 4. Whenever I come this way I stop here to count birds because it is right on the road. Today the parking lot is snow covered and so is the ice shelf extending out into the lake.

I fear the entire lake is ice covered, but then I notice some open water near a peninsula and some diving ducks bobbing around and diving down, only to reemerge again. I am trying to see what they might be in this dim gray light since they are so far out. I use my binoculars and snap a few photos with my 70-300mm zoom and try to interpret what my eyes are seeing.

I am so focused on identifying the ducks that I almost miss a juvenile Bald Eagle as it flies by!

I finally get a shot clear enough that when it is cropped and enlarged I can tell that I am seeing Hooded Mergansers.

We finally leave the parking lot after 10 minutes and Gus continues to drive north and I continue to look out the windows. We are passing farm fields on both sides of the road and I am starting to think to myself that this is perfect wild turkey habitat and weather and so I say out loud, “Alright turkeys, where are you!”

Gus says, “You mean like those right there?”

I turn in my seat to see a huge flock of Wild turkeys foraging in the farm field on my left, which is the passenger side of the car. “STOP! I yell, and Gus patiently pulls over and backs up. I am frantically trying to roll down the window and get my camera up so I can snap off a few shots before all the birds flee.

The turkeys are all strung out in a line across the field and heading north towards the woods. Though they scurry a bit at first as we pull over, they soon relax and go back to feeding as if we weren’t even there.

I am trying to count and snap, count and snap, and in the end I count 65 Wild Turkeys alongside the road!

We continue north to Livermore Falls where Gus pulls into the municipal parking lot and I jump out to count birds. It’s pretty quiet here today and evidence of the past holiday is still everywhere.

I spot a couple of pigeons on top of the downtown buildings.

Red brick building…

…green bridge over the Androscoggin River. Yep, it still looks like Christmas!

I was hoping there might be some kind of ducks or something in the river but there are none. I even try “pishing” near the hedgerow but no little sparrow heads pop up.

The park bench and the bushes and trees are all empty and quiet.

No birds are eating the sumac berries along the riverbank.

On Maine street the cars rush by.

We drive around town and up through the school yard, past our old house and the roads we used to walk on, but I do not see any other birds in town. I enter two bird lists with zero birds counted into eBird, because eBird wants to know where the birds aren’t as well as where they are, and I did follow the protocols of time and distance.

From here we head up through Jay towards Wilton, stopping at the Jay Plaza to use the restrooms at McDonald's and grab a bite to eat. Here in Jay I count birds at the high school where I have seen snow buntings before, but nothing today. At Jay Plaza only the crows are out cawing and flying about. I hear a distant blue jay and see one small house sparrow fly across the parking lot. That is it.

I have a little more luck up at Wilton Pond where ice fishermen are out on the ice.

In this picture postcard setting I hear a few birds twittering and find a couple of black-capped chickadees foraging through the treetops. I can also hear the “pik” call of some sort of woodpecker but never find the bird. As I am searching the tree tops a fisherman revs up the engine on his snow machine and comes barreling across the ice to check on one of his fishing holes which happens to be closer to the shore where I am standing. All the birds flee after that and the woods get quiet, so I leave also. Still, with crows, blue jays and chickadees, I have a start on my Franklin County Birds List for eBird.

Wilton Pond with Mount blue in the background 1-7-12

We drive into Farmington then and Gus parks at the McDonalds near Front Street so I can get out and check out the Front street woods. I was here last year with my friend Beth Maddus as we looked for birds in April. We had great luck at this location then and entered some of the first bird counts of the year for Franklin county into ebird. This year I am not so lucky. Though the little store still has feeders out, it is also busy this year with cars filling the parking lot and people going in and out the front door. As a result, the only birds I see at the feeders are house sparrows. Across the street I spot some goldfinches, and in the woods I hear a nuthatch, but other than some very vocal crows, that is it.

I look longingly at what is left of the tree the pileated woodpecker was feeding on last year when I was here with Beth. I am wishing she was hear with me today and wishing I were seeing more birds! I look with longing down the path into the woods, then turn back to the street and head towards our car where Gus is patiently waiting. He has been a good sport, but we really do have a destination and we have to go. As I climb back in, Gus says he is ready to get on the road, but I make one more plea for a quick drive through town and he agrees. It takes us less than five minutes to turn up onto Main street and down a side street and back, but it pays off when I see a flock of pigeons on the rooftop of one of the downtown buildings, and then find a mourning dove perched in a tree when we stop at a stop sign. The final bonus is a small flock of starlings in the top of a tree as we head east on Route 2 on our way out of town. My final count of birds for Franklin county is only 9 species, but I know there are more out there if I just had more time! Beth…where are you!

