Snowy Owl Arrival
Last week I posted a photo of a Merlin that I took after missing my first Snowy Owl of the season by a few minutes, lamenting my luck. I was hopeful I would be able to pick one up again soon considering the major Snowy flight south that is occurring now. Thankfully today I spent a few hours capturing the beauty of this bird! For the most part this time was filled with chatting with friends while observing it snoozing away. A few times the very calm bird (planes, diving gulls, unintentionally close beachgoers – no problem) did a bit of preening, and most of the eyes open shots came...
Read MoreSnowy Owl Season
Welcome back to Snowy Owl season! I took these photographs of a very calm and sleepy Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus) today at Silver Sands State Park in Milford, Connecticut. One had been reported about a week ago in the area, though it was not seen again until the last couple of days. I was able to go over and briefly enjoy this bird sitting on a rock jetty along Long Island Sound with a few other birders. It was in the perfect place to be seen and not disturbed, and unknowing folks taking a walk or jogging were mostly on the nearby boardwalk and far enough away from the owl so that it did not...
Read MoreSachems
Speaking of Sachem skipper butterflies, I had so many this year! They seemed to be popping up all over the place in August and September. Here we have the female along with a couple of photos of a male. They are a nonresident and enter our Northeast region from the south. Gardens are a great place to find them enjoying a variety of flowers. Were you able to spot any at your home or favorite patch? Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreBlack-capped Chickadee
The Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) is as familiar a backyard resident as can be, but did you know these birds migrate, too? Well, some of them anyway, in a particular way. Young birds move south and irrupt during certain years based on the reproductive success of the summer and the local conditions. The best way to see this is finding a number of them in migratory hotspots in the autumn. If you are at an area such as a beach along the shore of Lake Erie where you typically find zero and suddenly see a flock of six or eight, there you go. I have seen up to 18 in a little flock...
Read MoreRed-breasted Nuthatch Invasion
Who turned the Red-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis) switch on? The most noticeable trend thus far in this autumn migration has been the appearance of Red-breasted Nuthatches all over the place in the Northeast. Birders have reported them at migratory hotspots, in yards where they are not resident, and even noticeable increases in abundance at locations where they are found year-round. While I have enjoyed hearing their nasal, honking calls and seeing them frantically dashing overhead from tree to tree, I was not able to adequately photograph any of these arrivals until this past weekend....
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