Great Places to Bird: Parker River Wildlife Refuge

by: Julie Waters

Sun Jun 01, 2008 at 14:19:01 PM MDT

A quick hummingbird photo

by: Julie Waters

Wed May 28, 2008 at 11:12:18 AM MDT

(clicking on the photo gets you to a larger one)

Birding in Maine: some great looks at a lot of birds

by: Julie Waters

Sat May 24, 2008 at 11:39:22 AM MDT

Note: every photo on this page is a clickable link to a larger version of the photo

Our primary place to bird was Laudholm Trust, a great spot for finding all sorts of warblers, as well as Eastern Towhees, thrushes and, apparently, a porcupine.

Wells Beach, on the other hand, can give great looks at a variety of birds, such as this surf scoter, and this pair of horned grebes (the first I've ever seen).

After the fold, I'll include a trip report with lots of photo links.

Our Eagles Failed to Fledge Again

by: Julie Waters

Mon May 19, 2008 at 02:37:23 AM MDT

It might have been the inexperience of the female, which still had some of the plumage of a youngster, that led to the loss of the nest within the last week, said Forrest Hammond, a biologist with the Vermont Department of Fish & Wildlife, who had been watching the pair.

"We suspect, from what the experts tell us, the birds might have left the eggs at the same time. A crow might have gotten the eggs. A seagull (another known eagle egg predator) was seen in the area at about the same," Hammond said.

"We're all really disappointed," he said. "It's too late for them to re-nest this year."

But there's always next year.

"There's a great big, good nest," Hammond said. "If there was a problem, it's a lack of experience. They'll stick around and try again next year."

To compound the frustration of Vermont biologists, Hammond said that an eagle pair has been breeding successfully on the eastern shore of the Connecticut River in Plainfield, N.H., for several years, across from Hartland.

I knew about this before the article was published.  I'd had a conversation with a friend about it; he'd been checking on the site and suddenly one day there was no eagle on it, and there were crows around the area.  

Mostly, it just makes me sad, but they have tried nesting several times now and don't seem to have an interest in stopping, despite the failures.  So maybe there is next year.

Oh, and that photo is of one of the nesting birds.  I took it from our car, making a point of not venturing off the road even though I could have had a much better shot if I'd chosen to.  No way I'm going anywhere where I could interfere with that Eagle's nest.  Aside from being morally and ethically wrong on every level, it's just not smart to mess with a bird that big.

Nice Birds Yesterday

by: Julie Waters

Wed May 07, 2008 at 05:44:08 AM MDT

Brown Thrasher

White Thraoted Sparrow

Palm Warbler

Then a quick drive later yielded a Yellow Warbler and a Yellow-Rumped Warbler.

I love Vermont in the Spring

Rutland (VT) Herald on Vermont Bird Populations

by: Julie Waters

Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 09:44:01 AM MDT

This sounds like a good thing, but when you read the article itself, the prognosis isn't so good.  Some choice excerpts:

A new survey of Vermont's bird populations shows that the state has breeding populations of 17 more species than it did in the late 1970s, but it also raises concern about the future of some species.

• The eastern meadowlark was spotted in half as many places in Vermont as it was 30 years ago.
• The common nighthawk has all but disappeared.
• Breeding pairs of four kinds of northern warblers weren't found anywhere. Vermont's first breeding bird survey helped establish the state's list of threatened and endangered birds, according to ornithologist Sally Laughlin, of Cambridge, director of the first atlas and a member of the state Endangered Species Committee.

After the loon, peregrine and osprey were put on the list, the state developed programs to protect them to the point where all three now have healthy breeding populations.

These are major issues.  When bird populations decline dramatically, it's generally a sign of major environmental changes.  When the Rusty Blackbird declines by 98% (see the photo: I couldn't find this bird in Vermont; I had to go to New Mexico to get a photo of one), it's a sign that things are changing.  

So, yes, we have more breeding species in Vermont.  These include the Tufted Titmouse and Northern Cardinal, both of which used to be uncommon in the Northeast.  They're beautiful birds, and I'm glad I have the chance to view them, but it scares me that they climate here has changed to the point where birds that used to live a bit further south have become so prevalent in Vermont.

