Hot Northern Flicker
Here is the Roger Tory Peterson “spark” bird, the Northern Flicker. This fella (a male as noted by his mustache) was not chatting and was instead rather hot on one of the most brutal recent summer afternoons. It had flown into the tree a moment earlier after feeding on some ants on the ground in the scorching sunshine. Keep those bird baths full and clean, please!
Read MoreBlue-gray Gnatcatcher (Polioptila caerulea)
I mentioned Blue-gray Gnatcatchers (Polioptila caerulea) as a current migrant in a recent post, and I photographed this bird doing just that this morning. The wheezing individual shown here was at a migratory stopover site and may have continued flying not long after I snapped this shot. Blue-gray Gnatcatchers are at least partially diurnal migrants, and if you are lucky you can find small flocks of several birds heading south together on a day like this one. August may be the middle of summer to us but it is well into fall for the birds. Safe journey, pretty friend! Keep flashing that tail...
Read MoreRed Fox
I had not seen any Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) friends for a while, but this one is clearly as healthy as any can be and looking great. Take a look at that exquisite coat with no sign of mange and no visible injuries to the animal. That in itself is very rare to see in a Red Fox, and without knowing too much I would hazard a guess that this is one of the pups born last year. It spotted me before I spotted it – per usual – and when I stopped it stopped and relaxed. I really do think they know “who” we are, like any dog would after a while, and it knew I was only going to...
Read MoreConeflower Seeds
Here is where I would be posting a photo of a gorgeous American Goldfinch feeding on the seed heads of mature Eastern Purple Coneflowers, but sadly whenever I am outdoors I either flush the birds unintentionally first, or I get to watch them without a camera in my hand. Fingers crossed for the future…but you should leave your coneflowers be and resist pruning them even when they are wilting and getting “ugly” so that the birds can enjoy a seed feast in the late summer and fall. Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreSpotted Sandpiper
The Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius) is one of our easier to identify shorebirds from any distance, and their unique behaviors make them a stand out from the crowd – literally. While you may run into large flocks of shorebirds numbering in the dozens, hundreds, or even thousands heading south in the summer along lakes, in marshes, or on the Atlantic coast, you will very likely find only one or two or a handful of Spotted Sandpipers at a time. Even if multiple Spotteds are present in one place they will probably be on different flocks, not bumping into one another or seeking the...
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