We arrive in Norridgewock in time for cake and ice cream, for this is the real reason we drove up here today: It is Gus’ father’s birthday!

Happy Birthday Dad!

Come visit other places at…

Our World Tuesday!

Or, read all about Birding Maine with Beth 2011

Winter Ice in Andover

2012-01-07T12:22:00.000-05:00

Skug River Ice 1-6-12 Andover

I went looking for birds around Andover again on Friday but all I found was ice! The following photos are from two sites I visited that are part of the Andover Village Improvement Society. I hope you enjoy this photo essay of a walk in the woods in winter.

The Mary French Reservation

The Skug River Reservation

In all these woods I only found woodpeckers, nuthatches, and a cardinal. But on my drive back into town I spotted a small flock of European Starlings on the campus of the Phillip’s Academy making it species number 31 for my Big January 2012 List! Click on the link below to see the updates. And for more birding fun, click on the Birding is Fun link to see photos from my past Big January Lists! I’m posting over there today as well!

Big January 2012 Bird List

Birding is Fun: Big January Birding Fun

Birding My Way Home

2012-01-06T23:51:00.001-05:00

White-throated Sparrow 1-5-12 Norwich Avenue, Colchester, CT

Since I had to travel to Connecticut again this week I figured I may as well count birds while I am there. I hoped to count birds in Massachusetts on the way south on Wednesday, but it was so cold and I left so late that I just decided to travel straight through. Warmer weather was predicted for Thursday, so I scoped out a new lake to investigate near Worcester on my way back. However, I failed to realize that Wednesday’s cold would bring Thursday's ice!

I spent the night at a friend’s house and awoke to a gray dawn. As I stepped out her back door early in the morning the clouded sky was spitting snow as twenty to thirty Blue Jays mobbed her neighbor’s backyard feeders.

In the dim light I was only able to get a shot of one Blue jay silhouetted against the gray sky. I could not wait for better light because I needed to get to Mom’s house to take her to another doctor’s appointment. As we drove towards Willimantic I spotted a red-tailed hawk perched in a tree alongside the road in Amston. The clouds were beginning to dissipate and a clear icy blue sky shone through. After Mom’s appointment we drove over to Windham Hospital for her to get her blood drawn. I find it ironic that every time I am here I see turkey vultures soaring overhead! Though I had my camera with me, I felt a bit uncomfortable with pulling it out and taking pictures from the parking lot, so I didn’t. Maybe next time I will though if I can get to a spot where I would not be so conspicuous!

After bringing Mom home I headed home and started to bird my way there. My first stop was Lion’s Pond, but all I found was ice and no birds.

Farther up the road I stopped at Savin’s Lake which was now covered in a thin sheet of ice with no birds on the water. But then I heard a sound from the hedgerow across the street…

…where I found this sweet little White-throated Sparrow chirping and eating berries from a tangle of vines. Then I see a flash of red fly by as a Northern Cardinal flees farther into the bushes.

I jump in my car and drive farther east towards Norwich and turn my car onto the road that takes me to exit 23 off Route 2. As I pass over the Yantic river I see hundreds of geese floating in this unfrozen water. I quickly park in the commuter parking lot and hurry across the street to count. A quick glance at the sky reveals the daytime moon about to be swallowed by the rising clouds.

In the frozen cove the gulls gather on the ice.

But in the open water Canada Geese and a few Mallards float lazily.

As I draw near they start to stream away to the far bend in the river.

Though the ice is creeping in from the edges, there is still open water for now. How long will it last? Who knows? This has been a strangely warm winter and I am glad for the birds I have seen, but none of these Connecticut birds count towards my Big January in Massachusetts. I head north hoping there is enough daylight to still see “something” when I cross the border, but alas, all the birds have gone to bed for the night and I am out of luck. Perhaps tomorrow I can find at least one new species for my Massachusetts list. However, with 20 species seen, I do have a great start on my Connecticut list for this year!

