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Mainly Birding

Bryan — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 15:43:16 +0000

A Lapland Longspur nearly in our laps. A Lark Sparrow out East on a lark. And Harlequin Ducks having us shouting out in joy. So it went on the Vermont Bird Tours annual trip to Coastal Maine.

Out here you need not go to the high arctic to see those longspurs. (Yeah, their hind toe is long.) In winter they move south, often dropping in along the coast, like that one pictured here at Dyer Point in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. Joining it was an Ipswitch Sparrow (drat, no photo). It’s a pure Easterner, a race of the widespread Savannah Sparrow that breeds only on Sable Island, Nova Scotia. It’s pale and big. And it’s always a nice find on the coast.

Meanwhile, from the coast of Maine, the nearest nesting Lark Sparrow population is in Ohio. So it was with some surprise when a Lark Sparrow, darting by, narrowly escaped my windshield. I slammed on the brakes. The sparrow took off. But we relocated him around the corner. Lark Sparrows (over there to the right) breed in prairies and other openings across the continent’s Plains and portions of the West. But the species has a thing for the East coast in fall. We routinely see them on the Monhegan Island trip, for example. So it was only with “some surprise” that we bumped into one (almost literally).

Yet we were there for coastal birds. They obliged: Black Guillemots, all three scoter species, quality time with shorebirds, knee-weakening looks at those Harlequin Ducks and Northern Gannets. Here we are below practicing my favorite pastime in early November, watching birds at dawn on the Atlantic Ocean, this particular morning at Dyer Point south of Portland.

For our complete trip list

Vermont Bird Tours trip to Coastal Maine (between Ogunquit and Dyer Point)
Trip List – November 5-6, 2011

Canada Goose
American Black Duck
Mallard
Common Eider
Harlequin Duck
Surf Scoter
White-winged Scoter
Black Scoter
Long-tailed Duck
Bufflehead
Red-breasted Merganser
Wild Turkey
Red-throated Loon
Common Loon
Horned Grebe
Red-necked Grebe
Northern Gannet
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Northern Harrier
Black-bellied Plover
Greater Yellowlegs
Sanderling
Dunlin
Hudsonian Godwits (seen by Bryan during pre-trip scouting)
American Woodcock
Bonaparte’s Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Black Guillemot
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Blue Jay
American Crow
Horned Lark
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
American Robin
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
American Pipit
Lapland Longspur
Snow Bunting
Yellow-rumped Warbler
American Tree Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow (Ipswich)
Song Sparrow
Lark Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Rusty Blackbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
House Finch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

Monhegan Update No. 4

Bryan — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 07:02:20 +0000

Still a bit of the doldrums birding here on Monhegan Island. We’ve had but one day of north winds since I arrived on September 19. But there can be no complaints on an island this beautiful. The shearwater show off Lobster Cove was impressive Friday morning, with, oh, I dunno, hundreds of Great Shearwaters and far fewer Cory’s Shearwaters (perhaps one for every 50 Greats). Kristen Lindquist kicked up a Canada Warbler on Friday near the Trailing Yew. Dickcissels, Lark Sparrows and Clay-colored Sparrows are still making the rounds in the village. Here’s a Prairie Warbler and Black Guillemot, which I actually photographed quite close to one another on the island’s north shore on Thursday.

Monhegan Update No. 3

Bryan — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 09:38:56 +0000

Gentle north winds, the first in many days, carried a new wave of migrants to the island Tuesday. But songbird diversity remains relatively low. Noteworthy were two Western Kingbirds, several Dickcissels (often issuing their distinctive buzzy call note) two Lark Sparrows together and newly arrived Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, Baltimore Orioles and Indigo Buntings. The abundant bird on the island now is most certainly Yellow-rumped Warbler. But here’s a Black-and-white Warbler near Monhegan’s Ice Pond.

