Fledgling Birding

Churchill Photos

2011-08-23T10:32:00.003-04:00

Well, look at that. As predicted, I have not kept up with this blog particularly well. Whoops....

Regardless, I have posted an album of photos from the summer. Quick overall summery: It was AWESOME.

Photos: https://picasaweb.google.com/hope.batcheller/Churchill2011?authkey=Gv1sRgCIq4k6OcmbvapwE

Po Bears

2011-07-19T18:42:00.003-04:00

Hmm...definitely the kind of view I only like to have from the car (and Mom - yes, this was indeed from said car)

Mmmm boom. To the fen / Our wilderness will touch you / Welcome to Churchill

2011-07-05T22:10:00.001-04:00

One day it began

And the haikus still won’t stop
Churchill tradition

All day in the fen
Our minds wander far and wide
Composing haikus

Tundra flowers bloom
Brightening the once drab ground
Summer has arrived

Dark speck against blue
Godwit sailing above air
Notes drop down like rain

Depredation issues
We’ve neared ninety-two percent
Let’s hope some re-nest...

Ghosts of godwits past
A dry cup, GPS marked
Once called, now silent.

Bugs bugs eat ‘em up
More protein in your diet
Buzzing down your throat

Chicks stuffed down my shirt
Keeping warm ‘gainst wind and rain
Small fuzzy godwits

White Gyrfalcon stands
Surveying the vast tundra
Majestically reigns

With credits to Madi, Hannah, and Andy for both poetry and general inspiration.

The Monkeys Return

2011-06-23T09:29:00.005-04:00

View of typical Churchill scenery.

Our past week or so has been basically filled with more nest searching. However, we've also now begun to band birds. Banding a godwit involves placing a mist net on top of their nest, then flushing them up into it. They get tangled, but then we immediately extract them. Once in hand, each bird gets a metal band with identification number, a color band, and a flag with a unique alpha code.

Walking in on a godwit nest with a mist net.

There are several reasons that catching the birds are important. First, the flags allow us to identify the individual birds and thereby know who's visiting what areas. Second, it allows us to collect data on their weight, wing and bill length, etc, etc. Third, and most excitingly, several godwits at the fen have data loggers attached to their flags. These devices record sunrise and sunset times, and allow us to determine exactly where the bird migrated to over the past year.

Dear Mr. JJ, thank you for giving us your data logger.

Banding and nest searching keep us busy for the most part, but we also take time to enjoy the scenery and other birds. Basically......Churchill is awesome.

Looking out over the Hudson Bay.

American Golden-Plover on nest.

Stilt Sandpiper nest

2011-06-14T21:47:00.001-04:00

Stilt Sandpiper nest from today!

Mmm...nests...

2011-06-12T19:21:00.003-04:00

Sunset over the fen.

Oops, it appears my bogging rate already has a negative acceleration....

This past week the godwit activity really picked up. Last weekend's storm had dampened (or frozen?) the activity, but things started popping once the sun finally came out. We've found seven nests thus far, and birds are now finishing laying their clutches and beginning incubation.

A fairly typical godwit nest. The clutches are almost always four eggs, and the nests are located on low grassy hummocks in otherwise fairly wet areas.

Because finding nests is crucial to our work, our next few weeks are basically dedicated to nest searching. This involves not only observing birds' behavior, but also pacing large areas hoping to flush birds from their nests. Godwits don't flush until you're about 2 metres (ooo so Canadian, eh?) away, though, so such searching requires you to walk in a ridiculous zig-zag fashion. Yes, that's exhausting, but finally finding a nest results in a complete and utter euphoria.

Male godwit sitting on a nest. We found this nest simply by watching the bird walk onto it - !

Arctic Fox that ran along the road in front of us this morning!

Various Boreal Things

2011-06-06T21:44:00.008-04:00

Yesterday, Sunday, was my day off. So, naturally, I went birding! Highlights include a Harris's Sparrow, a nice variety of shorebirds, a flock of 1500+ Lapland Longspurs, and awesome looks at Pine Grosbeaks and Gray Jays.

Pine Grosbeak

Gray Jay

Lapland Longspurs in a a snowstorm

The Fen!

2011-06-02T21:31:00.004-04:00

Today we biked out to The Fen - that infamous place where we'll do the vast majority of our work this summer. Why biking, instead of driving, you may wonder? Because of the 12-inch snow drifts, of course. Thankfully, though, today was a warm day, so the snow is melting quite rapidly.

Flagged Hudwit at the Fen! Note the letters "EH" on the tag on its leg.

Day 1 and 2 (I need creative title ideas)

2011-06-01T22:20:00.005-04:00

Willow Ptarmigan

A typical day in Churchill (thus far...this will all change as bird activity continues to increase): Awaken at 6:00, check the insect traps, return for breakfast, wander around looking for flagged Whimbrel and/or Hudwits (slang for Hudsonian Godwits), return for lunch, wander around some more, eat dinner, enter data.

Whimbrel. This bird didn't have a flag or leg band, but seemed to be somewhat territorial, so may stick around to nest in the same place.

A view of some typical low Arctic tundra, with lots of spongy lichens and mosses, low bushes, and scattered trees. And snow drifts....

A close-up of the tundra ground.

Churchill!

2011-05-31T08:19:00.010-04:00

Well, enough people have requested blog posts this summer that it appears I’ll be in trouble if I don’t keep this thing updated. So, here goes. We’ll see how long it lasts...

But first, a brief introduction: I will be spending this summer in Churchill, Manitoba, which is along the Hudson Bay at a latitude of ~58 degrees. Yes, that is the place where they film Polar Bear documentaries. It’s also a place where the mosquito biomass FAR outweighs the human biomass during the summer months. I, along with three other crazy people, will be working primarily with Hudsonian Godwits, but also with Whimbrels. Our daily work consists of trekking through the soggy tundra to find nests, band chicks, recapture previously banded adults, take insect samples, and so forth.

Sunset at 10:15pm

I arrived yesterday evening after 15 hours in-transit and going through airport security three times. After some birding last night (Sabine’s Gulls! Willow Ptarmigan!) I crashed for a few hours before getting up for collecting insect samples this morning. And now, it’s off to breakfast.

