Spring Yard Birds on Mere Point

 Yellow-rumped Warbler (male, Myrtle) 4-25-2015

During Spring Migration I see many birds in my yard that I do not see the rest of the year. This spring I saw some familiar birds as well as at least one new yard bird. Here are a few of the species I was able to photograph as they passed through, along with the dates they were seen. Some visited several times, or hung around for a few days; some I only saw once and they were gone. And some have stayed to raise their young, which they are now bringing to my feeders! Scroll down to see who came to visit me!

 Eastern Phoebe 4-27-15

I only seem to see this species in my yard when they pass through during migration but, after that they seem to disappear. I have not seen a phoebe in my yard in weeks!

 Pine Warblers 4-27-15

Pine warblers were here for a few weeks in early spring, but have since moved on. They love to eat suet! Still, sometimes I wonder if that is one I hear calling from the tops of the tall pines that surround my yard, but since chipping sparrows have a similar call it can be difficult to tell. I know I have Chipping Sparrows because I see and hear them. I have not seen a Pine Warbler here in weeks.

 Northern Mockingbird 4-28-2015

This was a new Yard Bird for me this year!

 European Starlings 4-29-15

Once the starlings arrived, they never left. They gobble up all my seed and suet. It’s no wonder they have survived and multiplied in this country, they eat everything! I quit putting out meal worms because these greedy birds eat them all in one day!

 Rose-breasted grosbeak 5-5-15

Every now and then this species shows up again, so they must be nesting nearby.

 Great-crested Flycatcher 5-7-15

This species is still hanging around and I often hear its noisy call through my open windows!

 Red-bellied Woodpecker 5-12-15

I had this female Red-bellied hanging around all winter, but I never saw a male. I knew she needed a partner in order to nest and reproduce but one never showed up. She must have moved on, because I have not seen her in a long time. She was always very shy and flew off at the slightest sight of me. I was lucky to get this picture!

 Male Purple finch (left), Male House Finch (right) 5-12-15

Both these species are still being seen in my yard.

 

 Carolina Wren 5-12-15

This was a one day wonder and this was my only chance at a photo through the window. I never saw this species again. Last year I had the same experience where a Carolina Wren passed though the yard one day and then was gone.

 Song Sparrows, White-throated Sparrows, and 1 White-crowned Sparrow

All the above sparrows were seen in my yard on May 12, 2015. This was an overlap in seasons with White-throated Sparrows being a winter species here, White-crowned being seen only during spring and fall migration, and Song Sparrows being a returning summer breeder! The Song Sparrows and an occasional Lincoln or Savannah Sparrow are all I see now.

 Indigo Bunting (male) 5-12-15

I have not seen this species in my yard in awhile.

 Northern Parula 5-12-15

I think you can tell that May 12 was a very busy migration day here!

 

 Gray Catbird 5-12-15

There are still plenty of catbirds hanging around!

 

 Baltimore Oriole 5-13-15

I had hoped this species would hang around and I tried to find an Oriole feeder to encourage them, but none of the stores sold them! Rats! Still, it was nice to see them while they were passing through.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird (male and female) 5-21-15 

I had at least 4 Ruby-throats in this yard at one time, but then their numbers dropped. For awhile I was only seeing 1 male hummingbird on rare occasions, but just yesterday I finally saw a female again. They are very fussy about the feeder and like fresh nectar. I have to change it every 2 to 3 days to keep them coming and to keep the feeder from growing mold, which is deadly to them.

Hummingbird feeding tips: It is important to remember not to use red dye in making their food, and do not be tricked by companies trying to sell “flower nectar” at ridiculous prices. Hummingbird nectar is easily made from traditional white sugar and water. Just dissolve 1 cup of sugar in 4 cups of water warmed on the stove and stirred until it is dissolved. Cool and refill your feeders. You can store the extra in a glass jar in the refrigerator. Do not try to use honey to make nectar. This could also prove deadly! Wash your feeders in plain water as dish soap leaves a residue. If you find it necessary to use soap, please rinse the feeders in a mixture of white vinegar and water to remove any residue and prevent mold. Never put warm or hot nectar out in your feeders as hummingbirds lap up their nectar with their long tongues which would get burned!

