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Posts Tagged ‘Rose-breasted Grosbeak’

What Kind of Birder Am I?

Posted in Birding, tagged , , , , , , on February 10, 2023| 1 Comment »

I’m feeling philosophical as we start a new year. It’s more than a new year for me. With my move to Florida in 2022, it’s the start of a new chapter in the story of my life.

The American White Pelican below doesn’t have anything to do with this story, but you’re not going to keep reading without pretty pictures, are you? I photographed this lovely bird recently in Pinellas County, Florida.

I’ve been thinking a lot about how I want to spend my time. I commented to a friend recently that sometimes we do things just to say that we did them and sometimes we do things for the sheer joy of doing them. Initially, I characterized the first reason as competition, but I think it’s really more wanting to be accepted by a particular group of people. I was not able to run in this year’s Best Damn Race for health reasons and it hurt a bit to be there with my friend, David. I loved watching the participants and I could feel their exhilaration, excitement, and satisfaction in achieving a goal. I kept thinking “I want to be one of those people.” But to be one of them, I have to actually run. Certainly, many felt the joy of the doing, but I’ll bet that some just did it because that’s what runners do. It’s the same with any activity. I confess that there are days that I’ve gone birding when I didn’t really want to, but that’s what birders do and I want to be accepted as a birder.

I photographed the Rose-breasted Grosbeak below in my NC yard. I’ve yet to see one in Florida.

So, what triggered all this introspection? The move to Florida, of course. In particular, the differences between birding my home county in North Carolina and my new home county in Florida where there are more birds and more great birders. I still remember when I first started birding and wondered what one would do after finding all the easy life birds. And, then I learned that there are many games birders play. In Forsyth County, NC (and almost certainly most counties in the country), the game that most serious birders play is trying to see as many birds in the county as possible every year. I did it, too, for many years. Between 2007 to 2020, I came in at #4 five times on eBird’s “Top 100” and I was never lower than #8. I am #8 in eBird’s all-time ranking for Forsyth County. In Pinellas County, I was tied with four others for #60 in 2022, but my all-time ranking is even lower at #168. I’ve been trying to work on my Pinellas County list, but it’s hard to motivate myself when I will never be a top birder here. Plus, I’ve already seen most of the birds that I “need” here many times. Add my recent obsession with iNaturalist and desire to run, learn to ride a bike again, and such and it quickly becomes obvious that there is not enough time to do it all. Yet it’s hard to let go of that quest for home county birds. I almost feel guilty, like I’m not a real birder if I don’t spend every day seeking new county birds. However, I’m going to try to let it go a bit.

Or, maybe nothing that I just said makes sense. Maybe in real life the hits and misses (ticks and dips in birder lingo), joy and pain, competition and acceptance are all mixed up and inseparable. Life is complicated.

So, what am I going to do? I’m going to continue to have goals because they give me a direction. But, at least for 2023, I will try to curb some of my competitive instincts and do things that bring me joy.

For 2023, I will NOT obsess over my Pinellas County list.

I WILL obsess over spend time and effort on the following birding activities:

My life list. The primary goal for most birders. Today my list stands at 1,762. Can I reach 2,500? That would be almost one fourth of the world’s birds.

My most recent life bird was this Bahama Mockingbird, a rarity in Florida.

A daily eBird checklist. My current streak is 1,141 days and I don’t want to lose that without being absolutely certain that I don’t care about it. Today I still care. It makes me think about birds and do something every day. And it’s easy.

My 5-mile radius patch. I love this idea embraced by many birders with concern about the environmental impact of travel. And, it’s nice to spend time actually birding rather than driving.

County birding. Not the single-minded focus on just my home county, but trying to get new birds in every county where I travel. I will also try to bird every county in Florida as I did in North Carolina. County birding teaches the distribution, habitat, and seasonality of birds. I like to see new places and it’s fun.

