Where have all the birds gone?

It is already the end of November and I don't think Sandy and I have managed to go birding more than three times in 2012.

Our goal or quest was to use our love of birding to help us make time to do this together.  But alas, this year has someone how eluded us and passed by much to quickly.

Last month I was looking out my kitchen window and I saw my first Dark Eyed Junco.  What is remarkable about this is that they only winter on Long Island and if they are here already then where on earth has the year gone?

So here we are on November 27th, and we are trying to plan something for this weekend.  But as always there are time constraints we must work with, service and other obligations.

Let's hope we spot some birds!

Birding in Sweden (Two Months later!)

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Birding in Sweden 2012

Okay so first we want to apologize for not blogging sooner.  Sometimes life happens and before you know it time has passed us by.

We will try our best to help you see the wonderful birds we saw while we were there.

We landed in Gothenburg Sweden at 5am after being up for almost 24 hours but we dropped off our luggage and began exploring.  We took a look at our maps and off we went.  We found our way to a park a few miles from the hotel and as we meandered through the gardens we spotted a bird that we could not identify.

 So we saw this bird and we were quite perplexed as to what it was.  It was black with a grey fuzz type hair piece.  Once we researched it we found this bird to be a Eurasian (Western) Jackdaw.

Our research shows that this bird is from the Corvus monedula (Crow Family), sometimes known as the Eurasian Jackdaw, European Jackdaw or simply Jackdaw.  Found across Europe, western Asia and North Africa, it is mostly resident, although northern and eastern populations migrate south in winter.


As the days went on, we found ourselves at the Botanical Gardens.  It was a beautiful day and we parted from our group of 16 to wander aimlessly through the gardens as we do so well.

We climbed rocks, went out on ledges, crossed waterfalls and stood in amazement as we took in the natural beauty of creation.

It was here at the gardens that we saw up close the Magpie. 
The Eurasian Magpie, European Magpie, or Common Magpie, (Pica pica), is a resident breeding bird throughout Europe, much of Asia and northwest Africa. It is one of several birds in the crow family named as magpies.  In Europe, "Magpie" is used by English speakers as a synonym for the European Magpie; it is the only magpie in Europe outside the Iberian Peninsula.

The Eurasian Magpie is one of the most intelligent birds, and it is believed to be one of the most intelligent of all animals.


Other birds flew in and out of our view but we didn't get any other good photo's. So we don't have much to show for it with bird photos but we had a great time.

Hej Da to Sweden!

Big Day II

Hard to believe but we went birding twice in one week.  After our first Big Day we were so psyched we went out again within the week.  

Again we stayed local, first we went on a bird walk with a guide at the Nissequogue River State Park.  There were six of us in the group, but must of them seemed to be backyard birders not professional birders like us, lol.  

The tour started out on foot and armed with camera's and binoculars we headed over to a pond where we actually saw a new bird for our blog.

We spotted a Gadwall duck.  Up close the male shows a remarkable pattern of intricate markings on all of its body feathers with a white patch under his wings.  

As we continue our trek thru the woods our guide hears a Chipping Sparrow.  Their loud, trilling songs are one of the most common sounds of spring woodlands.  We can't add them to our year-round list but it was the first time we spotted them together.

We also saw another bird that we can add to our list an Eastern Towhee (Rufous-sided Towhee) which is a strikingly marked, over sized sparrow of the East, feathered in bold black and warm reddish-browns – if you can get a clear look at it. Eastern Towhees are birds of the undergrowth, where their rummaging makes far more noise than you would expect for their size. Their chewink calls let you know how common they are, but many of your sightings end up mere glimpses through tangles of little stems.  

The grounds are beautiful and as we went to one particular spot on the grounds we were told that we have a juvenile Bald Eagle that lives on Long Island year-round.

 We searched the skies and all the tops of the trees in search for this Bald Eagle, but it wasn't meant to be this day.


So immediately we made plans to come back until we find our LI Eagle, but at the end of the tour our guide informs us that the State will be demolishing all those abandoned buildings this summer and they will close off portions of the park.  This then facilitates the need to get there quickly.

When we made our way back to the pond we saw some turtles taking in the sun and they were joined by some Mallards.



 







After we left NRSP we decided to head over to Sweetbriar Nature Center.  Though they house many different birds and animals we can't count the ones that are caged.  There was a Fox, Hawk, Vulture, and a Bald Eagle.  

The Nature Center has many trails and supposedly people have spotted Great Blue Heron's so off we go into the woods to see what we can see.  But alas it wasn't meant to be.  We were trying for 30 birds spotted for the day.

All in all we saw 26 birds this day, walking past the abandoned building of the Psychiatric Hospital now part of the NRSP and along the trails of Sweetbriar.  

 



As birders, when faced with many trails you don't always know which one to take, but no matter the direction, birding with your BFF makes any path chosen the right one.

Birding is Contagious!!!

If you haven't tried it, you're missing out on a great pastime.  Of course, perhaps, birding is not for everyone, but for those who have been bitten by the birding bug, it can bring a great deal of joy and excitement.

We wanted to share these photos from one of our followers, Tom.  He has been visiting the nest of the Ospreys at Sunken Meadow, patiently waiting for that perfect shot.  Sometimes that happens, sometimes not quite.  And while we always strive for a great photo, joy can come from simple observation.  After receiving the photos, Tom informed me that Ospreys take off and land into the wind.  How wise Jehovah made them!

We wanted to share Tom's enthusiasm with the rest of our readers.  Here are some of his photos.

Thanks Tom for sharing our passion!

The Big Day!

For all you serious birders out there, you no doubt heard of a 'Big Year'.  If not, this is what it means...

