Yes I still exist but neglect the blog-What else is new

 Yes it's me.  I'm fine as always but have once again neglected the blog but what else is new. Hey give me some credit as I only took a 5 month hiatus vs. the last one which lasted over a year.  I always start up again with the best of intentions only to get side tracked by life and my birding has been rather dull lately so figured I'd spare you all the pain of yet another Tufted Titmouse post.  With migration in full swing all has changed so I decided to get out with both the bins and camera to see what would be out there on this glorious spring day.

My first stop would be Central Cemetery in Millbury for the Spotted Sandpipers.  There would be no sandpipers much to my dismay but I did see these two baby ducklings by themselves with no parent in view much to my trauma.  I searched furiously for them as the two babies paddled against the river tide to no avail.  I started following them hoping I could witness a heart felt family reunion but I'd strike out on that too.  I don't know what was sadder, watching them drift down the river, or me talking baby talk telling them they'd be okay as I tried to keep up with them.

Next would be the local powerlines for what else but warblers of course!!!  I wouldn't be disappointed as there would be warblers everywhere including this very handsome Yellow Warbler as well as Black-throated Blue, Common Yellowthroat, Blue-winged and my favorite of all, the ever so handsome Prairie Warbler. 

 The Prairies would be in the same area as always which is to the back where the Eastern Towhees and Field Sparrows like to hang out.  Was hoping for an Indigo Bunting too, but it wasn't in the cards today.  Biggest surprise would be a lone Solitary Sandpiper at the edge of the pond and foraging on the mud flats with the Painted Turtles.  I don't believe I've ever had one there before so it was a treat.

My next stop would be Brierly for what else, but the Ovenbird and Veery of course which were two birds I didn't have last year so I was thrilled to hear the always vocal Ovenbird as soon as I got out of my car!  I'd make my way down the path and have to stop every few seconds to see what else had popped up.  The woods would be alive with song as Scarlet Tanagers, Northern Parulas, Black-throated Green, Black-throated Blue. Chestnut-sided, Yellow-rumped (who still continues to screw with my head with its song) and others busy singing claim to their spot of land.  I'd finally hear the Veer call of the Veery but the bird would never do me the honors of singing it's full song which I think is one of the most lovely sounds of the woods this time of the year, but there's always next time.  I did manage to get a really good at one though.  Highlight would be a Magnolia Warbler mixed in with the Yellow-rumped Warblers and a very vocal American Redstart.  What would be funny about this is I saw the bird and got an immediate and good look at it with my bins.  Hmmm....A very handsome Yellow-rumped I'd think...I would then go through my mental checklist and realize I was looking at a  Magnolia.  Out would come the camera for a record shot and of course I'd lose the bird in the process so have to go back to the bins to find it again.  It wouldn't take me long to spot the bird and who would be staring back at me but a true Yellow-rumped to mess with my head and think I did yet another mis ID.  The Magnolia decided to show me some mercy though and make another appearance close to the Yellow-rumped so I could distinguish between the two but wouldn't hang around long enough for a photo.  Such a gorgeous bird!

Next would be Butler Farm for the Bobolinks.  There would be lots of bird activity there too and could hear the Bobolinks as soon as I arrived in the spot they're usually at.  It would be here that I'd see some bird activity in a tree right above me so I'd get my bins on it and the first thing I notice is the lovely chestnut brown along its flanks.  My brain does the mental checklist and recites back to me with Holy sh*t, It's a Bay-breasted Warbler...........Nervousness now sets in as I fumble with my camera with shaky hands knowing I need a record shot for this.  Of course the bird would dissapear as I did this.  I'd be pishing like mad for about 5 minutes and ready to give up hope when suddenly I could see one bird chasing another and what would I see....    

 Why 2 Bay-breasted Warblers of course!!!!!!!  This handsome fella above would even stick around long enough for me to get a halfway decent record shot of it no less.

Side view.  Swoon, such a beauty and a Worcester County First for me!

Lousy shot but love it none the less as it shows the butt shot which is always welcome when your'e dealing with warblers!