Road trips. I loved the road trips that I’ve done and it’s time for more. Maybe I can see birds in all 49 continental states (only 5 to go). Goals like that only give me a direction. There is satisfaction in accomplishing the goal, but more importantly much joy in the journey. To read about my biggest road trip so far, start with Prairie Road Trip: Days 1-2 – The Adventure Begins. Stay tuned for a trip to South Dakota’s Black Hills this summer.

You don’t see birds like this in America. Rufous-tailed Babbler from my 2019 trip to Yunnan, China.

I’ve saved the best for last. International travel. I love international birding trips because you also get to see other wildlife and landscapes, meet people and learn about their culture, and eat local food. And, this is the best way to build one’s life list. I’m making a bucket list and I’m going to start on it as soon as I sell the North Carolina house. The list will be a work in progress for years, but here’s what’s on it now.

Southern India. My friend, Linda, currently lives near Bengaluru (Bangalore) and I want to visit while she is still there. I have been to Northern India, but not this part of the country. Linda is interested in birds and other wildlife and she is really good at exploring local cultures. I am so much hoping that all the stars align so that this trip happens.

The pantanal of Brazil. It’s time that my friend, Diane, and I shared another big trip. We’re both excited about Sherry Lane’s (LifeBird Tours) next tour here in 2024.

Australia. I solicited suggestions from my co-participants who had seen me struggle with my poor vision in the forests on the Yunnan trip in 2019. They unanimously recommended Australia where they are many big, easy birds. Now that my son-in-law has a place there, I’ve got one more reason to put this near the top of my bucket list.

After those trips, I have a list of wonderful suggestions from to my well-traveled Facebook and real-life birding friends. It has some very exciting possibilities including Botswana, Malaysia, Spain, Patagonia (Argentina), and Mongolia.

In addition to birding, I want to spend time with iNaturalist. I love all wildlife, and plants, too. A single observation at a time makes it easy to learn about the amazing diversity of life on this planet. I’m only competing with myself to find interesting new discoveries. This is another activity that’s easy and fun.

My latest iNaturalist observation, a pretty Ornate Bella Moth at Fort De Soto.

Thanks for going on this exploration of emotions and motivations with me. I suspect that a few others may relate to some of what I’ve shared here. If any of this resonates with you, please leave a comment below. And, whatever goals and activities you pursue, be sure to find some joy every day.

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The Yard Squad Challenge: Fall Edition (Part 2 of 3)

Posted in North Carolina Birding, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on October 9, 2020| 3 Comments »

The middle stretch of the fall Yard Squad Challenge was similar to the middle weeks of the spring challenge.  Other birders always seemed to find the migrants before I did.  With a larger patch to bird, though, it was easier to catch up.  I missed a few birds that I would like to have seen, but I found 16 new species in this three-week period.  That put my total number of birds for the challenge at 86, exactly what Matt’s magic formula predicted that I should be able to find.  Every new species now added to my list will be “above par”, so I’m happy.

So, what were those 16 new birds?  This isn’t one of the them because I first saw it on September 8 (this middle stretch started on September 14), but this sweet little bird stayed for over a week.  I was able to see it again on the 15th and even get a photo.  Kentucky Warbler is not a common species for my county, so it was a real thrill to see this lovely bird twice.

Kentucky Warbler at Bethania's Walnut Bottoms

Kentucky Warbler at Bethania’s Walnut Bottoms

New birds that I did see included Red-tailed Hawk and Song Sparrow.  What?  Those are common birds.  I’m learning that even species that are present year-round can be much easier to find some weeks than others.  Song Sparrows breed in my county, but they are quiet during the summer.  Species like the sparrow and Brown Thrashers are much easier to find once they start foraging in fall when abundant natural food is everywhere.

A Wood Thrush on the path at Walnut Bottoms was a welcome sight and a new species for the Yardbirds.  I had feared that I wouldn’t be able to find one without hearing their beautiful song.

