One of Those Winters?

Possibly.  We already have a Red-breasted Nuthatch at our feeder.  That little sucker isn't afraid of anything either.  He hangs on the peanut feeder and will not leave even when I walk by a few feet away.  Not even when Roxy comes barreling out the door after the squirrels just below the feeder.  Roxy runs back and forth under that feeder and the Nuthatch just keeps pecking the peanuts.  Lori has a Red one too.  She also has Pine Siskins already.  It might be one of those winters after all.

It sure got cold here all of a sudden.  As you can see from the last post, we were in short sleeves on Sunday.  Today, I was in a hoodie and jacket, and my hands were freezing.  But the birding is worth it.  I was inundated with juncos (50), White-throated Sparrows (40), and Golden-crowned Kinglets (38) in the woods at Pennypack.

I look back at some old posts and think - what a dope I am.  Last year, I went on and on about seeing 11 Kinglets.  Big deal compared to this year.  I have seen more Kinglets - both Ruby and Golden crowned - than I thought was possible.  (Mark this post.  I'll probably eat these words in the future too.  Hopefully.)  I could watch these little go-getters all day long.  They are tiny little birds who are focused on picking little things from the undersides of leaves. They are determined.  Just like the Nuthatch in my yard, they don't seem to even notice people passing by on bikes or jogging, or even with Roxy.  They just keep going.  I wish them well on their southbound trip.

Birthday Birding with Brendan

Brendan got binoculars as a birthday present last week.  We took them on their maiden voyage today to Tinicum to see some ducks. We saw some ducks, for sure.  How about over a hundred Ruddy Ducks?  How about Northern Shovelers and Pintails and Teal and Ring-neck Ducks and Bufflehead?  Oh, and a Bald Eagle stirring things up a bit.

Here is the crew from today:

The Great Blue Heron cooperated for a photo:

This is the Pintail, Shovelers, Teal and Coot all in one photo:

Here are the same ducks scattering to get away from the Eagle that was cruising overhead:

Click on any photo to enlarge

We ended up with 40 species today.  Pretty good for the new binoculars. Oh, and we had Friendly's for lunch!  Yum

Bahamas Birding, who knew?

So, Tara and I went to the Bahamas after leaving the rest of the bird nerds in Florida. Got there Wednesday morning. We went birding with a guide friday and had nice success. We picked up 12 life birds, most in the shadow of the Atlantis Resort. Two other people we in our group, they came from one of the cruise ships, and they were from.........Lansdale. How freaky. Anyway, the list included 44 species, highlights: Bahama mocking bird (rare for Nassau), Bahama woodstar, the only humming bird on the island ( caught a female sitting on her nest), red legged thrush, thick billed vireo, Greater Antillean bullfinch, cuban grassquit, la sagra's flycatcher, mangrove cuckoo, gray kingbird, caribbean dove, and some warblers, praire, cape may, black/white, black-throated blue, yellow throated, palm, redstarts, oven bird, northern waterthrush. I was really pleasantly surprised. Bought me a tee shirt from the guide "Birds of the Bahamas", gonna wear it when i feel all birdy and nerdy.

Lori

2 Posts in 1 Day

Read the last post too.  I was rushed out the door here in The Villages to make the early bird special for dinner.  Early bird, get it?  My mother thinks that just because we are birders, we need the early bird special.  Anyway, the last post was rushed because we were on our way to dinner. 

Speaking of dinner:  here are some photos of birds with their own dinners.  Early birds all on their own:

Tern with a fish

Kingfisher with a fish

Osprey with fish

Sucks to be a fish in Florida . . .



More Florida

We didn't just go to the same old birding locations on this trip. In fact, we went to 2 or 3 new or new-ish spots this time.  First, we went to Sanibel Lighthouse beach and got up close and personal with Willets, Black-bellied Plover, Sandwich Tern and others. 

The next "newish" spot was Babcock Webb WMR right off of I-75.  I was there last year, but it was a first for the other girls.  I got a life bird - King Rail - walking across the dirt road.  Connie spotted it while I was looking up at the many Pine Warblers in the pine tree above.  We took Di and Barbara the next day and saw Red Cockaded Woodpeckers which are on the endangered list.