Birds Seen in Connecticut on 1-5-12:

Mourning Dove-Westchester
Red-bellied woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy woodpecker
Blue jay
American Crow
Tufted Titmouse
European Starling
Northern Cardinal
House sparrow
Back-capped Chickadee-Colchester Center
Song Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco (slate-colored)
Red-tailed Hawk-Millstream Road Amston
Ring-billed Gull-Willimatic
Turkey Vulture-Windham Hospital
Canada Goose-Fitchville Exit 23
Mallard
Rock Pigeon-Killingly Commons, Dayville

Read about more Big January Birding Fun on the Birding is Fun blog!

St. Mary’s by the Sea

2012-01-05T09:24:00.000-05:00

Sunset at St. Mary's By the Sea in Bridgeport, CT 12-30-11

On December 30, 2011 Gus and I took a drive to Bridgeport, CT to visit some friends that we had not seen in 26 years. Actually, I saw Alice and Ron last year for the first time, but this was Gus’ first time to visit them with me.

Gus, Ron and Hannah 12-30-11

Kathie and Alice 12-30-11

I have known Alice since I was 16 or 17 years old. Her children played with my children when they were young. But when Gus and I moved to Idaho in 1986, that was the last I saw of her until last year. It’s always nice to reunite with old friends. Of course, we have both changed a lot since then!

Walkway along St. Mary’s-by-the-Sea

After sharing a meal we decided to go for a walk down along Long Island Sound at a place called St. Mary’s-by-the-Sea. Alice knows I am a birder and she was so excited to show me this place. Gus loves the ocean, so, while he and Ron headed off down the walkway with Hannah, Alice stayed behind with me to watch birds.

Cooper’s Hawk in tree 12-30-11

We had barely parked the car when this Cooper’s Hawk swooped over our heads and landed in the nearby trees!

Down by the water’s edge the usual Ring-billed and Herring gulls gathered.

Lighthouse out in the sound with Great Black-backed gull in water.

Serenity

The soft light of sunset turns all the grasses to gold…

Mergansers and Buffleheads become part of a water-colored painting…

..and, as clouds gather on the horizon…

…the sun sets on St. Mary’s-by-the-Sea 12-30-11

Skywatch Friday!

Counting Birds Around Town

2012-01-03T20:47:00.001-05:00

Great Blue Heron 1-1-12 Lake Cochichewick

On January first I continue my Big January Count by walking with Gus and the dog down to the bog. The sky is bright and the air is starting to warm as we head out through the neighborhood. In the shadows of the large trees the pavement is still a bit slick with ice and we tread carefully.

The trees above are busy with bird life and both red and gray squirrels.

Down at the bog the brown reeds and cattails poke up through a thin layer of ice.

Across the street from the bog the small pond still has open water and Gus points out a flock of mallards that have settled in for a swim.

Back at the bog I spot two Red-tailed hawks in a tall dead tree at the north end, but as I pull my camera up to photograph them they take wing and fly off to the south disappearing over the treetops.

Swamp Sparrow 1-1-12 Stirling Bog, Andover, MA

I look around the silent waters hoping to see something. I hear the honking of a nuthatch and the cawing of a crow. I see some juncos twittering around low in the brush. I make a pishing sound and a little swamp sparrow flies in to see what it is all about. At first it is obstructed by some brush but then flies into a small tree where the sunlight falls softly on its subtle colors.

White-throated Sparrow 1-1-12

As we head back from the bog where I count 10 species I see a few White-throated sparrows in the brush pile at the edge of my yard. The White-throat is yet another species to add to my 2012 Big January List.

After dropping the dog off at home Gus and I hop in the car to drive around town so I could count birds. We make a quick stop at the local donut shop, then head off with coffee in hand to some of my favorite birding spots. Our first stop is the local post office on Steven’s Street in Andover where the Shawsheen River runs by. I see some more mallards there as well as my first Canada Geese of the year. Atop the apartment building across the street a lone Herring Gull stands, and then a few Ring-billed gulls fly low over the river.

Mute Swans in Steven’s Pond 1-1-12 North Andover, MA

From there we head over to North Andover where I am hoping to find some ducks, swans and geese in Steven’s Pond or Lake Cochichewick. As we head down the hill towards Steven’s Pond I start to get excited because I can see the birds on the water already. As we draw near I hear the call of a Blue Jay and more cawing of crows. We pull over briefly and I jump out to count: 85 Canada Geese and 7 Mute Swans on the pond, but no other ducks are to be found.

