Loafing Around on a Saturday

I decided to head to Wachusett Meadow's today in hopes for some Evening Grosbeaks as I've seen reports of them there the past week so was hoping I'd get lucky so off I went.

Bird activity would be light at the feeders with no grosbeaks in sight but my eye was drawn to a Blue Jay near the feeder who I watched wondering what it would do next.

Which would be to attempt to get it's big honkin body on the dainty feeder for a little breakfast!!  Seeing this would make me wonder if the Blue Jay's at home found the peanuts I put out for it before I left.

I'd make my way to the Chapman Trail to do the hike to Wachusett and back and be happy to see a nice Fox Sparrow which would make me wonder if the Fox Sparrow in my yard I saw yesterday was still around and discovered all the wild bird seed I put out for it once I realized it was there and ran to the grocery store to find food more to its liking.

I'd finally make it to Chapman and would hear a bird call that sounded very much like a Bohemian Waxwing so stopped to figure out where it was coming from figuring it wasn't out the question as I'd had Cedar Waxwings just a few short minutes before hand.  Of course the calling would stop and after waiting for a bit I'd hear it again coming closer to the Glacial Trail so off I went to investigate! The bird would go silent at this point and I'd see no bird activity what so ever so make my way back down the trail which was slippery and I'd take a nice spill right then and there.  Suddenly thoughts of my hike to Wachusett didn't sound wise and I'd kick myself for not thinking before hand and bring either my microspikes or trek poles as if I was slipping here, I can only imagine what I'd be doing once I hit the rocky part of the Harrington Trail near the summit.   It would also be here that I'd realize my heart was never in the hike as my mind kept going back to my yard and the birds that were in it.  I'd make a quick U-turn back to my car with thoughts of baking bread and watching birds taking hold which added a little more spring to my step.

And the birds would be there to greet me once I made it including one of the few Pine Siskins feeding from the tree stump I put seed on.

And the many Song Sparrows who live across the street but come here for an easy meal.

And the few Northern Cardinals including the ones who nested somewhere around my yard this past season who are always around due to their obsession with the Yew Berries I have growing in my yard that are as red as they are.

And of course the American Goldfinch's who still look as handsome as ever.

As you can see in the photo above.

The White-throated Sparrow's would be out in full force as well and gobbling up the wild bird seed I put out earlier in the day.

As well as the always numerous Dark-eyed Juncos who'd be giving me their seal of approval over the new platform feeder I have that I kept close to the ground.

One of the four Mourning Doves who spend their time in my nearby tree when they're not eating the spilled seed.

Oh and the Blue Jay's did indeed find my gift of peanuts as well as the large striped sunflower seeds I buy just for them!

The Mrs enjoying a little lunch.

And of course what back yard feeding station doesn't have the regulars like the Black-capped Chickadees' and the Tufted Titmouse above.  One weird thing since I filled my feeders last Saturday are no Downy Woodpeckers so I moved my suet cage closer.  I have the real suet too but haven't put any out yet from the freezer  as I don't do it until it gets cold enough for it to not spoil so hoping that will draw them to the feeders more.

The White-breasted Nuthatch above and Carolina Wrens appreciate the store suet though!

And the many House Finch's who flock to this feeder every year I put it up which is a PITA to clean with it being wood but do so every month to prevent disease, especially when you have finch's coming to your feeder.

And I saved the best for last.  Not only a FOY but a new yard bird for me this very handsome Fox Sparrow above.  I'ts been in my yard off and on all day and I believe when it's not eating- it's in my blackberry brambles.  Fascinating bird to watch as they are a lot more sluggish than the white-throats.  Also funny to see it scratching in the leaf litter as they do it with a lot more gusto than any other sparrow I've ever seen!  The other interesting thing I'd notice is it's not only skittish of me, but the other birds as well and will only come out to eat when it's not as crowded with other birds.  I'm totally loving feeding the birds this year with this handsome devil and the Pine Siskins who've been here for a couple of days.  Hoping others come around too with Evening Grosbeaks and Common Redpoll's being top of the list of course!

Of course I'm not the only one who enjoys watching the birds from my kitchen so often have company.  Let me introduce you to Groucho who is just about to get scolded for being on the counter instead of the stool I've given him for watching the birds.  Groucho was a feral cat when I found him and is afraid of just about everything including birds (Blue Jay's in particular).  He is now very happy as an indoor cat where nothing car harm him except his own imagination and paranoia he still has from his time in the wild!  ;-)

And while the birds were busy eating, I'd be busy cooking including the bread I thought about earlier (to go with some of my blackberry preserves canned this past summer) as well as green bean casserole and a roasted chicken and ham which will go perfectly with my new beer of the moment Harpoon Winter Warmer which is delicious in my humble opinion.  ;-)

Take care all.