Finally, we went to Emeralda Marsh up near The Villages this morning.  We thought we could drive on the "wildlife drive" but apparently, you can only walk or bike it.  Go figure.  We still got great looks at Sedge Wren, Swamp Sparrow, Moorhens and even a Purple Gallinule which is rare.

Pretty in Pink

Guess where we went?Ding Darling NWR on Sanibel Island. If you haven't been there, I highly recommend it.  Highly.  We've been making this a destination on almost every Florida trip for the last 20 years but just recently discovered that we should time the visit to coincide with low or rising tide.  Duh.  That only makes perfect sense since all of the target birds here are waders that depend on low water levels to feed.  We had a double hit on this visit because low tide coincided with gorgeous morning light for photos.

We were thrilled to see a Roseate Spoonbill:

Then he was joined by a friend or two:

 And more:

Then there were more:

Then, there was the parade:

Then, there was the crowd:

 It was a pretty awesome morning for sure.  Black, white and pink.

Big Birds - Up Close

I think that's the best thing about Florida - Big Birds, Up Close.  Pretty easy to photograph if, and I mean IF, you aren't in a boat rocking back and forth.  Here are some shots that we got today at Alligator Creek Preserve:

 Black Vulture

 Red-shouldered Hawk - I think this is a pretty good photo

Broad-winged Hawk - check out his leg coming out of his belly.  He dove down and got a frog but those photos didn't come out.

Here are some from the boat in Charlotte Bay this afternoon:

 It seemed like there was an Osprey on every channel marker (especially the red ones)

Double-crested Cormorant - we like his green/blue eye

Royal Tern shuffling his feathers



Southbound

We are packing up the SUV and the boat and heading down to Punta Gorda tomorrow.  Well, half of us anyway.  The other half of us are taking Southwest Airlines.  I hope to catch up to those warblers, shorebirds and hawks that have been passing us by over the last few weeks.  I also hope for good weather.  And Internet connectivity. . . There is only spotty Internet connection at the house in Punta Gorda, so you may not get an update until we hit The Villages later in the week where we have really good Internet connections.

Stay tuned. . .

Fob and Poop

FOB
Three of us went to Palmyra Cove again on Saturday since we had good luck last week and its close.  This place always has a decent amount of birders and we usually see a group from a local bird club.  We've been here enough that we are starting to recognize people.

There's "grumpy woman" who NEVER says hello or asks what is being seen or nothing.  I swear she wouldn't crack a smile even if a _______ (enter very rare and beautiful bird name here) perched on her head.  And she certainly wouldn't tell us about it either. We can pass her on the trail several times and she still won't even nod a hello.  Her mother was right - her face froze that way.

There's "camera guy" who is friendlier and very laid back.  One of those guys that wears a button-up shirt loosely over a teeshirt and you would imagine wears flip flops alot.  He would crack a smile if the ______ bird showed up.  AND, he would tell us about it and even give us directions to the place where he saw it.

Then, there's "Fob" who is very friendly.  We've seen him with whatever group is going through that week and assumed that he was actually with the group. It turns out that he just tags along but is so friendly that the group leader calls him by name.  "Hey Bob, didjya see the Nuthatch?" "Hey everybody, Bob has a Towhee over here"  "Everybody look at the Tennessee Warbler! Good spot Bob" (Bob graciously gave me the credit for spotting the Tennessee Warbler)  And so on. He wears a baseball cap with an "F" on it which us dummies couldn't figure out. We finally had to ask him. F is for Fordham which he wears just because its blue.  So now we call him Fob.  Fob would jump up and down if he saw a ______ and would wave us down from a distance to show it to us.  Fob's ______ bird wouldn't need to be rare and beautiful either.  He made sure to tell us where to find a Palm Warbler which is pretty common this time of year.  Good ol' Fob.