Canada Geese in flight on Steven’s Pond

A few of the geese take flight as I start to photograph them. The swans could seem to care less what I do. After counting a few small birds in the trees, we head on down the road to the South end of Lake Cochichewick.

Here the south end of the lake is lightly iced over and there are no ducks in the water.

I can see open water farther out, but still no birds.

But in the trees across the road I hear the sharp chip notes of some kinds of small bird and finally spot this female cardinal in the woods. The road along here is narrow and cars are rushing by. I jump back in and Gus and I continue our journey along Great Pond Road, past the Brooks School to the North end of Lake Cochichewick.

View from North end of Lake Cochichewick 1-1-12

Gus pulls off the side of the road to park and I jump out and walk the narrow shoulder of Route 133.

Here by the dam the water is deep and in constant motion. This is where I usually find the diving ducks and today does not disappoint.

Far out on the eastern shore a large flock of Ring-necked ducks floats in the silver water.

Ring-necked Ducks 1-1-12

Buffleheads 1-1-12

A small flock of Buffleheads floats nearby and then, to my utter amazement, I spot a Common Loon far across the lake. It is my first sighting of a loon in this lake and I am thrilled, but it is so far across that the photo I took is little more than a silhouette. Still, it’s block head and the unique tilt of its head are quite visible.

A stump in the woods?

We continue our journey around the lake and I have Gus pull into the parking lot at Mad Maggie’s Ice Cream shop. The parking lot is vacant on this day but I pop out to survey the western end of the lake. I find a gull and a few hooded mergansers hiding out on this secluded arm of the lake and then as I check the surrounding wooded edge I notice something that looks like a stump…yet isn’t.

As I stoop to get a better look the Great Blue Heron spots me. It starts to unfold itself and walks stiffly towards the water.

It ruffles its feathers and bends over…

…flashing me with its rump,

…then stands back up in a graceful arc and slinks silently off into the woods.

I jump back into the car then, chattering to Gus excitedly about what I have seen. As I sit back down in my seat I look toward the water just in time to see the heron take wing and fly away. Though I am no threat and never even got close to the big bird, it still didn’t like that fact that I saw it, and it saw me. Still, I was thrilled to add this species to my Big January Bird Count!

As we head towards home I spot a flock of pigeons on some utility wires near a Route 495 overpass. Yet another species for my list. I am so far ahead of where I was at this time last year, but then again, we were buried under feet of snow last January and all the lakes and ponds were frozen. Back at home once again I see my last species for the day. Species number 27 is a Hairy Woodpecker who comes to my backyard feeder. Day one has ended. I can only hope day two brings more birds to my yard. And it does, but only one species is added, a Red-bellied Woodpecker.

World Bird Wednesday!

Big January 2012 Bird List

Kathiesbirds 2011 Bird Totals

2012-01-02T01:30:00.000-05:00

House Finch in my Andover Yard

2011 was a busy year of birding for me. I birded in so many places, both new and familiar. I started the year with 390 species on my Life List and ended it with 420! I counted birds all over New England, except for Vermont, and I added 15 new counties to my eBird County Life Lists.

Kathiesbirds End of Year Stats

2011	Life	Year	Month
Total Species	420	184	58
Total Checklists	3726	1141	97
ABA Area Ticks	1578	452	100

In all my efforts to count birds and submit data to eBird I have discovered that one of the most important things to do is to submit data for a designated place over time. So, while birding in new locations gets me more birds for my Life List, birding the same patch day after day is what really helps the birds and the scientists at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. As such, I have several patches in several states that I eBird on a regular basis. While I cannot be everywhere at once, whenever I visit family members or friends, I try to do a bird count somewhere in the area so over time I can submit data from the same place. Closer to home I count birds in my own yard on a daily basis, as well as at a nearby bog. I often walk my dog in a local park, and when I do, I bring along my binoculars, pen and notebook and count birds there too.

However, there are several areas in the United States that have never had even one bird list submitted to eBird. In March of 2010 Gus and I took a drive to visit our son and his family at Fort Campbell, KY. While there I got up early every morning and counted birds outside my hotel room. Though a few others counted birds in that county, the 29 species I submitted that year were the first counts of that year and part of only 67 species recorded for the whole year! this year only 68 species have been counted in Christian County Kentucky. So, whether you count birds on a regular basis, or even just once in awhile, please consider getting out there and counting birds and then submit the data to eBird where it can do some good. Do it for yourself, and do it For the birds! Just click on the link below to find out how:

Improving Your eBird Reporting Skills and other frequently asked questions.