I was also happy to see Osprey and Great Egret and add them to the growing list for my circle.  Neither were new for the Yardbirds, but they add to our total ticks.  The egret was a real surprise as this is another species that isn’t common in my county.  We usually have a few somewhere, but this was only the third time that I’ve seen one at this pond.

Great Egret at Lake Hills Pond & Marsh

Great Egret at Lake Hills Pond & Marsh

Rose-breasted Grosbeaks have been more common this fall than they were in the spring.  The males aren’t sporting their snazzy black, white, and rose attire now, but I think they are beautiful birds irregardless.

Rose-breasted Grosbeak (male) at Lake Hills Pond & Marsh

Rose-breasted Grosbeak (male) at Lake Hills Pond & Marsh

I continued to enjoy the non-avian iNaturalist part of the challenge and added an Eastern Chipmunk.  I remember feeling excited about living in a part of the county that has chipmunks when I moved to North Carolina.  I didn’t realize how quickly I would get tired of the evil little things who eat all the bird food and just laugh at me.  See if you learn anything new about chipmunks in this story, NOT Alvin and the Chipmunks: 10 Facts You May Not Know about the Real Rodents.  Did you note the part about eating bird eggs and nestlings?  Yep, I hate these little monsters.  It’s hard to deny that they are cute, though.

Eastern Chipmunk on my deck

Eastern Chipmunk on my deck

Here are a few more of my iNat observations during this period.  If you want to see my other sightings, you can find me on iNat with username shelleydee.

This was a new moth for my yard and one of my favorites, Orange-shouldered Sherbet Moth.  Its wings were translucent and a photo can't really capture its delicate beauty.

This was a new moth for my yard and one of my favorites, Orange-shouldered Sherbet Moth.  Its wings were translucent and a photo can’t really capture its delicate beauty.

 

I didn't get any more life butterflies, but this Variegated Fritillary was a new iNat observation for me.

I didn’t get any more life butterflies, but this Variegated Fritillary was a new iNat observation for me.

 

An American Toad surprised us when I was birding with friends at Walnut Bottoms. They are difficult to distinguish from the similar Fowler's Toad which also occurs here. Experts in a Facebook group helped with the ID.

An American Toad surprised us when I was birding with friends at Walnut Bottoms. They are difficult to distinguish from the similar Fowler’s Toad which also occurs here. Experts in a Facebook group helped with the ID.

Participating in iNat led to more than wildlife sightings; it also gave me a new friend.  Linda saw some of my observations and contacted me.  We discovered that we had much in common and went for a walk together at Long Creek Park.  We had a great time and spent over four hours surveying the park for interesting flora and fauna.  Linda is a better nature watcher than I am and her sharp eye caught this skink.

Common Five-lined Skink or Southeastern Five-lined Skink? I don't think it's possible to determine from this photo.

Common Five-lined Skink or Southeastern Five-lined Skink? I don’t think it’s possible to determine from this photo.

Another of my favorite sightings with Linda was a small clump of ferns.  I was surprised that in September they still looked fresh and perfect.

Broad beech fern at Long Creek Park

Broad beech fern at Long Creek Park

I still love birds best and even the young Northern Cardinals on my deck made me happy.  I’ve watched these two girls and a young male nearly every day.

Immature female Northern Cardinals

Immature female Northern Cardinals

This Yellow-billed Cuckoo also made me very happy.  It’s always fun to watch them successfully forage for caterpillars.  I watched this one while birding with friends at Walnut Bottoms.  Like its name implies, this is a spot with many black walnut trees which seem to host a lot of caterpillars.

Yellow-billed Cuckoo with an unidentified caterpillar

Yellow-billed Cuckoo with an unidentified caterpillar

During the last three days of this stretch I was able to find a new bird for my team every day.  On October 2, a sweet little group of at least three Tennessee Warblers foraged in the weeds at the edge of a large field at Long Creek Park.