It was also a good photo day.  Here are some shots:

 Northern Parula - this bird hung around right over our heads for quite awhile

Red-breasted Nuthatch - I think we'll see these hang around our area this winter

Scarlet Tanager - the bird with the most drastic color change from summer (red) to winter (greenish yellow)

POOP
Today, it was just me, Barbara, and the dogs at Tinicum (John Heinz WR).  Last week, Connie and I sat in the car at the gate with 2 other cars until 7:30.  We asked the men in the 1st car what was going on. They both sighed and told us that "she usually doesn't get here til 7:30 on Sundays even though it's supposed to open at sunrise".  So today, I planned to arrive at 7:30.  We were 8 minutes late and the parking lot was already packed.  We had no idea that today was the "Big Sit" which is a day where hundreds of bird clubs from all over the country record all of the birds that they see in a 24 hour period - from the same 30 foot circle.  The park opened at 6 AM today to accommodate.  We were told by the Tinicum Big Sit team that it wasn't a competition but . . .

We had beautiful weather.  And hundred of birds of the same species.  100+ Yellow-rumped warblers and a thousand swallows, 33 Wood Ducks - Barbara didn't think there were 33 Wood Ducks on the planet let alone in the same view.  Geese are definitely on the move.  A few flew over us while we were on the boardwalk.  I wasn't paying attention to them but Barbara grabbed my arm and yelled "POOP!".  I looked up just in time to see a poop bomb falling towards us.  Luckily, it landed in the water a few feet away from us.  Close call.

Up on the observation tower with the Big Sit team, we were getting good views of Tree Swallows perched on a dead tree.  Then it happened - SPLAT - right on the back of my neck.  Tree Swallow poop on my hat, in my hair, on my jacket collar.  Luckily, the Big Sit team had a roll of paper towels with their lunches.  Yuck.

I Had to Drag Myself Away

I left Pennypack Trust tonight ONLY because the Phillies were playing Game 2 of the NL Playoffs (which they just won).  It has been quite the 24 hours around here.  I have been to 3 different woods and each one was dripping with Kinglets and Warblers. I counted 100+ Golden-crowned Kinglets and probably 75 Ruby-crowned Kinglets.  Over a dozen Black-throated Blue Warblers, 50 Yellow-rumped Warblers, and a Nashville Warbler.  See photos below.  Get out to your local woods if you can.  We'll be going to Palmyra Cove bright and early in case you can join us.

Kinglets are difficult to photograph because the never stop moving and they are often under leaves picking for bugs.  This is the best photo that I got all day of the Golden-crowned.  You can see where it got it's name.  Remember, you can click on any photo to enlarge it for a better view.

Here is the best photo I got of the Ruby-crowned Kinglet.  They rarely show the ruby crown.  These birds crack me up because they look like their head is too big for their bodies.

Yellow-rumped Warbler below.  They are pretty drab this time of year, but they usually show some yellow on their "shoulders" and always show the yellow rump (although, not seen in this photo)

This is the "find" of the day - Nashville Warbler. It was mixing it up with the Kinglets right in front of me.  These are the best photos.  Beautiful little bird.

 He's looking right at me here.

I hope to get some more shots tomorrow. 

"the other side"

