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!
Every North American birder should try to make it to the tropics at least once in their lifetime, if finances allow it. The beautiful array of birds would be worth every penny. I took my first trip in December 2011 and stayed through New Years and the first week of January 2012. I visited four different locations: the Osa Peninsula, Monteverde Cloud Forest, Arenal Volcano and San Gerardo de Dota. Even though the trip was not based on birding, I racked up 130 life birds.
The trip was suppose to be during the beginning of the dry season, however, it rained for much of the trip. This led to mostly mediocre photos – many of which I never showed anyone else since they are not up to par with my normal work. Despite this, I wanted to share the beautiful birds that I saw, even with sub-par photos. I will also mix in some of the nicer photos – though, they were few and far between!
I’m not entirely sure where to begin, so I will jump in with some of my target birds. The bird names and locations are under each photo.
Resplendent Quetzal, San Gerardo de Dota
Blue-crowned Motmot, Monteverde Cloud Forest
Chestnut-mandibled Toucan, Corcovado National Park, Osa Peninsula
Keel-billed Toucan, Arenal Observatory Lodge property, La Fortuna
Scarlet Macaw, Corcovado National Park, Osa Peninsula
Note that I also wrote a post about the Quetzal early last year where you can see more photos. This was on bird that I had great photo ops with! I plan on doing the same for the Motmot.
As expected in the tropics, I saw many species of Tanagers, most of them were very colorful.
Rufous-winged Tanager, Arenal Observatory Lodge feeders, La Fortuna
Bay-headed Tanager, Arenal Observatory Lodge property, La Fortuna
Golden-hooded Tanager, Arenal Observatory Lodge property, La Fortuna
Flame-colored Tanager, San Gerardo de Dota
White-throated Shrike-Tanager, Corcovado National Park, Osa Peninsula
Cherries Tanager with a Variable Seedeater, Corcovado National Park, Osa Peninsula
Sooty-capped Bush-Tanager, Trogon Lodge, San Gerardo de Dota
Blue-gray Tanager, Arenal Observatory Lodge property, La Fortuna
Palm Tanager, Arenal Observatory Lodge property, La Fortuna
These birds are also classified as Tanagers, but do not have it in their name. They are still equally as beautiful!
Green Honeycreeper, Arenal Observatory Lodge feeders, La Fortuna
Bananaquit, Monteverde Cloud Forest
Yellow-faced Grassquits, Monteverde Cloud Forest
Buff-throated Saltator, Arenal Observatory Lodge feeders, La Fortuna
I also saw some species of warblers that I do not get in the northeastern US.
Rufous-capped Warbler, Monteverde Cloud Forest
Buff-rumped Warbler, Arenal Observatory Lodge property, La Fortuna
Slate-throated Redstart, Monteverde Cloud Forest
Collared Redstart, San Gerardo de Dota
Tropical Parula, Arenal Observatory Lodge property, La Fortuna
Some of the birds were cool surprises.
I nearly jumped out of the car for the White-throated Magpie-Jays, Arenal Volcano
Common Potoo hiding in the brush, Sierpe River
White-whiskered Puffbird, Corcovado National Park, Osa Peninsula
Slaty Flowerpiercer, San Gerardo de Dota
Black-throated Trogon, Corcovado National Park, Osa Peninsula
One of my favorite birds had a great mating display.
Montezuma Oropendola, Arenal Observatory Lodge feeders, La Fortuna
I saw a nice variety of different Flycatchers throughout my trip.
Great Kiskadee, Arenal Observatory Lodge property, La Fortuna
Tropical Kingbird in the rain, Arenal Observatory Lodge property, La Fortuna
Social Flycatcher, Arenal Observatory Lodge property, La Fortuna
Dusky-capped Flycatcher, Corcovado National Park, Osa Peninsula
Yellowish Flycatcher, Monteverde Cloud Forest
Black-capped Flycatcher, San Gerardo de Dota
Possible Mountain Elaenia (still being identified), San Gerardo de Dota
Common Tody-Flycatcher, Arenal Observatory Lodge property, La Fortuna
Black Phoebe, Arenal Observatory Lodge property, La Fortuna
Some of the finches were pretty unique…
Large-footed Finch, San Gerardo de Dota
Thick-billed Seed Finch, Arenal Observatory Lodge property, La Fortuna
Especially, the colorful ones in the Euphonia family.