Bad picture of a Sabine's Gull

World Series of Birding....sound familiar?

2010-05-26T13:44:00.005-04:00

Oh my....it's apparently been a whole year since I've updated this blog. I have no good excuse. Let's just say this blog is, and probably will continue to be, updated very sporadically.

Anyhow, I had a fantastic time at the World Series of Birding on Saturday, May 15th! (hmm...strange how the last post was on a similar topic.....) Our team, the NYS Young Birders Club Razorbills, consisted of Benjamin Van Doren, Greg Lawrence, Erich Lehner, and me.

Vesper Hill at the Wantage/Unionville Grasslands

My mom and I headed down on Thursday morning, picking up Benjamin en route. The next day and a half was spent scouting our route's northern portion—trying to stake out various species and making sure we wouldn't get lost on Big Day. The highlight was seeing my lifer Ruff, a spectacular (though distant) male in full breeding plumage near the northern grasslands. Though not a bird, another highlight was seeing a bear with THREE cubs. The cubs were quite small—perhaps 15 inches long. One attempted to climb a tree, but fell backwards and bounced a few times. So cool.

Not a bird: Painted Turtle

On Friday afternoon, we checked into our hotel in Morristown and put the final touches on our route before crashing for a few hours of "sleep." By 11:15, we were headed to our starting location: Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge.

5, 4, 3, 2, 1....MIDNIGHT. "Peent." Woodcock! Our first bird. A few other marsh birds and a Barred Owl soon joined their voices, and by 1:30 we were headed westward (advised by our GPS unit to "drive 0.9 miles then navigate off-road"). In the remaining pre-dawn hours, we visited other marshes and swamps, picking up Virginia Rail, Pied-billed Grebe, and other night calling birds.

When dawn rolled around, the pace immediately picked up. Despite the gusting wind challenging our listening ability, we added a few assorted grassland species before heading on to High Point State Park: THE location for northern woodland breeding birds. Several stops gradually yielded the species we needed. A short sprint for a Winter Wren, a quick stop for a Northern Waterthrush, and a 1-minute detour for Purple Finch boosted our checklist as we continued south.

Left to right: Benjamin, Erich, Greg, me

Big Days are quite different from normal birding. Typically, I could entertain myself for hours at a single location, observing and appreciating each bird while looking for more unusual species. Not so during the World Series, when "birding" should more accurately be called "Big Daying." Stops are planned to the minute, with no time to spare for actual "bird watching." The clock goes on ticking.... (Insert one of our day's theme songs: "Tik Tok")

Departing the northern portion of our route, we embarked on a 3-hour drive to the southern coastal area. Having left the north with only 100 species (our goal was 130+), and completely lacking scouting information for the south, we were quite nervous about our prospects. After a few hours' sleep and some route readjustment, however, we were ready to hit the south with full effort.

At the Gull Tower at Brigantine

Our first stop was Dividing Creek, an area of interesting oak habitat and our main location for southern passerines. We cruised through with windows down and sunroof fully utilized, picking up Belted Kingfisher (finally!!), Summer Tanager, Yellow-throated Warbler, and other needed passerines.

Our list continued to grow as we headed along the coast towards Cape May. A visit to Higbee Beach yielded a few new species, including Yellow-breasted Chat. Some of you may remember our chat story from last year, when we pulled into Higbee in the fading daylight, desperately hoping for any last birds. In a probable fit of boredom, one of our team members launched into a ridiculous rendition of a chat song: "Chat, chat, chat. De-dunk, de-dunk. WEEE! WEEE! *snort* *snort* *snort*." Much to our astonishment, a chat called back! This story has since become legendary within the young birders club. Anyhow, with that background information, we pulled into Higbee again this year. A few half-hearted joking imitations of Yellow-breasted Chat yielded nothing. Just as we were leaving, Erich went into a full blown chat "imitation": "CHAT CHAT CHAT WEEEEEE!!!!" You guessed it—a chat immediately popped up and sat atop a bush. That bird is definitely one of my all-time favorites.

The no-see-ums at Brig were pretty killer...at one point we could hardly see out the sunroof because there were so many.

Continuing around Cape May bolstered our checklist one-by-one. A group of seven Cattle Egrets in somebody's yard was a nice surprise—especially as many teams missed this species altogether. Other locations yielded Piping Plover, Surf Scoter, Peregrine Falcon, and Yellow-crowned Night-Heron.

As daylight was fading, we found a few new species at the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge wildlife drive, more conveniently known as "Brig." One stop yielded all three species of nightjars (Chuck-will's-widow, Whip-poor-will, and Common Nighthawk) in a 5-minute period; the Chuck-will's-widow flew and perched only 10 feet from us!

Brigantine (Brig) at sunset

A trip to Turkey Point yielded no new species, though hearing 15+ Virginia Rails erupting in a cacophony of grunt calls was quite enjoyable. On our way out, we thought we heard something so we quietly stopped to listen. The people in the yard across the road realized what we were doing, and apparently didn't like it. The lady commented in a loud, husky voice, "STUPID #%$!@* BIRD WATCHERS." We could hardly contain our laughter, but decided it was probably in our best interest to leave.

The team at Turkey Point

We stumbled exhaustedly to the finish line at around 11:40, filled out a final version of the checklist, and turned it in. The day was over, but it had been a blast. We ended with 161 species, placing us third for the youth division and 16th overall. It was a challenging day for everybody; many teams tallied about 20 species less than other years. Stories and good times were just as abundant as other years, though, and teams enjoyed sharing their adventures with each other at the finish line.

Thanks again to those who supported our team! Because of you, we raised at least $2000 for the NYS Young Birders Club scholarship program and for conservation efforts.

The World Series of Birding

2009-05-15T15:12:00.006-04:00

This past Saturday, I participated in the World Series of Birding (WSB) in New Jersey. My team, The Razorbills, consisted of five young birders from NY: Brent Bomkamp, Benjamin Van Doren, Brendan Fogarty, Jacob Drucker, and yours truly. We were raising money for the NY State Young Birders Club (www.nysyoungbirders.org).