A Big Year is an informal competition among birders to see who can see or hear the largest number of species of birds within a single calendar year and within a specific geographical area. 

So, since we can barely scrape together one afternoon we opted to do a 'Big Day' instead, and boy was it ever a big day!  We limited our travels to the North Shore of Long Island on one of the most beautiful days of the year thus far.


We didn't reach our first destination, David Weld Sanctuary until around 9am but as soon as we walked into the sanctuary we were greeted audibly with the morning serenades of the White Throated Sparrow, Red-Winged Blackbird, and Cardinals.  While Robins filled the pathway and a Northern Flicker kindly posed for us we knew it was going to be a great day! 


As we meandered along the path, we were greeted by Downy and Red-Bellied Woodpeckers, Black-Capped Chickadees, Blue Jays, Mockingbirds, Crows, Song Sparrows, Grackles, Mourning Doves.  All very common, but lovely to see just the same.


As we approached the water, we spotted high above an Osprey as well as a Turkey Vulture.  The waterfront presented us with a plethora of birds.  We were excited to see many Red-Breasted Mergansers, unmistakable, due to their tufted heads.  While observing them, we saw some birds swimming in the distance.  We thought they were some type of duck, until they got closer.  Not ducks, but geese.  Brants to be exact.  Slightly smaller then Canada Geese, these geese winter on Long Island.  Soon they will be off to Canada for the summer.  In addition to these birds, we also saw Mute Swans, Mallards, and some unidentifiable ducks, too far away to get a good look at.  

As we strolled along the water, we marveled at the great variety and color of the rocks beneath the crystal clear water.  Took the time to gather shells.  As we got further down the beach, we heard and saw a Belted Kingfisher near the cliff.  While observing him, we caught sight of some swallows flitting over the sand.  They turned out to be Bank Swallows for sure, as we observed them coming and going from their homes in the bank.


We doubled back along the water once more.  This time the water yielded some Canada Geese, Herring Gulls, Ring-Billed Gulls, and some adorable Sanderlings foraging for tasty morsels.


What a great morning!  On the way out of the park, we saw a White-Breasted Nuthatch.  We really hated to leave, but there were more birds to see, so we had to be on the move.


Our next stop was Long Beach.  As we enjoyed our packed lunch, we saw some Barn Swallows also flitting, since that's what Swallows do.   After lunch, we headed out onto the mudflats.  From that vantage point we saw a Great Egret.  Further out was an Osprey nesting pole.  The occupant was at home, sitting on eggs, no doubt.  We strolled around, birding and shell seeking for a while.  The weather was soooo beautiful.  Sunny, warm with a warm breeze.  Alas, it was time to move on again.  Off to our next location - Sunken Meadow.

Before ever entering the park we spotted a Red-Tailed Hawk, soaring on the breeze.  There was the usual amount of European Starlings.  As we got further away from the parking area, we heard the call of the Fish Crow.  Found about four of them in the tree above.  This is the only bird we can actually add to our Year-Round Long Island Bird List!  We walked along the inlet where we spotted some Double-Crested Cormorants.  Unfortunately, no other birds were making an appearance that afternoon.  We did see some Terns, but they were moving too fast to identify accurately.

On the was out of the park, we passed another pole with a nesting Osprey in it.  We were able to get some good photos.


Our day had come to a close, or maybe not!  On the way home we spotted some Rock Doves and as we reclined in the hammock, with an eye to the bird feeder, we saw three more birds - House Sparrow, Baltimore Oriole, and Dark-Eyed Junco.  Our grand total for the day was 36 different species.  We both agreed that it was a really Big Day!

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words!

Spring is in the air!!

Today is the first day of spring!  Flowers are blooming and every morning I wake up to birds singing.    Spring has got to be the most wonderful season of all.

Spring is the transition period between winter and summer. Spring and "springtime" inspire ideas of rebirth, renewal and regrowth.

This morning I heard Dove's cooing, Sparrow's singing and all I want to do and stay home sit in my hammock and watch the birds prepare for their spring dances of romance and mate finding.

Alas I am already at the office so no bird watching today unless one lands on the tree outside my window.

I hung my natural fiber bird nest on Saturday, so I am anxious to see if any bird finds it inviting and chooses to make it home.  I was told that finches would like this type of nest.  So, I will keep you posted!

Back to an old favorite

Somehow we find ourselves with winter behind us for the most part and no birding trips yet to report.  So we picked a nice warm day in February and packed up our bird seed, binoculars, cameras and the Napster and off we go to Morton's in Sag Harbor.

We really enjoyed feeding the birds from our hand last time.  So that was our mission.  Try to attract some chickadees or perhaps a woodpecker to the seed in our hand.  Much to our surprise we spotted two birds that we can add to our blog.  En route to our destination, we spotted the familiar V-shaped wing formation of the Turkey Vulture.  




Our next unexpected surprise was a turkey of another kind ---- Wild Turkeys!!!  Lots of them!!!  Seeing so many at one time was a rare treat indeed.   We marveled at the beauty of their feathers but they definitely have a face only a mother could love.  And boy were they meaty!  Several hens and their broods may join up into bands of more than 30 birds. Winter groups have been seen to exceed 200.




We were happy to see that, even though the ground was not snow covered, the chickadees were still anxious to visit any food filled hand.  And if there was only one hand extended, they would wait patiently for their turn.

  



As we continue on the path towards Little Peconic Bay, we find ourselves on a peaceful meandering trail with birds chirping, wind blowing and the air getting colder as we get closer to the water.  





The path was beautiful but some in our group were whining about the stiff breeze coming off the bay.  Someone whom shall remain anonymous came to the woods in the middle of February with only one glove.

So, as we turn back towards the car, we feed more chickadees and catch a cardinal posing just for us.