Bird-a-thon 2010

I did my first bird-a-thon ever this weekend which is a fund raiser for Mass Audubon where you can bird from 6PM Friday to 6PM Saturday with the objective to get as many birds as you can within that time frame. I did it around my local area with Alan and while we wanted to get a good bird count, we were not doing it to be competitive per say, but just thought it would be the perfect excuse to get out there and bird hard without thinking we had a birding addiction or anything like that as we were doing it for science and it was our citizens duty of course!!

Our first stop would be Oxbow as Alan had discovered a very cool bird there earlier in the day and I would find out by one of his torturous emails he loves to send me while I am office bound. Anyhow, we decided to go there before Bolton as I really wanted to see it because it would be a Worcester County first for me. We had met up with Kevin B there and we all searched for it again and Kevin would finally spot it. I would manage one REALLY bad photo above, but thought I would share it anyhow, to test all of your skills. Anyone want to take a guess???

Why it's a Red-headed Woodpecker of course! HA. Not exactly the "killer looks" I had in Dracut last year of one, but I find this one more special because it's Worcester County which makes in even sweeter. Seriously, what a way to kick off a bird-a-thon so thank you Alan!
After Oxbow, we would head to Bolton Flats and the parking lot would be full with birders all participating in the bird-a-thon. As soon as we got out of the car we would get the American Bittern that has been there recently as well as the usual Yellow Warblers and Blue-gray gnatcatchers. The mud at Bolton is starting to dry up but we did manage to get a good amount of shorebirds including Semipalmated Plovers, Least Sandpipers, Killdeer and both Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, like the Lesser above.

We would also run into Fran and Dave at the parking lot and do some chit-chatting as the sun was just starting to set and were lucky enough to hear one lone American Woodcock peenting which is always the perfect way to end an evening of birding (would have loved it even more though if there was a Eastern Screech-owl to go with it though, but beggars can't be choosers I'm afraid.
We would head out bright and early again this morning with our first stop being Brierly to get all of the breeding birds that reside there as well as some hopeful migrators passing through. The woods would be alive with bird song coming from every angle including the Song Sparrow above
We would also come to an area with quite a few warblers including a Black- and-white, Blue-winged, a couple of American Redstarts, Common Yellowthroats and Ovenbirds. There would also be a Baltimore Oriole, Scarlett Tanager and the Rose-breasted Grosbeak above thrown in for good measure.
We would soon find out he had company as the misses decided to reveal herself as well which was very welcome because I haven't see a female yet this year.
As we made our way back we would hear a Wood Thrush, Eastern Wood-Peewee, Great-crested Flycatcher, Veery and the Chestnut-sided Warbler above.
We left there and made a couple of quick stops at other places and got some raptors including the American Kestrel above which we are going to keep our eyes on as there are two of them and we are hoping they are nesting. We would also see the two Red-tailed Hawks in Sutton with the male doing this display fight again?? as well as the Osprey in Grafton where we could see an Osprey in the nest. Also wanted to note we got the Grasshopper Sparrow in Sutton while we were there which is always a bonus and a Turkey Vulture that was totally loving the wind gusts we had today as it flew around the open land never having to lift a wing. There would also be a Wild Turkey there who was lurking around and staying real low as it wasn't 12 noon yet so it still had the potential of being on someones dinner plate this evening due to turkey hunting season that is still ongoing.
Another highlight would be seeing this beautiful Solitary Sandpiper in Sutton. Seriously, there is something about seeing a shorebird that will automatically tranquilize me and I can watch them all day. It puts me in the same zone as hawk watching in that it's almost a form of therapy for me kind of like yoga because it's so calming vs. birding for warblers which is more like gymnastics at times so it's always a treat to get a shorebird, especially in places where you don't expect them!
Sigh, such a beautiful bird and one we were glad to get today because we didn't get them at Bolton last night. We would hit a spot or two looking for a Spotted Sandpiper to complete our list, but alas not today.
While we didn't get the Spotted Sandpiper at the Millbury Cemetery, we did see this very large Snapping Turtle above, as well as both the House and Carolina Wren (we actually found their nest), a couple of Northern Rough-winged Swallows as well to add to our list.
We would make another stop in Millbury to check on the Common Ravens and I was thrilled to see that nesting was successful this year as you can see in the picture above where you will see at least three youngins peeking out of it.
Of course what would any local birding be without a stop at St Philips where we would get one of the Green Herons, a first of the day House Finch, as well as the Belted Kingfisher above.
Our last stop would be the Great Meadows in Grafton as it was getting late and the birds were starting to quiet down, but I hadn't been there since last year and wanted to see if there was perhaps a Magnolia Warbler there. I would see the pretty wild flower above and take a picture as it was so tiny and pretty. Have no idea what it is, but love it.
There would be plenty of the usual warblers there including this very handsome American Redstart above and its mate would be close by gathering nesting material.
There would also be quite a few Tree Swallows like the one above.

