Brown Thrasher
This Brown Thrasher (Toxostoma rufum) has been avoiding my camera for at least two weeks now. It may have a mate, but I never end up spotting any true signs of probable nesting, and certainly lack any confirmations thus far. Sadly it is a far more notable sighting than it was back in Roger Tory Peterson’s day in the Northeast. The species has dropped dramatically in abundance, and what used to be a common breeding bird for many is now a ghost in behavior and population. I am still always startled by how boldly patterned, uniquely shaped, and even loudly musical they can be, yet often...
Read MoreYellow-rumped Warbler Hiding
This Yellow-rumped Warbler (Setophaga coronata) was hiding from me, but thankfully we are still at the part of the season without too many leaves. In another week it will be much harder to see little friends like this one. The massive push of the butter butts is coming to an end as we diversify the warbler species visiting our yards. We already have some cool photos of more to show you! Stay with us… Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreRuddy-tailed Flycatcher (Terenotriccus erythrurus)
Here’s the Ruddy-tailed Flycatcher (Terenotriccus erythrurus), a very small flycatcher and the only member of its genus. Sean has observed it in a wide variety of habitats in Panama though never in any great number. He noted that on this last trip they were more abundant when he was above 500 meters in elevation. This was also during the beginning of the breeding season for the species, and thus they were very active catching insects. Sean said it was amazing watching them zip out and back from feeding perches, wondering what kind of truly high definition vision these tiny flycatchers...
Read MoreRough-legged Hawks Irrupting
This is a companion blog entry to the Winter Bird Forecast by Audubon Connecticut and the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History. Be sure to watch for our fifth forecast, coming soon! Wherever you are across the Northeast you have likely seen or read a report about a Rough-legged Hawk nearby this winter. This beautiful raptor, available in both a light and dark color morph, has irrupted across a broad swath of the upper parts of the Lower 48. The wintering specialty is at home in open and coastal areas such as marshes, grasslands, airports – hey, a lot of the same places the...
Read MoreFemale White-breasted Nuthatch
This looks to be a female White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis) – can you determine why? The crown stripe on this bird is gray rather than the solid black of a male. This lovely lady inquisitively watched me for a moment before continuing to forage with what seems to me to be a tad higher than average numbers of the species in our region. Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
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