The next morning, we met with Dave at 4:30AM. We were happy that he arrived just at the moment that we did because it was still dark out and the only people out on the streets were hungover or high! We saw some…interesting people that morning. We had a long drive ahead of us – Dave wanted to bring us to the mountains up in Washington. We did not make many stops on the way – until Dave spotted a pair of California Quail on the side of the road. He stopped the car, backed up and let us get good looks and photos. Both Renee and I already started the day with a lifer!
Male California Quail on the roadside.
Further up the road, he spotted a Western Kingbird on a fence. Once again, he stopped the car, backed up and allowed us to photograph this cooperative bird. Another car-stopping lifer!
My lifer Western Kingbird on a wire.
The next stop we made was in an area that was clear cut with plenty of growth.
There were nice field birds in this clearcut area.
Here, we got our best looks at a male Western Tanager and found a family of Western Bluebirds. We caught one of the Bluebirds getting a meal ready for his young – he smacked the caterpillar around until it was more edible.
Our best looks at a male Western Tanager.
This Western Bluebird smacked and smashed the caterpillar before moving on.
After that, we headed into Trout lake through my favorite type of scenery – forest! The woodlands were very different from what I am used to in the east. Tall, beautiful firs and some pines filled the landscape.
Going up the mountain
My favorite scenery!
We stopped in several spots to find some forest birds. New life birds included Hammond’s Flycatchers and Cassin’s Vireo. We also got our first looks at the Audubon’s Yellow-rumped Warbler.
Audubon’s Yellow-rumed Warbler
After spending some time in the live part of the forest, We continued up the mountain in search of more specialties.
Looking up at Mt. Adams
The landscape changed drastically as we entered the area that burned in 2012 on the southeast skirt of Mount Adams.
Cascade Creek Burn
Within the blackened trees, were some survivors and new growth. The view was striking, dreary and beautiful.
Some live and burnt trees
We got out of the car and hiked by foot to find the birds that have eluded us thus far. Dave knew of a nesting cavity for an American Three-toed family, so we scoped it out. We immediately heard the nestlings calling from the hole but no adults were in sight. One stuck his head out and continued to call to its parents. We hung back and watched for about twenty minutes; no adults showed up. They must have been trying to lure the young out of the cavity.
American Three-toed Woodpecker nestling calling out
We searched for some of our other target birds and ended up dipping on Gray Jays and Clark’s Nutcrackers. We did finally see an adult American Three-toed Woodpecker as well as our first Black-backed Woodpecker and some Hairy Woodpeckers.
Rozi enjoying the hike
As we headed back down the mountain, we continued our search for more new birds. We got great looks at more mountain birds – the Mountain Bluebird and Chickadee.
Western Tanager and Mountain Bluebird
Mountain Chickadee life bird
Dave also found us a bird that I missed when a vagrant visited New York last year – a Townsend’s Solitaire. Lighting was terrible for photos, but we did get very good looks at this bird!
Townsend’s Solitaire lifer
Further down the mountain, we ran into some friends who were at the previous day’s barbeque. They were also having a slow day but gave us directions to a Williamson’s Sapsucker’s nest that was right off the road. It was an easy find and Mom came to the nest almost as soon as we got there. Dad followed.
Williamson’s Sapsucker female
Williamson’s Sapsucker male
While we were watching these birds, another Black-backed Woodpecker allowed us to get some nice looks. The nesting tree was also shared with a pair of Red-breasted Nuthatches who busily made their way in and out of their cavity.
We finally left the mountain and made our way back to Oregon. On the way, we stopped for a local specialty – huckleberry smoothies – this time, at a more appropriate hour. We made our way through Conboy National Wildlife Refuge where we found more Western Kingbirds and our first Western Meadowlarks.
Another cooperative Western Kingbird
Our next stop was at a cemetery in search of Cassin’s Finches. We did find a male and female along with a Western Wood-Pewee, Gray Flycatcher, Western Bluebirds, Red-shafted Northern Flickers, a Red-breasted Sapsucker and my favorite surprise – Pygmy Nuthatches!
An unexpected Pygmy Nuthatch
Western Wood-Pewee
Back on the road, the scenery continued to “wow” us along the Columbia River.
Driving along the Columbia River
We made several stops in search of various birds but they were tough to find as the afternoon got hotter. Dave mentioned that we should keep an eye on hawks because there was a chance at finding a Swainson’s Hawk. I figured it would have been a long shot, however, not long after he said it I found out a hawk hovering near the road. Dave stopped the car and we got our first really great looks at a Swainson’s Hawk hunting the fields – we actually saw one!!
