Back to Birding in Connecticut

So I am back to birding in Connecticut!  I made a couple of trips to some great and very different sites.  One was a old second and third Growth Forest and the other was my favorite beach/state park.  The old growth forest was amazing.  Within 5 minutes of getting out of my car, I saw tree swallows and one of my favorite birds, the Pileated Woodpecker.  While I won't say that the Pileated is my all time favorite bird, it is certainly up there.  It is a wonderful majestic bird that was flying from tree to tree that I got to see and enjoy.  At these woods, I also saw some Blue-Grey Gnatcatchers and caught a glimpse of a Louisiana Waterthrush.  I did see a Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker too that was getting ready for the breeding season.  I heard many more warblers than I saw.  Its great to hear them, but I wanted to see them as well.  I definitely will be going back to these woods.

My favorite beach park also yielded some great birds.  While I only added one bird to my year list there, I did see several Great birds.  The New Year bird was a Purple Martin, but I found savannah Sparrows there as well.  I also caught a good look at a Palm Warbler.  Lots of Killdeer, Osprey, Tree Swallows, Flickers, Cardinals, Gulls, Brant and even Great Egrets made for a great day outside!  Happy birding!

Outing #28:

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher LB
Louisiana Waterthrush LB
Pileated Woodpecker

Purple Martin

2012 Total: 130 (70 to go!)

Life List Update: 158 (42 to go!)

The photo below is a great sign that spring is on its way!  FIDDLEHEADS!!!

Arctic Rarity at the Beach

A few weeks ago I commented on some Snow Buntings hanging out in warm beach weather.  Going into Friday, I heard about an Arctic bird, in male breeding plumage hanging out at a local state park near the beach.  One must always keep their eyes open and ready when dealing with birds.  After I got the Lapland, I had a lovely walk around the park.  I saw Chickadees, Killdeer and a flock of over 8 extremely active and loud Greater Yellowlegs!  I had never seen Greater Yellow legs act like that.  Birds are truly amazing!

A Great Video to check out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NaX7i1Q7-Rw

Outing #25
Lapland Longspur LB

2012 Total: 116 (84 left to go!)

A Day at the Beach

So full disclosure, today's post has no new birds to talk about.  But I just wanted to post and talk about how ready I am for migration season to begin.  My last visit to the Point let me see a lot of old early migrants.  Teals, Gadwalls, Wigeons and Brants were all around.  A few RB Mergs were also around.  I did see a Northern Harrier fight some serious winds along side some Ring-Billed Gulls.  While I did not get any new birds, I did enjoy being outside and seeing some serious birds in their environments.  An Osprey was nest building, or trying to anyway, since there were a few people around trying to fix an Osprey Cam.  When the link is up and running I will attach!  One thing I did enjoy was seeing how birds organize themselves.  As I posted before, Alvaro Jaramillo had posted that bids often organize themselves by size, a real pecking order!  I saw this for myself as I scanned and examined a sandbar.  At one end, Great Blacked Gulls dominated the bar, then Ring-Billed mixed with Brants and then at the end, tiny little Dunlins were fighting for space at the end of the bar.  Beyond listing and building one's list, it is important to start seeing what the birds are doing around you.  I will definitely be looking out for the birds and their habits.  And I've attached some fun Observations below.  If you have something interesting, please comment below:

WB Nuthatch going up a tree like a Brown Creeper
BH Nuthatch going at a tree like a Woodpecker
RB Gull chasing some tree swallows with a similar flight pattern
RT Hawk buzzing a flock of Mallards for fun
RS Hawk chasing a murder of crows instead of the other way around
Greater Yellowlegs running around a mudflat in circles


Any good ones?

A Weekend of Outings...

So it was been a busy weekend. Trying to keep ahead of the Spring Migration kept me bust and vigilant. Every time I went out this weekend, I kept an eye open for wayward species and new migrants. I did manage to get a lot of birds here that I had gotten down south before. Northern Shovelers, Northern Flickers, Eastern Phoebes, and Killdeer. Great Outings even if I missed the Blue-Winged Teals, Egrets and Ibises that had returned! Nonetheless it was a great time to be about out and about. Missing those birds was a disappointment for my 2012 list and even my life list in a few cases, but I did enjoy seeing, hearing and being outside. The Flicker was hanging out with some RW Blackbirds. A great weekend of birding! The real gem of the weekend was seeing the Piping Plovers. They were displaying and even mounting and mating! Looking forward to a great and active Migration season!