Our last stop would be Brood Meadow Brook to drop off our lists and donations and I couldn't resist one more photo of the many Chipping Sparrows we would have today!

All in all, it wasn't too bad as we were able to get 81 birds today. I would only get one first of the year which was the pee wee, but there is always tomorrow of course! ;-)

Take care all

More FOY Birds

More birding again today and got out early before work again with Alan hoping to catch some migrators and headed off to Butler Farm again to see if we could get more birds with the winds calming down some. As soon as we got out of the car, we would hear many warlbers including a Black-and white, American Redstart, Ovenbird and the Blue-winged Warbler above. We would search around for a Magnolia Warbler as that is what's on the target list at the moment but alas, there would be none that we would know of.

I was very happy to get my first of the year Red-eyed Vireo though and was happy getting the views of warblers that I did compared to how challenging it was seeing them last week.
After work, we decided to look for Bobolinks in a place in Sutton where they usually are every year.
We wouldn't be dissapointed because we spotted them shortly after arriving. I had forgotten how much I missed their song and unique way of flying so it was nice to see they have returned.
After that we would take off to another place in Sutton where Grasshopper Sparrows are known to breed, but we didn't hold out much hope due to a project the owner of the land has going on, that we thought may turn the sparrows away so imagine our delight when we saw and heard them doing their "tick tack da zeeeeee" song.
The birds would fly out of the grass and land in deep brush which made getting a really good look at them somewhat challenging, but I was able to get a couple of pretty good record shots of one using Alan's scope.
And check out this photo with its wings spread. So wish the camera was more in focus as this was just such a wonderful pose!
I would have my eye on a couple of Red-tailed Hawks the whole time I was there including this male above who is flying with its legs down which is usually part of the mating ritual these hawks do and sure enough, there would be another right along side of him. Not sure what this means as most Red-tailed Hawks have bred already, but it was interesting to see just the same.

Take care all.

