Forbush Bird Club-Oxbow and a Recurring Nightmare

I attended the Forbush Bird Club trip today which was led by Alan at the Oxbow WMA. We would arrive a little early to scout the area for birds before the others arrived and one of the first things we would see was this impressive flock of Cedar Waxwings all teed up on the branches as we drove down the street.
One of the first stops we made as a group was the bridge at the beginning of the entrance where we would see/hear quite a few birds including this pair of Canada Geese with goslings in tow
There are so many other things to look for at Oxbow like the various wild flowers so I stopped and took a picture of this Lady Slipper.
As well as quite a few frogs which I never tire of!!! I was very happy to see this Green Frog trying to hide from us but as you can see he wasn't successful!
We would walk along the path and Alan was great in getting us some birds, but the one we would not be successful with was the Red-headed Woodpecker which Alan had discovered in the first place. Not sure if it has moved on or in hiding but no one would either hear or see it. We would leave Oxbow after a great morning of birding and make a quick stop on the street to see if the Willow Flycatcher was around as that is usually a guarantee, and while we wouldn't get the Willow, we were thrilled to get an Alder instead. There would also be the usual Northern Mockingbird in its usual place.
There would also be some Bobolinks in one of the fields as well as Red-winged Blackbirds, Common Grackles and Tree Swallows. All in all, a great trip with 61 birds in total and that is not including the Wild Turkey a hunter brought it who had seen its final day.
I would go home after that and was a little tired so figured I would lie down for a while because quite frankly, all of this birding lately has made me exhausted!! I would wake up 1/2 an hour later by a somewhat recurring nightmare that I have that is of course bird related so figured I would share it with you all because perhaps this action will cause the end of this once and for all which would be welcome indeed!

It always starts off with a Pileated Woodpecker and I am always by myself when I spot it. Anyhow my first dream, I see a Pileated and ID it with my eyes. I then whip out my camera take a picture and go home where I proceed to post my findings on Rick's site and my blog. I proceed to upload my photos from my camera onto my computer and to my horror, it's not a Pileated Woodpecker per say, but rather a stuffed animal (one of those cheesy ones you get at the carnival) and it looks like a cross mix between a Pileated and Ivory-billed!!! I am mortified of course and wondering how I could have screwed up the ID on the bird. The endings are not always like this (one of them I am trying to chase the woodpecker up a tree as I climb up it to get it away from a cat and once I reach him, it's that dam stuffed animal again.) In todays dream, I somehow got stuck leading a Forbush Field Trip for a bunch of people from Japan and no other Forbush members around so I don't know how I got put into this situation. I am leading them along a path and am thrilled to see a Pileated Woodpecker because I am convinced the foreigners have never seen a bird like this before so they will be very impressed with my birding skills. I finally get all of their eyes on the beautiful woodpecker and low and behold, it's that frickin stuffed animal again!

Freud would have a field day with this for sure, but I think I can help him out some. You see, the first time I started posting on Rick's site and meeting many of the local birders in my area was when I had the Pileated Woodpeckers in Grafton and I remember being very nervous about posting because I was a complete newbie (heck I was calling a Bufflehead a Bafflehead only the month before so that should tell you something :-O). Anyhow, the Pileated Woodpecker is the symbol of the beginning of my birding and the beginning when I was trying to build up some credibility with my new birding network I have been blessed to meet. The mis-ID's I get in my dreams all stem from the deep insecurity I still have with my birding at times I am guessing which would be re-introduced again this week when Alan and I were on Coldbrook road and I excitedly told him I had a Wilson's as I saw its black crown and to my horror it turned out to be a Common Yellowthroat (little bugger!!). I would get frustrated over this as they look nothing alike but I wanted a Wilson's Warbler so bad that day that I would have probably done the same if it was a Blue Jay in that bush! Sometimes one sees what they want at a quick glance and that's why it's so important to make sure you get a really good look at a bird if you can't hear it song and the song is unmistakable.

So anyhow, to make a long story short, the dream I had this afternoon shook me up so bad that I went out and did what I always do when I'm in a funk which is bird. Some people hit the bottle or the fridge, but I much prefer the woods so decided to hike around my neighborhood and see what was around.
There would once again be all of the usuals (including that gorgeous Orchard Oriole) as well as this very handsome Baltimore Oriole above.
And more pretty wildflowers. The highlight would be a Field Sparrow and a Blue-winged Warbler as it seemed as if the hot sun made the birds hunker down low with no singing to escape the heat.
I would make my way out of the woods and onto the sidewalk and what would I see. Why a Gray Catbird of course! What does this angle remind you of??? Anyone want to guess???? A Wilson's Warbler with that black crown of his and at this angle to boot. HA!!!! I swear the little bugger was playing with my mind some out of complete boredom as being a bird sure must get dull at times.
I would go home with tired legs and a better spirit and can't wait to get out again tomorrow. I'm just hoping I don't run into any Pileated Woodpeckers that's all.