What departed Monhegan on those north winds were insects, lots of them. Many of the Monarchs nectaring on asters and red clover on Monday during south winds were gone with Tuesday’s north winds. Same goes for the abundance of dragonflies here, particularly the mosaic darners in the genus Aeshna and the classic migratory species, Common Green Darner (Anax junius). But here’s a Common Buckeye, rare at this latitude, at Lobster Cove.

Monhegan Update No. 2

Bryan — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 09:50:19 +0000

Some shearwaters are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them. As you may know, the powers that be have renamed Greater Shearwater as Great Shearwater. In any event, below are some shearwater shots by my friend Terry Allen from her boat ride to Monhegan Island, Maine.

Meanwhile, the winds are still turned against us here for fall migration. But we did see a few new birds arrive today and Sunday. A Blue Grosbeak and Dickcissel were calling near the Lupine Gallery this morning. Indigo Buntings have arrived. Highlights from Sunday included Lesser Black-backed Gull, American Golden Plover, Dickcissel and Lapland Longspur at Lobster Cove. I also located two Common Buckeyes (not so common up here) at the southern end of the island. We’re still seeing Clay-colored Sparrow at Tom and Josephine Martin’s feeders. Philadelphia Vireos are here and there among the hoards of Red-eyed Vireos. An Osprey flying over Burnt Head was new Sunday. And the trees in the village got a new dose of warblers, including good numbers of Blackpoll Warblers (above). Below these two Great Shearwater photos is last night’s sunset from behind the Monhegan School.

Monhegan Update No. 1

Bryan — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 07:37:47 +0000

The best shearwater show in memory greeted the Vermont Bird Tours annual fall outing to Monhegan Island. We arrived Monday to find three species swarming around this tiny island off Maine’s midcoast: Great Shearwater (numerous), Cory’s Shearwater (sparse) and Manx Shearwater (3). Sooty Shearwater has also been seen flying offshore.

The songbird diversity and abundance has been limited so far. Our best songbird has been a Prothonotary Warbler on the way to the wharf, last encountered Wednesday morning. (That’s an image of an adult from North Carolina, not Maine; but you get the idea.) Other notables include the usual Monhegan oddities such as Dickcissel, Blue Grosbeak and Lark Sparrow. In other news (e.g. a bird we missed) Luke Sietz and Jeremiah Trimble found up a Connecticut Warbler in the woods behind the meadow on Wednesday.

We’re eagerly waiting for north winds to dump more migrants onto the island. Even without them, the place is still paradise. Here’s a Lark Sparrow on a lobster trap.

Ohio-Ontario Update No. 4

Bryan — Sat, 14 May 2011 08:17:50 +0000

Friday was Vireo Day at Point Pelee. A Bell’s Vireo, offering long, satisfying looks at eye level, brought our trip vireo total to six species. And we haven’t yet seen White-eyed Vireo. Great looks at Mourning Warbler and a singing Kentucky Warbler brings our warbler tally to 31 species. We wrapped up the Catharus thrushes with nice looks at Gray-cheeked Thrush, which distracted us from a female Summer Tanager and a Red-headed Woodpecker at the point. For now, before rushing out for more birds, here’s video of a tired Philadelphia Vireo at the point. No magic or magnification here — just the bird through my point-and-shoot camera. Click on the high-definition version at the lower right! I’ll wrap up with a full report in few days.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Ohio-Ontario Update No. 3

Bryan — Thu, 12 May 2011 08:03:27 +0000

Iceland Gull and Yellow-throated Warbler were among the highlights Wednesday at the famed Point Pelee National Park as the Vermont Bird Tours spring migration trip continues here in Leamington, Ontario.

It was a relatively quiet day at Point Pelee, where fallouts happen. But the woods here are loaded with Rose-breasted Grosbeaks and Baltimore and Orchard Orioles, which never fail to disappoint. A Louisiana Waterthrush and a particularly cooperative Orange-crowned Warbler bring our warbler tally to 29 species. So we should crack 30 if we find a few missing from our list: Golden-winged or Mourning or even Kirtlands. You can scroll through a few warblers in profile as you peruse our trip list so far.