Outing #22
American Oystercatcher
Black-Bellied Plover
Cedar Waxwing
Piping Plover

2012 Total: 100 (half way to goal for the year!)

A Day at the Beach

A great day at the state park today. Great Sun and warm weather meant that it would be a great day for birds. And it certainly was. Birds were everywhere! As well as birders. Pulling into the parking lot gave me the chance to talk to several birders and admire a Greater Yellowlegs making the rounds while avoiding the ring-billed and Herring Gulls that were just sleeping around him. After than, I decided to move on. There were lots of American Black Ducks, Ring-neck Ducks and Red-Breasted Mergansers just sitting in the waves soaking up the sun. Even a few people were joining them! The salt marsh also had a lot of activity. Killdeer were flocking around and were joined by a few snow buntings! A little too warm to imagine that snow buntings were still around, but there they were! Just hanging out and having fun. Harriers and Turkey Vultures filled the sky along with the new arrived Red-Wing Blackbirds. They were fighting over spots in the trees with Grackles! Bonaparte's Gulls, a bird I had been looking for since November, finally caught up with me. I found them just sitting on a sand bar. The sand bar was a popular place to hang out. Even a Harbor seal made an appearance! Rounding out the day I got horned larks, Yellow-Rumped Warblers, Northern Cardinals, Song Sparrows, Red-Throated Loons. My 2012 Total rose to 97 and my life list grew to 139. My goal for 2012 was to get to 200 for both the year and life lists. With Migration season upon us, I hope I can get there!

Outing #21
Bonaparte's Gulls LB
Killdeer

2012 Total: 96

Nemesis: DEFEATED

The morning was wet and dark, but the afternoon was sunny and glorious. I decided today was the day to try and sneak a peak at the Northern Shrike that has been hunting in a local nature preserve. The first part of this story begins in Mobile, Alabama. There I had seen a loggerhead shrike and decided that one of my goal birds for 2012 would be the Northern Shrike. Well, after hiking around the preserve for a while, I found the Northern Shrike. The walk was great. I had a 44-acre preserve just me and the birds. I saw a Red-Tailed Hawk buzz a flock of about 50 Mallards. They all flew away while the hawk seemed to have a good time. Saw some Juncos and a big group of chickadees hanging out in trees. I had the day to myself. There are some stressful weeks ahead at work and to have a park all to myself was perfection. Finding the Shrike was the icing on the cake!

Outing #19
Northern Shrike LB

2012 Total: 92

One last day of birding

So this is the last day that I could go birding down south. I had to make the most of it. I visited a human-made swamp, 2 reservoirs and a park. It paid off huge dividends. I added about 14 birds to my year list and even got to add the American Kestrel, this year's Bird of the Year (see link to the right) to my life list. It was also nice to see to see a couple of birds I've wanted to see for a while and a couple I didn't expect. The Northern Shoveler was one i'd been hoping to see for a while, tree swallows and eastern bluebirds were nice too. The Sandhill Cranes were a nice pick up since I thought they were all gone by this time. I was thrilled to get the Common Yellowthroat and Eastern Phoebe because it shows me that I am getting really good at looking and identifying small songbirds. It was great to get out there and see some awesome birds. I will be posting pictures later so stay tuned!

Outing #16
American Kestrel LB
Belted Kingfisher
Brown-Headed Nuthatch
Common Yellowthroat LB
Eastern Bluebird
Eastern Phoebe LB
Muscovy Duck
Northern Shoveler LB
Pied-Billed Grebe
Red-Bellied Woodpecker
Red-Headed Woodpecker
Sandhill Crane LB
Tree Swallow LB

2012 Total: 88

A Trip South

A quick vacation from work means that I head down South. The advantage of such a trip is that you get a chance to see a whole different group of birds. One of the things that I do enjoy about seeing new birds on my year list is that they remind me how lucky I am to see and notice the world around me. It also gives me a chance to appreciate the skills and effort that Big Year-ers put into their efforts.

I also have a bit of a conundrum on my list. A bird that I thought was a Western Grebe in Rhode Island turns out that it was. I didn't count it or list it because I thought it too improbable that a Western Grebe was on the East Coast. Since then, several briders have confirmed the Western Grebe in the area. Do I count the bird or not? Your thoughts?

Outing #15
American Goldfinch
Brown Thrasher
Carolina Chickadee
Downy Woodpecker
House Finch
Purple Finch
Redwinged Blackbird
Tufted Titmouse
White-Breasted Nuthatch

As the Trip Continues:
Eastern Towhee
Field Sparrow LB
Northern Flicker

2012 Total: 75

A New Enemy...

So now that I have gotten my Snowy Owl, I felt invincible. My New Enemy is the Northern Shrike. In short Shrike happens. I thought I found a shrike today and yet, when I examined that it was a Mockingbird. Stupid mistake sure, but part of it was that I really want to see a Northern Shrike. I saw a Loggerhead in Alabama and I'd love to get the Northern and get my North American Shrikes. But also they are amazing and beautiful birds, although they are vicious. Obviously this isn't the last time that I am going to chase the Shrike, but hopefully next time, I will be more successful. I do feel that I am getting better at seeing small birds so I hope that I can continue to hone my skills as I hunt for the shrike