Massachusetts Owl Forecasting using historic eBird Data

eBird

As stated earlier in the week, I finally have my owl forecast done so figured I'd share it as there's some pretty interesting stuff in it as you will see.  All of this eBird data is for the state of Massachusetts and is from Jan 2001 to Dec 2011.  The first table shows the total owl reportings by month and what I found most interesting seeing it this way is the month of May being the highest reported month followed by December and January.

eBird

So naturally the next thing I'd want to see is what owls drive what numbers and I'd break it out for the state as well as Worcester County.  I'll let the tables speak for themselves instead of rambling but was somewhat taken aback with the high April and May numbers for Great Horned Owls and based on species notes- I'm guessing those sightings are driven by recently fledged owls and parent contact calls.   I'm also guessing the high reports of Barred Owls may be due in part to the same.  You'll also notice the high number of Northern Saw-whet Owl reports in October with most of it being driven by Worcester County.  I decided to look at those numbers to the see impact of duplicates, and it's minimal so these are reports coming from individuals as well as monthly totals for Chickadee records in association with Strickland's banding project in Uxbridge.

eBird

And now a look at total Massachusetts by owl and county with Middlesex County having most reports of owls, followed by Essex County. Interesting to see Worcester County coming in at number two for Barred Owl sightings overall.  Also interesting to see many of the common owls on neither Nantucket or Martha's Vineyard and cuious to know why but guessing it may have to do with lack of prey or fear of water?).  Also wondering if the the small owls like Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard due to the fact the larger owls  for the  most part are non-existent so they feel more secure in hunting/calling so are seen or heard more often.  (Sounds reasonable to me as the only place I've ever been lucky enough to hear a calling Saw-whet is on Nantucket during a CBC)

One of the things I was hoping the data would tell me is what environmental conditions yields the most reports as we all know owling isn't as easy as other forms of birding and it's often done in the dark during the cold, long days of winter so your'e better off planning ahead instead of freezing your butt off listening and looking for owls who never come.  So the first thing I did was look at owls in association with lunar cycles.  Note:  Lunar cycle info does NOT come from eBird but rather my own lookup tables I created to help me crunch the numbers more.

eBird

This may be surprising to some, considering many of us have been told or experienced the best time for owls is during a full moon but as you can see that's not always the case and the numbers all seem fairly close with minimal impact.  So is the full moon theory incorrect?  Maybe it is, but not with this data (hows that for an answer HA).

eBird

The eBird tables above is sample data (meaning species notes indicated if it was seen or heard) and is broken out first by reports of call only, and 2nd by seen and the full moon doesn't rank first or second on either of them!  If you look at it at a species level with Northern Saw-whet Owl in particular you'll see it's most vocal during a full moon but mostly sighted during a quarter moon so what gives?    Well according to survey's I've seen of the Saw-whets, many owl survey participants get a better call back rate during a full moon (others are inconclusive) so that would indeed make sense.  Sightings are mostly related to Uxbridge owl banding with most sighted reports happening during a New or 1st Qtr moon.  This data is somewhat conclusive with studies conducted on these birds and banding projects elsewhere.

Source:  Northern Saw-whet Owls & Lunar Cycles.  You will see in the chart above that full moon captures happen least during a full moon and there's a theory on why.  The  theory (included in the link), speculates that since these small predators are also prey  they hide more during a full moon and prefer less moon light during the other lunar cycles where there's darkness to avoid being eaten of course!  The other interesting owl of note is the Short-eared Owl who uses the full moon for hunting which this bird has been known to do so nothing surprising there.

So in summary, owling during a full moon may make it easier for you to see the owls and there have been studies  that shows a full moon yields the most owl reports, but the data above doesn't show that in our neck of the woods so take it as you will.

eBird

If your'e still awake, then let's move onto the next way I looked at the data which is time of day.  This was calculated using "Observation Start Time", and you will see a category called casual and that is when there is no beginning time given so just ignore that for the purpose of this analysis.  I won't ramble much but just note that you don't really have to get out before 3AM to owl unless you have a really strong urge to do so!

eBird

Broken out the same way but by owl with 6 to 9 AM having the most reports followed by 3 to 6AM and 3 to 6PM so no surprises there as all categories fall into the before and after dusk.

And just when you thought I couldn't get any geekier I prove you wrong as you will see in the data below which shows owl sightings by cloud cover!  Woot!!  IMPORTANT TO NOTE:  This table is my weather underground  lookup table for Worcester which I used to map the eBird data by Worcester weather so it's not 100% correct as it could be cloudy in Worcester by partly clear in Plymouth, but it's close enough for the exercise.

eBird

Broken out by the state level as well as Worcester county and as you can see the clearer the skies, the better probability of success.  Also note how close Worcester County is to the state % wise for each category despite it only having 524 of the 8,120 counts which I thought was pretty darn impressive!  You'll also notice you can see/hear owls during cloudy conditions and I believe a lot of those numbers in that category are coming from CBC counts when it's always cloudy and did I mention cold!

eBird

And lastly broken out by wind (used mean winds and kph) and the tables above are no surprise with most reports of owls coming in with less than 10 kph, followed by the 10-20kph and nothing coming in after 21kph.

