First Pelagics!

A friend of mine decided on her 30th birthday that she would make a list of 30 things to do throughout the year.  One of the items was to go on a whale watch and I very willingly told her I would come along.  Since I began my more serious birding pursuits 2 years ago, I haven't had a chance to get out on the water and so my official list of pelagic birds was at 0.  Yup a big fat goose egg.  Yesterday that all changed when we took a three-hour drive up to Gloucester, MA and boarded the Privateer IV of the 7 Seas Whale Watch. 


My plan was to study my Sibley guide a bit during the days leading up to the watch.  Also, I wanted to see if I could find a list of species that had been seen by other birders in the area who had recently done some pelagic watches.  Once again life got in the way and so with only one list of birds seen on the 7 Seas trip from last week and a quick glance over of about 5 species we headed out to sea.  Within 20 minutes I felt a bit more secure that I wouldn't miss too many birds as the naturalist mentioned that she would talk about some of the birds we were seeing as well.  She lied.  This is pretty much a whale watch and if you happen to see some birds you are in luck.  The naturalist did mention on the way back in (near the end of the trip) that she had seen 2 species of birds while we were out.

Herring Gull- a sign you're getting close to land

By the shore we had the usual suspects making an appearance, Herring Gulls, Ring-billed Gulls, Greater Black-backed Gulls, and a few Laughing Gulls.  Then as we made it out into more open waters the first bird I saw was a Greater Shearwater.  The bird came close enough to positively ID with only my quick study session and I was able to shoot a few pictures to verify later on. 

Greater Shearwater- views of the top and bottom

Greater Shearwater- showing ID marks- black cap, white underside with some buffiness, and dark under tail coverts.

As we got a little further out I started to notice some smaller birds here and there close to the surface.  Robin-sized, dark bird with a white rump patch.....  It must be a Wilson's Storm-petrel.  The naturalist did inform us at one point that this species is the most abundant species in the world but unless you went out on the water (or to their breeding grounds in the "arctic").  You would never know.  By the way, according to Sibley, they breed in the subantarctic. 

Wilson's Storm-Petrel- white rump is a quick way to ID

I did snap a few pictures of these resting Shearwaters as we motored out to the area where whales had been reported.  I tried to get an ID as we zipped by but wasn't able too.  Now that I can look at the images though it's clearly visible that they are Manx Shearwaters.  The white c-shape behind the eye and the white 'butt' clearly separate it out from the other species. 

Resting Manx Shearwaters

Manx Shearwater- note there is no buffiness on the underside

A few more Greater Shearwaters flew by and then I was distracted by the surfacing humpback whales.  We saw a total of 10 humpback whales and 2 minke whales and then we headed back to Gloucester.  On the way back I  did catch a look at this dark Shearwater that the image confirmed was a Sooty Shearwater.  I had thought I had seen some in a group feeding far out earlier on as well. 

Sooty Shearwater

The bird highlighted below was an added bonus.  I totally admit that at the time, I didn't have a clue as to what it was.  We were speeding back toward shore and I was chatting with my friend when something caught my eye.  I left off the conversation mid-sentence and picked up my camera to snap a few shots.  With the speed the boat and the bird were travelling I knew I didn't have a shot at getting an ID on the bird in the field.  I had completely forgotten about it until I was checking out my pictures from the day and I realized I had caught a shot of a Cory's Shearwater. 

Cory's Shearwater- the yellow bill is a give away.

All in all a great day on the water, 4 Shearwater species as life birds and a Wilson's Storm-petrel too.  The water was as smooth as lake water and we barely had a cloud in the sky.  A few random peeps flew toward shore but way to fast to get an identification on and a lone Great-Blue Heron also looked like he was heading toward Cape Cod for a vacation.  I can't wait to have a chance to get out on the water again. 



Northern Gannet- surprisingly only one of a few seen.

If you want to see the whale on the trip, check out my general nature blog....  Daily Dose of Dorkiness.

A Slow Drive Home

I admit it.... I've been cheating on my blog, not like writing down fake birds, but like.... writing other blogs.  The past 2 plus years I've been focusing my outdoor time looking and learning to identify those feathered dinosaurs of today.  With the quiet birdy days of summer upon us my interest have broadened and I've started a more general nature blog HERE.  That's not to say I haven't been birding, every day I've been scouring the campus at work, and co-authoring the West Campus blog.  All of this has lead to me ignoring my birding blog having nothing left to blog about. 

Monk Parakeet nest

So, today I decided to take the long way home and stop by the garden in Stratford where there are quite a few good bird species.  In the spring I heard many warblers migrating through and all throughout the summer Song Sparrows and Baltimore Orioles have been making their presence known.  Another loud call that can be heard every time is that of the Monk Parakeet who have two nests in a large white pine tree in the middle of the parking lot. 