Take care.

Whip-poor-wills, Dowichers, Marsh Wrens and others

I did some more birding Thursday night and attended a Forbush Bird Club trip in Lancaster that started off at Bolton Flats. The trip was led by Bart and he would already be there and locate a Short-billed Dowicher (FOY) which was a pleasant surprise as it was unexpected which made it even sweeter. I would attempt photos but they came out so bad, I am too embarrassed to post them and that's saying a lot! There would also be a pumping American Bittern and a Sora calling and Common Nighthawks flying overhead as the warm sun still shone bright so it was a fantastic way to start off the trip and end the day.

We would take off to the Lancaster WMA for Whip-poor-wills but got much more than that including a Vesper Sparrow!, Grasshopper Sparrow! Field Sparrow and Song Sparrow, so it was a really good sparrow trip which is pretty darn impressive considering it's not fall yet when that's when you normally bird for the sparrows. We would finally get to a location where the skies rung with the sound of amphibian's which made listening for the Whip-poor-wills rather challenging. We would finally hear them which made me very happy because this is a life bird for me, and I don't get them nearly as often as I did last year. As we were leaving, we would hear Whip-poor-wills calling, and an American Woodcock peenting which was one of the loveliest sounds I have heard this year in the evening thus far, but the mood would kind of be ruined by the sound of gunshots being heard at Fort Devens, but I am starting to get used to that noise with all of the birding I am doing at Oxbow lately.
Alan and I would head to Uxbridge this morning looking for the elusive Worm-eating Warbler and once again, we would go through a maze of bike trails and thick woods and never find the area they are supposed to be at but it wouldn't be as bad as earlier this week because we weren't lost and it wasn't raining out. This warbler is now the official nemesis bird for the month of May so we will get back there this weekend as we are now on an official mission as that bird is so cute I just have to see it!
We would then head all the way to the Winamusett WMA hoping for an Alder Flycatcher and we would hear the bird shortly after arriving, but the darn bird would never grace us with its physical presence so we had to settle for 2nd best which was hearing it. As we were leaving we would see a Rose-breasted Grosbeak nearby and the bird was kind enough to sit still while I attempted a photo which has become much appreciated lately.
While we were leaving, we would drive by a farm and I would do my usual STOP! which usually means a bird of interest so imagine Alan's surprise when he sees me ooohing and aahhing over this miniature horse. Sigh, I have seen pictures of these beauties but never seen one with my own two eyes so I was immediately swept away by it. So cute!
Since we were in the area we decided to hit Brookfield in hopes for the Marsh Wens that are known to breed there and we had almost given up hope as we walked along the railroad tracks as the hot sun beamed down at us from above. Just as we got to the ends of the cat tails we would hear them which was great because while I got these wrens last year at the Great Meadows in Concord, I would never have them in Worcester County so this is a new Worcester County bird for me so I left there very happy.

Take care all

Forbush Bird Club-Mount Auburn Cemetery

I joined Alan and his wife Kathy today for a Forbush Field Trip to Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge. The trip would again be led by Dan and he would have his work cut out for him as the trip leader due to the fierce winds that would blow throughout the cemetery which would keep the birds low and not singing much and when they did sing, the wind would distort things so you never could get a clear direction really to where their exact location was. Dan's super sharp ears and eyes worked overtime so we were able to pick up quite a few birds along the way until we spotted a congregation of birders all in one location (above) where the wind was subdued, the sun shone bright and the birds were drawn to it as much as we were as they don't like the wind anymore than we do!