We eventually made it back into Oregon where Dave brought us to a spot that was known to have White-throated Swifts. There were tons of Swallows to pick through but Dave finally directed my eyes to a swift. The sun was behind the birds so all I could see was its silhouette. Eventually, I found another on my own, but still could not make out any real detail. We wanted to listen for Wrens, but the sound of cars filled the air. We made several more stops along the highway for the Wrens. We finally found two Rock Wrens – a juvenile showed itself and shortly after, an adult came out.
Rock Wren on a rock
The next target bird was the Lewis’s Woodpecker. We found one perched a bit far, but in the open. We also found some unexpected Grasshopper Sparrows – not a life bird, but still always a nice bird to see. Dave knew of a spot that we could get a better look at a Lewis’s Woodpecker and he did not disappoint. The beautiful bird showed off for us!
Lewis’s Woodpecker
We made a last attempt for Canyon Wrens but ended up finding more Rock Wrens and a Black-billed Magpie. This was my US-lifer Magpie, even though it was silhouetted against the sun.
Our next target birds, the Tricolored Blackbirds, were exactly where Dave said they would be (of course!). When we stopped the car, several females popped up – it did not take long for some males to fly in. We got some nice looks and they took off. Along the way, we also saw more field bird specialties – Western Meadowlarks and Kingbirds, Mountain Bluebirds and Horned Larks.
Tricolored Blackbirds
Our very last stop before finally heading out for dinner was at a residential hummingbird feeder which was known to get a nice variety of local hummers. The only ones that showed up were Rufouses – we got excellent looks at a beautiful male. We still had a long way to get home so we did not stay long. It was getting dark and we were tired and hungry. We stopped at the Rendezvous Grill for more good food and finally remembered to take a photo of the three of us inside the restaurant.
The birding trio – Renee, Dave and me
During this trip, I ended up with 54 life birds plus 3 US-lifers. We saw, in total, over 120 species of birds in the middle of summer. It was an excellent trip and Dave is a great guide who I will continue to keep in touch with and hopefully see again soon (Rio Grande Valley maybe?). I can’t even find the words to let him know how much we appreciated him taking us out on two days of non-stop birding. Also, thanks to Bob’s Red Mill and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology for making this trip possible!
On Saturday, my friend Jon and I visited what I now believe to be the best Warbler hotspot in the area – the Delaware Water Gap NRA Headquarters in Bushkill and Freeman Tract Road, which is nearby and follows the Delaware River. I’ve been reading previous eBird reports from this area and they were loaded with Northern Parulas, Cerulean Warblers, Hooded Warblers and more really good birds. We had to go check it out during prime migration. The trees are tall and the birds stayed up high for the most part, but that did not stop us from seeing good birds and having a great time.
We knew that it would be a good day when the very first bird we heard when we stepped out of the car was a Golden-winged Warbler. A life bird for Jon and my first time seeing one outside of Ohio.
This was another Golden-winged Warbler that we spotted later on
We birded around the Water Gap Headquarters waiting for the sun to peak through the clouds. The building overlooks a really nice marsh that is full of birds.
Blackbirds, Grackles, Swamp Sparrows and Rails love this habitat
Tree Swallows, Ducks and Warblers seem to be around this part
We found a couple of hot spots that provided loads of birds moving through the trees and brush around the water. Some of them came down low, but for the most part they were distant. We saw and heard 50 species around the marsh.
Blue-gray Gnatcatchers are abundant
Tree Swallows in a natural nest
Yellow Warbler near the marsh
Red-winged Blackbird displaying
American Robin on a log
Green Heron hunting in the reeds
After exploring a bit up the hill, we made our way down to Freeman Tract Road, with our windows opened. On our way down, we heard a bird sing in the trees and I instantly knew that is was one of our target birds – the Cerulean Warbler. We had a few of them singing in the one spot.
One of many Cerulean Warblers
Down the road, we stopped for a singing Hooded Warbler – another lifer for Jon. He was difficult to find, but we finally spotted singing at the treetops.
Hooded Warbler singing up high
Even though the birds were mostly up high and moving quickly, it was a great time. We had many great birds and really took our time getting down the road. Every time we stopped the car, there was something exciting to see.
Black-and-white Warbler going up a trunk
Blue-winged Warbler singing in the distance
The best photo I could get of this Northern Parula who was foraging off the road
We even caught a glimpse of a snake making its way through the leaves.
