Birding the Norman Bird Sanctuary in Rhode Island

 Tree Swallow at the Norman Bird Sanctuary 6-15-13

While visiting Connecticut this summer my sister and her husband took me along one morning to the Norman Bird Sanctuary in Rhode Island. While they were going there to do a road race I went off through the sanctuary to count birds. I had never been here before and found it amazing. Before this day I had only counted birds in Rhode Island at Misquamicut and my Rhode Island Bird list consisted of about 20 species of birds. I had high hopes that I would significantly add to that count today.

I followed the path through a green meadow filled with swallows!

 

Tree Swallow hunting over grass.

 

While tree swallows occupied most of the nest boxes, there were a few with House Sparrows inside!

 Lupine

I loved seeing lupine in bloom!

I followed the path down through the woods with robins everywhere…

 

In this damp shade the mosquitoes swarmed!

 

 

I heard a few catbirds, titmice, and downy woodpeckers.

 

Along this trail I found Carolina Wrens and Eastern Towhees.

 

I was surprised there were not as many birds near the water, but I did hear the call of a Common yellow throat and a few Red-winged Blackbirds.

 

 But the Black-crowned Night Heron was the only heron I saw.

 

 Gray Catbird

 

 Yellow Warbler

After crossing the bridge near the pond the trail wound up through the woods over rocky ledges and back down again to  a mixed woodland. I could just see the ocean beyond the trees with seagulls wheeling overhead and runners pounding by on the road. Near a little stream I saw a Ruby-throated Hummingbird and this yellow warbler.

 Brown-headed Cowbird

In an overhead snag a cowbird called.

Ocean beyond the meadow

As the trail crossed a meadow before returning me to the original farm with the visitor’s center I saw a few sparrows and a Northern Mockingbird. A Red-tailed Hawk had a nest in a tall tree by the farm house. Once again there were birds everywhere and I thoroughly enjoyed my time here. The Norman Bird Sanctuary is an eBird Hotspot and definitely worth a visit!

 My Rhode Island Life List before and after birding at the Norman Bird Sanctuary:

(Bird species listed below bold type were seen at the same location/date.)

1. Mute Swan-Watch Hill Cove 5-12-1985
2. Great Black-backed Gull-Misquamicut Beach State Park 6-1-1996
3. Double-crested Cormorant-Misquamicut Beach State Park 9-17-2010
4. Great Blue Heron
5. Great Egret
6. Snowy Egret
7. Glossy ibis
8. Osprey
9. Piping Plover
10. Sanderling
11. Laughing Gull
12. ring-billed Gull
13. Herring Gull
14. Mourning Dove
15. European Starling-Napatree Point 9-17-2010
16. Turkey Vulture-Westerly Rhode Island 8-17-2012
17. Blue Jay
18. American Robin
19. Fish Crow-Misquamicut Beach State Park 8-17-2012
20. Semipalmated Plover
21. Barn Swallow
22. Rock Pigeon-Middletown Rhode Island 6-15-13
23. Red-winged Blackbird
24. Common Grackle
25. House Sparrow
26. Black-crowned Night Heron-Norman Bird Sanctuary 6-15-13
27. Red-tailed Hawk
28. Ruby-throated hummingbird
29. Downy Woodpecker
30. Northern flicker
31. Eastern Phoebe
32. Great Crested Flycatcher
33. American Crow
34. Tree Swallow
35. Black-capped Chickadee
36. Tufted Titmouse
37. House Wren
38. Carolina Wren
39. Gray Catbird
40. Northern Mockingbird
41. Cedar Waxwing
42. Common Yellowthroat
43. Yellow Warbler
44. Eastern Towhee
45. Field Sparrow
46. Song Sparrow
47. Northern Cardinal
48. Brown-headed Cowbird
49. American Goldfinch

In the end I spent 2 hours and 15 minutes at the Norman Bird Sanctuary and walked approximately 1.2 miles. I counted 31 species of birds here as well as 10 species I saw along the way while driving through town for a total of 35 species seen on this day. Obviously some birds were seen in town and at the sanctuary.

Links:

• Norman Bird Sanctuary
• Summer 2013 Trip
• Birding Rhode Island

Last Things

Misquamicut Beach, Rhode Island 8-17-2012

My life is lived in moments of “last things” right now. My last trip to the bog, my last time at the store, my last walk in the neighborhood. On Friday the 17th my friend Kathryn and I drove to Connecticut to drop the dog and some food off with mom. After eating lunch we drove over to Misquamicut Beach in Westerly, Rhode Island. Kathryn had never been to Rhode Island before and I had not yet been to the beach this summer. I wanted to go “One Last Time” before leaving for the dry desert.

When we arrived around 4 PM EDT, and the beach was still a bit crowded, but by the time we left two hours later the most of the people were gone and the beach was awash in the golden light of a setting sun.