Yellow-throated Euphonia, Monteverde Cloud Forest
Tawny-capped Euphonia, Arenal Observatory Lodge property, La Fortuna
Elegant Euphonias are hidden in this photo, Monteverde Cloud Forest
I did see some nice woodpeckers, including a couple I did not get to photograph like the Pale-billed and Lineated Woodpeckers.
Acorn Woodpecker, San Gerardo de Dota
Red-crowned Woodpecker, Corcovado National Park, Osa Peninsula
Black-cheeked Woodpecker, Arenal Observatory Lodge property, La Fortuna
I also saw some birds from the Thrush family.
Clay-colored Thrush, Arenal Observatory Lodge property, La Fortuna
Sooty Robin, San Gerardo de Dota
Black-billed Nightengale-Thrush, San Gerardo de Dota
Black-headed Nightengale-Thrush, Arenal Observatory Lodge property, La Fortuna
Of course, I did see some parakeets too!
Orange-fronted Parakeets, between San Juan and Monteverde
Orange-chinned Parakeet, Corcovado National Park, Osa Peninsula
I did not see many raptors, but I was able to photograph some. Unfortunately, my Owl photos are not even good enough to show on this post and my lifer Crested Caracara is too terrible.
Common Black-Hawk, Cano Island
Yellow-headed Caracara, Sierpe River
Here are a few birds that I found by the water:
Magnificent Frigatebird, off of the Osa Peninsula
Sandwich Tern, Corcovado National Park, Osa Peninsula
Bare-throated Tiger-Heron perched over a waterfall, Corcovado National Park, Osa Peninsula
Like their North American relatives, some birds were very vocal.
Great-tailed Grackle, Monteverde Cloud Forest
Brown Jay, Monteverde Cloud Forest
Some of the larger birds just chilled and let me get a nice look.
Crested Guan, Arenal Observatory Lodge property, La Fortuna
Black Guan, Monteverde Cloud Forest
Gray-headed Chachalaque, Corcovado National Park, Osa Peninsula
But many of the smaller ones were hard to catch!
Band-backed Wren, Arenal Observatory Lodge property, La Fortuna
Black-cowled Oriole, Arenal Observatory Lodge property, La Fortuna
Black-hooded Antshrike, Corcovado National Park, Osa Peninsula
Ruddy Ground-Dove, Corcovado National Park, Osa Peninsula
As you can see, this post is lacking Hummingbird photos. I will put up a post specifically about them at another time since I saw so many! For now, and to close this post, I will leave you with a photo of my target hummingbird…
I usually like to think of one word that describes migration in my yard – this fall it is “Blackpoll.” I had days where I lost count at 20 individuals in only one small section of my yard. There were a ton of them.
Blackpoll Warbler
Inbetween all of the Blackpoll Warblers, I would see other birds – usually only once or twice. Many of them came up to my windows or deck and posed nicely for me. The following are some photos of the warblers who cooperated for me.
This Chestnut-sided Warbler photo-bombed the American Redstart
Black-and-white Warblers were early migrants
Another Blackpoll Warbler
Tennessee Warblers showed up often
Black-throated Green Warbler
And another Blackpoll Warbler
Ovenbird near my feeders
I also had plenty of visits from Blue-headed Vireos. One stayed in my yard until the end of October. These birds were very cooperative!
Blue-headed Vireos like to pose nicely
My resident Hummingbirds stocked up at my flowers and feeders before they left and other migrants also stopped by.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird gearing up for migration
My biggest surprise was a bird who would often visit my garden. I was hoping that it would stick around, but I have not seen it in a couple of weeks.