Left to right: Jacob, Brendan, Benjamin, Brent, Hope

The WSB is a midnight-to-midnight birding and fundraising event sponsored by the Cape May Bird Observatory that takes place annually in NJ. During those 24 hours, our team traversed the whole state. From the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, to the Wantage Grasslands and High Point State Park in the north, to mudflats and saltmashes in the south, we covered a huge variety of habitats.

Birding the Cape May Meadows

My mom and I drove to NJ on Friday morning, where we scouted the Wantage Grasslands, High Point State Park, and Deleware Water Gap National Recreation area with fellow team member Benjamin. Scouting is a crucial component to any successful Big Day, so even this small amount was very helpful. On Friday afternoon, we headed to the hotel where we'd spend the night (er, afternoon/evening). There, we mooched additional scouting information from other teams (thank you Subadult Skuaz, Diving Dabblers, Redheads, and Hudson-Mohawk Merlins), before crashing into bed for a fitful afternoon's sleep.

Route planning at the hotel

On a Big Day, timing and route planning are key. If you waste time at one place, other stops will be rushed. So, before heading out by 11:30, our team met and discussed our route plan: Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, north to the Wantage Grasslands and High Point State Park, south through the Deleware Water Gap, then a quick shot to Brig (aka Edwin B. Forsythe NWR). From there, we'd visit other shorebirding locations, saltmarshes, and southern forest habitat across Cape May County. A ridiculous itinerary, yes, but this whole event is ridiculous, so what else should be expected?

-----Random story time: Run-ins with other teams are often entertaining. Teams are not allowed to share bird sightings with each other during the Big Day, nor commit acts of violence against each other, but there are no other rules governing encounters. When there are 40+ teams running roughly the same route as you, you're bound to run into someone. There were the people at the observation tower at Brigantine who scolded us for moving around and shaking their scopes (whoops, sorry...). There are the teams who glare at you as you walk by (feeling competitive?), and others who smile, wave, and comment on the weather (makes you wonder what they saw that made them so happy....). Most helpful of all are the people who yell bird identifications and locations to their team members: fair game for any other teams in the area!-----

Edwin B. Forsythe NWR (ie, Brig)

By midnight, we were at the Great Swamp, awaiting our first bird. Seconds after midnight, a whistled call drifted across the marsh... Sora! Woodcock, Virginia Rail, and Marsh Wren soon chimed in their voices, too. Next stop, Wantage Grasslands (after getting lost along the way, and Brent's GPS unit reminding us to "beware of hitchhiking werewolves"). The grasslands were, in one word, wet. We managed to hear a Yellow-billed Cuckoo's flight call over the rain, though, and soon Grasshopper and Savannah Sparrows began their dawn songs.

Belleplain State Forest

Now that daylight was fast approaching, the pace picked up. We zipped away from the grasslands, on to High Point State Park. Cruising with the van doors open yielded several needed species, including various warblers (Wilson's!), Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, and a Ruffed Grouse. Continuing south, we gradually picked up other new birds. Culver's Lake, a migrant hotspot, was excellent, and other locations yielded Red-breasted Nuthatch and Golden-winged Warbler. By 9:30 we were on the road to Brigantine: right on schedule.

-----Random story time: To elaborate on the GPS unit...it gave directions in a creepy, low, echoy-room, evil-sorcerer voice. In addition to the regular turn-right-in-one-half-mile directions, it also had other things to say. Instead of saying "recalculating" when you take a wrong turn, it said, "let me consult my magic book." And at 2:00 am when we'd been on the highway for half an hour (and it happened to be a full moon), it randomly warned us to, "Beware of hitchhiking werewolves."-----

Looking for gannets, scoters, jaegers, whale skeletons, razorbills, tropicbirds, skuaz, and whatever else we could find. haha dunno what they'd be doing out there, though....

Unfortunately, we didn't to so well in the south. Waterfowl were notably lacking at Brigantine, and our areas for southern passerines were dead silent ("cardboardy", as Jacob would say). We did get Red-headed Woodpecker at Tamerlane Campground (sketchy place...most of the trailers' decor included something involving Budweiser). And Purple Sandpiper was at the Concrete Ship off Cape May Point. And the Black-necked Stilt, rare in New Jersey, was at the Cape May Meadows. And the Cattle Egret. And the Yellow-breasted Chat... Ok fine! It wasn't tooo bad, just the waterfowl, herons, and passerines were lacking.

The Cape May Meadows and Lighthouse

-----Random story time: At Higbee Beach, at Cape May, mosquitoes were everywhere. Daylight was fading, and we weren't sure where to look for our desired birds. We were mildly exhausted, too. After some arguing, we decided to check a spot where Benjamin had seen a Yellow-breasted Chat last fall. Swatting at mosquitoes, we waited impatiently for anything to call. Ah-HA! White-eyed Vireo – a new bird for the day! Not bad for this random place...as least these mosquito bites were worth the bother. No Yellow-breasted Chat yet, so Brendan started doing a joking imitation. To say the least, this "imitation" was hilarious, and we were all silently roaring with laughter. Suddenly, from the bushes, a real chat responded with a single call note. My jaw dropped, but not everyone had heard it, so Brendan continued imitating. The chat responded again, this time with a call followed by a short trill. We all burst out laughing, and much colorful language was used.-----

More thunderstorms and rain kept us in the car for a while (thank heavens for the car, as one lightning bolt hit 30 yards away...), and soon darkness came on. We unsuccessfully visited a few more night-birding locations before heading to the Finish Line.

Self-explanitory, I should hope...

Our total of 175 species placed us third in the youth division, and 12th overall (out of 7 in the youth division, and 75ish overall). It was a great day! Many thanks to those who supported us; our team raised over $1500 for the NYS Young Birders Club - !!!! Looking forward to next year.....

At the Concrete Ship. See the Purple Sandpiper on the jetty?

Sullivan County - 21 March 2009

2009-04-11T20:05:00.003-04:00

On March 21, the New York State Young Birders Club held a field trip to Sullivan County, NY. This trip was led by Lance Verderame and John Haas, and our primary destination was Bashakill WMA - an excellent location for migrating waterfowl. We also visited Cooley Bog in a successful search for White-winged Crossbills. Our full trip list of 50 species is below.

Cooley Bog

Looking at a raven

See the White-winged Crossbill? There are probably ~8 total in this picture.

