Catching the Thermals

Common Mergansers in Norwalk

Catching the Thermals — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 20:46:08 +0000

A few weeks ago, Larry Flynn had tipped my dad and I off about a pair of Common Mergansers that hung out on Deering Pond, In my hometown of Norwalk. Since I am doing a sort of mini Norwalk “Big Year”, this was good news for me and I tried a number of times to see them, but never could. Common Mergansers are not that uncommon Inland, and I HAVE seen them on the coast before, but never in Norwalk, and they are really beautiful waterfowl!

But I finally managed to catch up with them last Saturday! They were not all that close but through a scope the views were really nice! I hope they stay to breed in the town, that would be fantastic!

Some really bad photos…

Common Mergansers

2/4- A Day on the Sound

Catching the Thermals — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 23:50:33 +0000

The LI Sound is not thought of as being a hangout for Alcids. But, amazingly, this winter, that is what it has become. Starting in December, the Sound began seeing large numbers of Razorbills (with a few murres mixed in) flying in from the Atlantic and feeding on fish, primarily herring. The Orient Point ferry, running from New London, Ct, to Orient Point, NY, became a hangout for birders, and turned up some amazing birds from the Sound. Even farther into the Sound they were being seen- I had one off Bridgeport, for example.

So, Phil Rusch, a CT birder, decided to organize a mini LI Sound “pelagic”. Through UConn’s project Oceanology he managed to arrange for a boat to take out 40 CT birders to scour the eastern LI Sound for Alcids and unusual seabirds. The original date was in January, when the Alcids were more numerous, but I couldn’t go. BUT- the trip was cancelled due to a snowstorm (the first of the winter), and was rescheduled to February. It was good for me- I could go- but not good for the birds. The herring, which are one of the birds main food sources, move out into deeper Atlantic waters around this time and a lot of the birds go with them. This meant the trip today was not very successful, but it was still an awesome day to be out on the water- warm (for February at least), sunny and calm (at least compared to the November trip out of Gallilee RI). We sailed along from Groton to Stonington, the very corner of the sound and CT waters, and though it was pretty dead, we managed to turn up 9 Razorbills and other assorted winter birds. Besides birds a Gray Seal was a nice surprise- these large pinnipeds are rare in the Sound.

Highlights below-

Razorbill- 9 All off Mystic, around Rams and Enders Islands.

Northern Gannet- 5 Some nice individuals came right overhead.

White-winged Scoter- 2

Surf Scoter- 25 (rough estimate) At one point off Mystic a large patchy flock flew right by.

Common Eider- 18 On the jetty off Stonington Point.

Besides these just a slew of other common sea ducks, Cormorants, and such. Obviously not a great birding trip but a nice day anyway. Thanks Phil for organizing this, I hope there are more to come!

CT birders waiting to board

Heading Out

Birders on the Lower Deck

And of course, a nice day to spend with the other birders who make the Connecticut birding community run.

- BM

1/14- EURASIAN WIGEON, Sherwood Island Mill Pond

Catching the Thermals — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 21:31:37 +0000

This individual bird, found by Tina Green a few weeks ago, was a bird I should have already gone for. Eurasian Wigeons are regular rarities to CT, with one or two being reported every winter, but until today I had never been able to connect to one. Today Dad and I finally went for it, and I spotted it within 2 minutes of scanning. Luckily, this bird’s a male- females and juveniles are notoriously more difficult to pick out from American Wigeon. The following photos do this gorgeous drake absoulutely no justice, but you can see the differences in overall color from the other wigeon- a much warmer shade altogether.

Eurasian Wigeon (Center Bird)

A great bird!

- BM

1/8- Yellow-throated Warbler

Catching the Thermals — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 22:20:07 +0000

Today, while passing through Madison, Dad and I made a run for the Yellow-throated Warbler which has been frequenting the feeder of a house there. The bird has apparently been seen there since October, and the feeder has obviously been a reliable food source for this bird to remain into the winter.

It was a really easy twitch- we arrived and the feeders were hopping, and a few other birders there said they had seen the bird a little while ago but it had not returned since. Well, I turned around and there was the bird perched on a tree limb at the edge of the woods, with it’s throat literally glowing. The gorgeous Yellow-throated Warbler continued to fly down into a winterberry thicket a few yards away from us, providing awesome views, before flying to eat at the feeder, where it remained for a few minutes before flying back into the woods. I managed two crummy photos-

Yellow-throated Warbler

Now I have to find time to go for the Pink-footed Goose….

- BM

The Tops of ’11

Catching the Thermals — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 22:07:23 +0000

Another year of birding has come and gone. It has been an awesome year, with great birds seen, great places visited, and great photos taken. A few birds, places, and photos have left great memories this year, and here they are… the “Tops of ’11″

BIRDS

# 5

Short-eared Owl

March 17, 2011- Sherwood Island State Park, CT.

Looking into the eyes of a wild owl is quite an experience. And a Short-eared Owl, that elusive marsh hunter, is no exception.

