It's Been a Long Winter...

It has been a while since my last post.  Winter is almost gone and there are welcome signs of spring everywhere.  The longer days, warmer sun and birdsong in the mornings have brought me out of doors quite a bit more in the past few weeks.

This coming season, one of my goals is to improve my photography skills.  I was lucky enough to receive a new Canon digital SLR camera along with a telephoto lens for Christmas.  The new camera has definitely given me the tools to improve my photography, now I just need more practice! Here are a few from over the past few months.  I am looking forward to a wonderful spring and summer full of hiking and birding and picture taking!

Just after sunset, Peace Valley Park

Great Blue Heron - Valley Forge National Historical Park

Great Blue Heron - Valley Forge National Historical Park

Turkey Vulture - Montgomery Township Natural Area

White-throated Sparrow - French Creek State Park

Bald Eagle - Black Rock Sanctuary

Song Sparrow at my home, Lansdale, PA

American Goldfinches & House Sparrows at my home, Lansdale, PA

Eastern Screech Owl - Peace Valley Nature Center

Canada Geese - Kohler Park, Horsham Township

American Goldfinch at my home, Lansdale, PA

Mallard (F) - Kohler Park, Horsham Township

Downy Woodpecker (M) - Kohler Park, Horsham Township

Eastern Bluebird (M) - Kohler Park, Horsham Township

Imm. Cooper's Hawk at my home, Lansdale, PA

Field Trip

Chasing a Rare Jewel

I am not usually one to take off in search of rare birds in my area.  Usually work and commitments keep me close to home, but this weekend offered too good of an opportunity.  A 1st year male Allen's Hummingbird had been visiting a feeder at a private residence in Pipersville, PA, less than a half hour from my home.  Thanks to the generosity of the homeowner visitors are welcome, so I went out in search of the Allen's.

I was lucky enough to see it visit the feeder twice in the half hour I watched.  The Allen's Hummingbird is normally a resident of the coast of southern Oregon and California.  It was previously thought to migrate southward, sticking to the West Coast, but that idea now seems to be in question.  Quite often, too, these western hummingbirds go eastward again a year or two later. So we know that at least some of them survive the winter, go back to their breeding grounds, and return again to the East Coast.  How lucky for those that leave the feeders out!  I just might do that next year!

I capped off my day out with a trip to Peace Valley Park, saw lots of geese, gulls, and an American Coot.  What a great end to a day that added another lifer to my list.

A Remarkable Fall Continues...

As we move into late fall, I continue to be amazed.  The past few weeks have brought change and a few more surprises.  I am hearing reports of Selasphoros hummingbirds from several places in southeast Pennsylvania, and the influx of irruptive species continues.

What is an irruptive species?  These are the wonderful Pine Siskins, Redpolls, Red-Breasted Nuthatches and Purple Finches that have found themselves further south than their normal winter range.  They are looking for food, since there was a fruit and seed crop failure in the Canadian forests.  Here is a link to a great Winter Finch Forcast http://ebird.org/content/ebird/news/ff2012.  Maybe I will even see some Evening Grosbeaks by the end of the year!

Current Events

Since my last blog, the east coast has taken a beating from Hurricane Sandy and the weather has gotten more chilly.  In the week after Sandy the Pine Siskens and then the Goldfinches that had monopolized my Nyjer feeder began to disappear.  I am not sure where my local Goldfinches go this time of year, but it seems every year about the same time they move to a different location and return again in the early spring.  I guess this year the Pine Siskens went with them!

Record Breakers

This is the third year that I have participated in the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Project Feederwatch,  and for me it has already been a record breaker.  Last weekend there were 16 species at my feeders including everything from a flock of four Mourning Doves to the lovely little Red-Breasted Nuthatch.  This was a record number of species for my yard, the previous being 15 species one weekend last year.    The only other thing that could have topped my list last weekend would have been if the Sharp-Shinned Hawk that had been stalking my feeders a couple of days before had shown up again.

A Sharp-Shinned Hawk eyes a bird above him...his next meal? The small head in proportion to body size makes this most likely a Sharp-Shinned and not a Coopers Hawk.

  

Today I have already spotted a female Purple finch and a Black- Capped Chickadee.  I can't wait to see what the rest of this weekend has in store!

Female Purple Finch, note heavily streaked facial markings & chunky body.  Definitely not a House Finch!