White-breasted Nuthatch at my Andover Backyard feeder

Kathie’s 2011 State Life List Stats

State	Life	Year
1. Arizona	253	0
2. Massachusetts	160	153
3. Utah	148	0
4. Connecticut	136	101
5. Maine	107	77
6. West Virginia	106	0
7. New York	67	62
8. Florida	65	0
9. New Mexico	63	0
10. New Hampshire	62	59
11. Oklahoma	53	0
12. Colorado	50	0
13. Alabama	47	0
14. Ohio	44	0
15. Washington	38	0
16. Kentucky	29	0
17. Wyoming	20	0
18. Tennessee	20	0
19. Arkansas	19	0
20. Rhode Island	15	0
21. Idaho	13	0
22. Mississippi	12	0
23. Nebraska	11	0
24. Texas	9	0
25. Indiana	8	0
26. Pennsylvania	7	0
27. North Dakota	6	0
28. Iowa	4	0
29. Illinois	3	0
30. South Dakota	1	0

Here’s hoping I make it to Vermont to count birds this year! The New Year has already started so get out there and count! And if you are up to it, take the One-a-Day eBird challenge! Find out more by clicking on the button below.

Happy New Birding Year!

Big January 2012 Bird List

2012-01-01T17:25:00.000-05:00

Swamp Sparrow 1-1-2012 Stirling Bog, Andover, MA

Blue Jay-Andover Yard
Mourning Dove
Downy Woodpecker
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted nuthatch
White-throated sparrow
House Finch
American goldfinch
House Sparrow
Northern Cardinal-Andover Yard 10:10 a.m.
Mallard-Stirling Bog
Red-tailed Hawk
Swamp Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Canada Goose-Andover Post Office Area on Stevens Street
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Mute Swan-Steven’s Pond, North Andover
Ring-necked Duck-Lake Cochichewick, North End in North Andover
Bufflehead
Common Loon
Great Blue Heron-Parking lot at west end of Lake Cochichiwick
Hooded Merganser
Rock Pigeon-Sutton Ave. near Rt 495 Overpass
Hairy Woodpecker-Andover Yard 3:10PM
Red-bellied Woodpecker-Andover Yard 1-2-12
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted)-Andover Yard 1-4-12 8:55 AM
American Robin
European Starling-Philips Academy Campus, Andover-1-6-12
Song Sparrow-Andover yard in evening 1-9-12
American Black duck-Joppa Flats 1-10-12
Northern Harrier-Plum Island 1-10-12
Killdeer
Bald Eagle
Great black-backed Gull
American Tree Sparrow
Long-tailed Duck
Red-Throated Loon
Horned Grebe
Wild Turkey
Snowy Owl
Northern Pintail*
Common Eider
Purple Sandpiper**
Great Horned Owl*-Andover Yard 1-10-12, 8:15 PM
Sharp-shinned Hawk-Andover 1-11-12
Fish Crow-North Andover Market Basket parking lot 1-11-12
Common Merganser-Cherry Hill Reservoir 1-14-12
Canvasback*
Greater Scaup-Gloucester Fisherman’s Memorial 1-16-12
Common Goldeneye
Red-breasted merganser
Double-crested Cormorant-State Fish Pier, Gloucester 1-16-12
Peregrine Falcon
Iceland Gull**
American Coot*-Webster, MA 1-19-12
Carolina Wren-Andover Yard 1-22-12
Northern Mockingbird-Salisbury Beach 1-24-12
White-winged Scoter
Great Cormorant*
Gadwall-Plum Island 1-24-12
Cooper’s Hawk-Cherry Hill Reservoir 1-24-12
Eastern Screech Owl-Andover Yard 1-27-12
Common Raven-Rt 495 Haverhill 1-28-12
Turkey Vulture-Willimantic, CT 1-5-12
Northern Hawk Owl-Palmyra, ME 1-29-12

Note: It is the end of day 31 and these are all the birds I have seen. Bold lettering denotes the start of a new count or location. The 2 species at the end of the list are species seen out of state and do not count towards my Big January Competition with others but they do count for my overall personal Big January Count! It’s not too big, but it was fun! I beat my 2011 Massachusetts Big January total of 55 by 11 species!