A new yard bird, the Winter Wren
While Common Nighthawks were migrating through the area, I saw some flying around my house as I was driving home. I safely hurried home in time to get the yard bird from my driveway!
A Common Nighthawk during migration (not my yard bird)
I also kept my eyes in the sky for raptors and gained another new yard bird soaring with a Red-tail. This is another bird I did not have in New York.
Black Vultures migrating over my house
It was another great migration season. With the new added birds, my yard list now stands at 93. I was hoping that I could have hit 100 by the end of the year, but I guess it will have to wait until next season. Still, not bad for a very small yard!
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!
The breeders and migrants have been slowly trickling in to the Northeast. Migration seems to be somewhat late this year and, this week, is being pushed back some more with all of this bad weather. My county, Monroe, seems to be a bit under-birded and I am trying to correct that.
I found a nice spot that is not far from my house that I can monitor for migrants off of Brodhead Creek in Stroudsburg – there are a few parks with trails surrounding it. Something tells me that it is not visited much by birders, however, I was pleased to find swallow and bluebird houses spread throughout.
Tree Swallow peaking out of a house
The habitat is very nice and I can see it being a popular stop for birds, especially in the fall with all of the brush under the trees. The creek is fairly large and stocked with trout so it attracts some nice birds of prey.
Adult and juvenile Bald Eagles off of Brodhead Creek
Osprey taking off
It already has some birds in territory – Tree Swallows, Eastern Bluebirds, House Wrens, Flickers, Gnatcatchers, Brown Thrashers, Eastern Towhees, Phoebes, Chipping Sparrows, Robins and our resident birds.
One of the local House Wrens singing away
The Tree Swallows have claimed their nesting sites
I came across nice waves of Warblers that consisted mostly of Yellow-rumps – others mixed in included Palms, Pine, Black-and-white and Yellow Warblers along with Kinglets and Blue-headed Vireos.
One of many, MANY Yellow-rumped Warblers
Palm Warbler sitting pretty
Pine Warblers move slowly, but stay at the tree tops
Song and White-throated Sparrows are scattered throughout.
White-throated Sparrow posing nicely
And, unlucky for other breeders, Cowbirds are also in high numbers.
A male Brown-headed Cowbird
I visited two ponds to see what they could bring. One is Zachary’s Pond, which did not have much and was too open for birds aside from Mallards and Geese to enjoy. The other, across the woods and road, is Gregory’s Pond – this one has a much nicer habitat for water birds with plenty of cattails to hide in. This pond attracted the usual crowd – Red-winged Blackbirds, Swallows, Phoebes, Herons and possibly more. I think this one has a better chance for having bitterns, rails and marsh birds show up.
An Eastern Bluebird at Zachary’s Pond.
An Eastern Phoebe at Gregory’s Pond
Another treasure of a spot that I visited a couple of times is a more well known spot near the Delaware Water Gap NRA Headquarters – McDade Trail and Freeman Tract Road. The birds are a little more difficult to see here since the trees are so tall, but it is a great spot to bird-by-ear and, with patience, see some of them. So far, I’ve counted over 20 singing Northern Parulas. Pretty soon, other birds will join them in high numbers.
The only chance I had at getting a Northern Parula and I screwed it up!
Gnatcatchers seem to be the bird of the year for me. I don’t know if this is normal for the area or if this is an unusually high year. I see and hear them everywhere.
Blue-gray Gnatcatchers don’t stop moving!
I’ve also visited the public trails for the Tannersville Cranberry Bog. I think these will be alive with birds once migration really kicks in. I already heard two good birds there – a Barred Owl and the beautiful song of the Hermit Thrush (who I’ve only seen in other locations). I am signed up for public birding walks starting next week, so I’ll really be able to see what this gem brings.
Before the snow melted in the early spring, I also visited Cherry Valley National Wildlife Refuge. I’m not entirely sure of the best places to go here yet, but I hope to learn them soon. There are trails that are near a highway, which worries me that I will not be able to hear anything.
Wood Ducks with Hooded Mergansers in the background at Witmer’s Lake
I’m not sure what else to expect, but I see tons of good birds in my future within the next couple of weeks as I continue to explore my county. Keep em coming!