Pre-Sandy Saturday - 10/27/2012

With the approach of Hurricane Sandy, the so-called Frankenstorm, I decided to spend some quality time watching the birds in the back yard before the heavy weather hits in the next couple days.  It is amazing what just a few hours of staring at the feeders can do for a person's mental state!  After a crazy week at work I wanted nothing more than to zone out and deal with nothing but the birds.

The resident Female Red-Bellied Woodpecker.  Is she stocking up for the storm?

As the Thistle Feeder Turns

It seems the Goldfinches have regained some control over the Nyjer seed feeder in the past couple of weeks.  The loud negotiations between these little finches in the bushes near the feeder are quite comical.  Lots of "zreeees" and questioning "su-weets!" in the yard today!  At this point they are about half and half at any one time in the yard, so they must have come to some kind of agreement!  I am so glad they are now sharing!

All My Nuthatches

This is my feeder!

Is this the widow or widower?

It seems there has been a murder in the yard!  The two pairs of White-Breasted Nuthatches have been reduced to just one pair and a lonely widow or widower.  Upon my arrival home for lunch earlier this week I did witness the suspect, one of the local Red-Tailed Hawks leaving the scene of the crime.  The only evidence of this act of violence was a fluffy pile of feathers under the maple tree.

Red-Breasted Nuthatch & Pine Sisken

On a brighter note, the Red-Breasted Nuthatch still hangs around, although he is having a tough time standing up to his larger cousins.  I witnessed him take a sunflower seed from the feeder only to have it snatched away by a White-Breasted once he reached the tree trunk.  He (or she) is very persistent though, and has been at the feeder pretty much all day today.

Guiding Flight

My home is not far at all from the section of overlap between the more northern Black-Capped and their southern Carolina Chickadees. Being in central Montgomery County I really only have to drive 45 minutes north to see a bona-fide Black-Capped Chickadee.  I was still surprised to find one at the feeders this morning.  Seeing them side by side was incredibly informative and diagnostic.  The size, proportion, and coloring of the Black-Capped per pretty distinct when side by side with his cousins.

Black-Capped Chickadee. Note white markings on the wings and back, grayish cheeks, and larger head in proportion to body size.

Carolina Chickadee.  Note smaller head size and duller white markings.  He also just looks a little bit smaller and more streamlined.

I think what I found even more interesting was the difference in behavior!  There are about 3 Carolina's that frequent my feeders and this Black-Capped was really quite agressive with them.  I have heard that they will flock together, but I have never heard of them having conflicts with their smaller relatives.  It was really quite interesting to witness.

Another shot of those great diagnostic markings on the Black-Capped from a different angle. What a difference!

Well, I am off to batten down the hatches!  Have a happy and safe Hurricane Weekend!

Invasion! - 10/12/12

I have heard that when food is scarce in the north there are sometimes amazing numbers of northern finches that turn up at feeders far south of their normal range.  Even with this knowledge nothing has prepared me for the actuality of finding them at my own feeders.

I woke up this morning to find my Goldfinches replaced with Pine Siskens!  Tons of them, like tiny female House Finches with a dash of yellow!  I normally fill my Nyjer feeder about once a week and had filled it yesterday, and today I find it half empty!  The little streaked birds are pretty assertive too, jockeying for position among my Goldfinches who have gotten quite used to having this feeder to themselves.  Now I have to ask, will the Purple Finches show up here as well?

10/12/12 - 11:30 AM Update - Migrants are here in full force!

I have been watching the feeders all morning, just wondering what else might show up.  To my surprise another pair of Magnolia Warblers has wandered through the yard gleaning insects off of the leaves of our large Maple.  The amount of Pine Siskens has tripled since earlier this morning, they are covering my feeders!  To top it all off a lovely Red-Breasted Nuthatch has appeared sneaking off with some Sunflower seeds!  What a great week to take off work and focus on the birds!  I should have pictures up soon!

2 Pine Siskens on bottom of feeder,  2 American Goldfinches
above them and one on a branch above the feeder.

4 Pine Siskens.

A Cloudy Afternoon - 10/8/12

This has been a week of fall change, everywhere.  The leaves are taking on their final hues before falling to earth, and the temperatures are dipping lower at night than they have in many months.  In my yard and also the lovely park near my house I have been treated to Magnolia & Cape May Warblers, as well as migrating Eastern Phoebe's, Towhees, and Ruby-Crowned Kinglets over the past week.

