Author: Richard

The Big Year trailer is released

Birders are getting cranked up about this new movie — nearly every major birding blog mentions it since finally, the trailer from the much awaited – in birder circles –has been released.  The movie is based on Mark Obmascik’s book The Big Year about three obsessed birders who independently decide to do a big year birdwatching. That is, they try to see as many birds as possible in mainland US and Canada in a calendar year.

Will it be good? Will it be funny? Can you judge from this trailer?

There is a good chance it is good. Director David Frankel did Devil wears Prada and even has an academy award for short movie Dear Diary in 1997. There is even a better chance that it is funny with a cast consisting of Steve Martin, Owen Wilson and Jack Black.

The big question is of course….. will it be good for birding? The whole movie you may see from Oct 14.

Naturally Curious — Book Review

There’s only a limited number of books you can keep in an Airstream library but here’s one to carry, especially if you spend time in New England.

Naturally Curious is a wonderful book given to me for Father’s Day upon the recommendation of the owner of a local birding supply store.  It is set up by month so I started in June but then realized that the warblers were in May so I backtracked.  I then read July and August and loved the detail and all the factoids on a variety of natural items.  Naturally (pardon the pun), I gravitated to the birding sections but learned a lot from the insect and plant sections as well.

This is not a book you can’t put down — I took a break for a few months and started again in late August, re-reading August and then doing September.  I kind of savor the content — not wanting to get too far ahead but rather following the months as they occur.

Let me give you example of the type of information I just find fascinating, this from a writeup on yellow-bellied sapsuckers:

“By far the most frequent visitor to sapsucker wells, other than sapsuckers, is the ruby-throated hummingbird. Like the sapsucker, it is in search of sap as well as insects that are attracted to the sap, and has been seen following sapsuckers as they visit their wells. Tree sap is similar to flower nectar in the amount of sugar and nutrients it contains.  When hummingbirds first return to New England in early May, flowers are few and far between, so tree sap, available to hummingbirds thanks to yellow-bellied sapsuckers, is a lifesaving substitute. It seems more than coincidental that the spring arrival of the ruby-throated hummingbird and the height of yellow-bellied sapsucker drilling occur at the same time.”

This is one of those “read a little, absorb, read some more” type of book.  It’s focused on New England but has a lot of information that is applicable in other sections of the U.S.  It’s one of those books I’ll go back to, time and time again once I finish it.  I’ll likely read it monthly next year as well.  I highly recommend it as a book to have on your Airstream bookshelf.  What a perfect gift from a wonderful daughter.

Blackburnians and Friends

I returned to the North Branch Nature Center early this morning to look for the elusive Black-billed Cuckoo (which I did not see) and check for fall warblers.  It was a grey overcast morning with little activity at first but once the sun started warming things up, bird activity cranked up.  I was by myself, armed with my Nikon Monarch binoculars and Canon 60D camera.

Young Cedarwaxwing hiding in bushes

There was lots of flycatcher and kingbird action as well as the ever-present Song Sparrows and Common Yellowthroats.  Seeing some movement deep in some bushes, I got my binos up and saw the gaping mouth of a young bird — and trying to take a photo with all the foliage, captured the image of a juvenile Cedar Waxwing.  The tail was much more red than the adults but from the mask and the noise it made, I was pretty sure of my call.

White-Throated Sparrow

Moving just further into the underbrush, I came face-to-face with a couple of White-Throated Sparrows and grabbed a couple of pictures.

Then the activity up high picked up — with all the constant flitting around and resultant neck craning that warbler watching can entail.  Sometimes I understand why Audobon shot them and took his time identifying them.

Blackburnian Warbler

Perhaps my favorite is the Blackburnian Warbler because the males are easy to identify and just gorgeous.  There was one this morning that I grabbed some poor shots of and then a Black and White Warbler popped up.  I saw Yellow-rumps as well as Yellow Warblers and missed a bunch more.

Common Flicker

Heading back, the Flickers were again on the path and one posed nicely for the camera.  It was a nice Saturday morning outing with about 27 species noted.

Life bird #299 — Wilson’s Warbler

A Yellow Warbler peeking out

This morning I went on a bird walk with Chip Darmstadt, the director of the North Branch Nature Center.  We were looking for fall migrants and found a nice batch of them over a two hour period.  We started with a Bobolink perched on a Goldenrod and several frolicking Eastern Kingbirds along the entrance path, we found the trees along the river laden with warblers.  It’s quite a challenge with all the foliage and the frenetic nature of these elusive birds.  And they are not calling and in the fall plumage so it was nice to have Chip and his expertise along.

A Yellow Warbler bounced around in the morning sun, while a more shy Chestnut-sided lurked in the leaves until finally popping out for a good look.

A pair of House Wrens scolded us

We were scolded by a pair of noisy House Wrens while we watched a flock of Cedar Waxwings do their flycatcher routine.  And then we saw a flycatcher, probably a Least, and several other warblers (Yellow-rumped, Common Redstart, & Magnolia.)

