Local Birding and Hawkwatching

I decided to keep it local today and hit a few spots nearby with Purgatory Chasm being 1st on the list in another attempt at the Red-breasted Nuthatch and Brown Creeper. I'd get out of my car and the area would be alive with bird chatter, including a very vocal Blue-headed Vireo who sang its entire song for me as I searched for others. The first thing I'd notice were the MANY Golden-crowned Kinglets as well as quite a few FOS Dark-eyed Juncos.

Since I was striking out again on both the nuthatch and creeper, I decided to move up a little and see if I could find anything there. I would be happy I did as I would get my FOY Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. It appeared to be a juvenile, much to my disappointment, but happy just to get it at this point.


When you hit Purgatory at the right time, and no crowds it can be a fabulous place to bird. Not only for the bird diversity but because there are so many places that get you to upper tree level which allow some fabulous views of birds like the one above of the Ruby-crowned Kinglet. Love the look its giving me, almost like "How did you get up here".

I was up high and on a ledge taking this picture and actually leaned against a tree for better balance as the drop would have been drastic and most likely painful so common sense is a must if you want to bird there and bird around some of the rockier parts of Purgatory which I often find are the best places to do so.

After that it was off to Martha Deering to see if I could spot anything and a distant hope the Red-shouldered Hawk would still be around. I'd see more Juncos but not much else, but a local who walks this place every day told me he heard the Barred Owl last week so I'm glad to see it's still around.

After that it was off to Butler Farm in Millbury for my target bird the American Kestrel before it's too late.

I'd get there and the sun would be warm with a really nice breeze. The high elevation allows for really nice views of local landscapes including downtown Worcester and Wachusett Mountain and of course birds in flight which is what I went there for. The local Turkey Vultures were out and fairly close by at times.

After getting settled I realized how much I missed hawkwatching. It's a different kind of birding for me and requires intense concentration (especially against a cloudless blue sky), but it uses a certain part of my brain that causes calmness in me as I get in a certain zone and everything slows down and is very relaxing. I'd be there about 45 minutes and see a bird far away coming directly at me with rapid wing beats and a fairly long tail and I automatically thing a sharpie due to the wing beats and the size.

Soon enough I realize it's my American Kestrel so out comes the camera for a record shot. I had forgotten how challenging it was to take pictures of birds in flight against cloudless skies as the camera can't seem to auto focus against it so I was happy with my picture as it's the only one I would take due to how fast the Kestrel was flying. He's obviously in a real hurry!

I could have left right then and there as I'd gotten my bird, but realized there was no place else I'd rather be than right where I was. After a while I'd get into a rhythm and scan against the horizon going left to right and then right to left looking at birds and other things like the plane above. It brought back fond memories of hawkwatching with Donna, Bart and Dave and some of the things we'd look at to make time go by on the slower days at Barre Falls with our favorite conversation being cumulus cloud cover or often lack of.

I'd be wishing for some of that cover when I spotted a hawk far away and could never follow it directly because it kept vanishing in an out of the blue much to my frustration. I did have some local hawks nearby who were around the entire time I was at Butler Farms like this juvenile Red-tailed Hawk above who was practicing some kiting.

Tucking and descending!

Headed away

Another photo of the other Red-tailed Hawk who was present. Notice those wing panels and how pale they appear which can cause confusion with a Red-shouldered Hawk .

Soon enough, the Red-tailed Hawks had left and I was busy trying to identify what sparrows kept landing in the tall grass and disappearing when I'd spot a Blue Jay flying by so put my bins on it for practice. I'd get bored with that and put them straight ahead and in enough time to spot an incoming raptor that looked kind of raggedy. What the??? The bird was coming at me pretty fast so out came the camera for pictures.


The raggedy raptor!