Are you still with me and awake???  Good because now come the summaries!

eBird

Table above summarizes most of the above making for a nifty resource to have when your'e itching to do some owling!!

And finally this which is a summary on info of Massachusetts owls coming from Mass Audubon Owls.

And now I leave the rest up to you and encourage you to use this data next time you're out there looking for owls!!!  The only thing I ask in return is you submit your observations to eBird if you're using it.  We often think of it as a nice tool to have for managing our yearly lists and life birds, but there's so much more to it besides that as you have seen in the tables above and something I am most grateful for.

Take care all.

Birding Coldbrook Road-Crossbills are a Plenty!

I birded Colbrook Road today in Oakham and no sooner would I get out of my car I would hear the familiar overhead chatter that's been driving me out of my mind the past few days as I was convinced it was White-winged Crossbills, but really wanted to get a visual on the birds considering it would be a life bird for me.  The flock of about 18 would finally do me the honors and land for a decent binocular view as well as a couple of record shots.

Not the best photos in the world, but I'll take what I can get at this point and  was happy to know my ears were right as I'm harder on them than I am my eyes.

While it wold still be chilly outside, I was in the mood for some mindless walking so my goal was to get to the hawk watch site and back with a few side trails in between for more exploring

With a few stop in between including the spot above where I tried to call in a Northern Saw-whet Owl with my own lousy imitation considering my hands were bound in thick gloves so didn't want to fumble with my Droid.  Needless to say I'd get no Saw-whet or any other bird for that matter so it must have been pretty bad!

I'd continue along my way and would still hear the flocks of White-winged Crossbills flying by as well as the continuous chatter and yank calls of the Red-breasted Nuthatches (YAY).  In fact the nuthatches were so vocal that I could still here them as I drove home (kind of like when a song gets in your head and you can't get rid of it no matter how hard you try).

While walking toward the hawk watch site, I'd stop for a drink of water and look to some open land nearby and wonder if I should head that way to do some pishing for sparrows when my eye would go to the sky and I'd see something that appeared rather large and white headed my way and thought it was a plane at first the way the sun was reflecting on the white, but then realized that UFO was flying far too fast to be a plane.  I'd get my bins on it and see it was a large sized bird and the powerful wing beats and shape of the bird immediately ruled out gulls for me.  I'd then have my "aha" moment when my eyes would finally see the dark primaries and the goose like shape and be thrilled to see it was a lone Snow Goose hauling butt heading South.  The goose would be going so quick, so I fumbled with my camera for a record shot and realize turning on a camera with thick gloves takes precious seconds away from you and your picture but I'd try it anyway and finally get the bird before it flew into tree cover.

Going away but you can vaguely see the dark primaries.  I didn't crop or alter these photos at all but had them at full zoom so the bird looks fatter than it was but welcome to my world when it comes to pictures.  It would also be this area that I'd get an excellent look at a juvenile Northern Harrier but it too would fly off before the camera could even be turned on as always.

Birds would continue to be vocal including more of the ones I had before and a good sized flock of Golden-crowned Kinglets and this very handsome Red-bellied Woodpecker above.

A stop along the way in hopes for sparrows and wouldn't get much except some Dark-eyed Juncos, and White throats.  I'd also be happy to hear a bird that sounded very vireo like to me and remembered what Rodney said during his trip that Purple Finch's can sound like that sometimes so looked on the tops of trees and sure enough I'd spot one so it's nice to know that tidbit of info stuck with me vs. me looking all over the place for a vireo with a funny call. ;-)

And I'd finally make it to the hawk watch site and see Donna, Bart and Don (Dave wasn't there yet) on some birds so I of course try and see what direction their bins are so I can get it too as I would have been beside myself if it was a Golden Eagle and I missed out on it obviously. ;-).  No Golden Eagle, but they did get a nice flock of flying Brant overhead which is always nice!  I'd hang out there for almost an hour and see some migrating raptors with Red-tailed Hawks being most numerous, but they'd also have a migrating Osprey, Bald Eagle, Red-shouldered Hawk and at least one Cooper's which isn't bad for November hawk watching!

I'd finally head back and hear a chip note nearby that would turn out to be a Chipping Sparrow (I also had one in my yard yesterday), so it appears as if they are still around, but not in numbers just two short weeks ago.

