I cannot say that I am a huge fan of snow and ice storms, but I do like to take advantage of them for photography when they occur during the daytime hours. Poor weather brings the birds flocking to my feeders. This winter has been pretty mild so far. We finally had our first storms in the past couple of weeks. During these storms, I photographed my feeder birds through my sliding doors with pleasing results.
Dark-eyed Junco
As usual, the birds pose nicely on the branches that are attached to my feeder poles.
Downy Woodpecker (male)
Tufted Titmouse
Downy Woodpecker (female)
Hairy Woodpecker (male)
House Finch (male)
Black-capped Chickadee
I recently set up a fallen branch on top of my deck rails in hopes that it will provide a good perch for photo ops. It certainly has not disappointed me so far!
Tufted Titmouse
Dark-eyed Junco
White-breasted Nuthatch
Dark-eyed Junco
White-breasted Nuthatch
I ended up sprinkling millet on the branch during a snow storm and the Juncos immediately enjoyed the treat.
Dark-eyed Junco
Dark-eyed Junco
I also propped up my old Christmas tree, as I have done since I moved to Pennsylvania. I added millet to the branches of this tree during that same snow storm. With this spread, I get up to a half dozen Juncos roaming around the little five foot tree at the same time.
At least the bad weather brings the birds! I’ll enjoy it while I can, from the comfort of my home.
Last weekend, on December 20th, Pocono Mountain held their annual Christmas Bird Count (CBC). The CBC is a bird census, sponsored by the National Audubon Society, where birders across the Western Hemisphere count birds over a 24-hour period within 15-mile diameter circles. I live in a private community, Penn Estates, which happens to be right in the middle of one of the areas for our local CBC that is not usually accessible. My friend and I volunteered to count within the gates so that the area is not left out.
Black-capped Chickadee
Penn Estates is a residential, yet very wooded, community in the Poconos that gets a nice variety of wildlife including over one hundred species of birds that I have found so far in two years. Our count was a little slow, likely due to the nicer weather that is keeping the winter birds north, at 22 species. Our highlights included a calling Eastern-Screech Owl, a nice flyover Red-tailed Hawk and two Ravens at the end of the count. Birds that we likely should have seen that we dipped on include a resident Great Blue Heron, Pileated Woodpeckers, Brown Creepers, White-throated Sparrows, Purple Finches, Pine Siskins, Red-shouldered Hawks and Turkey Vultures. We also could have tried harder to call out a Barred Owl who I have previously heard calling near my friend’s house, which is not far from the Tannersville Cranberry Bog.
Red-tailed Hawk
Many of the birds we found were hanging around the three small lakes within the community. We had a surprisingly small amount of luck at bird feeders, which probably means that the natural food is keeping the birds satisfied.
Tufted Titmouse
The following table summarizes our counts:
Species#
Canada Goose1
Mallard21
Red-tailed Hawk1
Mourning Dove16
Eastern Screech-Owl1
Red-bellied Woodpecker6
Northern Flicker1
Downy Woodpecker6
Hairy Woodpecker1
Blue Jay7
American Crow8
Common Raven2
Tufted Titmouse87
Black-capped Chickadee69
White-breasted Nuthatch31
Carolina Wren4
Eastern Bluebird3
Northern Cardinal3
Song Sparrow2
Dark-eyed Junco87
American Goldfinch4
House Finch1
I will most likely do the same next year so that my community is no longer left out of the CBC due to restricted access. Even with the low number of birds, it was a fun morning!
For the past two years, I purchased a cut Christmas tree with a higher motive than just being festive. First, I knew my cats would enjoy it while it was indoors – and they did, for a little while. I knew they would get bored of it quickly, so they were not the main reason for getting a tree – I mostly do it for the birds. After Christmas is over, I like to move the tree outside on the deck that I feed my birds from. I place it between my feeder poles to give them protection while feeding. When winter is over and the tree starts to turn brown, I will bring it to my yard (aka the woods) and add it to my brush pile. This won’t happen for a while though – Fraser Firs stay green for a long time after cut.
Last year (left) and this year (right)
A variety of my backyard visitors use the tree as a perch while waiting in line at the feeders and also as protection from the weather elements.
