Some Backyard Birds

Posted on March 23, 2020 by Richard

We are fortunate, in this time of limited contact, to have a lot of birds that we can see from the house or on a short jaunt to the river. Here are a few from the weekend.

This female mallard is half of a pair hanging out right out back
Song Sparrows are very vocal every morning.
American Crows picking through the dropped bird seed.
One of the dozens of American Goldfinches we have had all winter – still in winter plumage.
Downy Woodpecker – another ongoing visitor.
Red-breasted Nuthatches rarely stay still for a photo.
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Sorting Geese

Posted on March 21, 2020 by Richard

During these challenging times, one of the safe things we can do right now is bird, and with migration starting, we can see a many new arrivals out back on the river. Yesterday, Ginger and I took a drive to check out some nearby farm fields and we saw hundreds of Canada Geese. I was looking for something like a Snow Goose or Cackling Goose while sorting them out from the roads.

The groups ranged in size from a few to over a hundred.
This gaggle had some Mallards and a couple of Wood Ducks.
Ginger is getting ready for our next outing, with more walking and fresh air.

Stay safe and be glad that we have our avian friends (and sometimes a canine buddy) to enjoy as we navigate the months ahead. Good birding

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Last Day Bird Groups

Posted on February 8, 2020 by Richard

This morning, there were all sorts of birds out back at low tide. This group had Wood Storks (the ones with black on the back), American White Pelicans, Roseate Spoonbills, Great Egrets, Snowy Egrets, and White Ibises,

Groups of Roseate Spoonbills came and left.

Later we went downtown and found these groups of Double-crested Cormorants and Brown Pelicans hanging out in the sunshine.

We’ve seen 65-70 species here this week, more than half from our deck. We’ll head north in the morning after a nice stay in Cedar Key.

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Florida Birding sans camera

Posted on February 6, 2020 by Richard

We are enjoying good weather and birding in Cedar Key but an extra leash tug from Ginger ended up with a dropped camera and a jammed lens on my SX60 Canon. So it’s iphone time and the birds here are out there a ways.

We’ve been enjoying pelicans, ibis, oystercatchers, ospreys etc from our back deck and going on some nice outings, but missing the Canon.

We have an Osprey who spends hours on a post just behind the cottage. Here’s a shot of him – sorry about the quality.

Right beside him this morning was a yellow-crowned Night Heron.

We drove out to the little airport today and found hundreds of shorebirds whirling through the wind and alighting on the tarmac. There were hundreds of Semipalmated Plovers, and many dowitchers and sanderlings. Who knows what else was huddled in that avian mass?

A storm is coming and birds are seeking shelter. Here are a lot of Royal Terns huddled on a roof.

New camera time when we get home.

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Chilly but birdy

Posted on January 30, 2020 by Richard

We left Vermont to escape the cold for a bit but I’m still birding with frozen fingers in Virginia. The ground is bare and there are a lot of birds about here in Charlottesville and it is parka and gloves weather. This morning, Ginger and I took a long walk and our first bird was an Eastern Bluebird.

This guy had some companions who were spooked by Ginger.

Here are a few of the other birds we saw:

A couple of geese ignored the dog but she was pretty interested.
A few Red-bellied Woodpeckers were noisy but stayed up high in the trees.
Dozens of Dark-eyed Juncos lined the walking path, exciting the dog to no end.
This Northern Mockingbird ignored us as we walked closely by.

Off to South Carolina in the morning.

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Hanging Around

Posted on January 14, 2020 by Richard

Early this morning, while walking Ginger, I heard the distinctive chatter of a Belted Kingfisher. The river, which has been frozen over, had opened up after the recent rains but I expected this guy to be in some place warmer. Mid-day, I heard him and was able to get a couple of photos, with the help of a puppy tugging at her leash. We have some real cold weather ahead this week – hope he’s catching a northerly wind and getting out of here.

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2019 Birds (September-December)

Posted on December 12, 2019 by Richard
Grey Heron – ESP
White Stork – ESP
Eurasian Hoopoe – ESP
Purple Swamphen – ESP
Common Moorhen -ESP
Bald Eagle – VT
Northern Shrike – VT

We are enjoying a nice array of winter birds and looking forward to a road trip to Florida in late January to bird a bit without frosty hands – our first outing with our new birding assistant – Ginger Ale.

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2019 Birds (July-September)

Posted on December 10, 2019 by Richard

The acquisition of a puppy in July slowed up the birding while we focused on Ginger Ale, whose photo I will include at the end of this post.

An Eastern Meadowlark – VT
Common Yellowthroat -VT
Great Blue Heron -VT
Bald Eagle -VT
Monarch Butterfly in early September – VT
5.3 pounds of energy when we got her.
Now 19 pounds and still full of pep.
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2019 Birds – (April-June)

Posted on December 8, 2019 by Richard
Northern Cardinals: in the crisp April morning air – VT
Canada Geese out back – VT
Tree, Barn, and Bank Swallows coming and going at Berlin Pond _VT
Black-necked Stilt – San Elijo Lagoon – CA -June
Long-billed Curlew -CA
Ridgeway’s Rail _ CA
What’s not to like about a Red-winged Blackbird against a blue June sky? VT
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2019 Birds – (Jan-March)

Posted on December 6, 2019 by Richard

It’s getting to that time when listings of the best of the year come out for many things. Here are some of my best birds of the first quarter of 2019 – nice to remember on a cold December spitting snow day.

We took an abbreviated trip to Florida and later spent several weeks in Arizona.

Loggerhead Shrike at Fontainebleau State Park
Anhinga catching the rays.
Great Egret in Louisiana.
Broad-billed Hummers posing in the sun at Madera Canyon Lodge.
A Bewick’s Wren.
Vermillion Flycatcher.
Acorn Woodpeckers are raucous and fun to watch.
This Rivoli’s Hummingbird was a life bird
Elegant Trogon
Violet-crowned Hummingbird
Posted in 2019 SE Trip, best birds of year, Birding_trips, Louisiana State Parks, Photography, Vermont Birding | Comments Off on 2019 Birds – (Jan-March)