And the raggedy raptor would turn out to be a Bald Eagle who had me thrown off some when I saw it coming at me face on and rapidly using those wings which is something I'm not used to seeing an eagle do. Can't tell if this is a Sub Adult 1 or 2, due to conflicting things I'm seeing on the bird like the dark belly (sub1), and the obvious wing molt I thought I saw when it was coming straight at me (sub2). The joys of hawkwatching while taking photos because you can take it home with you and analyze it some more.

And speaking of molting, the Red-tailed above seems to be doing some of that itself which I noticed as it flew overhead.

One of the juves taking a rest from the flying and enjoying the day.

Lousy shot, but the bird was far away and I put my camera to full zoom and then cropped but figured I'd share to show off the pale V on the back as well the white tail tip you can faintly see.

I'd finally come back down to earth and realize I spent close to three hours watching for hawks and do so standing the entire time with only a few sips of water to sustain me. While I didn't get much in terms of volume or diversity, I was happy just the same as hawkwatching was greatly missed and I appreciated the reminder of that.

Take care all.

Summerlike Birding and Analysis Paralysis

I set on Sunday to do some birding and take advantage of the warm weather we've been blessed with. My main target bird for the day would be the Rusty Blackbird so headed to Bolton Flats where I thought I'd have the best chance of getting one. I'd get there early in hopes the various blackbirds would still be staged before they set off for the day.

Bird chatter would be quiet compared to the past two days which I found odd, but I could see quite a few sparrows when I first entered including my new pals the Swamp Sparrows and of course the many Song Sparrows that seem to be everywhere. I could see many sparrows on the path and one would catch my attention over the others so got my bins on it and it stumped me at first glance.


Out would come the camera for a lousy shot given the fact I was so far away from it in fear of scaring it off and after a few pictures and a few more looks with the binoculars I confirmed it as another immature White-crowned Sparrow. I tried to get a little closer to it for better pictures but some guy was leaving with his dog and baby in one of those baby slings which caused the bird to flee. I'd continue along the path and wonder what the heck that was all about as it was still early and the baby was wrapped in a blanket and conked out. I'm guessing walks around Bolton Flats calms the baby and induces relaxation and sleep and that's what the father wanted. Another potential Worcester County birder in the midst is my guess.

I'd make my way to where all the blackbirds were centered and attempt a quick scan with the binoculars which would be a challenge with many being hidden by leaf cover. I'd also use my ears which was also challenging because I had to distinguish between the many Red-winged Blackbirds and Common Grackles in hopes for a Rusty and soon enough I thought I had it and was happy to see the bird was on a leafless snag.

Now this looks promising, I'd think as I took out my camera for a record shot. I'd switch back to the binoculars to get a better look at the iris and soon enough it would turn around and this is what I'd see.

A bird that I thought was a cross between a Red-winged Blackbird and Common Grackle. The tail had me all thrown off due to how large it was compared to the Red-winged as well as its overall shape.

Then came careful examination of the bill which appeared to be thicker at the base and longer than a Red-winged yet slightly de curved like a Common Grackle. The bird I had just identified as a Rusty was slowly turning into a Grackle so I searched around for other grackles for comparison and tried to remember how long the juvenile Grackles held onto their brown coloring as that's what it was starting to remind me of and would be kicking myself for not putting my Sibley's in my pocket for quick study.

After spending about 15 minutes getting my binoculars on every blackbird I could see to make comparisons I wasn't confident enough to ID it again as a Rusty Blackbird so dismissed it as wishful thinking and went on my way to my next destination.

I'd then get home and look at my pictures and started to re-ID the re-ID I did at Bolton and whip out all of my field guides to do some blackbird 101 and here is some of what I'd find:

"A compact blackbird with a somewhat gracklelike bill" "slightly larger than a Red-winged Blackbird (and considerably smaller that Common Grackle), with a longish, slightly downturned gracklelike bill and a shortish tail". Source: Peter Dunne's Field Guide Companion.

"More slender than Red-winged Blackbird with longer tail and thinner bill" Source: Sibley's Field Guide to Birds of Eastern North America.