There would be scores of birds all centered in one location including this female Black-and white Warbler above.
As well as an Eastern Kingbird perched up in a tree and surveying the scene. The highlight at that point would be some one finding a Orange-crowned Warber and the place beamed with excitement because they are not that common of a migrator in spring and most folks who are lucky enough to see them usually do so in the fall. The warbler appeared to take an intense liking to a bayberry tree and would tease us all with an occasional glimpse, but the glimpse I got was the best look yet I have ever gotten of this bird and despite it being somewhat drab compared to the other warblers out there, it is still quite the looker and even more so with my binoculars! There would also be a few other warblers clustered around this area including a Wilson's and at least two Blackpoll Warblers in a tree nearby that could be heard doing its high pitched seet notes. I would be lucky enough to see one fly by quickly and the thing I noticed the most in that very brief look would be how much one could mistaken the male for a chickadee at first blush.
Someone would point out a warbler low in a tree nearby so a few of us went to investigate and there before us was I think the cutest warbler I have ever laid my eyes upon because it was so close which allowed some incredible views with just the eyes and no other optics.
The warbler would be the Northern Parula and it would feast on caterpillar's and would pay no attention to its ever growing audience but would peek at us on occasion.
The bird would sing its song but do so almost in a whisper which made it even more adorable. The first thing I noticed overall about the warbler was how tiny it was so I looked in my guide and see that they are in fact smaller than most of the other warblers as they are 4.25 inches vs most of the 4.5 inches and up of the others so was happy to see I picked up on it because I am really trying to not only learn color field marks and songs, but overall shape, size, etc of the birds encounter this year.
This area would still be hopping as more folks came to try and get a glimpse of the Orange-crowned and some of the others and the funniest thing about it all was this dopey Mourning Dove who was on a tomb stone directly below where all of the warbler activity was. The dove would remain there the entire time and just take in the scene as it watched dozens of people with binoculars oohing and aahing as others took pictures and smiled. I am convinced the goofy dove thought he was the cause of all of the excitement and he would even change positions at times so we could get a look at his better profile. HA!
There would also be other warblers here including one I wanted to see today and while I got some incredible looks at it w/ my bins, I wouldn't be as fortunate w/ my camera. Anyone want to guess what it is just by its but shot??

Why it's a Magnolia Warbler of course! ;-). Such a stunning bird and one I hope to get in Worcester County if not this work week than during the Birdathon this weekend as you know I will be doing that!
After I left Alan and Kathy, I took off on my own in search for the Worcester County elusive Magnolia and I knew I had my work cut out for me with the wind, but I was still optimistic, especially considering I have to work this week so decided to make the best of things with the weather that was thrown at me today. I went to SuAsCo in Westborough and would only spend 1/2 an hour there as there was no escape from the wind as you can see if you look at the Yellow Warbler above who seems to have the wind blown look going on.
The warbler was a strong bloke for being so small which is something I totally admire ;-) and he battled the wind as he sang away to claim its territory to keep the other Yellow Warblers at bay.
I would head off to Brierly and find a great place that was sheltered from the wind where I would see/hear Chestnut-sided, American Redstarts, Common Yellowthroats, Blue-winged Warbles and even a singing Ovenbird, but not Magnolia which is now my official nemesis for the week.

Take care all.

Forbush Bird Club-Quabbin Reservoir May

I attended another Forbush Bird Club trip this past Sunday at the Quabbin Reservoir. The trip was led by Tom Pirro and would start at Gate 45 in Hardwick. As soon as we got out of the car, we would hear the now very familiar Ovenbirds as well as other birds who have all made sudden appearances over the past couple of days with all of the warm weather we have had recently.
We would make our way along a path where were would see and/or hear a Wood Thrush (FOY), Purple Finch, Common Yellowthroat (FOY), Gray Catbird and others as well as this Pickerel Frog which was a great sight to see since I had developed a fondness for frogs this past summer. This one is so handsome with its earthy colorings.
We would make frequent stops here and there with one of the highlights being a swampy type habitat where there would be plenty of Least Flycatchers (FOY) doing their "Chibeck" call, some Hooded Mergansers, a very vocal Yell0w-throated Vireo, a couple of Eastern Kingbirds (FOY) and another Common Yellowthroat shown above.