Tennessee Warbler

Tennessee Warbler

A Hooded Warbler at Walnut Bottoms was new on October 3.  And, finally, on the last day of this stretch of the Yard Squad Challenge, October 4, I found nothing new in my 3-1/2 hours of birding in the morning.  As I sat on my deck that afternoon, a Cape May Warbler came by and spent a few minutes checking out the seeds on the deck rail and the suet in a little cup.  I had foolishly not taken my camera on the deck, so here is a photo of another Cape May Warbler that stopped by for a bath a few years ago.

Cape May Warbler

Cape May Warbler

There are not many new birds that I can find in the last stretch of the challenge, but I do expect to see a Black-throated Blue Warbler.  Follow along with me and see if I’m successful.

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Birding in the Time of COVID-19 (Part 3 of 4)

Posted in Birding, tagged , , , , , , , on May 16, 2020| 5 Comments »

I cheated on the Yardbirds on the first day of the third stretch.  At least I felt a little unfaithful to my team when I went birding at a favorite hotspot.  It was only about a mile from my house, but not part of my patch for the Yard Squad Challenge.  I ran into a couple of friends and had a wonderful morning which I have to admit was very refreshing.  It was a nice break from beating the same bushes in my neighborhood looking for new birds.  Later in the afternoon, I sat on my deck staring at the trees.  And, surprise, surprise – two male Rose-breasted Grosbeaks were high in an oak.  They looked pretty content up there, but after a while they dropped down to the deck only a few feet away from where I sat.  Did I mention patience as one of the things that I’m learning?

Rose-breasted Grosbeak on my deck

Rose-breasted Grosbeak on my deck

The next day, it was back to work looking for birds in the ‘hood.  I had difficulty finding the warblers that I was hearing, but while I was searching the trees, a lovely male Scarlet Tanager landed in the oak where I’d seen the grosbeaks the previous day.  A new bird for the team!

Later, I shared recordings that I’d made that morning with a friend and with a Yardbirds teammate.  Both were able to pick out the song of a Cape May Warbler.  My strategy of making recordings when I couldn’t visually locate birds was paying off.  By the end of this stretch, three more birds from my patch would be identified by recorded songs.

New migrants passed through my area during this period, but I continued to have difficulty finding birds, especially warblers.  There is a reason that I’m usually traveling during the spring to places where the birds are easier to see.  However, I turned off my eBird county year needs alerts after my last post and that helped my sanity greatly.  As before, I tried my best to focus on what I did find.  And, nearly every time I went birding there was something interesting to observe.  Oh, Downy Woodpeckers have a nest in that tree.  Four Spotted Sandpipers all together in a corner of the lake; that might be a high count.  Fortunately, I’m easily amused and find all living creatures interesting.

A Yellow Warbler - one that I was able to hear, see, and photograph! It was also a new patch bird giving the Yardbirds a bonus point.

A Yellow Warbler – one that I was able to hear, see, and photograph! It was also a new patch bird giving the Yardbirds a bonus point.

Perhaps the birds that I’ve enjoyed the most this stretch are the pair of Orchard Orioles that I’m sure are breeding near the neighborhood beach.  I have to work a little to see them, but I can usually find at least one because these birds sing a lot.  And, yes, I mean birds (plural) as I have heard both the male and female of this pair sing.  I first heard a female Orchard Oriole sing a few years ago and I was shocked.  I had searched for the source of the singing that I heard and saw the female open her beak in sync with the song.  I mentioned it to a friend who is a bird song expert and he assured me that I wasn’t hallucinating.  If you’re not familiar with female bird song, check out this short introduction form the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Many Female Birds Sing Beautiful Songs.

Male Orchard Oriole

Male Orchard Oriole

I’ve also enjoyed the babies that appeared in the neighborhood during this stretch.  The resident birds got an early start and have already produced offspring while the migrants are still on their way north to their breeding grounds.  It seems like fledgling House Finches and Eastern Bluebirds are everywhere.  At least one Canada Goose family has fuzzy little goslings following them.  But, my favorite youngster may be this baby Carolina Wren begging to be fed.