A new way to walk your dog.  Some guy would be in a pick up truck while the Husky followed!

One of many side trails I'd take.  It was nice to see the various wetlands often hidden by leaf cover in summer including the one above which had nothing on it.

One of two nests that appeared to be Great Blue Heron's nests in another wetland.

And finally a much needed break for chocolate and water near the favorite teenage drinking spot!

A fellow traveler of Coldbrook Road, this caterpillar above.  I'd be glad I had my eyes to the ground as I almost stepped on it.

And then I'd finally make it near the car and see a very colorful bird preening nearby which would turn out to be another White-winged Crossbill, but this one would be sitting still!

Giving me the "hairy eyeball".  I'd be looking at the bird, when suddenly a flock of White-winged's would come in and it wouldn't take long for me to hear what I thought was Red Crossbills too.  So naturally I look at the handsome male above and wonder what type it is as it appeared to calm for the WW.  I'd spend a considerable amount of time waiting for it to change position to get a look at its wings and after what seemed like forever it finally did and it was a WW.  One thing I found interesting when looking at the two photos above of the same bird is how long the tail looks in the 1st one vs. the 2nd and WW have longer tails than the Red's but my eyes never noticed it until I got home.

White-winged for sure I'm guessing!

Another lousy record shot but notice the longer tail and the white you can barely see near the tail which I thought was interesting.

And then I'd finally spot the Red Crossbills who'd be mixed in with the White-winged Crossbills to make it even more of a headache.

Another lousy photo but wanted it for a record shot of a female Red Crossbill.  The photo is horrible but you will see there's no white on those wings.  I'd be happy to ID both with my ears at first as they flew in considering I've been listening to both their calls the past week or so hoping it would stick in my brain and for now it has!

So all in all I'd get in close to 11 miles of walking and enjoyed every minute of it.  If you're looking for a place to bird for the Boreal's I HIGHLY recommend this area as it can be done by car too and the crossbills are everywhere so they shouldn't be hard to find.

Take care all

Worcester County Migration 1st Two Weeks of November

I've been real busy the last half of this week but wanted to do a quick post for migration the 1st two weeks of November so pardon the unfancy charts as my macros are acting up and don't have time to tweek them.  I figured I'd start with waterfowl considering that's still what's most abundant as you can see above.

Rouge table of Loons and Grebes and as you can see there's still time.

Next are shorebirds and gulls and as you can see you can still get a Black-bellied Plover (well except for me and Alan), but your best best is the 1st week of November.  Gulls start coming in too, but not in large numbers yet.

Warblers and sparrows and not sure if any of you have seen Marshall's Massbird report on many warblers being reported on the coastlines, but I'd notice it myself through my "Rare Bird Reports" through eBird so keep your eyes open because you never know.  Fox Sparrows start showing early November too so hoping I get lucky this weekend as I still need one for the year.

Next are my most sought after birds at the moment which are finches.  NOTE:  I'm done with March numbers from Rick's site but have to audit them so look for a forecast of these boreal birds from November to March sometime in the next week or so.  I may also use five years worth of data as well from eBird now that they've opened the data tables back up to the general public.  Also look for an owl forecast too that I'm working on right now all through eBird.

And last but not least an anniversary of sorts for K Allen or rather Kim Allen aka Moi!  I'd be going through the archives and see my first post ever to Central Mass Bird sightings and would by lying if I didn't say I blushed just a little as everyone knows Eastern Bluebirds do NOT normally come to a feeder unless you offer meal worms or your'e lucky enough to have them come to pre made suet.  HA!

I vividly remember writing that post and how nervous I was because I'm kind of shy believe it or not.  You don't see it when I write but I am until you get to know me.  I'd be very shy introducing myself to the local birding community as I was in awe of the network.  I'd be introduced to it through Sheila and Tom's blogs which I found through other non local bird blogs and be amazed one could find birds in other places besides their back yards as their blog posts demonstrated.  Motivated by their adventures I had one of my first non backyard birding trip to St Philips and it would be then I'd get my life bird the bluebird.  ;-).

Little did I know that one post would lead to others and an introduction to a very dear friend of mine Alan who would read my blog and take pity on me as I was a newbie without a clue which would be evident when I was looking for my most sought after bird the Common Redpoll in pine trees!  Alan would reach out to me like he does many new birders and offer to show me some local spots for birds with the first stop being the local cemetery for an Eastern Phoebe and I'd be amazed he'd find one in less than five minutes as I was searching for one myself a few days before hand and always struck out and we've been birding buddies ever since.  Since that time, I've seen so many special birds and met so many wonderful people and despite birding sometimes going on the back burner due to burnout or family obligations, I always go back as I honestly believe once birding gets into your soul, it's there forever which I consider a blessing and a gift.  It's a special anniversary indeed.

Take care all.