Richard

Fall Woods Walk 1

Ginger and I have been exploring a local forest and its network of trails. Yesterday, we walked and birded for nearly three hours and never saw anyone.

It was quiet: there were no road noises, chainsaws, people, or dogs – all was I could hear was the jingle of her harness, the chirps and trills of the ever-present chickadees, and calling of crows and the drumming of woodpeckers. It was lovely as the temperature climbed from 45 into the sixties – a perfect Fall morning and a welcome break from the onslaught of disturbing news in the nation and the world.

I took my time and saw a lot of birds but thought I’d first give you a flavor of the trek. I’ll sort the birds out next post.

These old farmlands have a variety of stone walls, old foundations, interesting debris, and lots of natural features that catch your eye. This massive boulder right near the start has a big crack and missing piece that piques the imagination.

Just across the trail is an old hubcap which probably has a story behind it.

The leaves are starting to turn and it’s goldenrod and aster time in Vermont.

A Common Yellowthroat enjoying fall color

Some of the forest is being used for sugaring.

The sap transmission lines are left up year-round.

This tree had an interesting family using it.

Here are a few more shots from the walk:

My Birding Buddy – ready for the next adventure

It is heartening to know that these trails and quiet forest have been preserved and protected for future generations.

Some Maine Birds

During our stay in Maine, we heard a nice variety of birds but many were buried in foliage and constantly moving. This Black-throated Green popped out for a quick photo op.

This Alder/Willow Flycatcher and Cedar Waxwing pair picked a dead tree for their perch.

Flycatchers aren”t singing so identifying them is pretty tough.

Even the young Downy Woodpeckers provided a challenge.

On the water, there were lots of cormorants, gulls, and ducks beyond scope range. I saw a passing White-rumped Sandpiper, a bird I haven’t seen in 8 years.

Greater Black-backed Gull – big and noisy.

Just after seeing this Herring Gull, we returned to the trail and Ginger suddenly darted into the underbrush. I went after her, saw trouble, and yelled at her to come. She turned, moved toward me, and I grabbed her leash. Then I took a picture of this guy, who had just ambled up the tree a few feet. It could have been a disaster, dozens of miles from a vet. She got big-time praise and treats.

Maine Vacation

We spent last week in Maine, doing some sight-seeing, a little birding, and enjoying the quiet and beauty around us.

Beach roses, while invasive, were lovely along the trails we walked.

We drove over to Eastport and saw this massive cruise ship and the mermaid sculpture, and walked and shopped a bit.

The Oceania Riviera will depart soon for Europe. The 785-foot ship arrived in Eastport on June 14 with no passengers and has been waiting for the green light for cruise ships to resume operations.

The water was too cold for swimming but Ginger got in up t0 her belly, but wouldn’t swim to the stick (right side) that I threw.

Posing in front of the owner’s lobster boat.

We had a great time and hope to return next year. Next post will have a few of the birds we saw.

More Youngsters

Lots of young birds active – White-throated Sparrows practicing their song, Blue Jays begging for food, and many inquisitive youngsters.

These Song Sparrows on the back lawn were noisily teaching/learning to forage for food.

This mature Common Yellowthroat was not happy with an offspring who got way too nosy with me and the dog.

Not satisfied to be hidden, this youngster followed us down the path, chipping away.

This Tree Swallow youngster is about ready to fledge.

House Wrens Fledged Yesterday

We have enjoyed the energy and singing of our House Wrens and wondered about their offspring, which they been feeding pretty continually the last week or two. It was only yesterday when I saw faces at the bird house entrance and I spent some time quietly watching them yesterday afternoon.

The youngsters were waiting, noisily, for lunch.

I saw one of the parents gathering a snack for them.

It was pretty noisy when food arrived. There were three fledglings.

They leaned out more each time food arrived and I saw some tentative moves toward leaving.

I left them alone and I think they left in shortly afterward. Last evening, I could hear the adults and some begging sounds but the fledglings were buried in the thick foliage. This morning, I saw this proud parent on the woodpile.

Ovenbirds

Ovenbirds are loud in the woods, their “teacher, teacher, teacher” call resonating loudly but they themselves tough to spot. Yesterday I saw a number of them, chipping at me as the dog and I walked along the trail. I’m not sure if they were youngsters upset with the intrusion or adults distracting us from nearby ground nests. In any case, they were the first I’ve seen this year.

Some June Birds

Bird walks in the woods these days seem to feature persistent calls from two birds that are tough to see: Red-eyed Vireo and Ovenbird. And these shots from the last couple of outings don’t include them. However, in spite of heavy foliage there are other birds, often young ones, moving about. Here are a few starting with one of our most common, Song Sparrows. Lots of young ones around.

Common Yellowthroats are also pretty common but hard to photograph — always moving. This one faked me out at first but my friend Rich wrote: “I think we can safely say that this is a male Geothlypis trichas trichas, too, or at least in that grouping on eBird, as it lacks a yellow border to the black mask, has a white-ish belly, and an extensive yellow throat.”

Lastly, one of the most persistent singers are Chestnut-sided Warblers, but again, often buried in the leaves these days.

As I write this, I can hear a Black & White Warbler in the woods just across the busy street. This is “birding by ear” time and that sure beats “frozen fingers on the binoculars” time. Be safe and enjoy the birds of summer.

Cedar Waxwings

This Spring we have many birds nesting right here in our backyard. House Wrens are on their second batch while we know there are other nesters like Song Sparrows, Common Yellowthroats, woodpeckers, and Grey Catbirds. Yesterday, we added Cedar Waxing to the list.

I’ve yet to find nests but hear a lot of feeding activity — the thick brambles and foliage are perfect for them. I’d just as soon just leave them alone and wait for the youngsters.

Neighborhood Geese

For several weeks, we have enjoyed seeing a pair of Canada Geese rear a young family on the river right out back. We seen them teaching the goslings to bathe themselves and get started on learning to fly. Some days they are right out back, other times they are up to a half-mile upriver. The youngster count has stayed at six for several weeks. Here they are on an outing yesterday:

Not just birds

While foliage covers up some of the birds this time of year, we enjoy the wildflowers and critters that we see on our walks. Ginger has a fetish about squirrels and today, several crossed our path.