Category Archives: Washington County

I Brake For Birds

This popular birder bumper sticker seems especially appropriate at this time of year when I’m looking for winter birds that can be elusive – Grosbeaks, Buntings, Horned Larks, Bohemian Waxwings, Snowy Owls.

I had some extra time this morning and took the long way on back roads to my appointment. Coming around the corner of a narrow road, I came upon a flock of about a dozen Evening Grosbeaks feeding on sumac. It was a tangle of camera, binos, labradoodle, and caution lights as I rolled the window down and shot. The birds were busy, no traffic passed, and it was a nice little moment.

Hey, we’re having breakfast!
It’s just another birder

Now to find some Snow Buntings. Happy Solstice.

Hangars-On–Part B

As we transition to Fall with hints of color in the foliage, there are fewer birds and most are silent. There are migrants moving through and some locals who have yet to leave. Here’s a few shots from the last couple of days.

A few Mallards hang around, but most will leave soon.

I got to finish molting before I’m going out in public.

Hawks have been on the move for a while but I came upon a pair of Sharp-shinned Hawks yesterday. They had a major hassle going on with six or seven Northern Flickers, which I watched for about ten minutes. The lighting was poor but the action was cool.

Same tree, waiting for a rematch

The flycatchers are gone but some Eastern Phoebes are still here, wearing their yellowish fall plumage.

These young European Starlings will head out soon.

One of the fun parts of this season is to watch the youngsters grow up, learning their calls and songs, how to forage, and in general, how to be noisy teenagers. Gray Catbirds have been prime examples the last few days and this one just dared me to take his photo.

Chestnut-sided Warblers

The “pleased to-pleased to-meet you” song of the the Chestnut-sided Warbler is for me, one of the easiest calls to remember. On the other hand, the warblers, always on the move and usually partly hidden by branches and foliage, are some of the toughest to photograph. This group of photos from the last few weeks will prove it.

It’s a treat to see and hear these colorful visitors and they are indeed, pleasing to meet.

Common Yellowthroats

When I think about photographing warblers, the Common Yellowthroat pops up as an ongoing challenge. Everywhere with their “witchety-witchety-witchety” call they are usually buried in bushes and always on the move. This gives you the idea:

A female
Males have a neat Lone Ranger mask

Yellowthroats stay low so you avoid “warbler neck” while watching them. Energy-filled and easy to spot, they are a wonderful part of our birding outings. Here’s a video that is sure to bring you a smile.

Perching Birds

Usually I go out birding with no objective other than to get some exercise and see what’s happening avian-wise. This morning, after finding this Common Merganser perched on a log, I decided to see what else I could find — perching. Here’s the results from a productive hour just up the road from our home.

Baltimore Oriole singing away
Grey Catbird
Song Sparrow
Eastern Kingbird
American Crow
Blue Jay
Downy Woodpecker

Mid-May Birding

Every day, new birds are arriving – it’s a great time for birding. Yesterday, I drove into a parking spot at Ginger’s play group and rolled down the window to get this hummer.

This Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and his mate are driving our neighbors crazy with their constant drilling on the sheet metal shed roof.

Canada Geese are raising youngsters all along the river.

One of the delightful new arrivals are the Warbling Vireos, like the one I saw early this morning.

My birding companion is always up for an outing.

I have gathered a few warbler shots and will post them next time. It’s definitely a work in progress.

Long-Tailed Ducks

On a morning with new wet snow on the ground and a snow/rain mix falling, Ginger and I added a little in-the-car birding to our routine before we did some errands. It was a nice venture.

I’ve only seen Long-tailed Ducks a few times — they are relatively uncommon here – but we found this pair resting in the rain, probably after a long night flight.

It was a nice treat and I’m sure they’re already on their way.

Stick Season 1

Stick season in Vermont means that the leaves have fallen, many of the birds have left, as have most bugs and tourists, and we get some cold clear days to get out and about.

There is a stark beauty to crisp early mornings.
Some lingering Canada Geese announce our presence.
As does the Belted Kingfisher, on his normal perch just out of camera range.
American Goldfinches cavorting. “Need a faster shutter speed, buddy.”

Next week is the start of rifle deer season so we’ll wear blaze orange and stick to the back roads.

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.

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.”