Hoping to get out again tomorrow to see what else is out there as I'm on a lucky streak right now it appears.       Not sure If I'll blog or not as I'm only going to blog going forward if I get a super cool bird or photos too good not to share.

Take care all

Nantucket CBC

Steve and I set out to Nantucket via a ferry from Hyannis the Thursday before New Years to take part in the CBC that was schedule for New Years Eve Day.

Steve would take his car with him so we could drive around before hand for birding and of course to have on the day of the CBC so off the car went and into the ferry with us in tow!

The seas would be calm at first and the winds bearable for me despite my sensitivity to cold if I'm not moving around so it was nice to be outside and watch the birds go by but soon enough the wind would get my hands cold and when that happens I'm useless so off I went inside to warm up.

But not crazy man Steve though who roughed the frigid air, high winds and rough sees in his Korean army jacket in an effort to do some sea birding which is one of his favorite things to bird. I felt like a light weight in comparison as I stood in the safety of the heated ferry pathetically trying to do the same inside with my binoculars much to the curiosity of ferry goers, but I wasn't alone as there were a couple of other birders doing the same so I didn't look like the only freak.

The next morning we'd set out to do some birding but of course not without coffee so off we went to the center of town to try and find a place as there are no Dunkin Donut's or Starbucks on the island of Nantucket much to my dismay.

But we would finally find a place that served a nifty cappuccino if I do say so myself!!

Being property caffeinated off we went to do some birding with the first stop being near water of course as that's why we went to Nantucket in the first place.

The weather would be warm compared to Worcester County but not warm enough for swimming so I had to chuckle to myself when I saw the sign above as who in their right mind would swim in weather like this and in late December no less.

I would soon find out as some dude comes out of the middle of nowhere like a Baywatch star and takes a daring plunge in the frigid ocean!!!

Next we'd go to calmer waters to look for ducks, loons, etc and we wouldn't be disappointed as there would be Common Loons, Pied-billed Grebes and quite a few ducks.

Including the very handsome Hooded Mergansers above. After scoping that place out for a bit we decided to move on as we had a lot to cover in a limited amount of time.

On our way to our next destination we'd come across the Red-tailed Hawk above who proceeded to give Steve the "hairy eyeball" as he hung out of his sun roof in order to get some decent pictures of the bird.

After that it would be another coffee stop and the center of town to do some birding along the harbor.

We would not be disappointed as there would be scores of birds nearby including the very cooperative Red-throated Loon above. How cool is that! There would be many gulls nearby including quite a few Herring Gulls and a couple of Bonaparte's Gulls which was very exciting considering I'd never gotten a really good look at them so this would be a treat for me.

There would be one in particular who was not at all camera shy as Steve and I inched up closer to get some pictures at it. I would be swooning very hard at this point and could feel the feeling I get in my heart that happens when I encounter a really cool bird which causes me to feel a little light headed as I drink it all in. Sigh, I'd tell Steve this would be my favorite bird for the month of December as what could trump that!

We had to meet up with one of the CBC organizers to find out our circle and he and a falconer were kind enough to let us see the captive Peregrine Falcon near the airport they use for bird scaring and control much to my delight as I miss my Worcester ones deeply.

Swoon and here it would be eating away an not at all frightened by us being so close. Another treat but wouldn't trump the Bonaparte's due to it being captive.

Our circle included many places away from the water so we decided to scout it out a little and pish out some passerines including the MANY Yellow-rumped Warblers like the one above. Grrrr....Even in the winter they are too elusive for me to get a half way decent picture, little buggers.

After a considerable amount of time scouting that area we decided to head to the ocean part of our circle as you can see passerines anytime, so off to the water we went!

Steve would be scoping as I looked about with my bins when suddenly he located a Dovekie!!! He got me on the bird for me to get a half assed look at it as it was in the water and the waves were rough so all I could see what this fat little bird that looked as if it were drowning. He ran to his car to get his camera and by the time he had come back I had lost the bird.