Chip got pretty excited when we saw another little yellow bird flitting through the trees.  “I think that’s a Wilson’s Warbler,” he said.  We followed it with our binoculars trying to lock in field marks, as he called them out.  Yellow underparts, yellow face, no wingbars.  We knew we had it when we saw black on the top of the head.  Then it flew off.

Wilson’s Warbler (photo by goingslo)

We saw 28 species including a Flicker, a couple of Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, and a Hooded Merganser sunning herself on a log with three turtles.  Chip got a quick glance at a Black-Billed Cuckoo but we couldn’t get it to show again.  That’s another that I need for my life list so I think I’ll scoot down there tomorrow morning and see if I can spot it.

As any novice birder knows, it’s great to have an experienced set of eyes with you.  I find that’s particularly true with warblers and shorebirds — otherwise I get pretty frustrated sorting them all out.  But then, having seen these birds in their fall plumage, I have a much better chance to identify them next time I see them — like tomorrow.

Brazos Walking Sticks

Everyone needs something or someone to lean on for support once in a while. Backcountry explorers are no different, whether it is a pair of Walking Sticktelescoping hiking poles or simply a thick stick picked up along the trail. A pole or stick can assist with a wide range of backcountry situations from crossing a beaver dam to descending a mountain. This extra support becomes even more important as one gets older when the knee and hip joints need relief from the stress caused from hours of hiking over arduous terrain.

Although most hikers use the typical high-tech aluminum telescoping poles, there still remains a few who prefer the old-school wooden hiking sticks. These sticks are often found along the trail, especially near tricky wetland or beaver dam crossings. Occasionally, a hiker might develop an attachment to one of these sticks, removing the stick from its native habitat to live out a life as a trusty object of support and balance.

An alternative to these options is to buy a wooden hiking stick from Brazos Walking Sticks.

Brazos Walking Sticks makes a wide selection of walking sticks, canes, and accessories. The company’s walking stick line are an attractive alternative to the high-tech hiking poles for anyone but the most aggressive mountain climber.
Brazos products come in a wide variety of wood types including oak, cedar, ash, maple, cherry, pine and others. Each walking stick or cane is handcrafted by one of their gifted artisan craftsmen in central Texas, not far from the company’s namesake, the Brazos River. 

Read complete review by Dan Crane in Adirondack Almanac

Photo by Brazos Walking Sticks

Brazos Walking Sticks

Everyone needs something or someone to lean on for support once in a while. Backcountry explorers are no different, whether it is a pair of Walking Sticktelescoping hiking poles or simply a thick stick picked up along the trail. A pole or stick can assist with a wide range of backcountry situations from crossing a beaver dam to descending a mountain. This extra support becomes even more important as one gets older when the knee and hip joints need relief from the stress caused from hours of hiking over arduous terrain.

Although most hikers use the typical high-tech aluminum telescoping poles, there still remains a few who prefer the old-school wooden hiking sticks. These sticks are often found along the trail, especially near tricky wetland or beaver dam crossings. Occasionally, a hiker might develop an attachment to one of these sticks, removing the stick from its native habitat to live out a life as a trusty object of support and balance.

An alternative to these options is to buy a wooden hiking stick from Brazos Walking Sticks.

Brazos Walking Sticks makes a wide selection of walking sticks, canes, and accessories. The company’s walking stick line are an attractive alternative to the high-tech hiking poles for anyone but the most aggressive mountain climber.
Brazos products come in a wide variety of wood types including oak, cedar, ash, maple, cherry, pine and others. Each walking stick or cane is handcrafted by one of their gifted artisan craftsmen in central Texas, not far from the company’s namesake, the Brazos River. 

Read complete review by Dan Crane in Adirondack Almanac
Photo by Brazos Walking Sticks

Getting Digiscoping Tips

I have been corresponding with a blogging friend from Maine, Stephen Ingraham, who is a Birding and Observation Product Specialist for Carl Zeiss Sports Optics.  He knows a lot about digiscoping and in emails today, answered questions for me and helped out a great deal.  His advice on letting the camera do a lot of the work, using some of the automatic settings, make a lot of sense.  He also recommended this video, which while aimed at Zeiss products, is applicable to any setup.  I found it pretty helpful and interesting so I’m sharing it.  
I practiced a bit out back today and here are a couple of examples of how my digiscoping went.  I’m pretty happy with it and need to get out there and shoot.
It’s about time to head south

I’ve got an itch I can’t quite reach

Waiting through Hurricane Irene

Living in a rural area in the path of a hurricane (or tropical storm) with hundreds of miles of power lines and thousands of trees, combined with heavy rain and wind, make losing power almost a certainty.  Our power has already flickered so all the clocks are blinking and showing the wrong time – but we’ll find that manual for setting the oven stove yet.  Once electricity goes, we lose the water pump, the stove and oven, and the refrigerator and lights.  But we have a nice backup plan sitting in the yard, our Airstream travel trailer.


So yesterday, in pre-storm preparation, I added water to the ‘stream for ballast, checked the gas stove, started the gas refrigerator, and checked the battery charge.  The pads are down and it should ride out the storm nicely — and allow us to make coffee in the morning.

When I walked the dog early this morning, the trails were already flooding in places, but the birds were singing in the light steady rain.