Garter Snake in the leaves
Best subject of the day goes to an Ovenbird that Jon found posing down low, showing off his crest.
Our best subject from the trip, an Ovenbird
I also finally got some decent photos of a male Parula.
One of the few Northern Parulas who posed
My bird of the day was still the Cerulean Warbler. It’s my favorite little Warbler and I was so happy to see so many of them in one place!
My friend and I took a trip to Delaware to go to Bombay Hook and Cape Henlopen State Park on Sunday. One of our goals was to both get a life bird in its northern-most range, the Brown-headed Nuthatch.
The day started off with a bang as we were exiting a highway in Allentown, Pennsylvania. I spotted a raptor perched on a utility pole and IDed it as a possible Peregrine Falcon. We pulled into a parking lot to confirm the ID and take some photos.
Spotting a Peregrine Falcon from the road
We then started our long drive to Delaware. This was the first time I visited the state for birding. After my total of a three-and-a-half hour drive, we arrived at the Nature Center at Cape Henlopen to watch the feeders.
Red-winged Blackbirds dominated the area and were extremely loud at times.
One of many loud Red-winged Blackbird
When they quieted down, we could hear a Great Horned Owl hooting in the woods. We did not want to step off trail to find it and instead enjoyed the feeder birds. I took this chance to photograph a bird that I do not see in my new yard anymore.
The Northern Cardinal was common in my NY yard, but not in my PA yard
I also remembered that I have no good photos of Carolina Chickadees and snapped a few of them too.
I only see Black-capped Chickadees near me, not Carolinas
After a little while more of waiting, the bird we were waiting for finally showed up.
Brown-headed Nuthatch at the feeders
We stuck around to try to get photos of them in a more natural setting, but that proved to be difficult since they would go directly to the thick of trees from the feeders. We had up to six of these birds in sight and calling back and forth at the same time. If you’ve never heard their call, I highly suggest you listen to it on Allaboutbirds.org. It is the cutest call!!
This Brown-headed Nuthatch kept posing for us
After a couple of hours, we left to go back up to Bombay Hook in search of waterfowl, shorebirds and possible owls. This part of our trip was a little quiet as far as photo ops went. We did see seventeen species of waterfowl and an early shorebird migrant.
Greater Yellowlegs with a bill that is covered in mud – it is longer than it looks from this photo.
Other notable sightings include a Red Fox, multiple Harriers, our first-of-year Gray Catbird and a couple of Bald Eagles flying in the distance.
Red Fox on the road
Bald Eagle flying over-head
I won’t leave out some of the more common birds that seem to pose nicer than the waterfowl, which I did not take any photos of due to over-bright lighting and distance.
I do not even know where to begin with my favorite parts from Biggest Week in American Birding. The week was so perfect, even if the Kirtland’s Warbler did not show up. As always, I will share my experience through photos, both good and bad quality.
The first Warbler I saw was a life bird
When we arrived on the boardwalk, we ran into a decent sized crowd. We asked them what they were waiting for and they directed us to a little bird shadow on a log and said it was a Mourning Warbler. We stopped, we waited and we got some good views of the bird – even though I did not get good photos. A life bird for both of us!
Mourning Warbler foraging down low
We saw 150 species of birds, 28 were Warblers
My friend, Renee, and I collectively saw 150 species of birds. We could have done better if we also concentrated on waterfowl and shorebirds which we failed to do! We did, however, chase down a Ruddy Turnstone in breeding plumage near the Maumee Bay Lodge in very high winds and rain. The fact that we saw 28 species of Warblers was mind blowing! FIVE of those Warblers were life birds for me.
Golden-winged Warbler foraging down low
I stopped watching a Golden-winged Warbler to see a Canada Warbler
I still cannot believe that I went from photographing the Golden-winged Warbler above, a recent life bird, to the Canada Warbler below, another life bird. Guides were actually using these birds to let people know where other birds in the area were: Chestnut-sided Warbler to the left of the Canada Warbler.
The Canada Warbler is one who I heard singing before but never saw
Brightly colored birds were everywhere!
Some birds were so bright that I have to tone down their saturation in Photoshop. BIRDS RULE!
This Scarlet Tanager was just too bright
We went to Oak Openings this year
Renee and I headed to Oak Openings with our friend Chris who showed us some awesome birds. We would have never known where to go if it was not for him. He found both of us two life birds that day! For me, it was the Yellow-breasted Chat and Lark Sparrow.