Two bird nerds split off and visited Rehoboth over the weekend. Tara and I went down with friends friday night after hockey practice, which meant we didn't get down there until 1:30am. Somehow we were both awake around 650am. So I dragged Tara with me to Cape Henlopen, Gordon Pond. We parked at a condo complex because the gate doesn't open until 8am. We didn't see a ton, but we got our first look, a very good look, at golden crowned kinglet, which surprisingly was a lifer. Good looking bird, of course no camera. 2 bald eagles flew by then later sat way off in some distant trees, I don't know how tara spotted them sitting out there, they were tiny specks to me. hardly any warblers, yellow-rumped and common yellow throat, a creeper, a flock of snowy egrets, osprey w/fish. There was a lot out in the pond that was not really visible with our binocs, could have used barb's scope!
Later we went to Cape Henlopen State Park, I was scouting locations for a sunday morning warbler hunt. We were at the nature center, so I asked the older gentleman behind the counter where they were seeing warblers, and he said, "oh, right here you can see birds, they all come to our feeders." hm, feeders and warblers. Later tara came over and told me that someone asked him what particular birds used a bird house that she wanted to purchase, to which the same gentleman replied, "small birds." ok, not the best source. So we went to the Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch platform for more info. Smaller platform than cape may, only a few people up there counting. I told them we usually go to Cape May, and they said, "oh, the other side....." They said they had the 2nd best day of the watch ever. We didn't stay long, but it seemed the birds they would see were way off in the distance, not flying over the platform like Cape May. The suggested birding spot was Thompson Island Preserve.
So, Sunday morning we got up and went there, right between Rehoboth and Dewey. Great trail, very scenic. Wasn't a great day for birds, windy and cloudy (yellow-rumps, black&white, creeper again, blue birds, black-throated blue). But the walk was fantastic, thru woods, then out to the marshes in Rehoboth Bay. We couldn't go very far, because the trail was very wet, needed boots, but it looked like it went far out. Someday we'll do it again, but will need better walking gear. Anyone looking for this place, good luck. There are no signs except when you start walking the trail. It's behind the Spring Lake Condo complex off of RT 1. Then you go around to the back side, and have to look for the trial head. We had to ask a local. But worth the walk if you have waterproof foot gear.
Anyway, that's the report from "the other side."

Not What I Expected

I snuck in a a quick stop at John Heinz Wildlife Refuge (also known as Tinicum) on Thursday.  I only had 30 minutes, so I only made it to the boardwalk.  It was "blowin' a gale" as they say.  The wind was blowing so hard it blew my trademark pen (Bic roundstick, medium, blue) out of my ear.  The water was very low.  So low that the Snapping Turtle was making snow plow paths through the mud.  Not good for the turtle, but good for the shorebirds.  There were 25 Lesser Yellow Legs, 10 Greater YL, and 20 Pectoral Sandpipers within 20 yards of the boardwalk.  I didn't have the camera with me because it was an unplanned trip.  Besides, it was threatening to rain hard.

Which it did late on Thursday.  Rain, that is.  It rained alot.  There was flooding all over the area.  Highways were shut down on Friday, rivers overflowed their banks.  Etc.

So, why did I think that Tinicum's water level wouldn't be affected.  We went this morning with camera, scope, 2 dogs and 4 birdnerds.  It was cold - and still blowin' a gale.  I promised the girls breakfast at Nifty-Fifty's after the trip which is the only thing that kept them going.  Anyway, we certainly didn't see any shorebirds.  The water was so high that part of the boardwalk was inaccessible.

We walked around the other way and got to see our first Yellow-rumped Warblers of the fall season and a few terns whirling over the water.  We noticed that one tern was much smaller and darker than the others.  It was a Black Tern, which we really didn't expect to see at Tinicum.  Here are photos - not very good, but we can certainly use them for ID purposes.

 Black Tern - notice the gray wings, dark spot on shoulder, and no fork in the tail

 Forster's Tern - overall white, black spot around eye, forked tail.  It is also much larger than Black Tern

A Few More Photos and Weekend Prediction

I wanted to share a few more photos with you from last weekend and share the CMBO weekend prediction.  CMBO is predicting good weekend birding due to the miserable weather that has hung around all week which is keeping birds stationary up north.  The weekend weather and winds are forecasted to be favorable for flights of hawks and songbirds.  Check out their blog:  View from the Cape for more updates.

Here are the photos of birds in flight from last weekend using the new lens.  Remember, the new lens is only 400mm so I have to crop the photos to get them to look like birds:

 Kestral carrying a dragonfly that is swooped down and plucked from the top of a phragmite

Osprey soaring right over us with Sharpie soaring higher (bottom edge of photo)

Peregrine Falcon with full crop (just ate something)

I couldn't resist photographing these swans flying in formation.  You should have heard their wings whistling

Click on any image to enlarge.  More soon.

We Sawra Sora

I have seen text updates all week that include a Sora at Cape May State Park at the Lighthouse and warblers, and hawks and, and, and.  Once again, I talked the girls into driving down to Cape May after the Phillies game on Friday night so that we could be there bright and early.  Biggie invited us to stay at her house, so all was set for a big day on Saturday.  Oh, and I brought the new lens with me too.