Juvenile Carolina Wren

Juvenile Carolina Wren

Our lakes are the heart of my neighborhood and I love living here.  I believe that the lakes attract a lot of birds in addition to the ever-present Canada Geese, a few wintering ducks, and breeding Green Herons.  Eastern Kingbirds are among the species attracted to the water and they nest in the trees on the edges of our lakes.

An Eastern Kingbird surveys his lake

An Eastern Kingbird surveys his lake

Here is another view of my lake.  The obvious dock belongs to my next-door neighbors, but you can also just barely see my dock hidden under the trees.

Canvasback Lake, the largest of our three neighborhood lakes. I've seen quite a few species of ducks on our lakes, but never a Canvasback.

Canvasback Lake, the largest of our three neighborhood lakes. I’ve seen quite a few species of ducks on our lakes, but never a Canvasback.

I ended this stretch of the Yard Squad Challenge on May 15 the same way that I started it; I cheated.  I suspect that like all types of cheating, it gets easier each time.  Early yesterday morning a birding friend texted me that he had an Alder Flycatcher at my favorite close-by hotspot.  That might not sound like an exciting bird to you, but it is a very rare bird for my county.  It would not just be a new county bird for me, it would become our first documented county record.  I was out the door in five minutes and joined a small group of birders a few minutes later.  We were six birders trying to stay six feet apart.  Luckily, we all heard the distinctive song, more important for identification of a flycatcher than seeing the bird, although one person did catch a quick glimpse.

Yesterday afternoon, I birded my neighborhood again and didn’t find anything new, but I got responses from a couple of friends who had listened to another of my recordings.  After being nudged in the right direction, I, too, could pick out the Acadian Flycatcher and Eastern Wood-Pewee songs.

During this two-week stretch of the challenge, I’ve found seven new birds with five of them adding to the Yardbirds team count.  My total for the challenge is now at 80 species.  Can I find more birds in the final stretch?

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Birding in the Time of COVID-19 (Part 2 of 4)

Posted in Birding, tagged , , , , , , , on May 2, 2020| 2 Comments »

If you missed Part 1, read it here.

It’s Saturday, April 25, as I write this and it’s the middle of the second stretch of the Yard Squad Challenge.  I’m going to remember this period for the psychological torture.  Our team, the Yardbirds, has fallen into the middle of the pack.  The competitive side of me doesn’t like that, but I tried to convince myself that I’ll just do my best and make my goal finding the most birds ever in my yard and neighborhood.

But, even more painful are the eBird needs alerts for county year birds that are flooding my Inbox.  Most checklists from the past few days have had eight to eleven species of warblers.  My recent checklists have had one – Northern Parula – and the stinking little birds just sing everywhere and won’t even let me see them.

And, if that were not enough torture, everyone is posting gorgeous photos of Rose-breasted Grosbeaks and other lovely neotropical migrants on Facebook.  Even a neighbor stopped me while I was out birding to tell me that he had grosbeaks at his feeder.  Have I seen a Rose-breasted Grosbeak yet this year?  Of course not!

My friend, Kerry Eckhardt, photographed this spectacular male Rose-breasted Grosbeak at her feeder on April 27.

My friend, Kerry Eckhardt, photographed this spectacular male Rose-breasted Grosbeak at her feeder on April 27.

Others are even reporting Black-throated Blue Warblers.  That’s MY bird!  Oh, beautiful warbler, you have been on my deck many times.  I let thorny Devil’s Walking Stick colonize in my backyard because you like the berries to fuel your southward journey in the fall.  And, if the cardinals eat all the berries before you arrive here, I make sure the suet station in the bird buffet is never empty.  Many times you have stayed for ten days or longer and enjoyed my hospitality.  Oh, Black-throated Blue Warbler, where are you now when I really need you?