Dark-eyed Junco
American Goldfinch
Pine Siskin
Tufted Titmouse
Carolina Wren
The birds love using the tree, especially in poor weather.
Dark-eyed Junco
Pine Siskin
Last week, we had very high winds with extremely cold temperatures. My tree was tipped over and I noticed that the birds were huddled close to it. I went out, adjusted the tree for optimal wind protection and poured some seed in and around it. The birds approved.
Using the tipped tree as protection from the wind
I often pour some millet on top of the tree. A lot of it ends up sticking on the branches and the Juncos go crazy for it.
Dark-eyed Junco eating millet
They also use the tree as protection when danger lurks nearby.
This Sharp-shinned Hawk was trying to pick off finches, some hid in my tree
If you don’t do this already, I highly recommend using your tree for the birds. You will get the most out of it and so will they!
On Monday morning, I was invited with a friend to see a private bird banding at Jacobsburg State Park near Wind Gap, Pennsylvania. Of course, I brought my camera and took some “cheat” photos of birds right before they were released back into the wild. The banders taught us a few things about the markings and how to age and sex some of the birds – it was overall a great experience!
The first bird we watched getting banded was a good one – a young Rose-breasted Grosbeak who would not stop biting the bander’s hand.
This young male Rose-breasted Grosbeak was very bitey
The most common species were the Catbird and Tufted Titmouse. Many of them were young and they were also the loudest.
A very young Gray Catbird who is still growing feathers
This Tufted Titmouse waited calmly to be banded and examined
The only two Warblers they caught were an Ovenbird and Chestnut-sided Warbler.
The first captured Warbler, an Ovenbird, was later recaptured and released
A male Chestnut-sided Warbler in fall plumage
We did, however, get three species of Vireo including our bird of the day – the Yellow-throated Vireo.
The Yellow-throated Vireo who stole the show
This Warbling Vireo was another good catch for the area
Adult Red-eyed Vireo with striking eye color
We also had two good insect visitors right next to the banding table – a Praying Mantis and Northern Walking Stick!
This Praying Mantis and Walking Stick hung out near the table
It’s pretty awesome to see song birds up close and personal, especially when they are typically up high in the trees. I can never get this detail “in the wild.”
My township is less than two inches away from the being the snowiest February ever recorded set back in 1958. This coming Tuesday snowfall will most likely surpass the record. I am at my wits end with all of this snow!! There is still one thing (and one thing only) that I enjoy about it. That is, of course, the amount of birds that utilize my feeders and the photo ops they bring.
Let’s just say that my feeders were pretty busy…
Busy bird feeders
My most abundant guest is the Goldfinch… I lost count at 40 the other day when counting them for the GBBC. The only other finches I have been getting this year are House Finches.
American Goldfinch
Male House Finch with ice
Female House Finch
I live in the woods, so I also have tons of Woodpeckers.
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Along all of my other regulars…
Mourning Dove braving the storm
White-breasted Nuthatch
Tufted Titmouse
The snow was so heavy on Thursday that it quickly accumulated on birds if they stayed still for a moment.
Dark-eyed Junco with snow accumulation
Mourning Dove with snow accumulation
Some birds took cover in the Christmas tree I have set up under the feeders.
Black-capped Chickadee in my Christmas tree
Dark-eyed Junco in my Christmas tree
I think, overall, the birds are as sick of all of this snow as I am.
When there is snow or ice, natural food for birds can be more difficult to come by so they flock to feeders in higher numbers. I woke up to plenty of ice this morning and it has not gotten warm enough to melt – the ice is still neatly covering tree branches and anything else that was not manually de-iced. I was able to get some photos this morning through my sliding doors of some of my common feeder birds – the first real “set” of photos from my new house. Enjoy!