We ended up picking many ticks off of ourselves for this Yellow-breasted Chat
An American Bittern hunted out in the open
I never had such a good look at an American Bittern before. Previously, I’ve only seen them flying (and caught a bad photo of it flying too). This bird was reported on the Biggest Week Twitter right off of the causeway leading to the boardwalk. Cars and birders were lined up to see this elusive bird. He appeared two days in a row.
This American Bittern hunted out in the open for two evenings in a row
Being a blogger has its benefits
I was pleasantly surprised to see that my name tag had an extra ribbon on it that said “volunteer” – what a way to make us feel special! I also received a Biggest Week shirt with this year’s beautiful logo on it. The perks did not stop there. The bloggers were invited to a private cottage for authentic New Mexican food. This was certainly the best tasting food that I have had recently – I never tasted anything like it!
Authentic New Mexican food
Everyone at the dinner were people who I just met [in person] that day except for Chris who is also on the field trip and blogging team. They are all wonderful people who will be friends for as long as I am a birder – aka life! The night ended with a beautiful sunset over Lake Erie. Great food, great people, great setting – who can ask for more??
Lake Erie Sunset
The most unexpected life bird made an appearance at the Boardwalk
As Renee and I were slowly making our way through the Ottawa Auto Tour, looking at three young Bald Eagles in a tree, this tweet came through on our phones: Boardwalk, 13, Long-eared owl. PIB. We were both speechless. We drove through the rest of the drive without stopping unless others were stopped ahead of us (oh yeah, we had to wait for a family of geese too); drove back to the boardwalk, passed the crowd looking at the Bittern who was out in the open again, parked the car and made our way to the boardwalk where the Owl was reported.
Long-eared Owl seen by many off the boardwalk
I was so excited that I was shaking. Earlier in the year, both of us had our life Short-eared Owl. We never thought we would have been looking at a Long-eared Owl a couple of months later.
I looked at a few birds through the Traveling Trinovid
If you have not heard of this, I suggest you check out Leica’s Traveling Trinovid blog. This pair of binoculars will be passed from birder to birder where they will see birds from different cities in many countries. So far, it has seen 313 species of birds only five months into it’s adventures. I only used it at the Black Swamp Bird Observatory feeders and also ID-ed a Northern Waterthrush with them at the banding station – what a difference these binoculars made compared to my regular pair! Maybe one day they will be in my hands for a real birding trip.
Me holding the Traveling Trinovid (photo by Jeff Bouton)
I saw a few baby turtles
Baby turtles were out in full force on Friday. Many people were helping them cross the road so they would not get crushed. The previous morning, I helped an adult Blandings Turtle across the road on our way in. I should have taken a photo of this endangered turtle – he was beautiful!
Baby turtle being helped across the road
I met authors to great field guides
Our Owl chase made us very late for the evening social, but we arrived at the tail end of it to see our friends and meet more new people. I noticed that Ken Kaufman and Don and Lillian Stokes were set up for a book signing so I went to the room and grabbed my field guides. Since it was already ten minutes until closing, there was no line and I was able to properly introduce myself. It was a pleasure meeting such great names in birding. BIRDERS RULE!
An upside down Black-and-white Warbler
I am OK with not seeing a Kirtland’s Warbler
I had high hopes for seeing a Kirtland’s Warbler this year, but even though multiple birds were found last year, they eluded us this year. I figure that it is OK to save that one for next year though so that there is a chance to top off this year! Kirtland’s or no Kirtland’s – it was a GREAT birding week!
Who would think that bad weather could equal really great birds? When birds are migrating through and run into poor migrating weather (storm, front), they will drop out of the sky, typically in good numbers, to the most convenient habitat that suits them. This is known as fallout. Serious birders will actually go out in the rain and look for these birds because many times, something rare is sure to show up.
On Wednesday morning it started with an early report of some Long-tailed Ducks and Bonaparte’s Gulls. It was before work, so I went out to find these birds with success. I had 27 Bonaparte’s Gulls and later in the day over 80 were counted in the same location. As the day went on, the reports started coming in quick from birders who were off from work — more Long-tailed Ducks (20+ in one location and 40+ in another), Red-necked Grebes in four different locations, Horned Grebes showing up in high numbers, Four Great Egrets foraging together in a local pond, Caspian Terns in two locations — it was too much to resist not taking a long lunch for these great reports! I went out and quickly found some of the birds with a friend, but did not have time to take photos or get all of the birds.