We continued along the way and would come to one of my favorite spots for this particular trip which is a running stream where we would get a FOY Louisiana Waterthrush. The bird would never be seen, but clearly heard which was a welcome song after trying to get it for the past couple of weeks.
The sun would start to break through clouds and the humidity and black flies would start to take hold as we made our way to another area. The highlight of this would be a Blue-gray Gnatcathers nest that Susan had spotted with a gnatcather in the process of building a nest (pictures came out lousy, but I didn't want to get too close as to disturb this busy bird doing as nature intended as bird must always come before birder. So nice to see though and the sun would shine in such a way that the blue on the gnatcathers head and back really pop in a way that I and many others had never seen before.
There would be another spot nearby where we would hear the wonderful song of a couple of Baltimore Orioles, a Black-throated Green Warbler and a bonus Northern Parula as well as my official nemesis warbler of the year which is the Yellow-rumped Warbler. Seriously, I can't get this birds song straight in my head as every time I hear it, I think its something else and wishful thinking will always have me thinking Nashville Warbler so imagine my disappointment when I realize it is yet again another lousy Yellow-rumped. ;-). May have to play this song on the way to work this week in a continuous loop just so it will sink in which will be torture in itself!
We would also have our fair share of raptors including a good look at some Broad-winged Hawks flying overhead (one of my favorite ways to see them), another Broad-winged Hawk flying up to a tree with prey in tow, a Red-tailed Hawk, Turkey Vultures and a Sharp-shinned Hawk with what appeared to be a missing feather on its tail. At another spot we would see two or three (forgot exact count), Bald Eagles including the nice adult shown above. Like this shot in that it shows off those plank like wings when in flight as well as its white tail and head.
Lunch for most (I would have already eaten mine in the car) would be at Danna Common where there were quite a few birds including a Chestnut-sided Warbler and a FOY American Redstart Tom had spotted for us. We would hear it singing in some thick brush and would be reminded at how confusing the song can be and once again, it would live up to its promise as the song always sounds like an incomplete Chestnut-sided or Yellow Warbler to me, depending on its mood. I really love the stone work they still have at the common from when it was a small village, so had to take a picture. Check out the detail in the picture above. They just don't make things like that anymore that's for sure which is evident by the fact that it's still around!
There would be a nestbox here that would have quite the activity as you can see. The picture is of a Tree Swallow peeking its head inside of the nest box at something that would be inside.
And what would be inside would be a House Wren, who wanted to claim the box as its own for nesting this year. The House Wren would sing on top of the nest box, only to have the Tree Swallow flutter about -squacking in protest. The wren would be smart enough to realize it would stand a better chance in winning the battle if it went inside the nest box and that's exactly what it did as the swallow would peek its head in there in defiance.
The wren would fly to a nearby bush and start its song and the swallow would enter the nestbox and give me the "hairy eyeball" as it didn't want anyone else messing with its potential summer dwelling for the year. It will be interesting to see who wins this battle as both species of birds are not known for giving in unlike the Eastern Bluebirds.
There would be many other stops after lunch including another stop where I would see my first ever Spring Peeper (how cute it this!). And I would finally get a picture (despite it being a lousy one) of a Blue-headed Vireo. Seriously, this has been my nemesis photo bird for the past three weeks or so as it has never been kind enough to be somewhere where I could get at least a record shot. Today the bird would pass the torch to others which are all of the warblers up high in leaf covered trees where you are lucky enough to get just a glimpse of them, let alone a photo!
Another interesting shot of a plant Joan had pointed out to me which I thought was really neat and is called Indian Poke . I really like how green the foliage is as well as the shape of its pretty leaves.
One of the biggest highlights of the trip would be a small body of water that is usually pretty full but for some reason the water was down significantly and would form many mud flats and when there are mud flats, there is a good chance one will see shorebirds which is always a highlight for me as looking for shorebirds puts me in that same intense focus zone as hawkwatching which I never tire of. Joan would spot a Killdeer faraway and then Tom would spot a Solitary Sandpiper which was very impressive given the fact that the bird was so far away it would be pretty hard to spot. I would get a far away look at it in Alan's scope, but then suddenly we would see two other Solitary Sandpipers take to the air as they would make their peet-Weet flight call as they flew overhead. Awesome spot which makes me wish Quabbin was a bit closer and the water would stay just as it is now, as Bolton Flats is drying up fast with the lack of rain we have had which means not that many local places to chose from when needing a shorebird fix which seems to be weekly for me lately.
One of our last stops would bring many of the usuals including Canada Geese and Mallards and this very handsome Chipping Sparrow shown above. We would also make a stop along the reservoir where we saw three Common Loons and 7 or so Common Mergansers. Our final stop would be a powerline where I would immediately hear my favorite warbler of all time which is the Prairie Warbler. One may wonder why I would chose that as my favorite since there are so many exotic others to chose from and the answer is quite simple. It's the one warbler that is there for me every time I hit a powerline. One of my biggest summer highlights last year was running trails in the morning and hearing them sing and it's something I have longed for since the cold, raw days of January. Hearing that warbler singing its song is probably one of the most welcome sounds of summer I have heard so far this year besides the Chimney Swifts who are flying past my house every evening now as the sun starts to set.

All in all, a fantastic trip with a lot of really good birds. A great way to start the month of May.

Take care all.

Forbush Bird Club-Leicester and other birding

I attended the Forbush Bird Club Trip in Leicester today which was led by Susan which started off at Mullbury Street and as soon as we arrived we would be inundated by bird song which was wonderful to hear because it was a clear indicator that we would see a lot of good birds which we would soon find out. Susan has super sharp hearing and could hear a Black- and White Warbler so off we went to go search for it and as we were looking we would hear our FOY Ovenbird which was a sound that was welcome to hear after the long, dreary winter we had. We would continue along our way and see quite a few other birds with the highlight being the Black-and white Warbler finally but the lighting was so bad I never would manage to get a decent picture of it, but was very happy with the look I got of it through my binoculars.

