Busy Bird Week

Worm-eating Warbler

It has been a fairly busy week trying to get the kitchen ready for the new flooring to go down.  I am so ready to wrap up all the house projects and the end is in sight now.  The new flooring in the kitchen and laundry room are the last two big projects.

With the exception of a couple of days of sunshine, gray skies seem to be the rule.  Very disappointing with the number of birds coming through and the number of missed or poor shots due to low light.

Northern parula

I was so disappointed on Tuesday when I kept missing shots of a Hooded Warbler that dropped by several times.  Late this afternoon (almost 1730), I happened to walk by the kitchen window and saw an unfamiliar bird.  I have been keeping the camera on the kitchen cabinet to try and catch things coming through.  I quickly grabbed a couple of shots before it flew off.  What a thrill!  A Worm-eating Warbler.  This is the first one I have ever seen here at the house.

Just a few minutes before it came by, I had just spotted a Northern Parula stopping by to get some water.

female Summer Tanager

Earlier a female Summer Tanager dropped by for a bath but I believe this is a younger bird than the other female Tanager that has been coming by every afternoon.  The look was completely different than the older bird.

Eastern Wood Peewee

I have been hearing an Eastern Wood Peewee over the last several days and finally this afternoon with all the bird activity, it could not resist coming in for a look.










The American Redstarts have been great for the last two weeks.  The bright orange of the male's catches your eye so quickly.  I have really enjoyed seeing them.

Cooper's Hawk

Earlier in the week the Cooper's Hawk showed back up.  It has been hanging around the yard trying to find food.  The birds have been a bit spooky because the hawk has been very active.

The Lady Birds

I didn't get a chance to go out this morning since the dog had a vet appointment at 11.  Running around to get things done for her after the appointment took me until noon so the prime time was over.

For the last two afternoons from around 1500 on, the birds have been dropping in for a visit.  Based on observations for the last couple of years, I have noticed that during spring migration I see more male birds and during the fall, more female birds.  The photos are not the best.  By the afternoon when they arrive, my back yard is deep shade.

Visitors today:

female American Redstart

female Tennessee Warbler

female Summer Tanager

 

American Redstart

I have been very busy this week doing some things in the house in preparation for painting and new carpet.  In the process I am doing a massive de-clutter of stuff.    I want to get down to the bare minimum.  I am really just tired of stuff everywhere that has to be dusted.

The few cool days we had last week that teased us with a prelude to fall weather has gone and the dog days of summer have returned.

Some signs of the impending fall are definite.  A couple of us noted how the dogwood berries are already turning red.  Seems a bit early.  Possible signs of a cold winter?

I am beginning to see more and more warblers  come in.  A pair of Redstarts have been hanging around quite a bit this week.  The male comes late in the afternoon to drink from the fountain and splash around a bit in the water.

Wonderful Morning

After days of rain, it was nice to get out this morning before more rain came in this afternoon.  I went with a friend and his wife to an area in the next county over.  It was a very isolated area and I don't think I would have gone by myself or at least would not have felt very comfortable.

As soon as the car door opened it was a symphony of bird songs.  I was excited as I began to identify what was there.  It was not long before what I hoped to see flew by.  The number of Prothonotary Warblers were a delight to the senses.

Continuing on down a path, there was a great flurry of activity among some American Redstarts.  Before long we spotted what they were upset about...a snake in the tree.  A group of 5 or 6 females began displaying and alarming in the tree where the snake was.  Not once did we ever see a male though.












On my way home, I did make a quick stop by my usual birding haunt and what do you know, I spotted a male Redstart!













A Yellow-throated Warbler was searching a tree and feeding a young one.















As we were leaving we spotted a White-eyed Vireo.  I really like these birds with their white eye.




 

Birding Paradise

An unplanned outing today down east for a bit of birding.  A little disappointed with the lack of warblers however I was probably a week or two early but I knew my upcoming schedule would not let me go then.

The other birds today however made up for the lack of warblers.  The trees were absolutely filled with Northern Parula.  Almost everywhere you looked, there they were.

One of the most amazing sights was a tree with somewhere between 8-10 Baltimore Orioles.  They were going nuts over some berries.  It was truely a sight to behold.














There were plenty of Redstarts hunting insects in the scrub.  This was truely a habitat suited for them.

Quite a few Red-eyed Vireos?  Although the eye doesn't look as red as some that I have seen, based on the size of the bird and geographical location that is my guess.  I can't recall however ever seeing one with as dark a crown as this one.

The usual suspects, Egrets and Great Blues were numerous.  It seemed a bit odd going this time of year as I usually go during the winter to see the migrating waterfowl.  The lake seemed quite with the exception of some Canada Geese and a few Osprey.  It was a great day however.  With the exception of a couple of people fishing up towards the front part of the refuge, I never saw another soul.  The joy of quiet and having the remainder of the refuge to yourself.

The Redstarts are Here!

Within the last two days in three different locations, I have caught a glimpse of what I thought was a Redstart.  Going back and looking at last year, it was late September before I started seeing them on a regular basis.  There were a couple of pair searching in a tree this afternoon and unfortunately, all my shots of the male were in deep shade.  The female landed in a spot of light just long enough for me to get a shot.