Outing #14
Swamp Sparrow

2012 Total: 63

I wish I had a feeder

There is of course a difference between birding and bird watching. The key difference is where you are. Are you sitting by a feeder or are you on a trail somewhere canvas a forest or beach looking? The Former generally conjures images of lazy sundays, rocking chairs and crossword puzzles. The later conjures images of binoculars, hordes of people in khaki vests and frayed books. So while both are fun and have their stereotypes, both are great ways to see birds. An established feeder is especially good at attracting different types of birds. At or near feeders I've seen Red-Headed WPs, Yellow Bellied WPs, Cooper's Hawks, White-Breasted and Brown-Backed Nuthatches and Brown Creepers. Which brings to my lack of a bird feeder. My association doesn't like bird feeders so I am out of luck. Whenever I find a good feeder, I find it hard to take my eyes away. You literally never know what will show up. The other day, I found a Dark-eyed Junco outside a local feeder, not a new bird for me, but a new one for 2012 since I don't have a feeder that they like to frequent. I can dream of building a yard perfect for birds. Lots of different kinds of feeders, suet, nectar and oriole feeders along with mulberry trees and lots of bird houses and baths. I hear that there used to be a couple of birders in texas along the gulf coast with such a yard who found all sorts of migrants in the yard. Well, one day, just not today...

Dark-eyed Junco
Song Sparrow

2012 Total: 47

**Added Note**
On the way home from a visit to the local Nature Reserve (pics up later), I saw a about 5 Black Vultures just sitting in some trees along the highway. I guess they were keeping an eye open for roadkill, but a pretty cool bird and Life Bird for me

Outing #8
Black Vulture *LB

2012 Total *updapted*: 48

Another Visit to the Beach

Imagine being on the beach on a sunny day. No one else around. A whole beach to yourself. Now here's the catch, its only 40F outside. But still, this morning I had beach to myself. Saw some great birds and got a couple of new birds for 2012. Saw Ruddy Turnstones again, Sanderlings,and a Northern Harrier. The Harrier was hunting and riding the wind gusts. Red breasted Mergansers and other sea duck-like birds were around. I was hoping that there would be a harbor seal out there. I saw one last time i was out there but this time no luck. As I started to walk home, I realized I was not alone. There were about 10 other birders out and maybe 20 others, walking their dogs, themselves and a couple of park rangers. It was time to go home realizing that the park was in good hands. I was happy to see people out and about on this sunny winter day and I hope more and more people will take advantage of the parks and see the birds!

Outing #3:
Dunlin
Great Blue Heron
Northern Harrier
Red-Tailed Hawk
American Crow
Rock Pigeon
European Starling
Red-Breasted Merganser
Turkey Vulture
Yellow-Rumped Warbler

2012 Today: 26

A Year in Review, A New Year's Goal

So as 2011 wrapped up, I went out looking for a Snowy Owl. One has been very active along the coast and I've always wanted to see one. Sadly, I missed the owl but got an pair of American Wigeons sitting in a marsh. I also got to see a bunch of brants. I needed the year at 118 species. Not great, but a good start for a beginning birder. Some of my favorites of the year have been seeing a red-headed woodpecker, pilated woodpeckers, green winged teals, little Blue Herons, Wood Ducks, and horned larks (also my first bird of 2012!). I did also see a few Brown Pelicans this year. The most memorable birding moment of the year was seeing two bald eagles perform their courtship ritual. An amazing feat of nature and life and I can't believe that I got to see it live. Always a treat to see such beautiful and majestic bird...

Which brings me to my new years goal. Besides the typical go to the gym, eat better and walk my dog more, I decided to set a goal of at least 250 birds and to see how many birds I can get in 2012. Now I won't be using any restrictions other than the North America, which will be easy as I have no plans for travel outside that area currently. In any case, should be a fun year and one that I hope to track of... hence the blog...

Year List for 2012:
Common Eider
Common Goldeneye
Hooded Merganser
American Black Duck
Red-throated Loon
Common Loon
Ruddy Turnstone *LB
Sanderling
Purple Sandpiper *LB
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Horned Lark

Total: 13

A Yellow-breasted Chat

As I've noted before, small birds have always eluded me. There are my enemy in the birding. I can hear them, I see them but they seem to wait just up to the point before my binoculars are in focus before flying away. Then they chirp or whatever just to rub it in that they are still around... well today seemed to be a similar story. I went birding specifically to look at and for small birds. My first round through the park made me feel worried. Instead of a park, I had happened upon a bird ghost town. I could hear the wind rustling the leaves and dry grass along with far off ships ringing their bells. The sun was out and a light breeze was about. It was perfect walk for anyone but a birder. But I decided to press on and do a walkabout. I walk along the beach, found a couple of herring gulls and a bunch of black ducks.
With the sun setting and the prospect of the park locking me in looming. I walked back and made one more swing by the trees that had housed some small song birds. The wind was there. I didn't even hear a chirp. I was beaten. Then I heard it. A little sound and some grass rustling against the wind. A squirrel my gut told me. But I waited. And waited. And waited. The joggers were looking at me funny. I didn't care because that's when I saw them. 4 small birds flying around. One was definitely a yellow-breasted chat. The others included a marsh wren and some kinglets... beautiful birds. But most of all beautiful AND small birds. A great find for me personally even if it wasn't the most amazing thing. It felt good to find and id a small bird. One more step to becoming a better birder