After a long day of work, a Phillies game, and arriving at the shore at midnight, we were up and out of the house at 6:15 AM on Saturday morning.  As soon as we walked out of the door, I knew that we were probably doomed due to the stiff wind coming out of the SOUTH.  That means that birds migrating south for the winter would have to fly into a 20 MPH head wind.  Which is NOT going to happen.  Crap.  The morning was basically a bust except for the delicious French toast breakfast.

Sunday morning was much better.  We awoke to winds out of the East North East so we got good songbird flight at the Higbee dike and went to the Hawkwatch platform to see if hawks were moving. Boy, were they ever.  We counted plenty of raptors of 9 species.  But the big find of the day was the Sora.  Here is a photo taken with my new lens at 400mm (I added a red arrow to help you find it):

We met a guy on the boardwalk who was specifically searching for the Sora because he had never seen one before.  Barbara found the bird with her new super scope by scanning the other side of the pond slowly. Then, bam, she says "Oh, here's the Sora".  It took her like 2 minutes and some good luck.  I cropped the original image with Photoshop to try to show you what it looked like in the scope:

More about the new lens and some more photos later.  I'm exhausted and going to bed.

Quick Camera Update

Thanks to everyone for your comments on my latest camera/lens dilemma.  Here is an update - I took the lens back to NY Camera and Video.  The owner sent one of his staff outside with me to shoot some test photos:

• My Canon 40D with my Sigma 150-500mm OS lens = out of focus images at all OS settings 0,1,2.  Better with manual focus than with autofocus
• My Canon 40D with another Sigma lens = slightly better images but still not acceptable at all settings.
• Canon D7 with my Sigma lens = better images, but still not sharp at all settings
• My Canon 40D with Canon 100-400mm lens = sharp images at all settings

I returned the Sigma and purchased the Canon which was my intent all along.  The only reason I purchased the Sigma was because 3 sales people at NYCV told me that the Sigma would be sharper.  Not true.  The good news is that NYCV stood by the sale, gave me good customer service and also gave me the original discount of $75 because I had rented the Canon 100-400mm last month.

I'll post photos this weekend.  We are off to Cape May for fall warblers and hawks.  Wish us luck.

Stay At Home Weekend

I can't remember the last weekend that Connie and I spent home - together. We had half a plan to go to Cape May on Saturday.  But even with the tweets and blog posts from CMBO reporting incredible amounts of migrating Monarch butterflies (click the link for awesome photos and report) and good amounts of warblers, the trip just seemed like too much. 

Instead, we went to Lake Galena and Pine Run Reservoir on Saturday morning, then over to Lori and Tara's neighborhood yard sale.  Peace Valley was a bust for warblers, but we got a great view of White-eyed Vireo.  The yard sale was pretty good.  Of course Connie bought some stuff.  Then we went to NY Camera and Video and walked out with a new camera lens. A Sigma 150-500mm Optical Stabilized zoom lens. 

Today, we took the lens to Palmyra Cove Nature Park right at the base of Tacony Palmyra Bridge.  We saw 44 species and had a front row seat to a Yellow-billed Cuckoo show.  I shot 100+ photos of the bird. Only one is sort of OK.  Sort of.  I'm really disappointed.  I'm taking the lens back to the store this week.  What do you think?

We also saw Philadelphia Vireo for the second weekend in a row.  You can really tell the difference between Red-eyed and Philadelphia when you see them both in the same tree.  The Philadelphia is smaller, plumper, and has more yellow up on the throat.  Here are photos for comparison (again, just barely in focus with the new lens):

Philadelphia Vireo

Red-eyed Vireo

Hawk Mountain 2010

For those of you keeping track of this type of thing, we (The Birdnerds) did not get to Hawk Mountain last year at all.  After probably 20+ years of annual pilgrimage to the world's first hawk sanctuary, we just didn't make it there.  We didn't go there even though they engraved a bench at the ampitheater with my Dad's name - thanks to the generosity of people who donated on his behalf when he died.  We still didn't go.  Well, we couldn't stand for that 2 years in a row, now could we?  No.  We went on Saturday.  I had a 102 degree fever and strep throat, but we went anyway.