Canada Goose
Wood Duck - 22 coating the branches of one tree!
Gadwall
American Wigeon
American Black Duck
Mallard
Mallard hybrid - whatever it was, it was gorgeous (but too far away for photos). Its head was a rediculous iridescent bronze-green, with dark chestnut on the face. Shape/size was similar to Mallard. Observers' opinions on parentage differ, but if you have any thoughts, I'd like to hear them...
Northern Shoveler
Northern Pintail
Green-winged Teal
Ring-necked Duck
Hooded Merganser
Common Merganser
Pied-Billed Grebe
Great Blue Heron
Turkey Vulture
Bald Eagle - Nesting at Bashakill
Northern Harrier
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Cooper's Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Wilson's Snipe
Ring-billed Gull
Rock Pigeon
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker
American Crow
Fish Crow
Common Raven
Tree Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Eastern Bluebird
American Robin
European Starling
American Tree Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
House Finch
White-winged Crossbill - ~40 at Cooley Bog
Pine Siskin
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

Herping!

2009-04-11T19:00:00.004-04:00

her⋅pe⋅tol⋅o⋅gy
–noun
the branch of zoology dealing with reptiles and amphibians.

"To herp" and "herps" are also acceptable terms.

With that clarification, here are some herp pictures taken a few weeks ago, during a good amphibian movement near my house.

Wood Frog, Spotted Salamander, and Spring Peepers crossing road on route to their breeding ponds. Another Wood Frog didn't make it...

New species: Leaf-backed Wood Frog

Both color morphs of Northern Redback Salamander: redback and leadback.

Reallllly gravid Wood Frog

Erm, whoops, wrong species. Or Wood Frog hitching a ride on a Spotted Salamander. Or....I need caption suggestions.

Northern Hawk Owl

2009-03-21T23:54:00.002-04:00

Two weeks ago, I finally made the trek to Peru, NY with some other local birders. There'd been a Northern Hawk Owl there since December, and it was a potential lifer for all. After searching its Peru haunt for two hours, we decided to head north to Champlain, NY, where another hawk owl was being reliably seen. We found that bird quickly and easily – what a spectacular owl! Though photographic opportunities were less-than-ideal, we got to observe the bird for a long while.

Northern Hawk Owl, as first seen

As digiscoped

Did I mention we were close to the Canada border?

Lake Champlain, on a brief side trip for waterfowl

Of Owls and Waterfowl

2009-02-17T18:26:00.006-05:00

For several weeks, there has been a reliable Snowy Owl in Halfmoon, NY. Since SNOW was on my "shopping list" of must-see-this-winter birds for my big year, I recruited my mom to drive me there last Wednesday. And heck, it was a faculty meeting day, and what better way to spend a day off?

We arrived at the Halfmoon Grasslands at first light, in hopes of catching a Short-eared Owl (SEOW). Though the grasslands are fairly small, and have disgusting housing develpments popping up, SEOWs are occationally seen. As the daylight grew, I'd just about given up hope of finding any, when we saw one flying (bouncing?) quite a ways away. Another bird off my wanted list, and an awesome species besides.

The Snowy Owl was very cooperative, sitting on the very phone pole it has been frequenting. Any guesses to age/sex of this bird?

See the Snowy? It's on the middle phone pole...

Ahh, eureka.

Once we'd birded the grasslands to satisfaction (also found 2 Rough-legged Hawks and 2 Norther Mockingbirds), we headed over to nearby Stillwater, where a good variety of waterfowl had been reported. We cleaned up on the reported waterfowl - see the list below. Additionally, there was a nice mixed flock of finches in the area, including Pine Siskins, AM Goldfinches, House Finches, and a stunning male Common Redpoll.

Canada Goose 20
American Black Duck 20
Mallard 60
Redhead 1 female - a very decent bird for this area!
Ring-necked Duck 9
Greater Scaup 1
Lesser Scaup 3 - both scaup are fairly tough around here
Bufflehead 5
Common Goldeneye 143 - no Barrow's, unfortunately...
Hooded Merganser 12 - good, for an overwintering bird
Common Merganser 20
Ring-billed Gull 13
Herring Gull 1
Rock Pigeon 21
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Blue Jay 2
American Crow 8
Carolina Wren 1 - Region 8 year bird, finally!
Black-capped Chickadee 1
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
American Robin 1
European Starling 7
Song Sparrow 2
House Finch 4
Common Redpoll 1
Pine Siskin 3
American Goldfinch 15

Ring-necked Ducks and the Redhead (second from left, in case you were wondering)

A variety: 8 Ring-necked Ducks, 1 Greater Scaup, 2 Lesser Scaup, and the Redhead

Twitching an Ivory Gull

2009-02-10T18:43:00.005-05:00

Ivory Gull. The infamous arctic ghost, a banned topic on some young birder listservs, and a to-die-for bird. On January 16th, a stunning adult was found in Gloucester, MA. Three days later, a SECOND adult was found in Plymouth, MA. An amazing phenomenon, considering that the last Ivory Gull sighting in MA was over 20 years ago - !

The Gloucester bird left by January 26th, but the Plymouth individual was still around as of Jan. 30th. So, after much pleading, my mom agreed to drive me there. Upon our arrival at the Plymouth Boat Ramp on Saturday morning (the 31st), the bird had not yet been seen. So, naturally, we settled down to wait with the 50+ other hopeful birders.

Ivory Gull twitchers at Plymouth Harbor

Dead Common Loon - Ivory Gull bait.

After freezing for a few hours, with no luck on the gull, some other young birders and I (there were six of us - !) took a side trip to Manomet Point. At Manomet Point, Surf Scoters, White-winged Scoters, and Harlequin Ducks did their thing in the water below the cliff. A group of five Razorbills flew by at a distance, while an Iceland Gull milled arond with the Herring Gulls. Purple Sandpipers scuttled around on the purples (otherwise they'd be Rock Sandpipers, duh), while two magnificent-looking Great Cormorants sat cooperatively. In fact, that was the best birding of the trip!

We returned to the Plymouth Boat Ramp for the remainder of the day, but the Ivory Gull never did show up. Even so, birding the coast is always fun, and I enjoyed spending time with other birders under age 20. And I now understand why Ivory Gulls are so infamous. Honestly, it must've known the weekend was coming and left just to spite us birders....