**New Life Bird

*New State Bird (By default, new Life Birds are also new State Birds)

Big January 2012 Bird Totals

Kathie’s Big January 2012 Photo Essay
Larry, The Brownstone Birding Blog-83
Robert Mortensen, Birding is Fun-66 species
Ruth, Body, Soul and Spirit-54/93 species
Kathryn, My Mountain Green-33 species

Totals From Previous Years

First Birds of 2012!

2012-01-01T09:50:00.001-05:00

Blue Jay 1-1-2012 Andover Yard

Though I didn’t go to bed until after 3 a.m. I am up by 7:40 a.m. as sunlight brightens the edges of my bedroom windows. “It’s January first!” I think to myself and jump out of bed wondering what my first bird of the year will be. Before I even reach a window to look out, I hear the call of a Blue Jay in the frosty morning air.

Blue Jay at window feeder 1-1-12

I grab my bins and my camera and start my count. Tough it is always fun to see what your first bird of the year will be, I’ve decided to do a Big January Count again this year after reading Larry's Post where he says he will be doing one also. Larry writes The Brownstone Birding Blog and he is the one who got me eBirding way back in January of 2008. We have had a friendly rivalry ever since. It is a fun game to play and adds lots of lists to eBird, which helps the scientists and the birds.

View out my Kitchen window of my feeders 1-1-12

A Big January is where you count all the bird species you can see in your state during the month of January. You can walk, ride or drive to see them, the only limitation is that it must be in your state only. You do not count birds you see in other states as your Big January Total. This is how we play the game but some people like to count birds from all over. Make up your own game and your own rules if you like.

Downy Woodpecker 1-1-12

American Goldfinch 1-1-12

Two Goldfinches in winter plumage!

House Finch 1-1-12

Last year I counted the first House Finch for all of Essex County, Massachusetts!

White-breasted Nuthatch 1-1-12

1…2…three…

How many Mourning Doves do you see! (click to enlarge and count)

Last year I was new to this state and we had deep snow on the ground. My total for last year was 55 species. Since the weather is better and I know my way around better, I hope to at least beat my last year’s total, even if I can’t beat Larry!

Big January Bird List 2012:

Blue Jay
Mourning Dove
Downy woodpecker
American Crow
Black-capped chickadee
Tufted titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
White-throated sparrow
House Finch
American goldfinch
House Sparrow

Happy Birding! Now I’m off to do more counts!

Happy New Year 2012

2011-12-31T22:15:00.001-05:00

Sunset at St. Mary’s by the Sea in Bridgeport, CT 12-30-11

It has been more than a busy year for me this year with so many things, both good and bad, happening. But, like so many others, I end this year with a smile, grateful for all the blessings in my life and all the birds I’ve seen. I am mostly grateful for the safe return of my son from Afghanistan, and the fact that so far, my mother has survived breast cancer. While she is still undergoing her chemo treatments and she has lost all of her hair, her spirit is still positive and she is looking to the future with hope. So…Good-bye 2011 and Hello 2012! May you be bring hope, peace and birds!

Gus and Kathie 12-30-11

I want to thank my husband Gus, who has been so supportive through all of this and has put up with me being gone so much whether to help with my mom, visiting with friends, or going birding!

Happy New Year from both of us!

Bird Ornament? WBW

2011-12-28T00:44:00.000-05:00

Feather Ball Tree Ornament?

What are YOU looking at?

Red-tailed Hawk 12-11-11

I have had this Red-tailed Hawk hanging around my yard off and on for over a month. It was here on the 4th and back again on the 11th. It just flew into the tree outside my office window on the 23rd. When it was here on Sunday, the 11th, it stayed in this tree all morning and was there when Gus and I left to go Christmas shopping around noontime. When we returned around 3 p.m. it was finally gone. I took the above pictures from off my back porch looking straight up. The top photo made me think of a feathered Christmas tree ornament, given the time of year that it is. The hawk finally twisted it’s head around to get a good look at me, then fluffed itself up and sat there, dismissing me as a non-threat, which is good, since I’m not one. The smaller feeder birds do not seem to be disturbed by its presence and continued to feed in peace and joy, but let a Cooper’s Hawk swoop in and they explode like thunder and are gone in a flash. I think it’s kind of nice to have a Red-tailed Hawk as a yard ornament (as long as it stays outside)!

