Warbling Vireo
One of the more drab and plain May migrant birds in the Northeast is the Warbling Vireo (Vireo gilvus). Their subtle shades of brown, gray and olive combined with their tendency to hang up in the canopy makes it difficult to get an eyeful of the species – and you are far more likely to have an earful of their dynamic, fast and bold warbling song. This individual was foraging on a recent morning at a migratory hotspot, coming to eye-level and pausing on the phragmites just long enough for me to snap a shot. Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MorePalm Warbler
Yesterday morning I went out to bird for a bit and had my sights set on a few target species. It may have only been April 23, but the birds have been early thanks to the warm past couple of months, and some of our spring migratory species are already peaking. I definitely wanted to photograph a Palm Warbler (Setophaga palmarum) in their bright spring yellows before they escaped me to the north for the nesting season. Thankfully this individual delivered, posing for me for about 15 seconds in between foraging. I had followed it for a minute along the forest floor and it took notice –...
Read MoreBlue-winged Teal Pair
Here is a shot of that shy Blue-winged Teal pair that was hanging around – if you two would like to stay in the area and build a nest, by all means! The price is right and we could use a lovely couple like you in the neighborhood. I wish they would swim a little more towards me instead of away, like all the ducks seem to enjoy doing…still, they’re a beautiful pair, and there will be a lot more green springing up around them after a weekend like this one. Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreDay Moon
We tend to think of migration as a nightly event as we enter the spring – watching birds pass in front of the moon on a clear evening, catching them on radar, hearing flight calls in the darkness or finding new faces have joined us in our yards and patches when we wake up in the morning. While we often ignore the moon shining in the bright blue sky all day we also ignore the fact many birds are flying over us then, too. Yes, we see geese and certainly are aware of hawk watches and the many raptors that use thermals, but shorebirds might be migrating nonstop over the continent, while...
Read MoreSanderling
Here we have a Sanderling (Calidris alba), a bird that spends its winter on our sandy beaches before heading to the High Arctic for the nesting season. They are often misidentified as Piping Plovers during migratory periods as both small, white shorebirds (in nonbreeding plumage for the Sanderling anyway) feed along the water like this. A rufous breeding plumage pattern takes over where the gray is, and by May these birds look unique and spectacular. So much change in so little time…and so much flight distance covered before they nest and head back to us later in the summer. If that...
Read More