Ooo, Plymouth Rock. Wins my award for greatest tourist disappointment of all time.

Bullock's Oriole!

2009-02-01T20:22:00.004-05:00

Two weeks ago (I'm getting good at this delayed blog post thing), I headed to Copake, NY in search of a Bullock's Oriole. It had been frequenting feeders for a week, and I needed it for my Region 8 Big Year.

Ten minutes after I arrived, the bird appeared – at first high in a distant tree, then flew overhead and perched near the feeder. After gorging on strawberry jelly for several minutes, it returned to a nearby tree, where it sat cooperatively, occasionally sleeping. Quite an amazing bird for my area!

Adult male Bullock's Oriole, Copake, Columbia County, NY

Mmm...strawberry jelly...

Pine Siskins!

2009-01-19T14:40:00.006-05:00

Last Monday, I looked out my window to see two Pine Siskins on my porch. As the chickadees at my house are trained to eat seeds out of my hand, I decided to give the siskins a shot. I put my hand out the window, and two(!) seconds later, a siskin came down and started eating.

It was very aggressive against all competitors, including the other siskin.

My mom got to feed it as well.

Cape Ann, MA - January 2

2009-01-14T09:11:00.000-05:00

Going back in time....

On January 2nd, I spend the morning birding Cape Ann, MA. Cape Ann is just north of Boston, and is a fantastic winter birding location (and happens to be fairly close to my relatives in southern NH...). Though I didn't get any lifers this time, it was a great start to my 2009 year list. Highlights included:

Snowy Owl - one perched on a roof near Gloucester Harbor

Iceland Gull - four near the Jodrey Fish Pier in Gloucester, plus two near Rockport Harbor

Black Guillemot - one preening and hyperactively bathing...seen from Bass Rocks, a strech of rocky coastline

Red-necked Grebe - one at Bass Rocks

King Eider - One adult male at Bass Rocks, straight out from Good Harbor Beach. Though it was quite distant, it was nice seeing the adult plumage, as I'd only seen a first year male before.

Razorbill - six at Andrew's Point, the outermost part of the cape and an excellent location for seawatching (especially when the winds are good...which they weren't).

Mid-winter Bald Eagle Survey

2009-01-09T16:44:00.000-05:00

I had a good morning of birding in Washington and Rensselaer Counties today (for the Mid-winter Bald Eagle Survey). Highlights include....

-4 Bald Eagles (1 adult, two 3rd year, and one second year)

-5 White-winged Crossbills total (2 individual flyovers, and a foraging group of 3). Good grief, they're becoming trash birds!

-Horned Larks and Snow Buntings in a mixed flock totaling ~100 birds (no longspurs, though, unfortunately)

-Pine Siskins (several in various locations)

-Drop-dead looks at a red phase Eastern Screech-Owl basking in the sun. We were driving along, when suddenly my mom slammed on the brakes and started to back up. That means she'd seen something really good. There, ~10 feet up a tree immediately next to the road, was a sunning screech-owl. Absolutely spectacular. A good bird to take care of for my Region 8 year list! (more on that later.)

Much of the Hoosick River was frozen.

Eastern Screech-Owl

Second year Bald Eagle

Random pig

Full species list for the morning (34 species):

Canada Goose
American Black Duck
Mallard
Common Merganser
Bald Eagle
Red-tailed Hawk
Great Black-backed Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Eastern Screech-Owl
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Blue Jay
American Crow
Horned Lark
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Eastern Bluebird
American Robin
European Starling
American Tree Sparrow
Song Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Snow Bunting
Northern Cardinal
House Finch
White-winged Crossbill
Pine Siskin
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

Southern Rensselaer CBC

2008-12-28T21:51:00.000-05:00

I occasionally question my sanity, and yesterday was such an occasion. Dragging myself out of bed at 5:30 am while listening to the rain pouring outside, I groggily thought, "What the heck am I doing?" It didn't take long for my normal, less sensible side to regain control, though, and soon I was headed out.

I met with Phil and Margie Whitney, two birders (and licensed drivers) from my bird club. We took the central area of the Christmas Bird Count (CBC) circle, while others took the outer portions. Thanks to rain, the morning was fairly slow other than a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. Though sapsuckers are fairly common breeders around here, they're uncommon to rare in the winter.

After lunch (where we had 20 Pine Siskins at the Whitneys' feeders!) we continued on to the second portion of our route. The rain was slacking by now, so we could actually use our optics rather than sheltering our lenses from rain drops (oh, for Leica Ultravids!).

Pine Siskin

Before long, we'd picked up a few more Pine Siskins, plus a Cooper's Hawk. As we were creeping along a stretch of road with the windows down, we stopped briefly to let a car behind us pass. I looked up, and saw an interesting looking bird in a spruce tree. You guessed it: "WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL!!" I yelled. It was a lone adult male, sitting and foraging very cooperatively. First time I've seen the crossed bill of a crossbill...

White-winged Crossbill

Link: Video of WWCR (please don't mind my pitiful "narration". Just watch the bird.)

After that, we got few additional species before darkness closed in. Our species total was ~35, not bad for a mostly rainy, completely waterfowl-less day! I'm not sure what the overall count total was. Hopefully I'll squeeze in one more CBC before the season's over....

Dune Road, Long Island

2008-12-24T15:28:00.000-05:00

Earlier this week I visited my relatives in eastern Long Island. In the summer, Westhampton and Dune Rd. are chaotic scenes of landscapers, construction workers, and billionaires. With mansions popping up like mushrooms, it's surprising that any habitat worth beans is left. Fortunately, though, the area is mostly deserted in the winter. With no boats on the bay, no people at the beaches, and few cars on the roads, the whole place is much more pleasant.

Sanderlings

In between holiday festivities, I managed to sneak out for some birding. Since the Moriches Bay was very choppy the first day, and frozen the next, I didn't have much luck there. A few Buffleheads, American Black Ducks, and Mute Swans were around, but hardly anything else.