Monk Parakeet close-up



I personally am not a fan of these birds or any plant or animal that has been brought into the state by humans whether on purpose or by accident.  I wont however, go into that because there are so many differing opinions on such matters and my goal of the blog is to encourage people to read it and go out bird watching.  Needless to say these birds seem to be here to stay and one can only hope that there wont be repercussions.  The two nests in this tree seem to be supporting a smallish colony, I can only guess of about 10 birds. 

Painted Turtle

I also made a quick stop at Wooster Park Pond on my way and couldn't believe how low the water has gotten.  The water was filled with Lochness monster-sized carp and snapping turtles but no ducks.  Many American Goldfinch flew around the pond, a few even landing on the 'island' at the northside of the pond.  One sandpiper made a brief showing as it flew across the pond before disappearing up stream.  I'd guess it was a Solitary Sandpiper although, I'm no good at those shorebird things.  :-)

California-Point Reyes

Before heading west I check out a couple of local Audubon groups websites and found out that one was planning a field trip to Point Reyes National Seashore.  I contacted the trip leader and asked if I could tag along and was excited to hear that I got a thumbs up.  Our first stop at Drake's Beach didn't yield too much, although, it was my best look at a Wilson's Warbler of the trip.  Although, The sighting wasn't much more than a quick glimpse.  A juvenile Great-horned Owl was much more cooperative and we all got some great looks.

Our next stop was further out the point at the former Coast Guard Rescue Boat Launch, where we walked around behind the rangers housing and down to the beach.  The walk down to beach had great overlooks into the deeper ocean where we excited found Pigeon Guillemots.  Other nice sights were Western Bluebirds, Common Loon, Western Grebe, Brown Pelicans, and another Great Horned Owl.

Pigeon Guillemot- Life Bird!!!




Great-horned Owl

 


Common Loon

 

California Quail- first good look

One of our last stops with the group was behind the rangers regional office, a few trees lined the drive and surrounded the building but beyond was open grasslands all the way to the sea.  Highlights at this stop included, Bushtits, White-tailed Kite, Western Meadowlark, Black Pheobe, and California Quail!!

We wrapped up the day with a quick hike at the Bear Creek Visitor Center on the San Andreas Fault Trail.  The same woodland birds I had been seeing around the area were here as well.  Good looks at both Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers were a nice mix from all the open habiat specialist we had been seeing.  Before dividing up I got information from some of the birders that Common Murre nested out at the light house were we had not made it because of the wind that assaulted us all day.  Common Murre being a potential life bird for me I made a quick pitstop in town to gas up and made the hour drive back out to the lighthouse.  It was definitely worth the time and gas! 

Once I got out to the light house I walked the mile out to the light house observation tower, the wind was mild on the way to the platform but once there the breeze must have been close to 50 mph.  Eyes tearing I stared through my binoculars over the edge and coupld barely see blobs flying out from the rocks.  Even with these bad looks I could still tell, I had Common Murre!! 

Common Murre

"close-up" of the Common Murre

Then rubbing my eyes I made a discovery, they were everywhere coating the rocks.  A smile on my face I headed back to the car and out of the wind.

Eyes tearing but still a great time

California 2011

Well, I made a trip out to California for a work conference and headed to the Bay area 6 days early to do a little birding.  I had huge intentions of blogging my way around, especially since I was flying solo for this trip.  Some how I still didn't have enough time or energy to blog enroute and instead here I am weeks later at least posting a few pictures.

I flew out on a Tuesday and didn't spend much time birding as the weather wasn't great.  By mid afternoon the next day the skies had cleared and took a walk along the beach behind my hotel in Half Moon Bay.  This was a great little area and I wish I had planned some more time.  Best bird (and life bird) for my time here was a MacGillvray's Warbler that made a quick showing but didn't have time for a photo. 

Here is a few of the western species that did make a decent appearance.

California Towhee- behavior reminds me of our eastern Cardinal

Chestnut-backed Chickadee

Route 1 somewhere between Santa Cruz and Half Moon Bay

Red-winged Blackbird- some California birds only have red on the wing

White-crowned Sparrow- in coastal areas as common as Song Sparrows

Spotted Towhee

Whimbrel- one of the few shorebirds from the trip

I had actually headed down to Santa Cruz to visit the natural history museum (not worth the drive).  The first few photos were from the lawn and the drive back to Half Moon Bay.  If I ever head back to CA I will definitely spend more time in this area.

New Yard Bird

In the birding world of lists, one that can bring the most enjoyment to almost all is the yard list.  One simple reason is that there are no 'standards' for what you can count.  If you want to add it to your yard list when it was in your neighbors yard, go ahead.  If you want to restrict it to anything that only lands in one of your trees or on your yard and not include flyovers.... go ahead.  I count anything on my yard list as anything that I can hear or see from my yard.  Some people might find that a little broad but when your lot is measured in square feet and not acres, I think some leeway is allowed.