Lori and I were at the parking lot at 7:15 AM because we know that Hawk Mountain is really "Warbler Mountain" in the fall.  We were hoping for early morning songbirds and found them at South Lookout almost right away. We also had a close encounter of the Sharpie variety while agonizing up the rocky trail.  We heard and saw about 6 Blue Jays squawking and darting at something.  We heard the ferocious call of the Sharp-shinned Hawk (more like a squeeking mouse really) and saw the hawk trying to avoid the Jays by flying in and out of the trees all around us.  Pretty neat.  That lasted a good 20 minutes - which is the amount of time it took us to move about 200 yards due to my diminished capacity (feeling sorry for me yet?).

Up on North Lookout, there were pretty much no hawks.  This is typical of our recent trips.  Beautiful day, light winds, no hawks.  We sat there and sat there.  Nothing.  Then, along came really nice sight - my 10 year old nephew Brendan with giant binoculars ready to see some birds (along with Di, Barbara, and our new nerd Amy).  It's a good thing Brendan showed up because the hawks started to show up too!  We got really great views of 3 Bald Eagles, a Kestral, and a Merlin.  The Merlin circled us a few times just to make sure we all got a good look.  2 of the Eagles locked talons for a few seconds and spun around in mid-air as if to show off.  We also saw plenty of Broad-winged Hawks soaring by.  Here is the link to the day's total  Brendan did a great job with his binoculars.  I think he studied before the trip (some of the Birdnerds should try that approach sometime).  I hope Brendan continues to join us on our annual trip.

If you haven't been to Hawk Mountain - you should go.  It's a pilgrimage that all birders need to take at least once.  The history of raptor conservation starts here, it's a terrific day of hiking, and the hawkwatching isn't bad either - unless the Birdnerds are there, so go on another day.

Here are some photos of Red-tailed Hawk from a previous trip to Hawk Mountain: 

Same bird, in a "stoop" which means that the wings are folded back and they are diving at a high rate of speed - usually after a tasty rabbit or mouse or something:

Hopefully, I'll get over this sickness before the weekend and be able to get out somewhere. 

Phillies Take First Place in NL East

You may not care about that, but I was at the game last night sitting in Row 18 behind home plate in the "Diamond Club" courtesy of Di's company tickets.  Sweeeeet doesn't come close to describing the seats and the experience.  Why post this to a bird watching blog?  Well first of all to brag about the Diamond Club seating.  Second, to brag about the Phillies taking first place by a half game over the Braves.  Here is a photo of me with Raul Ibanez at bat:

And third, because I did have a nature experience at the ballpark.  Although it wasn't the bird kind of nature, it did have rather large wings.  Di and I were coming back to the seats after buying a soda during the 3rd inning and the staff person put his arms up to stop us.  I thought he was stopping us from going to our seats during play which is what they usually do, but he was stopping us from stepping on this:

Of course, I had to "rescue" it from being stepped on so I picked it up and proceeded to try to walk it out of the stadium.  As I walked it through the clubhouse/dining area, it decided to take off and hang onto the ceiling.  Ugh.  Next thing you know, I am balancing on a chair, and trying to coax the thing into a stolen beer cup while the Diamond Club diners are looking at me like I'm nuts (OK).  Once I had the thing in the cup, it was easy to get past the gatekeepers to let it go.  Job well done - or so I thought.  

What do you think showed up at the pitcher's mound in the 7th inning?  Yes, my moth traveled all the way back into the stadium and proceeded to flutter around the pitcher's mound before settling in the grass between the mound and home plate.  I didn't see it again and assume that it knows what it's doing and is rather upset with me for moving it so far from home. . . 

Warbler Weekend

I guess that I have been an idiot for years now thinking that fall migration meant that it happened in fall because I have seen a TON of stuff this month/week including shorebirds and warblers.