On Monday afternoon, we made a short trip to the beach at Dune Rd. With a temperature of 15 or so, and wind chills in the negatives, it was COLD. The ocean was very choppy, too, making birding difficult. However, I did get my year Black Scoter (finally!), in addition to seeing Surf Scoters and Sanderlings. In the nearby bushes were Song Sparrows, a White-crowned Sparrow, and a Yellow-rumped Warbler. AND I had fun photographing random artsy things, curtesy of my sister's awesome camera (a new Canon Rebel XSi).

Foam

Ohio Young Birders Conference

2008-10-11T21:00:00.000-04:00

Last week, I had the privilege of speaking at the Ohio Young Birders Club 2nd Annual Conference. In addition to telling about my fledgling research, I met lots of cool people and saw some nice birds.

The Ohio Young Birders Club (OYBC) was the inspiration for the NYS Young Birders Club (NYSYBC). Kim Kaufman, the OYBC's incredible adult coordinator, has been a HUGE help in starting the NYSYBC. Anyhow, official memberships for the NYSYBC are now open!! For more information, visit: www.nysyoungbirders.org. I'm really psyched about this club.

Ah-hem. Yes. Back on topic. The OYBC Conference was a blast. It was held in Holmes County, the heart of Amish country. Bird highlights (all at Funk Bottoms Wildlife Area) were Lincoln's Sparrow, Marsh Wren, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Sandhill Cranes, and a dead Barn Owl. I'm too lazy to write out details, so you can a) read the following basic information, and/or b) Google the conference and read other peoples' reports. Lame, yes, I know... :-/

Who: ~130 people including 50+ young birders aged 12-18. The speakers were all young birders, with topics including ecotourism, tracking rails using telemetry, winter birds on the Lake Erie coast, the birds of Killbuck Marsh, and birding Ecuador.

What: Saturday morning field trip to Funk Bottoms, followed by an Amish lunch and the afternoon talks. Also a Sunday morning digiscoping trip lead by Jeff Bouton.

When: October 4-5 2008

Why: Birding is fun. And meeting other young birders is fun. And talking about fledglings is fun.

Where: Ohio's Amish country: Walnut Creek, Holmes County

How: This is always a stupid question. How awesome was it? Very.

The Famed Barn Owl...taking a nap...face down...in the water...

Checking out the Barn Owl, which Steve "Swamp Man" Carbol kindly fetched from the marsh.

Sandhill Cranes

More recordings

2008-10-11T20:36:00.000-04:00

Here are some additional fledgling recordings that demonstrate the wide variety of fledglings' vocalizations.

Alder Flycatcher: This is fairly typical of fledgling flycatchers' calls - a weak version of the adult call and rasping begging notes.

Baltimore Oriole: Note the comparison of the weak (fledgling) and strong (adult) rattles. These birds were technically juveniles, as they were foraging on their own, but they were still giving the fledgling calls ("dew, dew").

Black-and-white Warbler: These calls are typical of most warbler fledglings - the incessant twittering, and lower/descending note during feeding.

Winter Wren: High, repeated notes.

One Pixel is OUT!!

2008-09-07T19:33:00.000-04:00

Well, I'm giving this a whirl...trying to put a 1pixelout audio player on here. Please let me know if you have any problems!

This is a recording of a fledgling American Crow I recorded this summer. No, I didn't just go in the field and get a recording this good (though this one was pretty good). I visited Ithaca last week and worked on editing my recordings with Lang Elliott. Note and appreciate (and thank Lang for!) the fade-in, fade-out, noise reduction, aesthetic choosing of the best feeding sequences, and disappearance of handling noise.

Of fledglings and fall...

2008-08-27T19:37:00.000-04:00

[...super-delayed update...]

After Lake Winnipesaukee, we headed back north to Errol, where we worked both in the Errol area and nearby Maine. Fledgling activity was already diminishing, as warblers were forming huge mixed flocks. Interestingly, these flocks tended to consist of family groups. If there were, say, 15 species in a mixed flock, and each species had at least one family group, and each family group consisted of two adults and several youngsters...you get the idea: birds everywhere. I'm a sucker for mixed passerine flocks in fall migration, so this was bliss. However, between the uncooperative weather and begging fledglings becoming harder and harder to find, our time had come to move on.

Logging road in the Errol, NH area.

Move on, yes, but head home? Heavens, no. Not yet, anyhow. First, a puffin tour to Machias Seal Island. Thanks to thick fog and mist, the pelagic part wasn't great (we saw ONE Wilson's Storm-Petrel, if that gives you any idea). However, we did get to land on the island, and I picked up 5 lifers total. And, of course, the puffins were awesome.

Greater Shearwater

Working our way south down the coast (stopping for my life Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow and some birding at Plum Island, MA on the way), we ultimately picked my sister up in Boston from her complicated adventures, then headed home...

...for two days. I've been home a total of precisely seven days this summer (which has now succumbed to chemistry classes). The remainder of my adventures included a trip to Long Island and a trip to MI/IN (family trip...dropping above sister at grad school).

When on Long Island, I participated in the first New York State Young Birders Club trip at Jamaica Bay. I've been quite active in starting the NYSYBC, and the trip was a blast. It's always nice to connect faces with email addresses! For more information about the club, visit: www.nysyoungbirders.org

Celebrate fall migration - the best season of the year!

The good life.

Concord, Pondicherrry, Errol, and Lake Winni

2008-07-30T19:24:00.000-04:00

I must admit, I've dropped off the face of the earth lately. Since I've had countless adventures since my last post, I'll just highlight the best below.

Concord, NH: July 13-16

After Hubbard Brook, we headed down to Concord where my mentor, Carol Foss, lives. Though our first day there was rainy (definitely not conducive to recording), the next few days proved quite successful. At a park in Concord, we encountered a family of Eastern Towhees, with very recently fledged youngsters. Young fledglings are often oblivious to humans, and this bird didn't care that we walked 1 foot from it.

Fledgling Eastern Towhee

I got a decent recording of the towhees, but thanks to traffic noise, it wasn't exceptional. Getting a good, quiet recording isn't easy. What most people consider a "quiet" place might be noisy to recordist ears. Traffic can be heard two miles away, evil noisy water (oh, sorry. Peaceful mountain streams.) is ubiquitous, and even a light wind can rustle leaves enough to drown out bird calls.