# 4

Upland Sandpiper

June 26, 2011- Rentchler Field, Hartford, CT

On a CYBC trip in June, one of our targets was Upland Sandpiper, and it was a target well scored. Besides being one wacky looking shorebird, it was a fabulous look at a species that is declining as it’s grassland habitat diminishes. An awesome bird!

# 3

Sooty Grouse

July 1, 2011- Hurricane Ridge, WA

One of the three goals I had set on the trip to the Olympic Peninsula, this elusive grouse was a great spot by my dad alongside the road. It was a female with chicks- so double the sighting! If one is ever in need of a good Sooty Grouse- Hurricane Ridge is the place to go.

# 2

Buff-breasted Sandpiper

September 10, 2011- Milford Pt., Milford, CT

A surprise find by me and an awesome bird! Besides Upland Sandpiper, this was another really wacky shorebird. But it has a beauty that is really incredible. It got so close I could barely fit the whole bird in a digiscoped photo.

# 1

Tufted Puffin

July 1, 2011- Cape Flattery, WA

This is one bird even nonbirders look at and go ” wow. That’s one heck of an animal” At Cape Flattery, these guys definitely stole the show. Their breathtaking appearence and comical wackiness made this the star bird of 2011.

Places

# 5

Plum Island, MA

This is an awesome New England birding hotspot, and the place I got the last year bird of 2011- Snowy Owl, Dec. 30. Even though it has nice marsh and beach scenery, the real stunner is the sunset. This pic was taken just a few days ago.

# 4

Reed’s Beach, NJ

Not really a “beautiful” place, but being here at the horseshoe crab spawning and bird feeding spectacle in May was quite an experience. It was a feeding frenzy with a cacophony of sound and a multitude of cool species.

# 3

Mt. St. Helens , WA

This was a real stunning place. It really looked like Middle-earth or another fantasy world. As life crept back into the barren world, you could see all the signs of the eruption and witness forests and meadows in their early stages.

# 2

Paradise, Mt. Rainier, WA

Whenever it’s June and you’re surrounded by 7 feet of snow you know you’re in an amazing place. Standing up in the peaks, you really feel like the sky is sitting on your shoulders.

# 1

Ruby Beach, WA

I don’t really know what made Ruby Beach my favorite place I went this year. Perhaps it was the seashore beauty. Perhaps it was the Pacific air. Perhaps it was the peacefulness and freedom you felt while walking among the seastacks or skipping stones on it’s quiet pools. Perhaps maybe, It was the Black Oystercatchers and Red Crossbills. All I can say is, this is one awesome beach.

Bird Photos

# 5

Cooper's Hawk- Stamford, CT, in February.

# 4

Blue Grosbeak- Westport, CT, in September

Laughing Gull- Cape May, NJ, September.

Gray Jay- Mt. Rainier, WA, June

Greater Yellowlegs- Hammonasset State Park, CT, September

Epilogue:

Let’s not forget about 2012 though! I kicked off the year on Cape Ann, MA, where the star bird was Harlequin Duck. This is the first bird photo of the year-

Drake Harlequin

Happy New Year everyone and have an exciting bird filled 2012!

- BM

Catching Up

Catching the Thermals — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 21:20:50 +0000

Its been a long time since my last post. Things have happened, of course, and so now I’m finally going to sit down and write about it.

First of all, shortly after I put together the photo quiz, I broke my scope at hammo. It’s a long story, but I am now scopeless and waiting for a new one back from pentax. This complicates things for me, partly because I’m not sure how I am going to manage some trips coming up without the scope- Cape Ann, for example. Lately I’ve been doing fine with just bins, but I don’t think that streak will last.

Anyway, the past few weeks have been good, with things really picking up yesterday (I got a lifer on the New Haven CBC). Last weekend at Earthplace a few JS and I stumbled across the fresh carcass of a deer on the riverbank, which was attracting multitudes of Vultures (both species) and a few very tame Ravens. I’m not going to show any pics of the actual carcass, because it was a bloody, gory mess chock full of a lot of things that would definitely not charm many viewers. Here’s the Raven, though.

Raven

14-acre pond has also been producing some nice waterfowl lately. Currently a pair of Northern Pintail are hanging around the pond. The following photo of the drake is actually digibinned, and you will see how it dose not come close to digiscoping quality. Until the scope gets back, this will be how my photos turn out.

Drake Pintail

Than comes yesterday, with 90 species counted by our team, which was led by Noble Proctor. The definite highlight was a beautiful Virginia Rail in the freshwater marsh behind the Elks Club in Branford, a life bird for me. We all heard the bird calling in the marsh, and we all spread out and tried to get a visual. After 15 minutes of fruitless searching, the rail stopped calling and we decided to try for other birds farther down the path. When we got to a new spot, we began hearing the same bird calling where we just were, so we all rushed back there and began searching again. All of a sudden my dad started mouthing to us and pointing to a spot in front of him. Slowly we inched over there and were rewarded to a stunning view of the rail among the reeds with its beautiful slate gray head and orange bill. The rest of the day was a bit slower, but we did see some other nice birds.