So there you have it folks!!! Funny because I've only seen Rusty Blackbirds once besides this and that was at St Philips when I did a quick stop to catch the train. I didn't have much time and could hear their call as soon as I got out of my car so out came the bins for a quick look and then quick pictures which came out great so I didn't 2nd guess that call at all. This time though analysis paralysis took over so I found it difficult. I do consider it progress though as I've always taught myself that a Rusty looks like a Red-winged Blackbird with a pale iris but would be taught otherwise as I had picked up on the differences between the two so I'm paying more attention to other traits of the bird besides the obvious which is what I said I wanted to do when I mid ID'd the Savannah Sparrow in September.

So I guess you can say mission accomplished!!

I do have to say Bolton Flats is lovely when the sun first starts coming out. So much to see but I had other places to go so off I went.

I'd get back on 190 and get off at exit 5 and head for Wachusett Mountain in a desperate attempt for a FOY Winter Wren and as soon as I entered the reservation I dreaded that decision. The place would be packed with bus loads of happy and excited children eager to make their way up the summit. I'd only last about 15 minutes before I headed back down the mountain and to the safety of my car. I think I burnt rubber leaving the main entrance I wanted out of there so bad. No Winter Wren of course, in fact, no nothing. I'm guessing the birds were all as traumatized as I was. Note to self, don't go back to Wachusett until mid November if at all possible.

Disappointed and traumatized, I decided to head to Sterling Peat to check for anything interesting that may have dropped in since I was there last.

And this is what I'd find. Now I'm terrible with IDing hen Mergs but fairly confident in calling them both Hoodies, I do want to know the story of the one on the right though as I've never seen a hair do like that one What happened to the Marge Simpson look?

Soon enough the Mergs would meet up with the Pied-billed Grebe who was actually moving around a little this time. The poor little grebe looked relieved to have some company and even followed them around for a bit. So sad to see him out there all by himself but happy to see he's moving as I was concerned about him this past Friday when I thought he could be a tree stump.

Since I was in the area, and didn't feel like heading home just yet, I figured I'd hit Kristoff Pig Farm in hopes for another look at a Lincoln's (swoon). The place would be much quieter than Friday and a lot warmer but I still held out hope for a few sparrows.

I'd get a notification on my cell phone that I had an incoming text message so was fumbling in my pocket to grab my phone when suddenly a rather large sized bird flies directly past me and lands rather clumsily deep into a bush. I instinctively drop my phone to get my bins on the bird and all I can see is a large bird with brown and some white plumage. Hmmmm....A juve coops perhaps I think as I try and get a better look. It's still unaware I'm there and making this soft coo like noise and I'm mystified as I'd never heard a hawk make that before. We finally make eye contact and I have to stifle a giggle because it wasn't what I expected. I can't hold back anymore and out comes the laugh which scares the hell out of the bird and it darts out of the bush like a bullet.....That bird would be a Ruffed Grouse!

I compose myself and continue walking while taking in what I just saw and the cooing had me all curious because I'd never heard a grouse make any kind of noise (besides drumming) before so this intrigued me. I'd continue along the way and come across a pocket of sparrows and get a few more Swamps, Song and another immature White-crowned and then suddenly remember I didn't have my phone. CRAP, I'd think. Panic would set in as I tried to remember where I was when I dropped it. I was so hoping one of the kids would call to make it easier but wouldn't be so lucky.

I'd finally make my way to the area above when suddenly "Whhooooosh", out would come the poor, startled Ruffed Grouse again!!! I would find my phone only 15 feet or so away from it. The little bird saved me with that one and I happily grabbed my phone and headed for the car. I was very happy with the grouse as they are usually a lucky "get" and I wasn't expecting it this year so I left Kristoff very happy with another FOY bird and my phone.

Take care all

Birding Sterling

I headed out to Sterling today in hopes for my much needed sparrows, but decided to go the scenic route which is Rt 140 all the way from Grafton to Sterling to avoid the 290 traffic during the weekday rush hour. Since I was driving by St Philips, I decided to make a quick stop to see if anything dropped in during the night and was glad that I did as I got a FOY Black-crowned Night Heron.

