Richard

Seals and Gulls

We recently spent a nice week on Cape Cod, avoiding crowds and taking long walks along the National Seashore beaches.

Aside from the access points, the beaches had very few visitors.

We saw a lot of gulls, Herring, Greater Black-backed, and likely others.

Each day, we also saw dozens of Harbor Seals who seemed to enjoy us as much as we did them.

Charca de Suárez -Motril, Spain

On our first trip to Spain in 2018, we discovered this gem of a wetland refuge not far from our lodging in Salobreña. Nestled into an area of apartment and industrial buildings, it is a wonderful network of ponds, shady paths, and streams that during the week, is not crowded. The ten or so “hides” attract birders and many serious photographers – you can see a great array of birds, some of which I’ve included below.

Grey Herons are native to Europe, sub-Saharan Africa, and parts of central and southern Asia.

Here are a few of my favorite birds we’ve seen here:

The folks who bird the refuge have named the White Stork which winters there Margarito (Daisy). This is the bird we saw – one of the most-photographed birds in Spain.

The only Eurasian Hoopoe I’ve seen was on a refuge road.

The Common Kingfisher is small (sparrow-sized) and flies fast so it is a challenge to photograph with the Canon SX-60 but he gave us some nice far-away looks.

Charca de Suárez is on the coast, a little over an hours drive from the Malaga airport and less than that from Granada. This little spot (40 acres), which has plans for expansion, is a perfect place to spend a few hours. Check the opening times, they are often rather late during the week. I hope to make it back to this delightful place.

****** Covid-19 has put a halt on most of our traveling so instead of planning journeys, I am electronically revisiting some places that I would like to return to once the pandemic is over.

August Juveniles

We’ve enjoyed seeing a lot of bird youngster activity in our yard this summer including a brood or two of House Wrens as well as young Blue Jays and Common Grackles begging their parents for food from the suet feeder. On the river, we’ve had geese, mergansers, and ducks all raising kids.

Here are some youngsters that I’ve seen nearby the last couple of days.

A young Hairy Woodpecker showing off his new crown.

Gray Catbirds have been everywhere, often with five or six juveniles. This was one of several out back.

This Common Yellowthroat was in an early brood out back.

This one, with his siblings, are new and very inquisitive.

Song Sparrows are everywhere, but we know they’ll be gone soon. It’s fun to hear them work on their calls.

Yesterday, I was surprised to see this juvenile Herring Gull on the river. Quite unusual but I suspect he hooked up with his cousins at one of compost facilities nearby.

Airport Birding

Over the years, I’ve owned a number of small planes and spent a lot of time around airports. Our local airfield is a great place to find some birds and exercise the dog when not much is going on aviation-wise. This summer, Ginger and I have had some nice morning sessions. Here’s one:

Killdeers, always in motion, love the macadam surfaces.

While the state mows too much for grassland birds, Eastern Meadowlarks show up every year.

They even share space, here with a young Common Grackle.

Song Sparrows are great to hear and fun to see.

And here’s my birding buddy, returning down the taxiway without the tennis ball I threw. I think it’s still there in the tall grass.

Enjoy the rest of these summer days. Before long, we’ll be up there looking for Snowy Owls.

Early Summer Birds

Early June is a great time to be outside in Vermont – birds are still singing, young ones are clamoring for food, and everything is lush and green – but ticks abound.

Song Sparrows are everywhere with youngsters trying out the voices.

A new crop of Cedar Waxwings made a cameo appearance the other morning.

This juvenile Baltimore Oriole hiding in the brush was one of several.

Threatened by loss of habitat, Bobolinks are wonderful birds – so much fun to listen to and watch.

Just up the trail, these three gals watched us with great interest. Ginger, on her leash, likewise was ready to play but we moved on.

The Jersey breed was developed so that dairy producers would have “less cow to feed, more cow to milk.”

Ginger pausing on one of the East Montpelier trails.

Some Singers

There is a medley of bird songs in the early hours these days and here are a few of the chorus members.

One of the most common songs is from the many Chestnut-sided Warblers whose “pleased to-pleased to meet ya” calls are easy to identify.

Likewise, the Ovenbird’s “teacher, teacher, teacher” can drown out others trying to get a song in edgewise.

The Northern Waterthrush has a distinct call -a loud, ringing, three-part “*sweet sweet sweet swee wee wee chew chew chew chew*” according to the Cornell site. This guy perched patiently for me as I dealt with a dog leash, binoculars, and the Canon.

Just down the road, these Yellow Warblers were singing, flirting, and just jumping around. They are easy to see but tough to photograph.

Driving Vermont backroads, some early mornings you see more birds than vehicles. It reminds me of the neat bumper sticker, “Caution, I brake for birds.”

Local birds

One of the toughest birds for me to photograph is the Common Yellowthroat. They are everywhere with their “witchety-witchety-witchety” call but usually buried in bushes and always on the move. Here’s one recent shot I got:

Ten kids to protect and raise – not an easy task.

While checking out the airport this morning, I saw a large bird dive into the underbrush up ahead. Parking and searching with the binoculars, I found this young turkey.

As I scanned, I came across this guy, a Wilson’s Snipe, hiding in the grass. You never know what you’ll find when you just slow down and look.

I’m used to seeing these birds flying – “winnowing” using their tail feathers, during courtship.

Some May Sparrows

Song Sparrows bring their joy to our backyard and raise families here.

White-throated Sparrows delight us with their singing.

Here’s my birding buddy who “helps” me find sparrows.

Mid-May Outings – part 1

With migration in full swing and trees leafing out fast, it’s been a good time to get out with the dog and check things out. The other day we came across this guy who was waiting for the morning sun to get up and going.