World Bird Wednesday

Just Before Winter

2011-12-26T17:00:00.000-05:00

Wild Turkeys on Norwich Ave in Colchester, CT 12-12-11

Just before winter I was on my way into Colchester when this flock of wild turkeys flew across the road in front of me and landed in the farm field on the right-hand side of the road. I quickly pulled over, rolled down my window and snapped off a few shots.

The cows in the pasture were not as impressed as I was and kept right on grazing! During my week-long stay there to help my Mom with her great-grandkids and with her chemo treatments I managed to squeeze in a few hours of nature and bird watching for myself.

One afternoon I bought a subway sandwich and drove down to the Lake Hayward boat launch hoping to see some birds. This shallow and boggy end of the lake was lightly frozen over with no birds in sight.

In the surrounding woods I found evidence of beaver activity. It was not here when I visited earlier this summer. I wondered when they showed up and where they had gone as I did not see a new dam or a beaver lodge anywhere around.

I love the soft light coming through the trees at the top of the boat launch area.

As I drove around the lake looking for birds, I did finally spot some mallards, and hooded and common mergansers in the still open waters. With such vibrant blue waters it looks more like spring than the last days before winter.

The next day I took my nephew to the Colchester Recreation Complex to play on the playground. It is right across the street from a golf course where some Canada Geese were happily feeding along with some muskrats in the shallow pond.

The geese were not disturbed by the golfer and the golfer did not seem to mind the geese! He was probably just glad there was no snow on the ground!

As the late autumn sun sunk lower in the sky I was able to snap off a few photos just before a Winter Twilight. I did find a few birds here and I want to come back and follow this trail around the park. Perhaps I will find more birds here next time!

I hope you enjoyed this little visit to…

Our World Tuesday!

…please come back again!

Merry Christmas 2011

2011-12-25T01:17:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas from Kathie’s Birds!

I wish you all the joy and beauty of the season,

and I pray for Peace On Earth.

Thank you to all of you who follow, visit, and comment on my blog. This past month has been a very busy one for me, but I realize have so much to be thankful for. Though I have not been able to write, post, visit, or comment on many blogs, I want you to know that I appreciate you all!

And if you haven’t already done it, click on the link below to read about…

The Birds of Christmas!

Winter Twilight (SWF)

2011-12-23T14:56:00.001-05:00

Sunset at Colchester Recreation Complex 12-13-11

In the streams of light like spun gold…

a child spins on a swing…

as a winter twilight falls like a softly whispered Christmas wish…

and the filigree of branches is revealed against the vibrant sky…

a skirt of tangerine is overlaid with black lace…

and winter’s fire flames the frosty air…

with color, warmth, and magic.

~Kathie Adams Brown

Merry Christmas Eve

on this magical

Skywatch Friday!

Connecticut Backyard Wildlife OWT

2011-12-19T12:40:00.001-05:00

Cardinal, Song Sparrow and Junco 12-12-11

Since I have been spending so much time in Ct recently, I have also been watching and counting birds in my Mom’s backyard. Last week I was able to photograph some of her backyard wildlife. Here is some of what I have been seeing.

Gray Squirrel 12-12-11

White-breasted Nuthatch 12-12-11

Cooper’s Hawk 12-13-11 in tree above barn and feeders.

Flying away

Cooper’s Hawk flies through amber light.

It would rather be the watcher than the watched!

Tufted Titmouse in bush by barn 12-13-11

December Groundhog in Colchester, CT 12-16-11

I could not believe it when I saw this groundhog scurry across Mom’s backyard in the middle of December! Our temperatures have mostly been in the 50’s with only a day or two dipping into the 30’s. However, it has been cold at night and this weekend it finally dropped to the teen’s. More warm weather is expected later on this week.

Our World Tuesday!

Note: Life is still busy for me with taking care of my Mom and helping her with my niece and 2 nephews but soon that will end. Their Grandpa (my brother) will be back to care for them later this week, then they will transfer to living with their other grandmother after Christmas. As for Mom, she had her second chemo last week and so far is doing well all things considered. Thank you all for your well wishes, kind comments and prayers. I hope to be back to blogging on a regular basis soon and then I will come and visit all of you!