After that it would be off to Sterling Peat for the Pied-billed Grebe that's been reported there. There was plenty of passerine activity along the path to where the grebes been spotted most including quite a few butter butts and a nice look at a Ruby-crowned Kinglet.

After a bit of searching I'd get my bins on it to make a confirmation and then I'd hear some wing fluttering behind me so pished it out to realize it was yet another Song Sparrow which I knew all along due to its high pitched call note, but one can never be too sure. Anyhow, I'd go back to the grebe and realize it hadn't moved since I last looked. WTH? I'd think. I'd move to another angle and it was still motionless. I stood there confused and slightly embarrassed thinking I had just identified a tree stump as a grebe, but soon enough the little bugger moved which caused a sigh or relief on my part and an attempt for a photo like the lousy one above.

After that it would be off to Kristoff Pig Farm where weather conditions had greatly improved since my last visit.

I didn't see much warbler activity going in, but did see a few Palm Warblers and many Yellow-rumped Warbler's that seemed to be everywhere with their dry call notes.

I decided to head on a path I didn't take last week and it looked really "birdy" so off I went to explore.

Birds would be everywhere, including many sparrows so I was about to partake in my new game called "Make me a Lincoln's". There were many contestants eager to play including the usual Song Sparrows, Swamp Sparrows, Chipping Sparrows and this White-throated Sparrow in the photo above who appeared to be a little camera shy.

I'd come to an open area with plenty of sunshine and birds everywhere. I'd have my binoculars on an Eastern Phoebe, when suddenly I could see a bird fly from some brush and continue to fly directly above me which allowed me a good view and the first thing that would come to mind while in flight is that it looked like a "honkin' Field Sparrow with a notched tail.

My radar would go up because I think immature White-crowned Sparrows have similar colors to the Field Sparrow with the pinkish bill and warm coloring. The bird would never do me the honors of turning around when I got my camera out, but I did get a really nice look at it through my binoculars. Not as nice as an adult male, but it's still a striking bird. The bird would even attempt to break into song, but gave up after a few failed notes much to my disappointment as I love the White-crowned Sparrow's song.

I'd be walking along after spending another 10 minutes or so in that area and realized I'd flushed a bird with my walking. I saw exactly where it landed so it was easy to get my bins on it. It stared directly at me and the first thing that came to my mind was "Holy sh*t, I've got a Lincoln's".

I stared at it as it stared back in return and swooned because I wasn't expecting it to be as good looking as it was so it took me by surprise.

I mean seriously, how can one not swoon over the picture above. So cute!

Playing peek a boo with me as I continued to swoon.

Being a total ham for the camera, the sparrow decided to hop to another branch so I could swoon some more.

Double swoon as I caught in one of its hops.

Sigh, what a FANTASTIC bird. I'll go on record and not only call this my favorite bird for the month of October, but for the entire year. I didn't expect to get it as easily as I did and when I did get it, I expected to get a lousy view like I had in the past, so this was such a treat. It's reasons like these that I continue to bird.

It's funny because I ran into Dan last week and we were talking birds of course and I was telling him my frustrations with trying to get and ID a Lincoln's and he told me not to worry as "I'd know it when I saw it" and he was right. The first instant my binoculars made contact with that bird it clicked and it reminded me nothing of either a Song Sparrow or a Swamp Sparrow which were my major concerns.

The camera and bird Gods continued to be in my favor and I was able to get my best photo of a Blue-headed Vireo yet. So much different than the ones I encountered at Quabbin or Purgatory when all I usually are lousy butt shots. On the way out of Kristoff I'd get a really nice look at a Hermit Thrush which was another added bonus so all in all, it was a great day of birding.

