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.

Connetquot State Park

Not every birding foray yields the desired results.  This post could also be titled, "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" since we heard more of that than birds.  However, we were together once again, after a long period of not birding, and that was the important thing.

We started out our afternoon at the McDonald's in Bay Shore because the pond behind usually has the (for us) elusive Black Ducks.  Unfortunately, there were none to be seen, so we headed to Connetquot State Park.  After living our whole lives on Long Island, neither of us had ever been to this park.  So we had great anticipation. 

Our first stop was the pond.  There we saw the usual Canada Geese, Mute Swans, Mallards and a Great Blue Heron.  There were also winter visitors such as Hooded Mergansers and Ring-Necked Ducks.

Hooded Merganser

It was the pond that yielded all the rewards.  Once we began our trek around the pond and through the woods, there was not a bird to be seen and only one to be heard, a Black-Capped Chickadee.  And aside from a few Crows and one lone unidentifiable hawk, flying at a very high altitude and very fast, this was the only bird I was able to snap a picture of.........

Southwest Jet

We certainly had time to bond since we weren't doing much birding.  It took us longer to get to the other side of the pond than expected, the trail being about 3.5 miles.  Since the sun was beginning to set, we were happy when we finally rounded the bend to head back.  It was at that point that one of us, I won't mention who, (not Ar), realized that she lost her sunglasses!  Now we had to back track about a quarter mile, but successfully recovered them.  Now our fear of being in the park after dark set in and we had to greatly pick up the pace.

Ar heading into the sunset.

We were hoping to see or hear an owl since dusk was quickly approaching.  No owls, but many deer.  We saw about 12.  Here's one........

Our legs carried us to the entrance just before dark.  Though the birds were few, the bonding was great.  We returned home, tired and happy.

Backyard Birding from my Hammock

As this year come's to an end, I can look back on the few lucid or happy moments that I've spent bird watching.

It's hard to know where to begin, but these are the photo's I found on my camera spanning from the few peaceful summer moments in my hammock to Ocean City Maryland in the fall and then the first snow upstate.

Juvenile Hairy Woodpecker

I had the privilege to see a baby Hairy Woodpecker perhaps at his first experience on a bird feeder.  






 I was happy to be in the right place at the right time.  When mother and son made their way to my backyard on my feeder.                                    

Beautiful sighting

So as the day wore on I had a few more visitors at my feeders.

Chipmunks

Cardinal

Red-Winged Blackbird

 

Northern Flicker