It's Spring, it's Spring, it's Spring!

by: Julie Waters

Wed Apr 23, 2008 at 15:08:51 PM MDT

Spring is so here.

Eastern Bluebirds Return in Force to Vermont

by: Julie Waters

Fri Apr 11, 2008 at 03:56:43 AM MDT

Cornell has some interesting facts on Eastern Bluebirds:

The male Eastern Bluebird does a "Nest Demonstration Display" at the nest cavity to attract the female. He brings nest material to the hole, goes in and out, and waves his wings while perched above it. That is pretty much his contribution to nest building; only the female Eastern Bluebird builds the nest and incubates the eggs.

Eastern Bluebirds typically have more than one successful brood each year. See a Birdscope article for data from The Birdhouse Network that show this graphically. Young produced in early nests usually leave their parents in summer, but young from later nests frequently stay with their parents over the winter.

As usual, the photos are smaller versions of full-sized images, which you can get to by clicking them.

Rutland Herald Screws Up its Headline

by: Julie Waters

Mon Mar 31, 2008 at 02:21:17 AM MDT

The article itself is good.  It talks about the details behind the barred owl population and how its in trouble due to poor food sources this year, and how people are spotting them a lot more due to this malnutrition, etc.  The problem is entirely with the headline, which suggests that just because more people are spotting a nocturnal bird means that the bird's population is on the rise.

The reason we don't often spot owls is because most of them sleep during the day; if you see one up and about during the day, it's usually because it's having trouble finding a good food source and needs to expand its hunting beyond its normal hours.  Implying that the population is on the rise as a result of this is like saying that lower income families are doing well because they're working two jobs.  

The photo, by the way, is of a barred owl that showed up by our house a few months back.  It was right at dusk, so it might have been just getting ready to do its hunting, or it might have been one of the many owls in trouble.

Windy Day at Parker River

by: Julie Waters

Mon Mar 24, 2008 at 04:00:00 AM MDT

Snowy Owl

It was a very windy day at Parker River yesterday, so I wasn't able to do much in the way of good photography, but I did get a few decent photos.  This snowy owl was a nice find, though action shots were out of the picture, as it mostly rested on the ground in the intense wind.  Other sightings included:

Snowy owl, hanging out near the Salt Pannes
Common Goldeneye
Black-Capped Chickadee
Great Cormorant w/fish
Great Cormorant w/fish & would-be gull thief
Great Cormorant w/fish & would-be gull thief
Great Cormorant w/fanned tail
Great Cormorant w/fish
Red-breasted Merganser in flight

An eye towards Summer: the Salisbury Egret Roost

by: Julie Waters

Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 15:30:56 PM MDT

Photo: Glossy Ibis in Flight

I wrote this at the end of August  2007; obviously, some of the info in it is no longer relevant, but it's something to be reminded of for the coming year.  I don't know the status of the property where the birds were roosting last year, but given the sort of winter we've had, it's very possible that it will end up flooded again and we'll have a similar situation.  Be warned, however: the parking situation isn't as free as it was last year, so if you decide to investigate the roost site, be sure to check to see if where you're parking is legal and acceptable to the owners of your parking site.   In the meantime, enjoy these photos with an eye towards Spring!

In Salisbury, MA, on Route 1 just South of 110 there is an amazing sight going on this month.  Each night, a large variety of wading birds has been coming in to roost communally.  From about 5-7pm you can start with a small number of birds and watch as they fly in, bringing the numbers up to several hundred.  In one night, I was able to find:

• a few Great Blue Herons;
• over a hundred Great Egrets;
• a few Little Blue Herons;
• Several Green Herons;
• a pair of Black-crowned night herons;
• Dozens of Snowy Egrets;
• a group of eight Glossy Ibises (the one pictured here is one in flight, coming into the roost).

If you're into birding at all, it also provides for great opportunity to learn the differences between immature little blue herons and snowy egrets.  They're both about half the size of a great egret and predominantly white birds, but there are some key differences that can be put in clear contrast here, as the snowys tend to hang out at the same spots as the little blues.