Take care all

Rainy Weekend Birding

Despite the lousy weather this past weekend, I decided to make the best of it and hit a few places with fall migration starting so went to Bolton Flats on Saturday morning to see what I could find. I'd have to drive my car through the puddle at the entrance and that alone would remind me of how much I missed this place. I have quite a few places I love to bird at, but this may be my number one because of the bird diversity as well as the memories like my first Forbush Field Trip, walking through deep, murky swamp water in hip waders with Alan who's just as crazy as I am and of course the shore birds, who can forget them.

Anyhow, I'd get out of the car and it wouldn't take me long to find my FOY Swamp Sparrow. There would be quite a few of them and not much else as I was soon to find out.

Lousy shot, but liked the photo because it shows the small slender bill with the yellow base as Sibley describes on page 384.

I'd decide to venture further for my two goal birds besides the Swamp Sparrow being the Virginia Rail and Northern Harrier as both are usually a guarantee here, even this late in the year. Passerine activity would be slow with the rain that started to develop but did get a good look at a couple of Common Yellowthroats.

Since I was striking out on both the rail and harrier, I figured I'd just hunker down and wait for them assuming one or both would make an appearance if I was patient enough. I had plenty to keep me busy and developed an up close and personal relationship with the many Swamp Sparrows like the one above, who had no problem being on the ground as I was nearby. In the hour and a half at Bolton I came to the conclusion that I really like Swamp Sparrows and make the following observations.

1. They are not at all shy

2. They can be feisty and fun to watch as they chased after each other in some form of territorial dispute.

3. They pish easily

4. And finally, a personal observation about me and that is I'd never noticed this about the Swamp Sparrow before and it kind of bothered me. While driving home I'd think about it some and realize a lot of the chasing I've done in the past had given me the mind set that once I've seen the bird and checked it off the list, my work was done and now time for the next species. While it was and still is a lot of fun, it hasn't helped me much in my birding because not only are field marks and song important skills for a birder, but behavioral knowledge is key too.

When I got home, I went to my Peter Dunne's Field Guide Companion and there it would be on page 618.

"A busy, active sparrow. Not shy, but likes to stay where it's thick and likes to stay near the ground"

Well I guess I was right in my initial assumptions!

While walking back to the car with no rail or harrier, I'd hear some light drumming coming from a nearby tree and was happy to see this Hairy Woodpecker. When I first walked in, I immediately heard its call and a few minutes later I'd see a Downy and 2nd guess my call on the Hairy based on what I'd heard. "Crap I'd think, my song knowledge is worse than I thought after taking most of the year off". Seeing that Hairy Woodpecker gave a much needed boost to the old confidence and I left Bolton Flats happy despite the rain that had gotten worse while there.

I'd go straight home from Bolton Flats as it was now raining hard and spent most of the day cooking and harvesting more tomatoes, but decided to go for an evening walk with the light drizzle which felt nice after being in the kitchen for a few hours. I'd bring no bins or camera assuming I'd just be walking but that would change as I heard another chorus of Blue Jays making their mob call. It wouldn't take me long to see the target of scorn which was a Red-tailed Hawk. It was funny because the mobbing annoyed the hawk obviously, but it also looked as if it was used to it by now so just focused its attention to what may be on the ground and paid no attention to its rabid fans. I'd continue walking and think about the Red-shouldered & Blue Jays a couple of weeks ago and realize I don't think I've ever seen a Blue Jay or even an American Crow go after an accipiter before. Could it be they're wise enough not to scramble with a ticked off Coop's or maybe I haven't been in the right place at the right time. And speaking of the Red-shouldered, I'd hear a Blue Jay do a spot on imitation of one and I never tire of that so it would be another bonus.

I'd come home and the comfort food I made was ready to eat. Home made macaroni and cheese that I labored over as well as fresh bruschetta from my garden that tastes delicious on top of the mac and cheese when it's all hot and bubbly and the cold bruschetta sets if off real nice and is a great way to use up some of the tomatoes that are still growing in my garden!!