A Mixed Bag of Birds

I am trying to really get out there during the work week this month with migration in full swing and decided to do some birding with Alan before work today and went to Brood Meadow Brook in Worcester. As soon as we arrived, we would see the Wild Turkeys above who appear to have something around their neck which seems to be a band of some sort. They would be all around the feeders and relatively tame, so I am guessing they are used to people.
We did quite a bit of walking and would hear many of the now common birds like a couple of Ovenbirds, Wood Thrushes, Eastern Bluebirds etc, and then Alan took me to an area I had never been before that is quite lovely with its marshes where all of the birds seemed to be gathered including this VERY tame Tree Swallow that allowed me to get close enough for a decent photo.
It didn't even seem phased by us being there so I am guessing its used to the crowd as Brood Meadow Brook is an Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary and can get rather busy with hikers and nature lovers.
I would take like 20 shots of this bird and had to post my favorite three because I haven't been getting really good photos lately so it was nice to have a bird in clear view and not hidden by leaves and twigs for a change!
There are also some mud flats and we were treated to yet another shorebird sighting which is the Spotted Sandpiper in the photo above.
I would head off to work and decided to do a quick check on the Peregrine Falcons and I am happy to report is looks as if nesting was successful this year. If you look at the photo, you will see the female PG on the left of the fchp logo and the male is on the ledge way off to the right of it. This is typical behavior after the nestlings have hatched as both parents like to be out of the box and watching the air for any threats. So happy to see this and am anxious to know how many there are this year.
I would take a quick photo of the male when I went to go get coffee and the falcon doesn't even squack when it sees me anymore and will just give me a casual stare as I take its picture and admire him with my binoculars. Such a good dad!
I decided to head out at lunch and hit Notre Dame cemetery as it is fairly close to work. I would automatically hear some Eastern Kingbirds and one would land briefly so I could take its picture.
I would see quite a lot of the regular birds including two Canada Geese and one had some white right around its tail which caused me to give it more than a casual glance. My eyes would suddenly be drawn to its legs where I would see a band of some sort on it.
I decided to get close enough for a photo, but not close enough to freak it out and it looks as if its banded with a 1048. I actually reported this when I got home and got something back already and according to what I got via email, this goose what actually banded in Utah???
I would continue with my walk when suddenly I could hear the quack of a Mallard in the river below. It wouldn't be a normal quack, but the most panicked quack I had ever heard any duck do so I tried to get in a little closer to see if I could see the duck. I would see no duck, but the quacking would continue to get more panicked and I wondered if it was stuck in some brambles or something. The river is down a steep embankment with mud and I had my smart clothes on, but really wanted to know what was wrong with the duck and if there was anything I could do to help it as the cries were just too much for my sensitive soul and I couldn't just leave it there quacking away like that. I would play out in my head what I would do if the duck was in fact stuck and figured I could grab it with my jacket and lead it into the water without risk of injury. I would also remember I was at lunch and think about the steep, muddy hill and I would picture myself going back to work with mud all over my clothes and wounds from my rescue attempts and the looks on my bewildered co-workers faces as I told them I got attacked by a duck on my lunch hour. :-p
Just as I made my way down the embankment I would find out what was causing the ruckus and it would turn out to be a Red-tailed Hawk who was bathing in the river!!! Check out the photo above and the fact that the hawk looks like a drowned rat.
And this photo makes me laugh too. I so wish I could have seen it bathing as watching birds bathe is one of my favorite things to do and I can't even picture how cool it would be to catch a raptor doing it no less!
But the excitement doesn't end there folks, nosiree. I would see this Chipping Sparrow above all by itself and then suddenly it would have company.
Which would be another Chipping Sparrow where they would proceed to copulate right before my startled eyes! How cool is that!!! Much better way to spend my lunch hour than eating a cup of soup and reading MassBird posts so plan to get out there a little more often because all though I wouldn't get any new birds, the ones I got were all entertaining to observe.
I would continue to do more birding after work at Butler Farm in Millbury where I would get my 1st halfway decent shot of a Warbling Vireo above.
The winds would be strong at this point so I decided to do some pishing around some thick cover and would get a Blue-winged Warbler as well as the American Redstart above. Besides that the place would be quiet but I have a strong feeling the place is probably alive 1st thing in the morning when the winds are calm so will be getting back there to see what other kind of warblers are around.
I would take a walk through the woods hoping for a Red-eyed Vireo and all would be quiet except for an Ovenbird who was making a half hearted attempt at song. I would end the day on the hill there the Bobolinks usually are and there would be no Bobolinks today, but the grass would be green the the sky blue as the strong winds cooled me off after my walk through the woods.

Take care all.

Birding Here and There But it Works!