Four Great Egrets stop to rest for one evening
The next morning, I headed out with another friend to see if we could get the high number of Long-tailed Ducks. They were no longer around, but I did see two Caspian Terns, which I did not get the previous day.
Caspian Terns
We continued to get poor weather so many of the birds stuck around for the weekend. Bufflehead were in high numbers at every location.
Bufflehead Pair at Dorchester Park
Bufflehead at Lisle Park
For the first time, I saw Horned Grebes in every possible plumage — winter, transitional and full on breeding plumage. I was happy to finally get photos of them too!
Horned Grebe
Horned Grebes
Both birds were often together…
Horned Grebe and Bufflehead
The big Grebe news, however, were the Red-necked Grebes. It is rare in our area to see a single one – I had at least NINE in one location with great scope views (not so great camera views…)
Red-necked Grebes with other waterfowl in Whitney Point
Today, we also found a Common Tern actively fishing around a lake. Another great rarity.
Common Tern in Whitney Point
And, of course, our more usual waterfowl were also around.
Pied Billed Grebes and Blue-winged Teal
It was not just about waterfowl. I also believe we had a Kinglet fallout. Ruby- and especially Golden-crowned Kinglets were everywhere. At one point I was surrounded by at least 50 birds dripping from the trees. There was a Kinglet on every branch that I looked at. I failed at getting a decent photo of a Golden-crowned since they are so fast but I did manage to get a Ruby-crowned at one point.
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
This weekend also brought my first Warblers of the year! I had Pine Warblers, Palm Warblers (in multiple locations) and Yellow-rumped Warblers.
Palm Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Other great highlights included another rarity for our area, a Vesper Sparrow who has been hanging around with some of our more common Sparrows and many first-of-year birds. We also did a Woodcock walk and enjoyed a male in good enough light to follow his aerial display.
Vesper Sparrow (far left) among Savannah Sparrows, a Junco and American Tree Sparrow.
I also had my best looks at singing Rusty Blackbirds – close enough to see how they got their name.
Rusty Blackbird
It was a great birding weekend and I am sad that it is over. I will write about my more local yard and creek birds in another post later in the week. This next week will bring more new migrants… I can’t wait to see who shows up!
If you pay attention to birds, chances are you’ve seen a Hawk get attacked by birds that are much smaller than itself – typically Blackbirds, Grackles, Crows and Jays. Chickadees even work up the courage to crowd around Owls! This behavior is called mobbing. It occurs when species of birds band together to attack a larger bird, usually in an attempt to protect their nest or territory.
I always know when a Hawk is around my neighborhood – the local Crows are almost always pairing up and chasing it away. My view is typically of either birds hidden in a tree or high-tailing it out of the area. Early last summer, however, I had a front row seat of blackbirds mobbing a Red-tailed Hawk at Cornell’s Sapsucker Woods. This resulted in some pretty good photos of the action!
Red-tailed Hawk being mobbed by a Common Grackle
Red-tailed Hawk being mobbed by a Red-winged Blackbird
I even caught one where the Blackbird has his feet and beak on the Hawk!
Red-tailed Hawk being mobbed by a Red-winged Blackbird
While this perch was great for me and my photos, it was not the best choice for the Hawk who kept losing balance.
Red-tailed Hawk loosing balance
Though, even on a more stable perch, he had to dodge the incoming mob.
Red-tailed Hawk dodging incoming birds
This group included Red-winged Blackbirds, Common Grackles, American Crows and even Squirrels. If you look closesly at the photo below, the Squirrel is below her nest!
Red-tailed Hawk being mobbed by a Crow and Squirrel
The Hawk eventually broke away with a crowd of over twenty birds following it.
This was not the only time I witnessed such behavior up close – the next victims were even larger than the Red-tail! Bald Eagles were nesting on a platform out in the open on the north end of Cayuga Lake in New York. I went up to go visit them just as the young Eagles fledged. In fact, according to regulars who were there, I witnessed one of the Eagle’s first flights! The local blackbirds did not make it easy for the fledged Eagles to practice. As soon as they would take flight, the smaller birds would come in.
Young Bald Eagle being mobbed by a Red-winged Blackbird
This was the first time I witnessed smaller birds riding on the backs of larger birds! It was a great treat! With some luck, I captured two different angles of this behavior.
Young Bald Eagle with a Red-winged Blackbird on his back
Young Bald Eagle with a Red-winged Blackbird on his back
These little birds are very fearless. I sometimes even see just one bird mobbing a Hawk all alone. Anything to protect their territory!