There would be quite a few Sanderlings on the beach and I'd periodically take a look at them when suddenly, I could see a cute, fat little bird that looked like.....Well...... A Dovekie!!!! "What's that", I'd ask Steve, as Dovekie's aren't known to be on the shore so I doubted what I saw based solely on its behaviour. It's the Dovekie Steve would say as we both looked at it amazed that it was so close. He'd start heading down the wooden stairs to the sand where it and the Sanderlings were shouting that it must be injured as it looked as if it were struggling so off he was to go save the poor little bird. I'd follow behind with camera in tow all in an effort to document the daring rescue as who else in the blogasphere would have something as cool as this to share!!!!! The Dovekie decided to take off at that point much to our frustration as we wanted better looks but we were happy that it appeared to be okay! The picture above is a Sanderling shot I got before the Dovekie arrived as I wasn't thinking when that bird was on the sand as I was too astonished to whip out my camera. HA.

We'd be scanning again and I'd be on bin duty and the darn bird would be close to shore again so off we went back down the wooden stairs to finally get pictures of it!

Steve running toward the cute little Dovekie!!

The cute little Dovekie!!!!! Let me tell you the waters look calm in this picture but they were far from it. I would sit there with my breath held in as I'd see it get sunk by large folding waves and furiously scan the waters to see if it made it back up and after a few tense moments it always did. Add to the fact there were a couple of Great Backed-backed Gulls flying overhead and I'd be a nervous as a mother hen as I'd developed quite the bond with the bird in the brief time I saw it. Steve would be in his element at this point and actually be sprawled out on the sand and in the zone as he furiously took pictures. Id' watch him as the ocean continued to get closer and closer to him and I'd warn him to be careful as the water was getting getting near. Steve would be in the zone though and get wet which caused him to do a back somersault to escape the water assault!

But it would be no use as you can see in the photo above. HA

There would also be other birds around including this adult Iceland Gull above. Sigh, what a fantastic experience this would be and yes the Dovekie would trump the Bonaparte's Gull as my favorite bird for the month of December as how could it not!

We'd end a wonderful day by a crow roost Steve had located. American Crows would be everywhere as the sunset which was so nice.

We'd be famished at this point so off we went to the center of town for a bite to eat. Let me tell you Nantucket is quaint enough with the cobblestone streets, but the Christmas lights made it almost magical! Off we went to get some sleep as we'd have an early start tomorrow as one of Steve's favorite things to bird for are owls!

We'd set off at about 4AM and to my horror there would be nothing open for coffee, so I'd try and caffeinate myself with some chocolate covered espresso beans. No matter how many I ate though, I wasn't getting my jolt and my stomach kind of ached due to eating about 15 of them :-p so Steve would go outside and do his calling as I sat in the car with the window unrolled listening and realizing just how useless I am in the wee hours of the morning without a hot cup of strong coffee. It was still nice to get out there and we did manage to get two Northern Saw-whet Owls so getting up that early was worth it in the end.

Finally, the coffee place would be open as I ran in there like an alcoholic running to the liquor store and would get myself a triple cappuccino. Probably not the wisest thing to do considering I had eaten all of those espresso beans, but when have I ever been one to shy away from extremes. ;-)

We'd make our way to a ball field Steve had mentioned would be worth checking out the day before and sure enough he'd be right as SCORES of gulls would be everywhere. The majority of gulls would be the Lesser Black-backed Gulls and second would be Iceland Gulls followed by Herring and a couple of Great Black-backed and it would almost be too much to take in. An added bonus would be a good look at a Glaucous Gull which would be a life bird for me so I'd be very happy. There would be so many Lesser Black-backed that we'd be questioning the ID even though they were clearly the right bird but it just didn't make sense as how could there be so many of them in comparison to the Great Black-backed???? We'd soon find out that Lesser Black-backed Gulls are more common in Nantucket than Great Black-backed Gulls. How cool is that!!

Anyhow, back to topic. Steve and I would both be transfixed at this point, as my coffee had now kicked in and I could actually concentrate. Add to the fact that gulls are my second favorite breed of bird (raptors being first of course), and I was in my element. Steve loves gulls too so we sat in his car like a couple of under cover cops doing a beat as we stalked the gulls and passed around the biscotti and washed it down with some Starbucks Frapacinno's (yes, more caffeine, HA)

We eventually pulled ourselves away from the gulls and headed toward the place we had the Dovekie the day before hoping we'd spot it again for the count. There would be no cute little Dovekie, but we would get many gulls including more Lesser Black-backed and Iceland. There would also be scoters, loons and others but the most notable for me would be the many Northern Gannet's which I was happy I could now ID even far away just by flight behaviour by all the sea birding Steve and I have done over the past couple of months.