We found a great place to park at a private beach with food, restrooms and changing rooms. It was a short walk to the beach, so we had easy access to our car and only cost us $10 to park!

We were too anxious to get in the water, so all of these pictures were taken after we were done swimming and had already changed back into our dry cloths. Here is Kathryn standing on the beach. She is helping with the driving on out way to Tucson.

What an endless horizon!

 

I played in these waves for two hours until my legs were weak and my body was chilled to the bones. I did not want to leave! Kathryn had more sense than me and sat on the beach people watching after an hour or so.

As the tide rolled in, so did the seaweed!

 

The inevitable seagulls keep watch!

 

Good-bye Rhode Island!

We did manage to do a bit of bird watching before we left and found a few Semi-palmated plovers in a parking lot along with some seagulls near a puddle. In all we saw or heard 13 species of birds in Rhode Island on this day. Now we are on our way to Tucson. May people want to know if I am changing the name of my blog or starting a new blog. The answer is, my blog will stay the same for now. That is why I changed the name to Kathie's Birds two years ago, because no matter where I live, it can always be Kathie’s Birds! So follow me as I Fly Away to Tucson! I will try to keep in contact as I travel and will start blogging again as soon as possible after I arrive. I also have a Facebook page for those who want to subscribe!

• Birding is Fun
• Kathie’s Poet Tree
• Sycamore Canyon
• Sycamore Canyon Birds
• My Mountain Green (Kathryn’s blog)

Plover Mix-up on Plum Island

 Semi-palmated Plover on Plum Island 10-17-10

My move to the east coast has brought me into contact with birds I am not familiar with in the desert southwest. To make everything more challenging, I moved here at a time when species are in transitional plumage from juvenile to adult and from breeding to winter plumage. Thus is was that on November 1 I misidentified this little plover as a Piping Plover. Fortunately for me, I do have many good birding friends from the east coast and one of them graciously and discreetly messaged me and let me know of my mistake. I posted a picture of this little plover on Facebook asking for more input and was rewarded with even more info as to why this is a semi-palmated plover and not a piping plover.  Here is what I learned in the process:

Both plovers frequent beaches along the eastern seaboard. Semi-palmated and piping plovers are both small birds that run along the waterline, but semis outnumber piping by a huge margin and are the most frequently seen plover which would explain why I recorded 7 at this location. When I entered this data into eBird they flagged my report asking if I was SURE I saw 7 Piping plovers.  With all the enthusiasm of a novice I checked off the box to confirm my sighting. I have since gone back and corrected this report. I have also corrected my blogpost.  While both plovers have orange legs, the Piping plover has bright orange legs and its plumage is much paler than the semi-palmated. It’s little beak is even stubbier.

 Semi-palmated Plover on Plum Island 10-17-10

 Semi-palmated Plover on Plum Island 10-17-10

 Semi-palmated Plover on Plum Island 10-17-10

So, this started me thinking. I had recorded a Piping Plover at Misquamicuit State Beach in Rhode Island on September 17, 2010 when Gus and I visited there. Was that a semi-palmated plover also and what would this do to my Life List? I had to know.

 Semi-palmated Plover on Plum Island 10-17-10

Fortunately for me I had taken a few photos of the Piping Plover at Misquamicuit. However, I had not processed the photos yet.  I went to the file, pulled it up and easily confirmed that I HAD seen a Piping Plover there! Look at the photos below and compare them to the Semi-palmated shots above.  You can easily see the difference in the color of the plumage, the beak and the legs. Look at the little Piping Plover’s pale feathers, all dark stubby bill and bright orange legs. compare that with the darkness around the eyes and the neck of the Semi-palmated as well as the darker overall plumage. Julie says the piping plover is a “pale ghost” compared to the Semi-palmated and I agree. I only got a couple of shots of this little guy before it ran off down the beach with the sanderlings but this makes the Piping Plover Life Bird number 387 and the Semi-palmated Life Bird number 389! (The White-winged Scoters I saw on Plum Island are #388).

 Piping Plover at Misquamicuit State Beach 9-17-10

 Piping Plover at Misquamicuit State Beach 9-17-10

Many thanks to Matt Morrow, Loralea Kirby and Julie Zickefoose for setting me straight on my plover I.D.’s. My good friend Dawn Fine also chimed in. You can read Julie’s comments on the original post. Birders are such good people, always willing to help and I thank you all! Please, if you ever think I have mis-identified a bird on this blog, let me know and tell me why you think so!  I would rather get the I.D. correct.  It matters to me and to eBird!

I just want to add a note about Matt Morrow. I first met him earlier this year in Alabama when I was there to visit friends.  Later, he came to visit me and we were Chasing Birds in Arizona.  Matt is not only and excellent birder, but an aspiring musician. He plays guitar and sings. If you ever hear that he is singing in your area, I would certainly check him out.