Pondicherry National Wildlife Refuge, NH: July 17-18

From Concord, we headed north to Pondicherry National Wildlife Refuge. There, I picked up my lifer White-winged Crossbill and many new species of fledglings, including Blue Jay (finally!), Eastern Kingbird, and a great recording of Winter Wren. The Winter Wren fledglings were amazing little birds: barely two inches long, big mouths, and scurrying over the ground like mice. Unfortunately, they didn't cooperate to be photographed.

Pondicherry on a nice day

Ah, yes. Pondicherry, Land of Adventures. While hiking to a "highly visible" Black-backed Woodpecker (BBWO) nest, a thunderstorm began to overtake us. As the rain started, we took shelter under some conifers, and waited out the storm. It wasn't bad, though we thought it was then. The lightning was about one mile away, and the rain moderate. After a bit, we decided it was safe to continue on, and so we did. We made it to the "BBWO nest", but no nest or woodpeckers could be found.

Soon, another storm appeared on the horizon – a big, black, ominous-looking cloud. As we were 3.5 miles from the car (or any habitation, for that matter), we decided we'd better start boogying back. We'd gone half a mile when it started to pour. Taking shelter under a tree, we did all we could to keep the equipment dry as the storm drew closer. Suddenly, the light faded as if someone had turned off a switch. The wind picked up, until 8 inch trees were rocking and swaying. BOOM. The thunder was close now. Really close. Then, oh the joy, it started hailing – dime-sized hail. Did I mention we had no raingear? By now, the lighting was essentially over us, and we crouched to avoid being electrocuted. Though it was rather cold and wet, the whole time we were laughing hysterically at how ridiculous it was. Good times...

The storm also killed our camera...we think water got in the lens barrel, so now the lens won't retract. We sent it in to be fixed, but that obviously left us temporarily cameraless and therefore photoless. Thankfully, though, my aunt kindly lent us her camera, which happens to be the exact same model as ours. Pictures will return in the next post...

Errol and vicinity: July 18-20

After leaving Pondicherry, we drove north and east to Errol - a small town near the border of Maine. There is a huge network of logging roads in the area, providing perfect recording opportunities. Traffic is essentially nonexistant, and none of the land is posted, so we were free to roam. Though the weather wasn't particularly cooperative, I recorded several new species in the area, including Canada and Magnolia Warblers. Seeing some boreal species, including my lifer Black-backed Woodpecker (BBWO), was a treat as well. Speaking of BBWO, here is an excerpt from my field notebook about seeing the bird (I have a weird field notebook):

"While sitting on the car hood, eating Honey Oats & Flakes with soy milk, I suddenly heard an unfamiliar call note. "Chick....chick." It was low, and very flat. Thoughts of BBWO came bouncing into my mind as I sprang of the car roof and sprinted around said car for a view of the bird. There, about 35 ft. up in a dead spruce, was a big, black, woodpecker. YEEHAA! It hopped up the tree a bit, preened, turned so we could get a profile view...the perfect lifer. That was a short-lived nemesis... Pretty ironic, considering the hike to the "BBWO nest" at Pondicherry...

Also in the area: Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Blue-headed Vireo, Hermit Thrush, Magnolia Warbler, White-throated Sparrow, Common Yellowthroat, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Northern Parula, Swainson's Thrush, Blue Jay, Amercian Robin, Canada Warbler, and Nashville Warbler."

Lake Winnipesaukee: July 20-30

The past 10 days have been spent at my family's camp on Lake Winnipesaukee. A typical day involved arising early and doing field work for the morning, then returning for the afternoon to sail and visit with relatives. I continued adding to my "fledglings recorded" list, and had a good time. I'm headed back to Errol and nearby Maine again today, so will be dropping off the face of the earth again...

Hubbard Brook

2008-07-11T18:06:00.000-04:00

After a relaxing stop at my family's camp on Lake Winnipesaukee, we (being my mom, aka "Fizz", and I) headed north to Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest near Woodstock, NH. Hubbard Brook is a field site for researchers of all sorts - birds, mammals, amphibians, soil, water...you name it. In addition to working on my own project, I've enjoyed getting to know researchers of every variety.

We arrived here on Tuesday, in time to settle in and explore a bit before dark. I recorded some Golden-crowned Kinglet fledglings, though they were very close to a noisy stream. Ahh...Golden-crowned Kinglets, of the high, piercing calls. Bad enough through my normal ears, their calls were splitting through the parabolic reflector and headphones. I tried to include the recording here, but am having difficulties uploading it. Please teach me if you know how/where to upload .wav files...

On a non-fledgling note, I got my lifer Yellow-bellied Flycatcher this morning! I really should've seen one before now, but...ah well. We had spectacular looks at this bird, and found its nest - a small cup in the hollow of a moss bank.

Lifer #513 for North America!

Oh, don't worry...I wasn't just joybirding this morning. The conditions were perfect for recording: calm wind and clear skies. Any wind greatly reduces the quality of a recording, as the "hiss" from the trees is greatly amplified. Today, however, it was dead calm, and I got a good recording of a Black-throated Blue Warbler kid. I also recorded a Black-throated Green Warbler fledgling, though that bird was much less cooperative. All told, a very fun morning.

Visiting VINS

2008-07-08T09:36:00.000-04:00

I can't believe I haven't mentioned this yet. All my equipment was purchased thanks to a generous grant from the VT Institute of Natural Science (VINS). My mentor at NH Audubon, Carol Foss, had mentioned VINS's new Environmental Science Research Fellowship program to me, and suggested I apply. So, I did - filled out the form, wrote an essay, got letters of recommendation, etc. When I got a call to say I had received the grant, I was ecstatic!

Yesterday, I made a visit to VINS's nature center and headquarters in Quechee, VT, where I met with VINS President John Dolan. We discussed the progress of my research thus far, and possibilities for presentations this fall.

An Afternoon at High Pond

2008-07-07T22:09:00.000-04:00

On July 4^th, we made an excursion to Vermont Audubon's High Pond Camp in Brandon, VT. I had attended a conservation camp there in 2004, and guessed it had good potential. It was well worth the trip.

