It's been awhile...

Wow, I didn't realize how long it's been since my last post! Sadly, my list hasn't grown all that much since then... I've only added 8 more birds! Here's what I added:

Yellow-throated Warbler- Nassau, Bahamas

Cooper's Hawk- Litchfield, CT

Fox Sparrow- Litchfield, CT

American Woodcock- Southbury, CT

Wood Duck- Litchfield, CT

Ring-necked Duck- Litchfield, CT

Bufflehead- Litchfield, CT

Black Duck- Litchfield, CT

I recently started working at a waterfowl conservancy, so I'm more aware of ducks and geese than I was before. I often wonder how many cool ducks I overlooked because I just assumed they were mallards. There is a pond directly across the street from work which is where I saw the Black Duck today.

I'm very excited that spring is here and I can't wait for the spring migration to get fully underway. I hope to add plenty of birds in the upcoming months!

(The picture is of Woody, a wood duck that is one of my buddies from work!)

My First Rarity

On November 18, CT Audubon posted on their blog about a rare sighting in CT; a Fork-Tailed Flycatcher was seen in Stamford, CT, and was only the third of this species ever recorded in this state. Usually a southern bird, it is said to be spotted annually up along the East Coast.

While I have recently been following the rare bird sightings on the CT Ornithological Association website, I hadn't gone so far as to actually go see one of the rarities listed... until this one. I had seen many Scissor-Tailed Flycatchers when I was working down in Texas, and found them quite beautiful. Since these are similar species, I was anxious to get a look at this one.

I was unable to get down there until Sunday, so until then, I crossed my fingers that the Flycatcher would remain. Checking the website before I left, I was happy to see it was still in sight. I had no doubt that I would be able to find it when I got there; remember, look for the people with binoculars! Sure enough, there were about 10 or so birders gathered watching, and I got a great look before he flew down into a small grove of trees, obscuring my view.

Awesome!

Photo courtesy of Flickr user campylopterus.

Drive-by I.D.

During my drive to the Peabody Museum of Natural History at Yale University where I volunteer during the week in the Vertebrate Zoology Lab for the Ornithology Department, something caught my eye. Driving along the Naugatuck River, I saw a duck that I have never seen before, but knew what it was with just a glimpse. I didn't have my binoculars handy, so I wasn't able to get a close look at my first Hooded Merganser.

I was excited to see the merganser was still in the same part of the river when I passed on my way home. I pulled over and crossed the street to get a better look, but as soon as he spotted me, he took off up-river. I hope that one day soon I get another (and better) look at one of these beauties!


Photo courtesy of Flickr user NDomer73

Obviously!

Today while working at Bent of the River, I saw some warblers too quickly to see any field marks to be able to make a positive ID.
There was one, however, that I saw well enough to spot a clear field mark- and that was a yellow rump. When I was just about to leave for the day, I mentioned the bird to a man I was working with. I said that I knew it was a warbler, but all that I could really see was yellow on its... and proceeded to place my hands on my rear. He said, "You mean a Yellow-Rumped Warbler?" Of course that's what I mean!


Photo courtesy of Flickr user Len Blumin

Birding in the Big Apple

I have always had a crush on New York City, starting from when I was a kid and would take day trips to visit the various museums with my family, and continuing through to my five years of working on the Upper East Side. During the years I worked there, I walked the southern edge of Central Park daily, never really taking the time to venture off my path, always either having to get to work or having a bus to catch. This summer I was intrigued by two books from author Marie Winn: Red-Tails in Love and Central Park in the Dark. Both books detail the amazing wildlife found throughout the park, wildlife that was so close without my (and probably most people) even knowing it. I decided that I would take the time to stop and smell the roses, so to speak, next time I was in the city.

Two Saturdays ago, I had dinner plans with some friends and planned on making my first tour through the park. My friend Beth lives just north of the park, so I left my car near her and dragged her along to explore, telling her to "Look for other people with binoculars!" As we made our way south through the park, we came across different areas mentioned in the books- for example, the Ramble and Pinetum. It was while walking through the Ramble we spotted our first birders. I quietly approached them to ask what they were watching, and was told it was a Swainson's Thrush. A new bird! After I was provided with many clear views, I handed my binoculars over to Beth who unfortunately didn't get to see it before it flew away. While we were watching, another birder came by and mentioned to us that there were grosbeaks and hummingbirds over by the Oven. After telling him that I was just becoming acquainted with the Park, he graciously walked us to the area where sadly for me the grosbeaks seemed to be napping, but the hummingbirds were everywhere, feasting on the jewelweed. Beth had never seen a hummingbird before (and I love them!), so we watched for a while before having to leave for our dinner reservation. (Beth has since brought her roommate to the Oven to spread some hummingbird love!) We're both looking forward to our next walk through the park...

(Check out Marie Winn's blog for awesome Central Park wildlife information and pictures!)


Photo courtesey of Flickr user JanetandPhil

Four in One

Yesterday was a big listing day for me! One of my many volunteer jobs is assisting with some bird banding, and I figured going in I'd be able to add a bunch of new birds to my list... yesterday proved me correct!

The banding station that I was as is set up in a riparian area on the Bronx Zoo property in the hopes of catching migrating birds. The research that I'm assisting with is focusing on warblers and thrushes, although we record and band everything that we catch. There were so many warblers flying around above the net, I wasn't able to identify them all! One that we caught, and I was able to see up close (and release!) was the black-throated blue warbler.

Two others that we finally caught after watching them walk back and forth just under the net were the ovenbird and northern waterthrush- I was assisting a woman who is very skilled with identifiying, and she helped me with the field markings of those two that will help me identify them in the future. Lastly, flying above us and finally into the net was an American Redstart. I even got to band a Grey Catbird!

It was a great experience, and I hope to get out there again this coming week!


Photo courtesy of Flickr user keithcarver

Down by the River

Today while volunteering at my local Audubon Sanctuary, Bent of the River, my job was to weed-wack the invasive plant Japanese Stiltgrass. It tends to invade moist places, so I spent most of my time near the river. At some point I looked up, and saw about 5 Common Mergansers coming up the river. I've seen Red-Breasted Mergansers before, which look very similar, but it was the habitat that solidified my ID; Common Mergansers are mostly found in freshwater, while Red-Breasted Mergansers are often found in salt water (which is where I saw them last summer).

Even though they aren't new to the Life List, I had a good time watching juvenile Cardinals fight at the birdfeeders, a couple of Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds chase each other, and two young Phoebes play near the water.


Photo courtesy of Flickr user NDomer73