DUCKS, GEESE, and SWANS
Canada Goose
Mute Swan
Trumpeter Swan
Wood Duck
Gadwall
American Black Duck
Mallard
Blue-winged Teal
Northern Shoveler
Ring-necked Duck
Greater Scaup
Hooded Merganser
Common Merganser
Red-breasted Merganser
Ruddy Duck
PARTRIDGES, GROUSE, TURKEYS and QUAIL
Wild Turkey
Common Loon
GREBES
Pied-billed Grebe
CORMORANTS
Double-crested Cormorant
BITTERNS, HERONS
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Green Heron
Black-crowned Night-Heron
VULTURES
Turkey Vulture
KITES, HAWKS, EAGLES
Bald Eagle
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Cooper’s Hawk
Broad-winged Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
CARACARAS and FALCONS
American Kestrel
Peregrine Falcon
RAILS, GALLINULES, and COOTS
Sora
Common Moorhen
American Coot
CRANES
Sandhill Crane
PLOVERS
Semipalmated Plover
Killdeer
SANDPIPERS, PHALAROPES
Spotted Sandpiper
Solitary Sandpiper
Lesser Yellowlegs
Least Sandpiper
Dunlin
American Woodcock
GULLS and TERNS
Bonaparte’s Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Iceland Gull
Black Tern
Common Tern
Forster’s Tern
PIGEONS and DOVES
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
CUCKOOS
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Black-billed Cuckoo
OWLS
Eastern Screech-Owl
GOATSUCKERS
Common Nighthawk
Whip-poor-will
SWIFTS
Chimney Swift
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
KINGFISHERS
Belted Kingfisher
WOODPECKERS
Red-headed Woodpecker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
TYRANT FLYCATCHERS
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Willow Flycatcher
Least Flycatcher
Eastern Phoebe
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
VIREOS
Yellow-throated Vireo
Blue-headed Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Philadelphia Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
JAYS and CROWS
Blue Jay
American Crow
LARKS
Horned Lark
SWALLOWS
Purple Martin
Tree Swallow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Bank Swallow
Barn Swallow
CHICKADEES and TITMICE
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
NUTHATCHES
Red-breasted Nuthatch
White-breasted Nuthatch
CREEPERS
Brown Creeper
WRENS
Carolina Wren
House Wren
KINGLETS
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
GNATCATCHERS
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
THRUSHES
Eastern Bluebird
Veery
Gray-cheeked Thrush
Swainson’s Thrush
Hermit Thrush
Wood Thrush
American Robin
MOCKINGBIRDS and THRASHERS
Gray Catbird
STARLINGS
European Starling
WAGTAILS and PIPITS
American Pipit
Cedar Waxwing
WOOD-WARBLERS
Blue-winged Warbler
Tennessee Warbler
Orange-crowned Warbler
Nashville Warbler
Northern Parula
Yellow Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Cape May Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
Yellow-throated Warbler
Pine Warbler
Palm Warbler
Bay-breasted Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Cerulean Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
American Redstart
Prothonotary Warbler
Ovenbird
Northern Waterthrush
Louisiana Waterthrush
Common Yellowthroat
Hooded Warbler
Wilson’s Warbler
Canada Warbler
TANAGERS
Summer Tanager
Scarlet Tanager
NEW WORLD SPARROWS
Eastern Towhee
Chipping Sparrow
Field Sparrow
Lark Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Lincoln’s Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
CARDINALS and GROSBEAKS
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Indigo Bunting
BLACKBIRDS
Red-winged Blackbird
Yellow-headed Blackbird
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Orchard Oriole
Baltimore Oriole
FINCHES and ALLIES
House Finch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

Ohio-Ontario Update No. 2

Bryan — Tue, 10 May 2011 08:27:32 +0000

Red-headed Woodpecker, Blue-winged Warbler, Hooded Warbler and Lark Sparrow were among the many delights during the Vermont Bird Tours spring migration trip to Ohio and Ontario. We spent most of Monday at Oak Openings Metropark, a delightful prairie preserve west of Toledo. It’s a medley of oak savanna and woodlands, of tallgrass and wet prairie. Oak Openings is a place for bold birds: Scarlet and Summer tanagers, Indigo Bunting and Eastern Meadowlark.