And since I had craved comfort food it only seemed fitting that I consume some comfort liquid to go with it. Introducing another hobby I've picked up over the summer and that is beer!!! I had become a Blue Moon addict and am now expanding my horizons some with a year end goal of trying every beer they have at Wine Nation...Kidding.......kind of. I only allow myself 2 or 3 a night and only on weekends so I'll probably not get to all of them, but it's fun just the same and it's another list I can have and you all know my love of lists! Tank 7 is a great beer and is nice and light with citrus tones so it went perfectly with dinner.

After being recharged from the dinner and beer the night before, I decided to hit Kristoff Pig Farm in Sterling in hopes for more FOY birds. I'd get my FOY before even parking my car and that would be the Wild Turkey I was complaining about in one of my previous posts. I'd see four of them and I don't think I've ever been happier to see a turkey because I took it as a good sign of course!

The weather was horrible with a consistent drizzle, but I don't mind birding in weather like this and the only concern I normally have are with the optics as there's nothing worse than foggy binoculars when you're trying to ID a bird!

There were a ton of sparrows out including many Song Sparrows, White-throated Sparrows and my new little friend the Swamp Sparrow who again, was not at all shy in front of the camera.

He'd move to the next branch and proceed to try and get some of the rain off of him while I watched knowing he was fighting an endless battle as my soggy feet could attest to. I have no idea how his head came out as dark as it did in this photo as it's the same bird but just looks weird in this shot. My camera being my camera again I guess.

I'd spend about 45 minutes in the rain following the various flocks of sparrows in hopes for a Lincoln's but now matter how hard I tried, I couldn't make any of them into one. It did give me the opportunity to really study the other birds though and never realized just how varied Song Sparrows can look in terms of color. I did manage to flush a good amount of sparrows who were feeding on the ground where they proceeded to land on some brush nearby and could confirm, the Swamp, Song and White throats and would get my bins on one with a really nice white crown, but be gone too quickly for me to determine whether or not it was a White-crowned or White-throated, especially with the foggy conditions so I'm assuming it was just a good looking white throat mixed in with the others.

The rain would pick up at this point and I was having so much fun exploring Kristoff, I decided to hit a trail that would take me into the woods.

Where hints of fall were everywhere including this cool picture above.

I'd spend another 45 minutes here and have decided this is on the list for snow shoeing this winter because the trails are prime with hardly and rocks or roots and a lot of open land which means plenty of sun which is always nice in the winter, especially with a pair of snow shoes on your feet.

Realizing I couldn't spend the rest of the day in the woods I decided to head back to the car, but hit a few of the smaller trails I overlooked previously, including this one that brings you to open land.

It wouldn't take me long to find a Northern Flicker like the one above. ;-). There would be quite a few of them so I decided to follow and they led me to some Black-capped Chickadees who led me to quite a few Yellow-rumped Warblers who led me to my FOY Blue-headed Vireo who led me to my FOY Palm Warbler who led me to my FOY Ruby-crowned Kinglet. Lesson learned, Flicker stalking does have its advantages.

The breath taking view I got of the Blue-headed Vireo was the best look I've ever gotten of one because it was on some lower tree branches so I could see in head on. The Palm Warbler is just as stunning in October as it is April and the Ruby-crowned just as striking with those pretty white eye rings its best known for. The rain was so bad at this point, I didn't dare take out the camera for pictures and now that I think of it, it's probably why I got as many birds I did with such great looks. Now that I have my camera back, I find that I'm still trying to work with it and often by the time I get it ready for a picture, the bird in question is gone so the opportunity lost. I think I need to develop a better balance between use of the bins vs. camera which was demonstrated to me today.

So all was not lost being out in the rain as long as I was. I had thought about calling it day an hour into Kristoff, but held my ground knowing that I needed at least one more FOY bird to make sure the Wild Turkey wouldn't be my last bird seen on eBird as that would just be downright embarrassing this late in the year, but as you all know, I'm not keeping a list, but I do have some pride ya know! A great way to spend my Sunday

Take care all.