Less Common Yellowthroats
What a difference a day makes! Yesterday, October 1, changed both the calendar and the composition of life as nocturnal migration slammed a lot of areas in the lower Northeast and Mid-Atlantic with some of those really autumnal avian sightings. I had my first of fall White-throated Sparrows and Dark-eyed Juncos along with dozens of Eastern Phoebes. I also picked up a Lincoln’s Sparrow to start off the most sparrow month of the year. Warblers are starting to thin out and turn over to later migrating species, and the now less Common Yellowthroats like this one are becoming a bit more...
Read MoreEastern Bluebirds
We are at the time of year where Eastern Bluebirds are already teaching their first brood of fledglings the ins and outs of every day life outside of the nest box. The young bird on the post here looked almost self-sufficient at this point, and its parents may be having another family soon enough. The female with her bill filled was making a food run back to the box on a gray day, with the tiny peeps of a second brood calling in the background. Thankfully there does not seem to be any lack of food this year! How have the bluebirds in your boxes been doing?
Read MoreSong Sparrows Singing
Once again, I ask you…why do they call these birds Song Sparrows? Oh, whoops! Forget I asked. Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreWintering American Kestrels
One species you may spot even if you strike out on finding a Snowy Owl is the American Kestrel, a bird of open fields and grasslands that will favor much of the same inland habitats. Like other falcons (and the Snowy Owls, again) you can also spot it while at the shore, feeding on rodents or avian migrants. They are small, fast raptors, usually wary of humans. If you spot a Kestrel while driving a quiet road like this one and do not get out of your vehicle you may be able to get a nice look before it dashes off after a small bird or mammal.
Read MoreEastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus) by Scott Kruitbosch
Eastern Kingbirds are patrolling our open areas once again. I wonder how long it took this bird, photographed this afternoon, to arrive in WNY from South America…
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