On a calm, sunny day, we padded our insect list with Six-spotted Tiger Beetle (below), Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Eastern Comma and American Lady, among others.

With 25 warbler species accounted for, we wrap up the Ohio portion of the trip today and head for Point Pelee National Park in Ontario. Gotta run. Onward to 30 warbler species.

Ohio-Ontario Update No. 1

Bryan — Mon, 09 May 2011 09:11:49 +0000

Is is possible to walk away from a singing male Cerulean Warbler? Feeding along the shores of Lake Erie — at birder’s-eye-level, I might add — he’s been among the highlight of the Vermont Bird Tours trip to Ohio and Point Pelee.

Yep, the woods at Magee Marsh, 20 miles east of Toledo, are lousy with warblers. We pulled into the parking lot Friday afternoon and parked next to a willow full of a dozen or so Cape May Warblers (and one Bay-breasted in the cottonwood next door). Our mornings here include, for example, great looks at both cuckoo species, a sitting Eastern Screech Owl and a second sunrise each time a Prothonotory Warbler pops up from the swamp.

Birding here is like a sweet dream. Effortless and with abundance. My particular highlight was spotting Yellow-headed Blackbirds flying way across the marsh at Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge. Oh, the yellow out here! A blackbird with a glowing bulb for a head.

I’m too swamped to post photos right away. You can read on for a bird list — we’re in no rush to chalk up more birds. But expect many more in the days to come. Oh, and yeah, it’s possible to tear yourself away from a Cerulean Warbler. After all, there could be a Kirtland’s out there. For now, We’re off to see Lark Sparrows (above) today. For the bird list

DUCKS, GEESE, and SWANS
Canada Goose
Mute Swan
Trumpeter Swan
Wood Duck
Gadwall
Mallard
Northern Shoveler
Ring-necked Duck
Ruddy Duck
PARTRIDGES, GROUSE, TURKEYS and OLD WORLD QUAIL
Wild Turkey
GREBES
Pied-billed Grebe
CORMORANTS
Double-crested Cormorant
BITTERNS, HERONS, and ALLIES
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Green Heron
Black-crowned Night-Heron
NEW WORLD VULTURES
Turkey Vulture
KITES, HAWKS, EAGLES, and ALLIES
Bald Eagle
Cooper’s Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
CARACARAS and FALCONS
American Kestrel
RAILS, GALLINULES, and COOTS
Sora
Common Moorhen
American Coot
CRANES
Sandhill Crane
PLOVERS and LAPWINGS
Killdeer
SANDPIPERS, PHALAROPES, and ALLIES
Spotted Sandpiper
Lesser Yellowlegs
GULLS, TERNS, and SKIMMERS
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Common Tern
Forster’s Tern
PIGEONS and DOVES
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
CUCKOOS, ROADRUNNERS, and ANIS
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Black-billed Cuckoo
TYPICAL OWLS
Eastern Screech-Owl
GOATSUCKERS
Common Nighthawk
Whip-poor-will
SWIFTS
Chimney Swift
WOODPECKERS and ALLIES
Red-headed Woodpecker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
TYRANT FLYCATCHERS
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Least Flycatcher
Eastern Phoebe
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
VIREOS
Blue-headed Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
JAYS, MAGPIES, and CROWS
Blue Jay
American Crow
LARKS
Horned Lark
SWALLOWS
Purple Martin
Tree Swallow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Bank Swallow
Barn Swallow
CHICKADEES and TITMICE
Tufted Titmouse
NUTHATCHES
Red-breasted Nuthatch
CREEPERS
Brown Creeper
House Wren
KINGLETS
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
OLD WORLD WARBLERS and GNATCATCHERS
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
THRUSHES
Eastern Bluebird
Veery
Gray-cheeked Thrush
Swainson’s Thrush
Hermit Thrush
Wood Thrush
American Robin
MOCKINGBIRDS, THRASHERS, and ALLIES
Gray Catbird
STARLINGS and ALLIES
European Starling
WAGTAILS and PIPITS
American Pipit
WOOD-WARBLERS
Tennessee Warbler
Nashville Warbler
Northern Parula
Yellow Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Cape May Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
Pine Warbler
Palm Warbler
Bay-breasted Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Cerulean Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
American Redstart
Prothonotary Warbler
Ovenbird
Northern Waterthrush
Common Yellowthroat
Wilson’s Warbler
Canada Warbler
TANAGERS
Summer Tanager
Scarlet Tanager
NEW WORLD SPARROWS and ALLIES
Eastern Towhee
Chipping Sparrow
Field Sparrow
Lark Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Lincoln’s Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
CARDINALS, GROSBEAKS, and ALLIES
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
BLACKBIRDS and ALLIES
Red-winged Blackbird
Yellow-headed Blackbird
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Baltimore Oriole
FINCHES and ALLIES
House Finch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