We would all get in our cars and make our way to our 2nd destination and Susan had stopped the car caravan because she had heard something distant yet again, which turned out to be our FOY Blue-winged Warbler which is without a doubt one of my favorite warbler songs because it was one of the 1st ones I remembered so it would be another great bird to get for the day. We would all be looking around with our bins to get a visual on it, when Alan would spot our FOY Scarlet Tanager so needless to say, that was quite the productive stop!
We would continue onto Sylvester Street where there would be song coming at every angle and while it was indeed welcome, it was a little overwhelming because they were all singing at once. We would hear more Ovenbirds here, some Black-throated Greens, a Northern Parula and finally hear and spot a FOY Black-throated Blue which was another great bird to get this early in the year. Seriously, they must have all migrated over night because we got some fantastic birds we wouldn't think we would get this early in the year so it was like an early Christmas or something. ;-).
And not only would the birds be showing off their brilliant colors but so would the woodland flowers including this very lovely Purple Trillium above.
We would make our way along the path where we would bump into pockets of birds here and there including another Northern Parula, more Ovenbirds, Blue-headed Vireos and this very bizarre looking Cedar Waxwing above.
The most numerous of birds the entire day were the White-throated Sparrows in which we easily saw well over 50 of them. They would be going past us by the dozen and landing in brush or directly on the path and we would all put our bins on them making sure we didn't have anything in there that was not a white throat. They would sing their beautiful song and we would get some incredible looks at the very handsome males in their breeding plumage, but the highlight would be seeing a couple of them enjoying themselves in a puddle smack in the middle of the path. A couple of them would be drinking which was fun to watch as they tipped their heads back to get a good drink, and then a couple more would be doing one of my favorite things to watch birds which is take a bath. So cute to see them getting their little bodies in the tiny puddle and shaking about and you could clearly see they were really enjoying themselves.

Suddenly, we would be delighted to see a Palm Warbler join in on the fun and it was obvious this bird really takes his bath time seriously as he bathed for a good five minutes as we all stood their watching his every move. Bruce would have his really nice camera and the bird was so absorbed in his bathing that he was able to get some shots so it will be really interesting to see how they come out. One of the highlights of the day (which is saying a lot because there were many). I have never seen a warbler bathe before and the sun would shine in such a way that his vibrant plumage of his sparkled which was a feast for the eyes.
Here is another lousy, distant shot, but I like it just the same. Seriously, I have a list of "so cute" moments in my head with different birding experiences I have had since I started birding and this is in the top 10. So cute!!!!

We would end the trip with a very impressive list of birds including some House Wrens and another Blue-winged Warbler so all it all, it was a great way to spend a Saturday as spring definitely seems here now, so enough of the lousy weather and bring on more warblers!
After that Alan and I would head to Bolton Flats to look for the Lesser Yellowlegs as we had missed them where we were there yesterday morning and it didn't take us long to find them as there were three of them. I really like this shot because it shows off that smaller bill it has compared to the Greater Yellowlegs. Another thing I would pick up on was how dainty it walks compared to a Greater Yellowlegs. It's steps are a lot more graceful almost ballerina like vs. the Greater who would clearly needs dancing lessons if ever given the opportunity as he walks more the a T Rex. Another highlight would be seeing two of them chasing after each other which was interesting to see as they are not on breeding territory. One would be more dominant and chase the other off, but the other one would return defiantly only to be chased off again.
I would take off on my own for Assebet/ SuAsCo in Westborough to see if the Yellow-throated Vireos were back yet and I would immediately hear a Ruby-crowned Kinglet when I got out of the car. I would spend a couple minutes looking for it, but would never see it. I would make my way down the trail and hear many warbling Vireos and then finally the Yellow-throated. I would manage to get one good look at it with my bins and then it would proceed to fly up higher into the trees and leaf cover so I was never able to get a photo. I figured I would do better further down the path as last year I got a fantastic photo of one in a spot there so off I went. Suddenly I could hear some scolding like sounds coming from the spot I saw the vireo last year and was able to locate the bird but it wouldn't turn out to the the Yellow-throated Vireo, but a FOY Baltimore Oriole instead! I would also get one of the Brown Thrashers here as well as a Gray Catbird so I was glad I decided to get over there to check on the vireos as I got some other bonuses mixed in.

Take care all!