The path to the Virginia Rail

Today I was coming back from Long Island on the ferry, and the trip was highlighted by a single Razorbill, which was flying in the direction of CT. The LI sound is having an influx of these alcids this year, which most likely indicates a population increase- a good thing!

To wrap up the post, I’ll quickly give the answers to last posts photo quiz. In another post I’ll give a detailed description of the ID process.

1. White-winged Scoter

2. Piping Plover

3. Short-billed Dowitcher

4. Hudsonian Godwit

5. Marbled Godwit

6. Ruby-crowned Kinglit

7. Harris’s Hawk

8. Gyrfalcon

- BM

An assorted quiz…

Catching the Thermals — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 00:45:24 +0000

I realized I haven’t done a quiz in a while, so I went through the photos on my computer and picked a few images. Some of these are actually really old. Leave your answers in the comments, number by number.

# 3

# 4

# 5

# 6

These last 2 are not wild. They are NA raptors from a raptor show, in flight.

# 7

# 8

Hope you enjoyed it!

- Brendan

11/20- Western Kingbird

Catching the Thermals — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 17:53:20 +0000

Today Dad and I went for the Western Kingbird at the Tree Farm in Westport. The Bird was discovered a week ago by an anonymous birder who posted the sighting on ebird. When we arrived we waited about 5 minutes before dad spotted the bird in the grass. For about 15 minutes we watched the bird as it flew around the field, perching in various trees. A really neat bird- a year bird and a state bird. It was very bright against the drab November landscape and showed a fair bit of aggressiveness to the ever present Bluebirds. John Marshall and Randy Given were also present.

Photos below, though crummy.

Western Kingbird

A nice rarity!

- Brendan

A Fall Pelagic: 1 lifer, 2 year birds, and a Whole Lotta Gannets.

Catching the Thermals — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 01:04:53 +0000

Today 30 birders- myself included- set out from Galilee RI for a day of seabirding. I caught a ride up with Alex Burdo, and we spent a great day birding out on the seas. The very rough seas. The swells were pretty terrifying, when you see then sweeping toward you, and more so when they plow against the boat, causing a whole lot of pitching at an alarming strength. The winds were blowing SW, not great for seabirds. But it was a really fun, adventurous trip. The downside was getting soaked by a wave over the bow, but no gear was damaged, so no harm done.

The birds we saw were not neccesarily unusual, and we missed some birds we should not have missed, like Northern Fulmar, but all the birds we did see, except a few, we had gorgeous looks of. As the title suggested, there were a whole lot of gannets. Definitely the best looks i’ve ever had in my life, the sulids were our constant companions, and would soar feet from the boat. Most of the action happened off block Island, where we anchored and started chumming. It was also nice to meet John Vanderpoel, who is doing a big year this year, and has so far pulled up a remarkable total of 734 birds. Highlights below:

Manx Shearwater- A lifer for me, and finally! Though are views could of been better, it was still a Manx Shearwater, and an awesome seabird.

Great Shearwater- A YB. We saw a few of these guys, and when we started chumming while anchored, we got beautiful looks, the best I’ve ever had.

Northern Gannet- Need I say more? Todays experiences with this birds were unforgettable, espeacially watching them dive feet from the boat.

Iceland Gull- 1 really nice, cooperative individual was attracted to the chumming.

Razorbill- I’d estimate was saw about 10 Razorbills, most flying, but 1 beautiful bird sitting on the water.

Dovekie- 2 flybys.

Lesser-black Backed Gull- A few, though the most cooperative was a 1st winter bird at the chum.

Black-legged Kittiwake- A handful were seen, but I always was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Finally I got good looks at one warily investigating the chum line.

Bonaparte’s Gull- A couple flyby flocks in the harbor.

Purple Sandpiper- 1 on the harbor jetty with Ruddy Turnstones.

Also a shout out to Keith Mueller, who provided his beautiful bird decoys, which I’m sure fooled even the birds ( not to mention the oblivious birders.) And of course, thank you to Carlos Pedro for once again running a great trip. Photos below:

The Galilee port at dawn

Block Island (The water was very calm here because the island acted as a makeshift shield.)

Iceland Gull (center bird)

Iceland Gull

Great Shearwater

Northern Gannet

Gannet

2nd year Gannet

Couldn't help posting another shot...

A great day!

For more photos, see Alex Burdos blog here.

- Brendan

Pelagic Saturday

Catching the Thermals — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 23:02:53 +0000

Sorry, I haven’t posted in a while, things have been slow. I’ve had some assorted nice sightings lately, but nothing rare or exciting. However, this should pick up saturday, when I’m doing a pelagic out to Coxes ledge and other spots off Rhode Island. I did this pelagic in march and got 3 lifers, so my hopes are high. Jaegers, Manx Shearwater, Kittiwakes, Fulmars, and early Alcids are goals. I’ll also be with Alex Burdo, a fellow Young birder, which will be fun. Expect a lengthy post!

- Brendan