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.
I started my blog in February of this year so this will be my first “new year” with an audience. I am taking this opportunity to do what many others do this time of year – reflect on my year, with a focus on my best birds and experiences. Personally 2013 brought many changes to my life – I started the year in New York and am ending in Pennsylvania. As far as birds go, I got 36 life birds, a great oppurtunity to be a part of the birding community and unforgettable trips with friends.
I started out with a bang doing New Years birding with my friend; the first bird we spotted together was a life bird for me – the Northern Shrike. This bird eluded me any time I would look for it during the previous season. The scope views were great, but he was too far for good photos.
Documentation shot of the Northern Shrike
Halfway into the month, my friends and I went up to the Cayuga Lake region to search for a Townsend’s Solitaire that had been reliably seen. We searched for two hours and never found the bird. Of course, the bird was spotted about ten minutes after we left – go figure. As we were making our way back down the lake I received an email about a juvenile gray-morph Gyrfalcon that was spotted at Montezuma NWR. A Gyrfalcon?? We turned right around and chased this bird which would have been a lifer for all three of us. We had our sights on a bird that we thought was the Gyrfalcon, but it was too far even for scope views and concluded that it was a Rough-legged Hawk (shadows played tricks on us). We went to another area to get a better view and the bird we were looking at was, indeed, the Gyr. It was a great turn-around to our otherwise disappointing day!
I promise you that this is a Gyrfalcon
This month was the start of my interest in falconry. My friends caught and hunted with a handsome male Red-tailed Hawk who they named Rusty.
Rusty, my friend’s Red-tailed Hawk
I watched birds hunt for the first time at the New Jersey Falconry Club Annual Meet. I hope to have the time to hunt with birds one day in the future. For now, I will follow around my friends and photograph them with their birds.
Rogue, my friend’s Harris’s Hawk
January was also the start of my Redpoll invasion that ran well into February. I had over 100 birds at my feeders – they cleaned me out, but it was a great experience. Within the Common Redpoll flocks, I also spotted a couple of Hoary Redpolls.
Common Redpoll
Hoary Redpoll
The winter months bring tons of waterfowl to the finger lakes. This year was my first time seeing rafts of ducks swimming close together – this raft included great views at a life bird, the Eared Grebe.
Eared Grebe
In March, my friends and I did a winter big day where we found a flock of Red Crossbills at a residential feeder. My next lifer was seen on the very next day – a Lapland Longspur within a flock of Horned Larks.
Red Crossbills
Later in the month, after multiple attempts at finding Short-eared Owls both locally and further north, we finally had one fly over low as the sun was setting. I didn’t even lift my camera for it, because I did not want to lose this beautiful sight by playing with settings and focus.
My biggest highlight this month was not an actual bird – earlier in the season, I submitted a photo to Project Feederwatch that was recognized by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology on their Facebook page. An editor at National Wildlife Magazine saw this photo and asked me if she could use it in an article. The magazine arrived in my mail box on March 15th. I was published in a national magazine for the first time!
My photo in National Wildlife Magazine
April brought another really great life bird – the Bohemian Waxwing. A friend and I went up to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology to photograph birds. As soon as we parked the car, I received an email that the Waxwings were nearby. We packed back up and headed to the location. We ended up getting permission to go in private woods and were surrounded by these beautiful birds!
Bohemian Waxwings
May was highlighted by The Biggest Week in American Birding. Back in February, I volunteered to be on the events blogging team. I ended up getting a bit more involved than last year, met many new friends and walked away with a lot of great memories – and 12 life birds.
This Long-eared Owl was the most unexpected life bird at Magee Marsh
Cape May Warbler at Magee
Things slowed down in June and July. We did, however, get to see the return of a local family of Barred Owls. At about the same time, I also had a guest Great Horned Owl in my own woods. All of these birds proved to be great subjects and were fun to watch.