They have been stoking up on thistle seed and sunflower chips all morning and in between downpours, a couple of hummers tanked up at their feeder.  We’ve had soggy Chickadees, Song Sparrows, American Goldfinches, and Hairy Woodpeckers and a Downy.  A placid Mourning Dove has sat through squalls in the crabapple tree, watching it all.

Hey I’m wet and molting — ditch that camera!

Wet but hungry Hairy Woodpecker

Momma Hummer tanks up in the rain

Man, it’s wet up here.  How about some room service?

The birding blogs are full of hurricane-related activity, starting with the wonderful story of the radio-equipped Whimbrell who made it through a few days ago.  Birders are looking forward to post-hurricane birding — here’s an article from Connecticut and one from Albany. 

Here’s what Brian Pfeiffer, one of our top birders just wrote:

“Hurricane Irene’s passage through Vermont is an opportunity for rare birds. Increasing winds today may deposit odd birds nearly anywhere in the state. Please use common sense out there; this is a dangerous storm. We need not lose anyone to high water, falling trees or downed power lines. Common sense is a far better thing than a Sooty Tern.


But do take note of what may be flying over or floating in large waterbodies. The Connecticut River will also be worth investigating. So will flooded fields for that matter. Monday morning may also be a fine time to search for the rare stuff. The hurricane of 1938 brought Cory’s Shearwater (Wheelock), Greater Shearwater (Rutland), Leach’s Storm-Petrel (Barre, Norwich, Rutland, St. Johnsbury), White-tailed Tropicbird (North Danville and Woodstock) and other delights to Vermont that particular September. When your neighbors call to report “a strange bird” in the yard, take it seriously. Go investigate if it’s safe to do so…”

 So, today’s a nice day to curl up with a birding book and think about possible new birds in your area.

I plan to check our nearby reservoirs tomorrow to check for wind-blown vagrant birds.  Be safe and tonight, most of us can hum, “Goodnight Irene.”

Waiting through Hurricane Irene

Living in a rural area in the path of a hurricane (or tropical storm) with hundreds of miles of power lines and thousands of trees, combined with heavy rain and wind, make losing power almost a certainty.  Our power has already flickered so all the clocks are blinking and showing the wrong time – but we’ll find that manual for setting the oven stove yet.  Once electricity goes, we lose the water pump, the stove and oven, and the refrigerator and lights.  But we have a nice backup plan sitting in the yard, our Airstream travel trailer.

So yesterday, in pre-storm preparation, I added water to the ‘stream for ballast, checked the gas stove, started the gas refrigerator, and checked the battery charge.  The pads are down and it should ride out the storm nicely — and allow us to make coffee in the morning.

When I walked the dog early this morning, the trails were already flooding in places, but the birds were singing in the light steady rain.

They have been stoking up on thistle seed and sunflower chips all morning and in between downpours, a couple of hummers tanked up at their feeder.  We’ve had soggy Chickadees, Song Sparrows, American Goldfinches, and Hairy Woodpeckers and a Downy.  A placid Mourning Dove has sat through squalls in the crabapple tree, watching it all.

Hey I’m wet and molting — ditch that camera!

Wet but hungry Hairy Woodpecker

Momma Hummer tanks up in the rain

Man, it’s wet up here.  How about some room service?


The birding blogs are full of hurricane-related activity, starting with the wonderful story of the radio-equipped Whimbrell who made it through a few days ago.  Birders are looking forward to post-hurricane birding — here’s an article from Connecticut and one from Albany. 

Here’s what Brian Pfeiffer, one of our top birders just wrote:

“Hurricane Irene’s passage through Vermont is an opportunity for rare birds. Increasing winds today may deposit odd birds nearly anywhere in the state. Please use common sense out there; this is a dangerous storm. We need not lose anyone to high water, falling trees or downed power lines. Common sense is a far better thing than a Sooty Tern.


But do take note of what may be flying over or floating in large waterbodies. The Connecticut River will also be worth investigating. So will flooded fields for that matter. Monday morning may also be a fine time to search for the rare stuff. The hurricane of 1938 brought Cory’s Shearwater (Wheelock), Greater Shearwater (Rutland), Leach’s Storm-Petrel (Barre, Norwich, Rutland, St. Johnsbury), White-tailed Tropicbird (North Danville and Woodstock) and other delights to Vermont that particular September. When your neighbors call to report “a strange bird” in the yard, take it seriously. Go investigate if it’s safe to do so…”

 So, today’s a nice day to curl up with a birding book and think about possible new birds in your area. 

I plan to check our nearby reservoirs tomorrow to check for wind-blown vagrant birds.  Be safe and tonight, most of us can hum, “Goodnight Irene.”

Broad-wings Limbering Up

I watched three Broad-winged Hawks overhead the house today as they frolicked in the brisk Northwest breeze.  They would soar up and then do a wingover or stall to drop down a bit, and then climb back up on the energy-filled air.  They were calling all the time — and seemingly not hunting but just playing.  I could not help think that they were loosening up for the long trek ahead.

They are not around this afternoon — I wonder if they grabbed this tailwind and headed out.  We’ll see.