During the peak of migration I was seeing 20 to 30 species of birds in my yard every day. Now that number has dropped back to 14 to 18 species a day. If I get 20 species right now, I feel lucky! I feel lucky anyways because I love to see the birds. it is so nice to hear their calls through the open windows, or see them at the feeders and in the yard! Birds make my yard come alive, and I feel alive then too!

 

Parking Lot Birding at the Physical Therapist Office

 Small Pond by parking lot 5-19-15

Anyone who knows me knows that I carry my binoculars everywhere I go and very often my camera. Ever since starting physical therapy earlier this year after I dislocated my shoulder I started counting birds that I saw from the parking lot of 430 Bath Road in Brunswick, Maine. The office and parking lot sit on a small hill overlooking a valley with the New Meadows River just north of it and the Androscoggin just beyond the rise to the west I often see a variety of bird species here.

Late in March I pulled into the parking lot one day to only to see a magnificent Pileated Woodpecker in a tree as well as some of the first starlings I had seen this year! I was glad I had my camera and was able to snap a few shots!

 Pileated Woodpecker 3-24-15 Bath Road in Brunswick, ME

When it flew off into the nearby woods I took another photo!

Now that spring is here I am seeing even more birds. while I often saw Eagles and even ducks flying over during the winter and early spring, now I see osprey and turkey vultures as well as numerous seagulls at times. When I was there on Tuesday I heard and then saw chestnut-sided warblers and Common Yellowthroats.

Many of the birds flew into this exploding pink flowering tree!

It was at the edge of the meadow below, which was at the edge of the parking lot!

Here is a list of the birds I have seen at this location:

1. Blue Jay 2-11-15
2. American Crow
3. Ring-billed Gull 2-13-15
4. Bald Eagle 2-23-15
5. Mallard 3-24-15
6. Mourning Dove
7. Pileated Woodpecker
8. Black-capped Chickadee
9. Red-breasted Nuthatch
10. European Starling
11. Northern Cardinal
12. Red-winged Blackbird
13. House Finch
14. Turkey Vulture 3-31-15
15. Red-bellied Woodpecker 4-3-15
16. Downy Woodpecker
17. Hairy Woodpecker
18. Common Raven
19. Tufted Titmouse
20. White-breasted Nuthatch
21. Song Sparrow
22. Common Grackle
23. Canada Goose 4-7-15
24. Osprey
25. American Robin
26. Great Blue Heron 4-9-15
27. Herring Gull
28. American Kestrel
29. Eastern Phoebe 4-14-15
30. Northern Flicker 4-17-15
31. Pine Warbler
32. Brown-headed Cowbird
33. Tree Swallow 4-24-15
34. Wood Duck 4-30-15
35. Chipping Sparrow
36. American Goldfinch
37. Ovenbird 5-11-15
38. Black-throated Green Warbler
39. Red-tailed Hawk 5-18-15
40. Great Crested Flycatcher
41. Blue-headed Vireo
42. Gray Catbird
43. Common Yellowthroat
44. Chestnut-sided Warbler

As you can see, parking lot birding can pay off big time! I love to count birds where no one else does and fill in the blanks of the eBird data. It is amazing how many birds species live with and around us and so many people never even notice all this Life that is happening nearby!

It’s All Been a Blur

 

I’ve crowded so many things in over the past few weeks…

 

That it’s all been a blur…

 

and though I feel a bit off balance,

 

I still haven’t lost my head!

 

So after a bit of cleaning up…

 

and checking things out…

 

and a bit of a snack,

 

I’ll be ready to start counting birds,

 

and get back to blogging again!

I have so many blog posts to get caught up on!

See you soon!

Flowers from Gus for our 35th Anniversary yesterday!

 

Note: All photos were taken today in my apartment or yard. Bird species are House Sparrows, White-breasted Nuthatch, European Starling fledglings, Gray Catbird, and Northern Cardinal. My yard is full of begging baby birds and their exhausted parents!

Plum Island Birding for my Big January

 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