Dark-eyed (Slate-colored) Junco
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
House Finches
Male House Finch
Mourning Doves, sticking together like usual
American Goldfinch
Male American Goldfinch
Even my feeder Chickadee was frozen
And some more birds from the next morning:
Female Red-bellied Woodpecker
Blue Jay close-up
Male Downy Woodpecker
Carolina Wren
Dark-eyed Junco moving snow around to search for food
Last Summer, I went to Italy to visit family. I have been there before, but not as a birder. I used Birding Pal to find a local birder who may be able to take me around. Thankfully, I found a very kind birder and also met a couple other local friends of his. Since it was the middle of summer, we went looking for water birds. He took me around Castel Volturno, Riserva Oasi Dei Varicon and other areas to the north of Naples.
The first birds we saw were all Sandpipers – Common, Wood, Green – all of which look very similar to me! The most exciting early sighting was a Grey Heron. I was very happy to see the Eurasian counterpart to the American bird that I love so much!
Grey Heron with Eurasian Coots and Black-headed Gulls
The next location was full of Black-winged Stilts, Yellow-legged Gulls, Mediterranean Gulls, Little Egret and Moorhens. I also caught glimpses of a Eurasian Oystercatcher, Gull-billed Tern, Little Tern. I did manage some [bad] photos of some of the birds.
Black-winged Stilts
Eurasian Oystercatcher with Mediterranean Gulls and Black-winged Stilt up front
Yellow-legged Gulls with Black-winged Stilts
Common Moorhens
We stopped at a beautiful spot, Riserva Oasi Dei Varicon, which brought us many more great waterbirds. Here, we saw Redshank and Greenshank, Kentish Plover, Little-ringed Plover, Little Stint, Shelducks, Garganey, Ferruginous Duck, Little Grebe and Sandwich Terns.
Sandwich Terns
Shelduck
Redshank and Greenshank
While driving around, I got better looks at some of the birds and saw many others that I did not get photos of suck as a Eurasian Kestrel, Crested Lark, Turtle Doves, Magpies and Night-heron. Some that I did get photos of are below.
Little Egret
Squacco Heron
Cattle Egret with Cattle
Zitting Cisticola
We were staying in Sant Agata were I saw mostly common birds like the Italian Sparrow, Blackbirds, Eurasian Collared Dove and Hooded Crows.
Italian Sparrow
Eurasian Collared Dove
We took a tour to Pompeii and the Vesuvius and saw some other common birds such as swifts, Hooded Crows, Jackdaws and Magpies. The bird I was hoping to see, the Hoopoe, was no where to be seen even though they are known to breed in Pompeii.
Hooded Crow
Jackdaws
Common Swift
Alpine Swift
And on our way back home from that tour, we saw a beautiful Serin above the streets.
Serin (wild Canary)
Other birds were spotted around family’s property including Spotted Flycatchers and, one that I was very happy to see, the European Robin.
Spotted Flycatcher family
European Robin
We took a trip to Trieste to see cousins and were surprised with some good birds in the gardens. Even though these are common birds, I was very happy to see them! They were very attracted to the plum trees which made it easy for me to see them.
Eurasian Jay with a plum
Eurasian Jay
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Blackbird Fledgling
We also saw many colorful Chaffinches while out in the area.
Chaffinch
We made a last minute stop to Isola della Cona, South of Malfalcone. This reserve gave me the best surprise of the entire trip – a bird who was on my must see list that I did not think I would see – the European Bee-eater!
European Bee-eaters
The reserve itself was full of Camarague horses and Cattle Egrets who would hang out nearby.
Camarague Horse with Cattle Egret, Lapwing, Wagtail and Duck
Cattle Egret
Other great birds at this location included Northern Lapwings and White Wagtails. I never did have to go chasing any of the Lapwings who showed up on the east coast of the US since I already saw them here!
Northern Lapwing
White Wagtail
The reserve was also full of many birds I already saw, plus some new waterfowl.
Black-winged Stilt
Northern Shoveler
Mixed Ducks
Graylag Geese
Common Snipe
Black-headed Gull in winter plumage
Common Sandpiper
The sun was strong and heat made for poor far-away photos, but I am happy that I at least got these memory photos. The last good bird here was another common one that I was happy to see – the European Goldfinch.
European Goldfinches
Overall, I saw over 50 life birds, and even though I didn’t get to see a Hoopoe as I had wished, I really enjoyed the birds I did see!