When It Rains Birds

Bryan — Fri, 06 May 2011 15:13:43 +0000

Ah, the vernal desire, the explosion of insects, the eruption of flowers, the struggle for existence, the great rush north of migrating birds. Nowhere is it more dramatic than along the shores of Lake Erie.

Yeah, Lake Erie, not far from Detroit and Toledo. Here warblers pour from the skies like manna from Heaven. Shorebirds pile up and pound mud like sewing machines on their great journey to the Arctic. Rare birds – I mean really rare stuff – are hardly rare here; they are to be expected.

So here I am guiding one of my Vermont Bird Tours outings into the beautiful maelstrom of spring migration. You want the audacity of spring? Take that exceedingly rare Kirtland’s Warbler I photographed here a few years ago. You want songbirds pouring from the skies? Quit your job. Sell your house. Come here. Now.

I do love my home state of Vermont, where forest and fen, marsh and mountain are beckoning country for wildlife and migrating birds. But here, in this crippled corner of the Midwest, a blend of topography, weather and avian flight plans conspire to produce epic birdwatching.

Think of songbirds moving in a broad front, up from the Gulf of Mexico and across the eastern portion of the continent, many staying west of the Appalachian Mountains. Weighing barely an ounce, they’re flying at night, pumping tired wings in an ancient annual ritual – to get north to nest, to exploit our bloom of insects for the gaping, demanding beaks of their young.

Migrating songbirds aren’t thrilled about crossing water. That’s why we love Lake Erie. Warblers and thrushes, flycatchers and vireos, orioles and sparrows — they slam on the brakes at the lake’s southern shore, which is barren or developed in many places, and then search for woodlands to fuel up on food. They find, among other sites along Ohio’s coastline, the welcoming swamps of Magee Marsh Natural Area, about 20 miles east of Toledo. They’re tired and hungry. Too tired and hungry to fly away from the eager birdwatchers below. We’re in paradise (the birders – not the birds).

Once fed, they break out again, eager to get north to claim the best breeding territories in the US and Canada. They launch, on two wings and a prayer, across the lake.

First stop: that huge peninsula, pointing south, Point Pelee near Leamington, Ontario, which shortens the crossing. It’s the port in their storm.

Standing there at the point, I’ve seen songbirds at dawn, pumping tiny, tired wings, their flight muscles burning in pain, barely a foot above the waves, a foot from certain death, only to crash land on the beach. At the point, I’ve seen warblers at my feet. I’ve seen birds that have no business being in Ontario – Ruff or Western Tanager, for example.

But mostly, at the point, and across the lake in Ohio, I’m hear to share one of nature’s greatest events, each precious day of it offering me a lesson in humility and the essential, unadulterated joy of nature in spring.

Stay tuned to The Daily Wing for updates.