Today, I had a new yard bird and it's a good one.  I was on my way to put the trash out and for the first time in awhile a Downy Woodpecker was on the suet.  I stopped in my tracks so it could eat in piece for a few minutes.  While I was standing there a flash of red in the trees caught my attention and I lamented having to wait even longer to move because I thought a Northern Cardinal was coming into the feeder.  I kept my eyes on the trees though, as the flask of red seemed overly bright.  A couple of seconds later a Scarlet Tanager moved into view.  A great neotrpical migrant to add to my yard list.  I still haven't replaced my zoom lens so I only got a few bad pictures.  Here's one super zoomed. 

Scarlet Tanager

I tossed some oranges in a feeder out back but I doubt the Scarlet Tanager will come for a snack.  There have also been Baltimore Orioles in the neighborhood in the past and they like fruit as well!  Here's a link for more information on the Scarlet Tanager.

Also, I have a pair of American Robins nesting on my deck.  It's a bit of a pain since they spook every time I go out onto the deck and grill.  Here's a phone picture looking down into the nest once the birds had taken off.

American Robon Eggs

The Littlest Falcon

Three different species of falcon call Connecticut home, Peregrine Falcon, Merlin, and American Kestrel.  The American Kestrel, the smallest of the three falcon species, is an open prairie or grassland hunter in general, feeding on almost any small moving animal.  They are known best for their love of grasshoppers and dragonflies as food for their young.  Unfortunately, this habitat is becoming compressed in the state and compounding that with a reduction in nesting spots, the population of nesting kestrels has dropped.  Recent efforts by bird lovers such as Art Gingert and Tom Sayers have helped these falcons bounce back, if even just a little.

Now for my story:  Yale's West Campus is approximately 130 acres, many of it wooded, but the majority is landscapes lawns and some natural grassy areas.  We have been working to encourage the landscapers to retain as much 'natural' habitat as possible in hopes that it will attract more bird species.  Our current species count on campus is at over 100 and American Kestrel is one of those we have seen on frequent occasions.  So, it didn't take long for us to begin to wonder if maybe a kestrel would want to use campus to raise their young. 

Sue (my coworker) and I decided to try and get a nest box to hang in one of these natural grassy areas.  We made contact with Art Gingert who supplies nest boxes in suitable habitat but he felt ours was not good enough quality to be able to give us a box, when other better habitat was in need.  We however, have a tough time giving up so easy and instead dug into our pockets and pulled together enough money to buy the supplies to build our own box.

After months of delay (it was winter anyway), we volunteered Nate another coworker to help us put together the box.  After about 7 months of the wood sitting around, two weeks was all it took to get the box together and ready to hang.  Last Wednesday was a nice sunny day, we had some spare time, and a nest box ready to hang.  Here are a series of pictures from the afternoon.




Lynn (Me) showing off the finished product





Hanging the kestrel nest box about 12' from the ground.





Nate doing some final touches


If you have an interest in learning more about American Kestrel, information can be hard to find, I'd suggest starting here. 

Information about Tom Sayers work in CT can be found here.

Directions from Art Gingert on how to build a nest box can be found here

We are keeping our eyes on the box and around campus in general for kestrels.  I'll keep you posted with any updates.

FOY's

This time of year the birdlists and websites that report bird sightings are splashed with the title FOY.  "First Of the Year" sightings are just as it states, a birders first sighting of a species for the calendar year.  With spring finally arriving, not just according to the calendar but in feel this entire weekend more birds have migrated into the area.  I got out of the house this afternoon and did a tour of the coast in town to go find my own FOY's.

Feeling fairly unmotivated I made quick stops at Frash Pond and Short Beach without having much luck.  I then decided to do a driveby of the Seawall and met a well-known birder in Connecticut.  The Seawall had a small group of gulls, including Bonapartes Gulls but a larger group moved in down the road and we went down to examine them closer, although we still were not able to find any of the less common gulls (Little Gull or Black-headed Gull).  I did however get an FOY Northern Gannet that was flying above a large group of Scaup out beyond the gulls.

My companions mentioned a pond and a sighting from a couple days before of a Blue-winged Teal.  So, after making a couple other unsuccessful stops, I went to go find the pond.  I once again met up with my new friends and we managed to find two FOY's for all of us.  the Blue-winged Teal drake was nestled into the reeds taking a nap and a Snowy Egret was working the back side of the pond.  I also found a FOY Osprey flying by the airport, only to a second fly about 50 feet over my house later on.

I'm glad I took the opportunity to not only enjoy the weather but also the birds.  Always nice to meet some local birders who are as friendly and open as I did today.