Wild Parrot Alert!

Got it from a good source (Virgie) that there is a big green bird hanging out in Rocco's backyard!  There are wild parrots here on Long Island.  They are often seen in Brooklyn.  The two photographs are pictures of Brooklyn parrots.  They have also been spotted in other locations across the Island.  We went to check it out for ourselves.  We found Rocco, but not the big green bird, although we did see the two nests that he was hanging around.  (The bird, that is, not Rocco)  Rocco is on birdwatch duty now and he said we could birdwatch in his backyard anytime.  So keep your eyes peeled next time you pay a visit to Rocco!

BIRD OF THE WEEK - Week Five (AMERICAN ROBIN)

Well, birding might have been a bust for alot of us this past week.  The weather compared to the week before was freezing!  Cold, damp, overcast - otherwise known as RAW!  (Really Awful Weather)  The birds were still doing their thing, but perhaps we were doing ours -- trying to stay warm, inside!  Anyway, we're focusing on another common backyard bird this week, the American Robin.  I, along with most people think of these birds as spring birds.  The truth is that they are here all year long, even though there is some seasonal movement.  We do, however, see very little of them in the winter.  Since the ground in winter is either snow-covered or hard, they are found more feeding in trees or shrubs, rather than on the ground.  But, come spring, and they are everywhere!  You will see them mainly in yards and open fields.  Something else interesting about American Robins is that the males do the singing and this singing is not to advertise territory or to attract a mate.  They sing just before their young hatch.  This singing is repeated with each brood, (2 to 3 broods throughout the summer.)  Listen for them early in the day and at dusk.  Their song is three or more song phrases seperated by a short space, then the pattern is repeated.  The verbal equivilent is cheeriup, cheerily, cheeriup.  They have several call notes:  teeek, teeek is one; tuk, tuk, tuk, tuk is another; and this one is from my source book and I am putting it in just because it made me laugh, teacheacheacheach-oochoochooch!  Check out their songs and calls at www.birdjam.com/learn.php.  Click on American Robin.  May we all enjoy a great birding week!

Mystery Solved!

It looks like our expert birder, Louie, whom I have never met, has identified the mystery ducks.  Sandy was right!  They are some offshoot of the Mallard.  He said the tell tale sign was the curled tail feathers.  I looked this up in the field guide and, sure enough, Mallards are the only ducks with curled tail feathers!  Thanks, Louie for solving the mystery and for the suggestions on some birding hotspots.  We'll try them out.

BIRD OF THE WEEK - Week Four (BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE)

If you've had any trouble identifying any of the bird calls over the past three weeks, fear not.  This week will be a breeze.  The Chickadee's call is the same as it's name:  Chick-a-dee-dee-dee.  It is very clear and enunciated as is the fee-bee call. In the fee-bee call, the first note is higher than the second note.  I think of it as someone saying you-who. This is usually followed by another Chickadee responding with the same call.  There are other various calls they make, but the above two are the most distinctinve.  Here's the link to have a listen, http://www.birdjam.com/learn.php. Click on Black-Capped Chickadee.  These adorable little birds are quite inquisitive and trusting.  They will even feed out of your hand once they become used to you.  Look for them just about everywhere:  deciduous trees and evergreen trees in neighborhoods and parks.  Common at feeders.  As always, Happy Birding!

Sandy's Ducks

As San mentioned, we always have good intentions but wherever the day takes us is sometimes even better than we hoped.  The sun was high in the sky, we were on a street near the water and a park so the birds were singing and our anticipation for birding later that day was high on our minds. 

Sandy had laid out a beautifully set table where we had lunch and a nice glass of wine.  Sandy had put out suet in the morning to make sure there were birds in her yard for us to watch.  So after lunch we headed into her back yard to watch some birds.  Since they are right on the water they have quite a few ducks that were taking in some sun on their beach.  (By the way, Sandy had her husband blow out all the 'duck doo' so we could walk about looking in the sky instead of on the ground watching our steps.  Thanks Warren!)  So the first ducks we saw were the Muscovy ducks with a face only a mother could love.

Then we saw the mystery ducks.  Trust me we looked through every book we had and could not find this duck in there.  So here is a picture of the ducks we saw.  There weren't any differences in them so we don't know if they were male, female or one of each.  Their heads were a greenish brown color and the feathers were somewhat black and white.  So if anyone can identify them please let us know.  The consensus is they are a cross between Mallards and something else, what we don't know.


Overall we had a great day.   We were exhausted from having to play with Sandy's dog Chloe. Chloe is the cutest little Papillon that apparently loves to play fetch, tirelessly.  She would bring you the ball and place it at your feet, and stare at you pleadingly until you threw the ball.  Once you did you couldn't stop.  If you dared to stop she would bring the ball to someone else.  Finally the ball went into the water so the games were over (I think someone threw it in there on purpose, not sure who).  So we went back to lounging on the deck and the next thing we know Chloe had the ball and was waiting for one of us to throw it.  When the sun left the backyard we followed it around to the front of the house and lounged yet again. 

So even though there was a back entrance to the Bayard Cutting Arboretum just a few yards away we never made it into the park.  We want to thank Sandy & Warren for having us over, we will try birding there again.  It is definitely a great birding spot.  Sandy is truly a nature lover.

BIRD OF THE WEEK - Week Three (NORTHERN CARDINAL)

Northern Cardinals sing all year long.  Their song is abundant at this time of year.  They are, of course, easy to spot by their bright color.  Look for them in evergreen trees, thickets and brushy areas, and suburban gardens.  They have various whistled phrases, often including either a down-slurred cheer or an up-slurred wheet, followed by a series of repetitious notes.  Also their purdy, purdy, purdy call is often heard.  They also have a distinctive call note which is a loud chip.  Please visit this link to hear a sample.  http://www.birdjam.com/learn.php.  When you get there, click on Northern Cardinal.  Keep in mind there are still some regional differences in their calls and songs.  The audio should still give you a good idea of what to listen for.  Happy birding!

Passive Birdwatching

Yesterday was a beautiful spring day.  Sunny and the temperature was in the high 60's.  While the plan was to do some "active birding" at the Bayard Cutting Arboretum, Ar and I, in a blissfully aimless state, just went with the flow.  And what flow was that, you may ask.  After spending a morning in the field, (ministry, that is), we had lunch with our friends Sandy and Christine at Sandy's house, which is located in close proximity to the Arboretum.  Close enough, in fact, that we were able to relax in her backyard and enjoy the birds coming to us!  Otherwise known as "passive birdwatching"!  While we saw many birds, some were already on our list. Others, such as the Ospreys and Swallows are here in the summer only, and therefore, could not be added to our list.  Her neighbor's Muscovy ducks also paid us a visit.  The concensus is still out on Frick and Frack, the two ducks we could not identify.  There was nothing similar to them in any of our field guides!  We have a photo and will keep you posted.  So even though our list hasn't grown, we had a really nice afternoon.  Thanks, Sandy, for your hospitality.