Most troubling of all, though, has been the late arrival of Wood Thrushes in my neighborhood.  Before today, I thought maybe I heard a distant song a couple of times, but it was too faint to be sure.  I have heard many people sadly say, “We used to have Wood Thrushes.”  I worry that my neighborhood will become one that used to have Wood Thrushes instead of one that has Wood Thrushes.  That fear is justified; this is a bird in trouble.  Audubon has designated it as a priority species because numbers have declined sharply in recent decades.  So, not hearing the ethereal flute-like Wood Thrush song, perhaps the most beautiful bird song in North America, wasn’t just disappointing for me; I was worried about the birds.  Learn more about the Wood Thrush from Audubon or this Smithsonian article.  For even more details about how the Wood Thrush makes its beautiful song see Can You Sing a Duet with Yourself?  And, enjoy this video from the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology.

Yesterday evening I had a conversation with a friend about my struggle to find birds.  I considered three possibilities: 1) the birds just aren’t here this year; 2) they are here but I can’t detect them due to my crappy vision and not great hearing; or 3) my strategy is poor and I’m not looking in the right places at the right times.  We decided that the last possibility was the only one that I could control, so I decided to change my routine.

This morning I left the house at 6:30 AM, still in my nightgown, to drive around with the windows down and listen.  But, just as I opened the car door, I heard it – a Wood Thrush singing in my backyard!  I was flooded with relief and anticipated a good day, but that was all I was going to get today (except for more parulas).

As frustrating as the last week has been, there have been high points, too.  I enjoy seeing pretty Spotted Sandpipers nearly every day and appreciated this one who actually flew towards me.

Spotted Sandpiper

Spotted Sandpiper

Sometimes the birding gods hear our pleas.  The morning after I wrote the above section, guess who showed up on my deck?

On April 26, this male Black-throated Blue Warbler made an appearance on my deck at 7:40 AM.

On April 26, this male Black-throated Blue Warbler made an appearance on my deck at 7:40 AM.

Later in the morning, I was thrilled to find another warbler, this one new for my patch list, a Hooded Warbler singing in the woods near the little stream that feeds into the lake.

My luck continued on Monday.  I was not feeling well and didn’t get out all morning.  Mid-afternoon, I pushed myself to at least generate an eBird report for something so that I would not lose my checklist streak (now at 123 days).  I did the easiest thing possible that involved leaving my yard – I walked over the dam and along the path through the woods by the side of the lake.  On my way back home, I caught a glimpse of movement by the side of the trail.  I felt very fortunate when I was able to locate a Veery about 30 feet away and get a good enough look for a solid ID.  But, that was just the beginning.  As I stood motionless, the bird moved closer and closer to me until it was only about 10-15 feet away and out in the open.  The gorgeous Veery didn’t seem to mind my presence at all as I alternately stared and photographed.  The timestamps on my photos show that I watched this wonderful little bird for five full minutes.

Veery

Veery

I found two more new species for the Yard Squad Challenge this past week – Orchard Oriole and Louisiana Waterthrush.  And, I continued to learn about my neighborhood birds.  I had seen a Louisiana Waterthrush only once before, but now that I heard one singing along the little creek that feeds into the lake, I’m betting that they breed along that creek and are here every year.

The Yard Squad Challenge is at the mid-point with four more weeks to go.  The height of migration is right now.  But, I have observed 73 species of birds in my neighborhood patch since the competition began on April 4, so finding new birds is getting tougher.  What will I discover this coming week?  Stay tuned for more birding in the time of COVID-19.

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Heading North: Days 3-4 – Lake Champlain

Posted in Travel for Birding, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on August 17, 2019| 2 Comments »

Derek and I spent Monday and Tuesday driving around the north end of Lake Champlain, first north up through Vermont, then across Quebec and finally south into New York.  Our first major stop on Monday morning was Dead Creek WMA IBA in Vermont.  We hoped the birds we saw there would include shorebirds, but this stop was the first of many that was not what we expected.  It was beautiful, but we did not even see any shorebird habitat.  We tallied only 13 species, all birds that we see at home in North Carolina or Maryland – robins, goldfinches, an Osprey.