I have been doing some birding here and there with it being May and so have to get creative with work so try and sneak in some sessions here and there until I get some much needed vacation time this month that I am using just for birding of course! Anyhow, I decided to hit a local powerline yesterday after work and would be trying to locate a singing Rose-breasted Grosbeak who enjoyed playing a good game of hide and go seek with me as every time I would get close to the darn bird that I would attempt to locate by ear, off it would fly to another location just to have me chase it again. I would be scanning the tree tops, with my binoculars, when suddenly I could hear a very hearty Crreeeeep!, right behind my shoulder and low and behold was a FOY Great crested Flycathcher.
The bird would stick around long enough for me to attempt one half way decent shot, before it flew off as I took a pathetic flight shot, but liked it in that it really shows off that rich yellow it has on its belly as well as the cinnamon tail. Great looking bird and one I was happy to get while the grosbeak taunted me.
I would finally get a quick look at the grosbeak as it flew off to another branch and was headed off to the area where the Prairie Warblers are known to be, when suddenly I would see the Osprey above overhead. This is the 2nd sighting I have had of an Osprey in Millbury in the past six weeks or so and I know Marc, one of my readers of this blog has seen them in town too, so it's nice to see they have become regular visitors lately.
I would finally make my way to the Prairie Warblers who threw me off at 1st as both them and the Field Sparrows were in the same exact location, and singing at the same time, so my ears and mind were trying to absorb it all. I would finally spot the warbler with my eyes and then my binnoculars where I watched it for a while and then attempted a lousy shot. I have noticed the past week or so, I am favoring my bins more than my camera so my pictures seem to be suffering the consequences, but the warblers just look so much better with the bins that I can't seem to help myself.
I would suffer the same fate with one of many Blue-winged Warblers I would see last evening as well. One interesting note was that I was trail running on Monday morning and would hear a Blue-winged singing one of its alternate songs with was its typical bee buzz (or as I call it beer buzz), but only with an extra buzz thrown in (picture beer buzz buzz ;-) )..
I would head out bright and early again this morning with the sole intention of running of course and figured I would just bring the bins and camera just in case of course. The problem was that the birds were all singing and I wound up walking a lot more than running (another thing that has been happening more frequently lately). Anyhow, I would get another Great crested Flycatcher, another Prarie Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, etc. I would be in an area looking at all of the Yellow Warblers chasing each other when suddenly a bird I had never seen before flew in right near the warbler. I would take out my bins and stare at it and immediately take out the camera for a record shot as I still had no idea what it was.
The picture quality would be poor due to the sun just starting to shine and the fact that I was rushed in getting a pic before it flew off so this is the best I would get. I would later find out it was a 1st summer Orchard Oriole when I looked at my field guide while eating breakfast. I never would have guessed this as I didn't even know orioles had first summer plumage. Seriously folks, as if birding isn't confusing enough as it is, now this! :-p. Very happy to get this bird and within walking distance from my house which is my favorite place to find birds as it's more special because it's closer to home!
I would dilly dally for a while as it was obvious running would be out of the question, but would see this Yellow Warbler perched on a power tower which I thought was funny as it was singing away.
Alan would shoot me a daily email to tell me what birds he got while I was busy slaving away on yet another spreadsheet and of course, he has some doozy's, like a Dunlin, Bank Swallow and Least Sandpiper (all birds I don't have yet of course), so I decided to take off at lunch because I just couldn't stare at Excel and Rock Pigeons anymore, so off I went to Institute Park to see if I could spot any Least Sandpipers there as they are rather common when the mud is right. As I was making my way I would see a Common Grackle and decided to take its picture solely because I knew it would be good, especially compared to some of the doozys I have been putting on my blog lately.
Anyhow, I would get to the mud flats and the 1st thing I would notice was the dead Mute Swan. Now I don't llike Mute Swans that much as many of you know, but seeing this swan really bothered me, so I had to position myself in such a way that I didn't have to see it while doing my birding. I would see some Killdeer as well as another bird that appeared to be a relatively smaller (but not too much) than the Killdeer and my gut would tell me Solitary Sandpiper, but I would immediately discount it due to the dark legs I thought I saw. I didn't have my scope with me, to get a good look at it, and I am not not good enough to be able to ID distant shore birds with my bins, so I think perhaps Semipalmated even though the size was completely off. I emailed Rick and he would confirm that it was a Solitary. Alan would later tell me not to go by leg color on shorebirds as it can be misleading due to mud on legs which makes them look darker than they are which makes sense so lesson learned and its obvious I can't bird for shorebirds without a scope for the time being as they are still all so confusing to me.

With that said, it looks as if I am going to have to start brining my scope to work now that there is mud at Institute as I find shore birding to be the perfect thing to do at lunch because it relaxes me and clears my mind. Just wish someone would move the darn swan that's all! :-p
I still wouldn't get my shorebird fix so off I went with Alan to Bolton for the Dunlin. We would be scanning the waters and there would be a TON of waterfowl including many Green-winged Teal, Mallards, and a couple of Wood Ducks thrown in for good measure. Alan would spot an American Wigeon and then I would spot this drake Blue-winged Teal. It was funny for a couple of reasons. One being the waters are quite dry now, so they would all be cramped together which made for some really good birding, but just odd to see them like that. Two, I vividly remember the wild goose chase Alan and I had in getting the Blue-winged Teal and that everyone else seemed to get the darn bird besides us, so wouldn't you know, we would spot one as easy as we did after we froze our a**es off this early spring trying to get it! HA

We would finally get the one lone Dunlin as well as some Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs and a Solitary Sandpiper. I would also see a Bank Swallow flying overhead with its dark necklace and its notched tail (which I was psyched I could see). All in all a great way to end an evening.

Take care all