I already told you about the shorebirds that I saw at the shore but how about shorebirds in the middle of Pennsylvania.  How about that?  I went to Green Lane Reservoir up by Quakertown on Saturday with our trusty Bausch and Lomb scope to check out the shorebirds that have been posted on eBird.  The water level had dropped significantly since last month when we took our first trip up there.  On Saturday I was standing (with Roxy and Sammy) on firm ground where the big red marker is:

Lots of shorebirds along the water's edge.  I was very pleased with the fact that I could tell the difference between Least, Semi-Palmated, Stilt, White-rumped, and Pectoral Sandpipers - by myself, for sure.  Of course, some other jerk posted Baird's Sandpiper on Sunday which I didn't see.

Lori and I headed up to Lake Galena/Peace Valley Nature Center on Sunday morning for a quick look around.  We hit paydirt with warblers - at least 6American Redstarts, Canada, Blackburnian, Magnolia, Parula, Common Yellowthroat - along with other species including . . . 3 not-so-Solitary Sandpipers and a family of Towhees. Mom, Pop and fuzzy adolescent.

We tried our luck again tonight after work at Pennypack Trust.  Jackpot right out of the car with warblers, vireos and flycatchers flitting all around.  We made rookie identification mistake with one particular bird.  Drab gray, warblery size and shape, complete white eye ring, maybe a hint of olive on the back but not quite, double wing bar.  Yes, you guessed right - Chestnut-sided Warbler.  After an hour of looking up in the trees we finally figured it out.  Ouch.  My neck might not last until "Fall".

Hooters afterhours

So, at 445am this morning, our visiting collie started barking and work tara and I up. Tara went downstairs to quiet him, came back up. The windows were open, and as she came back up I heard "hoo hoo hooo, hoo hoo hoooo." She heard it too, then we heard 2 of them calling. So we got up at 5am, wandered outside to find the owls. They were 2 blocks away, unfortunately too dark to see into the trees, however, as we got closer one flew out clear as day, big ole owl. The other one was already too far away. So there you have it, 2 hooters in Ivyland, besides mine.
And, Mars was next to the moon last night, pretty cool.

Lori

Circle of Life

That's what they called it in The Lion King and that's what we call it when we see "nature in action" while birding.  We witnessed many herons and egrets picking fish and eels out of the shrunken pond at the lighthouse.  It was really easy for them to pick a meal and really natural for us to watch.  We noticed a group of Egrets standing in a circle with all bills pointed toward the center.  Then we focused on the center of the circle to find one Egret in an unnatural position at the water's surface.  But it is unsettling to see the bird laying there helpless, knowing that it will not survive. Snapping Turtles gotta eat too I guess. I don't know why it bothers me more to see that than when the birds are eating something.

At Forsythe, we had really great views of Gull-billed Terns.  These terns are not very common and always a treat to see. I was fortunate enough to snap a photo of one flying over with a meal in its bill.  Can you figure out what he dined on?

Then there was the tragedy of a big fish kill along the Delaware Bay.  I snapped this shot of the fish along the beach in The Villas.  We still don't know what killed them all.

This is all part of watching and nature.  Sometimes we overlook it and sometimes it stays with us. 

We Learned Alot - 2nd Post

We learned that we should start looking for shorebirds in "fall" migration during July and into August.  We learned that we should know which birds winter close and which go all the way to South America when trying to identify species.  We learned all about feathers and molting and juvenile plumage.  We learned that we should never assume that all of the birds in a flock are the same.  And we learned that a spotting scope is invaluable when watching shorebirds.

Here are some photos of shorebirds that we learned.  For instance, here is a Short-billed Dowitcher in fresh juvenile plumage:

Psych!  This is a Least Sandpiper in worn plumage.  This is really the second post on how to freak out the workshop leader.  Notice that this bird is in the grass.  That is another thing we learned - Least Sandpipers forage higher from the water than other "peeps".

Here is Semipalmated Sandpiper on the beach at the Villas.  I'll have you know that Barbara and I trudged through thick black muck to get out to the sandbar where these birds were running around.  We'll probably get some disease.

Notice the few black feathers on the back of this bird.  They are the leftover breeding plumage feathers that have not molted yet.  We learned that anyway. 

More tomorrow.