We saw shrubs with red berries everywhere like this one with a Song Sparrow at Dead Creek WMA IBA.

We saw shrubs with red berries everywhere like this one with a Song Sparrow at Dead Creek WMA IBA.

Our next stop was Charlotte Town Beach which proved to be an even bigger surprise.  This tiny beach on the edge of the lake with more trees than sand is an eBird hotspot with 226 species reported from over 2,600 checklists.  It is renowned by the local birding community as one of the best places on Lake Champlain for lake watching.  A Little Gull had been reported here recently and I need it for a life bird.  However, we saw just a few Ring-billed Gulls and only four other species.

The view from Charlotte Town Beach. Photo by Derek Hudgins.

The view from Charlotte Town Beach. Photo by Derek Hudgins.

The north end of Lake Champlain contains several islands and we thought it would be fun to drive through them.  Again, we were surprised and mildly disappointed as the islands were so large we could not see water except when crossing the bridges from one island to the next.  Our longest stop was at South Hero Marsh Trail.  We had our first of several experiences trying to track down the bird making sounds that we could not identify.  After ten minutes of careful searching, we found the source of the sounds under dense vegetation on the edge of a wetland – a chipmunk!

Green Heron in the swamp along the South Hero Marsh Trail

Green Heron in the swamp along the South Hero Marsh Trail

A real bird that we saw was a Merlin who flew in as we were heading back.  She landed on top of a snag and began eating dinner.  We waited until she was finished before we continued along the trail so that we would not flush her and cause her to lose her meal.  Later scrutiny of our photos showed that her “dinner” was only an appetizer or dessert – a dragonfly!

Merlin on the South Hero Marsh Trail

Merlin on the South Hero Marsh Trail

We finished the day with an American White Pelican at Campbell Bay, a rare bird for Vermont.  We were lucky to get good looks at the bird in intermittent drizzle and still enough light that we could see Canada across the bay.

On Tuesday morning, we birded at St. Albans Bay Town Park, Vermont.  We finally found a few shorebirds, two Least Sandpipers and five Semipalmated Plovers.  This helped me reach my goal of 50 species for Vermont.

Semipalmated Plover in early morning light at St. Albans Bay Town Park

Semipalmated Plover in early morning light at St. Albans Bay Town Park

 

American Redstart at St. Albans Bay Town Park

American Redstart at St. Albans Bay Town Park

We continued north into Canada where our first birding stop was Philipsburg Bird Sanctuary, just across the border.  The entrance to the park was so overgrown with weeds that I drove by it twice before I could find it.  The parking area and trails were also overgrown, but this mostly boreal forest park is beautiful.  We observed a good variety of birds ranging from southern birds such as Red-bellied Woodpecker to more northern breeders like an American Bittern that Derek found.  We also saw an Osprey and our only Bald Eagle for the trip so far.

Part of a beautiful large field in the middle of Philipsburg Bird Sanctuary

Part of a beautiful large field in the middle of Philipsburg Bird Sanctuary

A quick stop at Parc Jamison to look for shorebirds produced no shorebirds, but surprised us with a Great Egret.

McFee Brook Interpretive Center was next, with signs only in French “Centre d’interprétation du ruisseau McFee.” This was a small park with a long boardwalk over a wetland.  I imagined that it must be an excellent place to see birds on a spring morning.

A Great Blue Heron in a small pond at McFee Brook Interpretive Center

A Great Blue Heron in a small pond at McFee Brook Interpretive Center

We had lunch at Cantine Lolo in Lacolle before leaving Canada.  We ate a simple meal while we sat outside at a picnic table and added a few more birds to our Canada list.  The menu was in French only and the person taking our orders had poor English language skills.  However, another customer overheard Derek placing our order and came to his aid.

After eating we turned south and back into the US.  Beekmantown Rest Area provided a nice welcome home with clean restrooms and a Rose-breasted Grosbeak at its feeders.

Rose-breasted Grosbeak (male) at a New York rest area. Photo by Derek Hudgins.