This won't be here much longer; these birds will all be migrating soon so get down there when you can.  This sort of roosting site is commonly visible in some areas, but in New England it's rare to see a roost site with so many different kinds of birds making themselves so very and obviously visible for an extended period.  And be sure not to just look at the roost, but to check the skies as they come in because watching them land is a great part of the show.  Most birds come in from the left side, but a few will travel from the South as well.

The Pileated Woodpecker: a giant among woodpeckers

by: Julie Waters

Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 06:11:45 AM MDT

It took me a few years before I managed to actually capture them in photo, but I'm glad I was able to pull it off.  Since then, I've managed to get photos of them with limited success.  

I think, though, that my favorite thing about the Pileateds is their range of sounds.  They have a fairly standard woodpecker "laugh" (which I think of as more of a high-pitched rattle), but unlike the hairy and the downy woodpeckers, their call is a trill which remains constant in pitch.  While the Hairy Woodpecker makes a call that you can hear trilling and then trailing off, changing pitch at the end, the Pileated's is constant throughout, making them easy to hear from a distance if you get the knack for it.  

Then there's another call they make which is more like a staccato slow chatter that is such a deep pitch that it rattles the bones a bit.

I'm going to close with one more photo at the end.  When Pileated's dig into trees, they do major excavating, creating huge holes in the trees, digging out large chunks of wood.  The photo below is of a pileated in mid-excavation, with the actual piece of wood still in its beak:

As usual, all these photos are smaller versions.  Clicking on them brings you to the site with the full sized versions and more details.

Knowing your Sparrows: Fox Sparrow vs. Song Sparrow

by: Julie Waters

Fri Mar 14, 2008 at 19:01:41 PM MDT

For weeks now, we've been getting reports of Fox Sparrows in peoples' yards in New England, so now might be a good time to put up some identifying tips.

First off, the bird that the fox sparrow looks most like is the song sparrow. It is, however, markedly different. While the song sparrow has a distinct brown eyebrow line, the fox sparrow has a deep gray hood.

The easiest way to distinguish them, however, is that the Fox Sparrow is significantly larger and more brown than the song sparrow. When I first spotted one under the feeders the exchange went like this:

"Is that a fox sparrow?"

"What's it look like?"

"A really big, brown, song sparrow."

"Fox sparrow."

You can see the distinction fairly clearly in the photos shown: the browns on the fox sparrow are bright and vivid, almost like an Eastern Towhee, and the gray hood looks almost completely out of place, almost like a pewter model that the artist stopped painting 90% into the project.

Fox sparrows are not rare per se, but they are nowhere near as common as song, tree or chipping sparrows.  For me, spotting them is a bit of a treat.

Article: To Feed the Birds, First Feed the Bugs

by: Rdanca

Thu Mar 06, 2008 at 09:25:46 AM MST

Here's a link to the article: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03...

Note: you may have to register at the NYTimes site, but it's free.

Here's a bit of the article:
"They are struggling to plant the native species that are needed for insects and animals to flourish. As exotic ornamentals leap the garden fence and out-compete the native plants, many creatures are starving to death because they did not evolve with the exotics and simply can't eat them."

"'I'm not trying to recreate the ancient ecosystem,' said Mr. Tallamy, who is chairman of the department of entomology and wildlife ecology at the University of Delaware, in Newark, Del., 15 miles southeast of here. 'That is gone. I'm trying to create biodiversity.'"

Wind Turbine Has Switch To Move Clear Of Migrating Birds

by: Julie Waters

Sat Feb 23, 2008 at 05:45:45 AM MST

The unique turbine isn't broken; it was lowered from a height of 80 feet to test the ability to bring it down at the drop of a hat should foul weather set in or should the migratory songbirds and nesting seabirds that frequent this 95-acre island run afoul of the whirling blades.

Indeed, that the newly installed wind turbine can be lowered with ease by one person at the flip of a switch is the key reason local, state, and national permits were granted for its construction on Appledore - the largest of the nine Isles of Shoals some six miles off the coast of New Hampshire and Maine and the site of the Shoals Marine Lab (SML) operated by Cornell University and the University of New Hampshire.