After waking this morning to changing leaves and a chill in the air I decided to make the short drive over to the Peace Valley Nature Center in Bucks County, PA for a solitary hike.  I find these hikes the most peaceful, just me and nature.

The West Woods

After spending a good 20 minutes in the bird blind watching an astounding number of Purple Finches which had arrived over the past week, I decided to hike the trails on the western side of the nature center.  There was a lot going on in the underbrush as I headed out.  A tentative "Here Sam Peabody, Peabody, Peabody" from the White-Throated Sparrows accompanied the crunch of the small amount of leaves that had already fallen from above.

I worked my way through the brush and overgrown fields near the nature center and reached the more wooded areas.  There was mostly peace and quiet throughout this part of my hike, with the exception of the geese on the lake and an occasional Red-Bellied woodpecker or White-Breasted Nuthatch call.  As I completed the loop at the far end of the West Woods and Red Oak trails I could hear more and more songbird activity up ahead.  Finally, in an area comprised of some underbrush, younger trees and a few snags I came upon a birders dream.  A mixed species flock of warblers, chickadees and more working their way through the trees.

I stopped, absolutely silent and still, and waited for them to show themselves.  I find that when I am alone, and quiet a flock like this will almost always come closer to investigate the intruder. There were White-Breasted Nuthatches, Carolina Chickadees and Titmice scolding me, but more importantly, there were warblers.  They appeared almost like falling leaves, the same color and fluttering motion as they dropped from branch to branch seeking out succulent insects to sustain them on their long journey south.  At the top of one younger tree was a Blackburnian, his orange and black face pattern standing out.  Closer to me I spotted at least two Yellow-Rumped foraging amongst the leaves a little further down the tree.  Then, I heard it, the liquidy "pip, pip" of a Phoebe.  I find him sallying out and returning to a branch a little further up the trail collecting insects.  As I watched, on a branch about 10 feet in front of me and to my left there was more motion.  There, sitting quietly, sat a Blue-headed warbler picking what looked like a caterpillar off of a leaf.  After 15 minutes the flock began to move toward the interior part of the woods, and I hiked on.

At the Bridge

Considering the sad state the Bald Eagle population was in no more than 25 years ago, it amazes me that seeing one now is as easy as driving to one of several parks in Montgomery or Bucks counties.  I have had several amazingly close sightings, one in which an adult Bald Eagle flew no more than 20 feet over my head as I crossed a bridge over the Perkiomen Creek.

Today, as I approached the Chapman Road Bridge only to see what waterfowl happened to be hanging out in the area.  The eagles were not the first things on my mind, but as I approached the bridge I heard the raucous calling of a Great Blue Heron.  It seems to me the only time I ever hear these birds make noise is when another bird is encroaching on their "personal space".  To my amazement I looked up to see 2 immature Bald Eagles circling lower and lower.  The first, with just slightly more light spots on it's underside came lower and lower and attempted a catch near where the heron was fishing.  It missed it's target and flew up into one of the trees on the bank.  The second, darker eagle circled lower and lower and successfully caught a good sized fish, carrying it back to what appeared to be it's sibling.  There was a bit of calling between them as the darker individual approached the perch, then they took off over the lake together and disappeared over the trees on the opposite bank.  I was awestruck, this was the first time I had ever seen a Bald Eagle catch a fish.  I had seen Osprey do it many times before, but the style was completely different, and I have to say more graceful!  What a treat!

A Fallen Tree

My day was not complete yet because my goal had been to hike the trails on the east side of the nature center as well.  After my Bald Eagle sighting, I headed out along the Swamp Trail, hearing the Cardinals and Catbirds chirping and scolding away as I passed.  There was not nearly as much action on this side of the nature center, but despite the growing quiet, there was still motion in the woods.  As I     continued on to the Fallen Tree Trail I noticed some movement along a fallen and decomposing trunk.  A Carolina Wren? No...wait!  The darker color and that short, little, upturned tail!  My first Winter Wren sighting of the fall!  This brought my day to a satisfying close.  As the day had progressed the cloud cover had thickened and a chilly rain had begun.  I hiked at a more hurried pace back to my car, happy and content having spent a couple of splendid hours in the great outdoors.  I can't wait to do it again!