Rose-breasted Grosbeak (male) at a New York rest area. Photo by Derek Hudgins.

Our last stop of the day and was Noblewood Park where we looked for a Little Gull that had been reported.  This park is almost directly across Lake Champlain from Charlotte Town Beach where we had looked for the gull the previous day.  The entrance is through thick woods and after parking it’s about a half-mile walk to the beach through more trees.  The gull had been seen much closer here but we did not see one among the 180 Bonaparte’s Gulls resting on the sand bar not too far from shore.  Little Gull is an uncommon but annual visitor to the lake, so I still hope to see one before the trip is over.

The sandbar seen from the beach at Noblewood Park. Photo by Derek Hudgins.

The sandbar seen from the beach at Noblewood Park. Photo by Derek Hudgins.

We finished the day with a drive to Tupper Lake, deep in the Adirondacks, where we would spend the next four nights.

 

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Shawnee State Forest – Beautiful Birds & Landscape

Posted in Travel for Birding, tagged , , , , , , , , on May 10, 2014| Leave a Comment »

The Kentucky Warbler was about 20 feet from us, eye level, in perfect light.  He had to have known that we were watching him, but he appeared unconcerned about our presence and sat there singing.  Birding does not get any better than this.  It was one of those magic moments that Diane and I both treasure.  We were alone on a forest service road in Ohio’s Shawnee State Forest and it was quiet except for the birds.  This spot was perfect breeding habitat for Kentucky Warblers – low ground with lots of brushy cover by a little creek.

I was too lost in the moment watching the Kentucky Warbler to even try for a photo, but I was able to get this shot of an American Redstart the previous day.

American Redstart (male)

American Redstart (male)

Diane and her husband planned to visit their daughter in Indianapolis and Diane wanted to meet for a few days of birding.  We decided on Shawnee State Forest and I was pleased that Diane liked it as much as I had on my first trip.  We arrived on Monday afternoon, April 28, and were able to bird for a couple of hours in relatively dry weather before dinner.  Unfortunately, we had awful weather for the rest of the trip.  The next day it rained until noon and was uncomfortably hot all afternoon after the sun came out.  The following day it rained non-stop.  And, then it was time to leave.  But, still, we found quite a few birds including Hooded, Prairie, Black-and-white and Blue-winged Warblers, Yellow-breasted Chats, Scarlet Tanagers, and unusually cooperative vireos, all allowing us quality views.

Rose-breasted Grosbeak (male)

Rose-breasted Grosbeak (male)

We found this gorgeous male Rose-breasted Grosbeak one afternoon and he was still working the same tree when we came back a few hours later.

Trillium grandiflorum

Trillium grandiflorum

There were fewer wildflowers than last year when I was two weeks later.  But, the forest was still lovely with Trillium grandflorum dominating the roadsides.  Little patches of bluets were everywhere.  Wild geraniums were beginning to pop up here and there.  There were a few irises.  Ferns were just starting to unfurl.

On our one hot afternoon, the birds were quiet, but there was an abundance of butterflies.  My favorites were the Zebra Swallowtails, a life butterfly for me.

Zebra Swallowtails

Zebra Swallowtails

Our pet-friendly cabin in the state park was a perfect base for our stay.  The state park is inside the state forest.  The screened porch in the back was great for watching birds when we were tired of driving in the rain.  Jack and Diane’s two dogs found the cabin as comfortable as we did.

A cabin in the woods also let me find a few spring moths.  I was too tired to stay up late, but saw these pretty little moths just before bedtime.

Shawnee moth 1P

Shawnee moth 3

 

Other birders reported Cerulean Warblers in the cabin area. We did not see them, although we thought that we heard them a few times.  It was our only real miss, not too bad considering the weather.  We enjoyed the forest and the birds so much that we talked of going back next year.  I hope that we are able to return to my new favorite spring birding location, Ohio’s Shawnee State Forest.

Our cabin in Shawnee State Park

Our cabin in Shawnee State Park

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