After that we'd hit a really cool place and decide to get out of the car to see if we could flush anything out of the sea grasses, with rails being top on the list as Steve's passion is rails and whenever he sees sea grass he has to investigate so off we went!

We'd see no rails, but we did get a good look at the juvenille Cooper's Hawk above which was nice considering the only raptor we had for the count were a couple of Red-tailed Hawks.

We'd end the day by the crow roost again to do a count of them for the count. It would be pouring rain at this point so windows would be rolled up with the sound of heavy rain drops beeting against the car, but Steve would look at the radar on his phone and pin point the exact time it should stop. I'd be eating again at this point and smile at him thinking, "sure, whatever you say honey" ;-) and then suddenly, one minute after his prediction, the rain would stop and the sun would come out. Hmmmmmmmmm.....Maybe I should learn how to interpret radar after all. HA

It would be so nice to get out of the car despite the crow roost now being a bust compared to the night before as the weather was warm and we were greeted to a beautiful rainbow!

We'd walk around after that and I heard something I thought was an American Robin which had us all excited as we hadn't gotten one all day. Steve would start running to the general location as I followed suit as the sun was setting fast, and we really wanted that for the count so time was of the essence! We'd never be able to confirm if I did in fact hear a robin, but we did manage to pick up a Northern Cardinal which was nice as that would be the first one we'd have all day believe it or not.

All in all, it was a fantastic weekend and nice to do a bird count outside of Worcester county and experience the birds that at one point were foreign to me. I couldn't think of a better way to end the year and begin the next one and with better company than Steve.

Take care all

Athol CBC

Steve and I set out to Dave's house on Friday night to begin the Athol Bird Count Saturday morning with a very early 2:30AM start for owls. Dave would already have coffee prepared which much appreciated as 2:30 was mighty early for rising, even for me!

Our first stop would be a place for a potential Long-eared Owl (Asio otus (previously: Strix otus ))which would have made me very happy as it would be a life bird for me. We'd get out of the truck out in the middle of nowhere and suddenly hear the sound of some wing fluttering and annoyed calls coming from a few American Robins (Turdus migratorius) who we must have disturbed from their roost. Steve would start with his Long-eared Owl call as we all listened carefully in hopes for a response. Next he'd do his Northern Saw-whet Owl (Aegolius acadicus) call and that too wouldn't yield any results so off we went to a couple more spots before making out way to Quabbin.

It would still be pitch black as it wasn't even 5:00AM yet and the first thing that struck me was that Quabbin is just as beautiful in the dead of night as it is during the day. It would be somewhat erie though as we'd get out in chosen spots and Steve would start with his call in hopes for some owls and it wouldn't take us long to get a Barred Owl (Strix varia), which was very nice as it would be a FOY for me believe it or not.

Another stop we would make would be a spot I was pretty familiar with from Tom's Quabbin trips and that too would look lovely with the moon lighting the reservoir and the distant sound of coyotes that could be heard nearby making it all the more surreal. We'd drive a bit more and pick up one more Barred Owl as well as an unidentified mouse of some sort making a racket in some nearby leaves but that would be about it much to our disappointment. Not that I was overly disappointed of course as this would be my first time owling before a CBC and did pick up my FOY Barred and got to see Quabbin in the dead of night which is something I'll never forget because it was so cool.

Soon enough 6AM would come so it was off to Cinnamon's, in Athol for some much needed breakfast for fuel as well as more caffeine of course for the day.

Steve and I teamed up with Dave and Shelley to do circle 13 and we'd stay as one unit at first and hit some of the local bird feeders nearby which yielded some pretty impressive results as far as high counts for both Blue Jays (Cyanocitta cristata) and more American Robins as both species of birds could be seen on nearby trees as well as flying overhead.



