This winter was a harsh one. Our days were extremely cold and the snow seemed never-ending. It made me more anxious for spring than ever before.
The snow is finally all melted, birds are returning and the migrants are slowly coming through. Birds are pairing up and warm days are here!
Mourning Doves pair up early
While it is getting warm out, we are also having a ton of very windy days. It doesn’t stop the birds from coming, but it’s enough to annoy both of us!
Downy Woodpecker on a windy day
One of my favorite signs of spring are molting Goldfinches. They go from their more-drab winter coat to the most brilliant yellow.
The Goldfinches are molting!
I have a few nesting boxes up – one for Chickadees or Wrens, a ledge for Robins, Doves or Flycatchers, and a Brown Creeper box. So far, I have tenants in at least one of them.
Black-capped Chickadees took over this nesting box
I also found the nests of two other birds – Blue Jays are building one behind my neighbors house.
Blue Jays building a nest
I also spotted Nuthatches going in and our of a hole on my neighbors house. As much as I was excited to see this, I think I should tell them now so that they do not unknowingly patch up the hole while there are eggs or babies inside. Oddly enough, I just purchased a Nuthatch nesting box, so if my neighbors choose to evict their tenants, maybe I can set up my box nearby. Speaking of Nuthatches – I’ve seen them exchange gifts to each other a couple of times right outside my window.
White-breasted Nuthatch before stashing the seed
One bird who is nesting in the area that I have yet to find nests for are the Red-shouldered Hawks. I hear this bird more than I see it (I also hear the Jays mimicking them) and hope to find a nest one day.
Red-shouldered Hawk being mobbed by Blue Jays
I had my first visit from a pair of Cardinals. I’ve been hearing at least two males singing, but this is the first time I’ve seen them. Never again will I take such a beautiful bird for granted as I did in New York. I hope they decide to stick around my yard!
This Cardinal was a long-awaited yard bird
As for birds returning for the summer, I had a quick visit from my first non-Junco yard sparrow, a pair of Flickers are being very vocal behind my house and the Phoebes can be heard singing around the woods.
A brief visit from a Chipping Sparrow
Along with geese, blackbirds and gulls migrating overhead, I got my first feeder migrants of the season.
A male Purple Finch – one of many migrants passing through
A female Purple Finches behind the brightly-colored male
And that’s not all… the woods are becoming more active! So far, I’ve seen Pine Warblers and both Golden- and Ruby-crowned Kinglets, including some singing males. It was truly the first time that I felt like Spring is here.
Too bad this Pine Warbler would not come closer
The only decent photo I could get of this Ruby-crowned Kinglet
I cannot wait to see who else will pass by! Spring is HERE!
Last month, I moved to my new home in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. My yard in Vestal, New York was extremely birdy – in three years and a couple of months, I saw or heard 106 different species of birds. In May, I wrote a post about my first hundred yard birds, which turned out to actually be 103 when I went back and really counted. I saw more great birds after that post – a Great Horned Owl and a Black-billed Cuckoo (I also tacked on one more, a Least Flycatcher, with a photo from 2012). I knew my Vestal yard would be tough to beat.
I set up my feeders as soon as I moved in to my new place and immediately had a few Tufted Titmouse visitors, joined by White-breasted Nuthatches. More birds eventually joined including my favorite feeder birds – a pair of Carolina Wrens.
Carolina Wrens came to visit after hearing them for many mornings
I have three species of woodpeckers visiting regularly – Downy, Hairy and Red-bellied. I’m still waiting to have a Pileated in my yard. So far, I’ve only seen them while biking around the community.
Red-bellied Woodpecker showing us where she got her name
I had a one-day visit from a one of my favorite common finches, a Purple Finch.
Purple Finch
I actually sort of lack in the same regular feeder-bird variety that I had in New York – it’s the MIGRANTS that have hit me hard so far. I am more in the woods and my office is near the tops of the trees so seeing birds is much easier.
My new feeder set up, outside my loft office
Some of my better migrants included tons of Blue-headed Vireos, a Philadelphia Vireo, seven species of Warblers – including one that I never got in Vestal, the Black-and-white Warbler, Cedar Waxwings, both Kinglets, Eastern Phoebes and Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers.
I also had two surprise birds visit my actual feeders who never did in New York – a Ruby-crowned Kinglet and Brown Creeper.
This Ruby-crowned Kinglet used my feeders
It’s been little more than a month and I have 33 yard birds. Things are looking good so far!
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!