Immediately after exiting the car, I heard (and recorded) a Brown-headed Cowbird fledgling, soon followed by Gray Catbird, and 5 Eastern Phoebe fledgers huddled on a fence post. The phoebes were very fresh out of the nest, clumsily attempting to stay together on the post, and eventually fluttering to unstable perches nearby (e.g., grass stems).

After thoroughly working the vicinity of the car, we walked (bushwacked) up the overgrown trail leading away from the road. The alleged Golden-winged Warblers in the area didn't show themselves, though we did see a pair of Blue-winged Warblers. Some recently fledged Least Flycatchers were a treat, but the trail loops was otherwise unproductive. Climbing back into the car, we were about to drive away when...Yellow Warbler fledgling! *Jump out, bushwack, record, get back in car, leave for real.* Overall, a very successful side trip.

Adventures from Castleton

2008-07-07T21:58:00.000-04:00

I must admit, fledglings are the cutest possible topic to research. I don't generally oo and ah over animals, but some of these fledgers are downright adorable. While walking along one day, listening for family groups, a Common Yellowthroat fledgling popped out of the bushes at our feet. It must've been just a day, if not hours, out of the nest. Good heavens, it was adorable. Whenever I think about that baby, I thtart to tok wike vif, and pout a wittle bit, and get aw teawy-eyed...haha, not.

Then again, some fledglings are cute in a warped sense. Take, for instance, this Red-winged Blackbird. With bare skin, horn-like fuzz sticking out it's head, and an oversized beak, it was...well...look at the picture.

Flat tires, on the other hand, are never cute. They do provide a sense of adventure and make for interesting stories, though. While driving to a fielded area at 0530, we ran over something that put a 2-inch gash in the tire. Oh, the joy...

Castleton, VT: July 2-7

2008-07-07T21:40:00.001-04:00

Starting last Wendesday, my mom and I stayed at my dad's friend's hunting cabin in Castleton, VT. The setting was perfect: far from traffic, a roof over our heads, beds to sleep on, and few people around (except for the occasional partying neighbors). Not having running water (or electricty) was a minor drawback, but hey, this is field work, not a hotel. Let's just say...we became very heavily birded, and it's good nobody had to come near us.

The timing was perfect for fledglings, as well. Fledglings (aka "fledgers" or "kids") can be finicky – too early, and they haven't "popped"; too late, and they're all scattered. Thankfully for us, fledgers were prime. Black-and-white Warblers, Chipping Sparrows, Ovenbirds, and many more had fledglings out; you could hardly step out of the cabin without hearing family groups. By the end of our 5-day stay, I'd recored 17 species of fledgling vocalizations.

Due to recent issues with the flash card in my digital recorder (long story), we were careful to make daily backups onto the laptop. Thanks to a nifty gizmo (a DC-to-AC converter) I could use the laptop in the car without worrying about charging it (the laptop's battery doesn't work). It felt weird to be in the car, in the boondocks, with no regular electricity, using a computer. In fact, we're driving down Rt. 4 in NH as I type this...

Ah, yes, Stories from the field. I have plenty, but those can wait for the next post...

Ithaca, NY - Session with Lang Elliott

2008-07-02T16:41:00.000-04:00

I spent yesterday morning with Lang Elliott in Ithaca, NY. In addition to learning many helpful recording strategies, I am borrowing a parabolic reflector for the summer. The parabola will help a lot with getting quality recordings. I could tell much, much more about this session, but don't have time, as I'm headed to central VT soon (and have a TON to do!). Instead, I'll post some pictures, and hope they give a sense of what we did.

Practicing with the parabolic reflector on a Chipping Sparrow fledgling.

Looking at and listening to bird sounds in the studio.

Oscillogram of a Willow Flycatcher singing.

Fledgling research: How it all started

2008-07-02T16:21:00.000-04:00

An article I wrote for "Birds Eye View" about my project. I'll be spending the next two months in the field recording fledglings, and will try to blog some along the way. To clarify: Fledglings are young birds that are out of the nest, but still dependent on their parents.

I have always been curious about birds, but when I was eight, finding an Ovenbird nest fired my interest into an obsession. At first, I was mainly attracted to identifying birds and finding their nests; as I got older, my interests expanded. After taking the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology's Home Study Course in Bird Biology, I realized how fascinating bird vocalizations are and how much remains unknown. I decided to do a formal project and a curiosity for fledgling warbler vocalizations led to my research investigation.

Without any idea what was already known about fledglings, I made a list of questions. My main question concerned whether fledgling warblers could be identified to species by call alone. In addition, I wondered how many different types of calls fledglings have, how the calls change as the young get older, and if the adults retain their fledgling calls. Using the internet and scientific journals for background research, I was shocked to discover that essentially nothing was known about fledglings. Starting from scratch, I decided to tackle my first question: can fledgling warblers be identified to species by their calls alone?

After I had decided what to study, I had a lot more background research to do. I gathered information on everything that was known, asked experts for advice, and read many scientific articles. I still, however, needed an arrangement to borrow (or buy) recording equipment and a place to record over the summer. I knew of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Macaulay Library, which has a large archive of animal recordings, and thought it worth asking them about equipment. They agreed to loan me recording equipment; in exchange they would receive my recordings to add to their archives. I just needed a place to record during the summer. After asking on some New England birding listservs, I was put in touch with Carol Foss of New Hampshire Audubon who had done some fledgling research herself, and who was eager to help arrange a site in northern New Hampshire. Soon, I was ready for the field season.

During the summer, I did my first field season of recording fledgling warblers. I must admit it's pretty undignified, and sometimes frustrating, work. Fledglings are not cooperative creatures. They are experts at making it sound like they are where they are not, staying hidden in thick brush, and avoiding predators and recordists. Since visual identification of fledglings is an unexplored area as well, I had to see an adult feeding the fledgling to identify the species. Nevertheless, it proved successful (and a blast!), and I look forward to the next few summers.

I hope this research will be useful for documenting breeding birds. I am sure that much potential data for Breeding Bird Atlases is wasted because observers cannot identify fledglings. Eventually, I hope to make information on identifying fledglings available to all. To make this database the most useful, I am expanding my research to encompass all fledglings, focusing only on their identification. Hopefully this creates a base for future researchers and improves data collection on breeding birds.