Young Barred Owl
Great Horned Owl
In August, I added some more really good life birds – An American White Pelican who was out of range at Montezuma NWR and some Least Bitterns that I was able to self-identify in the field. A Black-billed Cuckoo also flew into my yard – this was a very unexpected visitor!
Black-billed Cuckoo
Then came September and our annual trip to Cape May. For me, this trip started last year and both visits were beyond my expectations. While the morning flight at Higbee was not as great as last year, we still went on a good day and saw many birds zip by.
Cedar Waxwings morning flight
I finally saw a Marsh Wren – a bird that I had previously only heard… many times… many many times.
Marsh Wren
We also found out where the Black Skimmer flock likes to hang out during the fall – a beach near the 2nd Avenue jetty. I was in Skimmer heaven!
Black Skimmers
Endless Black Skimmers
I moved to my new house in Pennsylvania – this was a big change for me. Leaving New York was difficult, but it had to be done. Before I left, however, I was given the opportunity to hold my favorite bird, the American Kestrel, for the first time thanks to my friends.
Me with an American Kestrel
Birding slowed down for me in October. I spent a lot of time settling into my new house and only went birding once with a new friend. Other than that, I watched as migrants passed through my yard. In November, this same friend also brought me to Barnegat on the coast of New Jersey – a first for me. The trip yielded five life birds including the Harlequin Duck – our target bird.
Harlequin Ducks
We stopped by Sandy Hook Gateway National Park to check in on some Snowy Owl sightings. Just as we were about to give up, a fisherman told us where to find the one of the birds on the north beach. The photo op was unbeatable. This was one of the earlier Owls from this years irruption.
Snowy Owl
Last week, my best Christmas present was in the form of votes – I won week 7 of Project Feederwatch’s BirdSpotter Contest. This was completely unexpected since I never asked anyone for votes – it just happened!
My winning House Finch photo
We visited Barnegat again in December with another friend to show her the Harlequins. Once again, the trip did not disappoint us. Not only were we rewarded with great views at Harlequins, we also had up-close looks at Northern Gannets and an unexpected visit from two Razorbills off shore.
Northern Gannet
I look forward to seeing new birds in new places for 2014. Every year keeps getting better as I add more places to visit. More trips to Cape May are already planned, the Biggest Week is already in discussion and we are even considering going to the Rio grande Birding Festival this year. Perhaps my post a year from now will be even better than this one!
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 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!
Birds are on my mind! There is no better way to start the day then taking a walk in the woods or at a park where it is just me, the birds and my camera. Last week was was pretty quiet. All of the fallout birds we had previously have moved on while no new birds were showing up! High winds toward the end of the week made for very slow birding. Things are starting to pick up as I am finding more first-of-year birds.
I hit my first Warbler wave of the year which included Yellow-rumped, Pine and Black-and-white Warblers; along with high numbers of Blue-headed Vireos and Ruby-crowned Kinglets and one lone Blue-gray Gnatcatcher.
Black-and-white Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Pine Warbler
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Silhouette
I hear the songs of Ruby-crowned Kinglets everywhere I go. This is a song that I just learned this year and I’ve fallen in love with it – so much that I get their song stuck in my head instead of music…
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
I found my first Eastern Towhees, Thrashers and Hermit Thrushes. The low foragers are making some noise in the leaves. This Hermit Thrush, however, stayed out in the open.
Hermit Thrush
I still have some Fox Sparrows hanging around.
Fox Sparrow
And the Song Sparrows continue to contribute their tunes.
Song Sparrow
This afternoon, I heard a House Wren singing so I went to look for him. He hid only for a moment, then popped back up to sing and look around. I think he found a nice spot to settle into.
House Wren
House Wren
Another interesting recent sighting were three Northern Flickers on one tree. Two of them were doing a small dance to each other. I did catch a little bit of it on video, but it may be too shaky.
Three Northern Flickers
I also had my first Broad-winged Hawk of the year – he flew over my yard! This was yard bird number 96. I am almost at 100!
Broad-winged Hawk
I am hoping that this week brings in more new arrivals. I really love finding birds before work to start my day off right!