Soon enough we'd split up and Steve and I would head out to some nearby woods to do some birding by foot. We'd do things high tech and Dave would give us one of his two way radios just in case something of interest would pop up or if we'd get lost (not that that would happen of course ;-)).

Despite it being a tad more brisk than what we've been spoiled with recently, the walk in the woods was lovely with the only sound being the crunching of leaves beneath our feet and the notable absence of any birds as we made our way along the trail.

Soon enough sleet would start to fall which seemed only fitting as what's a New England CBC especially in North County without snow, sleet or freezing rain!

We'd come to an area where we could hear some Golden-crowned Kinglets (Regulus satrapa) so Steve would do some pishing to see if we could get them in closer for a count. It wouldn't take long for other passerines to respond to the pishing with the most notable being two male Red-bellied Woodpeckers (Melanerpes carolinus), Downy Woodpeckers (Picoides pubescens) and of course the always reliable Black-capped Chickadees (Poecile atricapillus).

After pishing there for a bit, we'd do some serious bush whacking in search of owls in various evergreens and while we didn't find any, we'd come to an area where were hear more chickadees which brought in quite a few Dark-eyed Juncos (Junco hyemalis) as well as a couple of Northern Cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis).

Soon enough we'd meet up with Dave and Shelley again who'd tell us that not only did they pick up a Common Raven (Corvus corax), but a Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus) much to our envy as both Steve and I were hoping for a raptor while out in the woods.

We'd stop at a couple of lovely, quaint homes including one with the sign above where we would see plenty of bird activity over by the feeders so we got out of the car to investigate.

Where we would see many House Sparrows (Passer domesticus), a couple of Mourning Doves (Zenaida macroura) and another Common Raven.

Soon enough Dave would head back to the house to get things in order for the tally at the end of the day so Steve, Shelley and I would hit a few other places in hopes for more birds. It wouldn't take us long to realize there weren't that many birds at all, but we made the best of things and Steve would set up his scope to scan the waters for waterfowl which we'd never find.

I'd be downright chilly at this point so a Dunkin's stop for a Dunkachino was a must!!! It would be here that we'd find our first Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis) as well our first Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) of the day much to our excitement (especially Steve's), despite it not being in our circle. Steve would be so thrilled with the discovery that he would have been happy to stay there a bit longer to look for gulls (swoon), but it was getting close to lunch so off we went.

After lunch at a local watering hole that had some real nifty beers to chose from it was off to Doane's Falls in hopes for better luck than what we had at the lake.

There would once again be no birds but the scenery here would help make up for some of that.

As you can see in the picture above.

And this picture too. Seriously, one of the nicest places I've been in a while and something I'd really like to see when the weather is nicer as it seems like the perfect place to get out and canoe in.

We'd make our way back to Dave's and stop every so often as we'd see a lot of passerine activity in nearby yards with the most notable being the MANY Cedar Waxwings (Bombycilla cedrorum) so Steve would get out his scope in hopes of finding a Bohemian Waxwing (Bombycilla garrulus) amongst the large flock. We wouldn't find one, but did manage to get some pretty respectable numbers along this route including the regulars but also two bonus Red-breasted Nuthatches ( Sitta canadensis), which was most welcoming as it would be another FOY for me.

Soon enough we'd get to Dave's, grab our stuff and follow their car so we could head to Quabbin again and along the way we'd spot an adult male Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii) in the picture above which made me very happy as I didn't have much of an opportunity to get many bird pictures so this was an added bonus.

We'd finally get to Quabbin where we'd see quite a few Hooded Mergansers (Lophodytes cucullatus) as well as a couple of Common Loons (Gavia immer) like the one above.

One of our final stops for the day where Steve would spot a couple more Bald Eagles as well as one single Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus), much to our delight as this would be a first for this bird count which was very cool.

We'd end the day by once again trying for a Saw-whet Owl, but once again it would be a "no go". This would be the first time I'd do the Athol CBC and enjoyed every minute of it so was happy we decided to attend.

Next up will be the Nantucket CBC which I am already excited about and promise plenty of pics and a blog entry so stay tuned for that and happy holidays everyone.

Take care all and I hope you enjoyed my Latin ;-).