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.

Oh Spring

Ok, It's officially spring and I decided to do some blog spring cleaning.  No I'm not removing any old post rather trying to freshen up the look a little bit.  I will undoubtedly be playing around a bit so stay with me while I clean things up!

I just wanted to post a quick note that some of my winter species that were here even last week have finally moved on.  I had an American Tree Sparrow that had been hanging out all winter and it hasn't been around in a week!  Also, All of my Juncos and White-throated Sparrows seem to have gone north.

American Tree Sparrow

I can't be too sad though as I've heard song sparrows singing every morning.  A group of Common Grackles, Red-winged Blackbirds, and Brown-headed Cowbirds were in the neighborhood when I got home today and they seemed to enjoy my feeder.  A pair of White-breasted Nuthatches have been munching away on the sunflower, a Downy Woodpecker was drumming on a dead branch, and a group of House Finch have been using my window feeder!

House Finch on window feeder

A Piping Plover Story

Today, I went out to Bunche Beach in Fort Myers, a consistent spot to find decent number of shorebirds.  The last time that I stopped at the beach was a year ago on March 8th, 2010.  I wandered out onto the sandbar and started looking over the hundreds of Sanderling, Dunlin, Piping Plovers, and Least Sandpipers.  After taking a hundred pictures or so I found a Piping Plover with leg bands on it.  I was excited because last year I had also found a plover and had submitted the sighting.  I snapped off a few pictures of the bird and then continued looking at some of the other species.  Upon returning home I looked at the images I had taken today and then looked back at the photos from last year.  See what I found.

2010 banded Piping Plover

2011 banded Piping Plover

In case you can't quite see, they have the same leg ban patterns.  Left leg, upper dark green and lower dark green.  Right leg lower red above blue.  I took pictures of the exact same Piping Plover almost exactly one year later.  I checked through my emails and found the submission from last year and sent out another message with my new sighting.  I received word back within a few hours and learned the following.  "That bird was banded as an adult on the Missouri River in South Dakota during the summer of 2009."  This means that this bird most likely was born at the latest in the summer of 2008, and would mean it's close to 3 if not more years old.  As the email stated, "It's interesting to see these birds return to the same spot during the winter year after year."  For me it's down right amazing!

Here's a few of the other finds of the day.  One bird that I didn't photograph but was a lifer for me was a Caspian Tern, who sat on a distant sandbar and didn't even budge when two Royal Terns stopped in with one begging from the other constantly.

Dunlin (1 of 1000 or so)

Osprey, with a fish to share

Ruddy Turnstone- several were present

Where's the Owl?

Today was the Cape Coral Burrowing Owl Festival and I took a ride over to check it out.  I applaud the efforts of conservationists to raise funds to help preserve habitat and support research of these cute little owls.  The festival though lacked a focus on Burrowing Owls and instead had a general air of chaos with tents of mixed tables of educational resources, vendors, and nonprofit organizations.  There were two Eastern Screech Owls making an appearance and one stuffed Burrowing Owl.  So, after leaving, we drove around town and found our own.

Burrowing Owl

We came across another field with evidence of owls and driving along found this pair of owls sitting on one of the perches put up by conservationists.  Also hanging out on the power lines were a couple of other predators.  An American Kestrel got lucky and caught himself an Anole.  This Loggerhead Shrike was more interested in what I was doing than hunting.



Pair of Burrowing Owls

  

American Kestrel with a snack

Loggerhead Shrike

After returning from the drive over the bridge and back to Fort Myers, I took a quick ride over to the 'canal' behind some near by houses and found a few fun birds.  Here they are, no text included, just a few pictures.

Anhinga



Alligator in the pond



White Ibis



Tricolor Heron



The Transition

In all honesty a combination of work and snow fairly squashed my efforts of making it a truly successful Big January.  I can't even say that I broke my previous years half-hearted effort or that I got out in the field more than two times during the entire month.  Needless to say, having barely broken 60 species, I won't report my findings, although I may add a few photos to this post to lighten the mood.

I can say all this without feeling much remorse because of two reasons.  One is that I did get out earlier this month (Feb) and get a life bird that has been evading me since last winter.  Both this year and last there has been reports of a Eurasian Wigeon spending time at Stratford Point.  Even though I have gone out repeatedly to find the bird specifically I hadn't been successful.  In fact one day I went out, photographed as many wigeon groups as possible to analyze them later without finding it AND someone else reported the bird on the same day.  Finally, a couple of weeks ago I rolled in to Stratford Point and a very nice man, was on the Eurasian Wigeon and let me 'borrow' his scope to see.  That's the second life bird this year I wouldn't have had without the generosity of other birders.

The 2nd reason I can divulge my January failings is that as I type this I am sitting in the 80 degree temperatures of Florida.  Having arrived eight hours ago and spent the majority of my time relaxing in the sun, I've already spotted Wood Stork, White Ibis, Glossy Ibis, Osprey, Pied-billed Grebe, Mottled Duck, Little Blue Heron, Great Blue Heron, Snowy Egret, Anhinga, and Common Ground Dove just to name a few.  January may have not been the biggest success of the year but I'm making up for it in the next five days.  Time to make a plan of attack.  I want to find two life birds on this trip... now to go decide which ones and where I can find them!