Northern Parula
Here we have the Northern Parula (Setophaga americana) as photographed while feeding this past Sunday morning after a busy night of migration. These little birds sound like zippers with a hard ending, or sometimes the “That’s all Folks!” song from Looney Tunes after several fast da and be notes. Those white eye crescents stand out from afar on a blue gray bird with a white belly featuring that bright yellow throat and upper chest with a reddish brown band. Northern Parulas are a gleaning species, snatching insects and spiders from tree branches and especially caterpillars...
Read MoreCommon Ravens
Common Ravens (Corvus corax) are known to be incredible fliers, soaring high in the sky and almost floating among the clouds, drifting and banking and turning and flipping with an endless array of aerial acrobatics. If you spend enough time hawk watching you will undoubtedly see them looking like a sizable raptor until fanning out that tail, showing off that bill and letting you hone in on that all black body. I watched these two Common Ravens interacting from afar as they dropped in altitude over a few minutes, croaking out their calls and interacting in every aerial maneuver one could...
Read MoreScarlet Tanager
Even the branches of this willow could not block the glow from the fiery feathers of a male Scarlet Tanager (Piranga olivacea). I photographed this bird yesterday as it was staying near eye-level, though it was wary of me and preferred to remain “hidden” like this from afar. These canopy dwellers are so vibrant that even the sharpest lens perfectly locked on and focused always make them look just slightly blurry. They are a flame in the forest. Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreBlack-throated Green Warbler (Setophaga virens)
This is about the best look I have had at a Black-throated Green Warbler (Setophaga virens) so far this spring, only spotting a few individuals. That is probably because I have not spent much time around conifers in the last couple of weeks. The Mid-Atlantic radar is exploding tonight as migrants push north on some cooperative winds – get out there tomorrow morning and see what you can find! Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreBarred Owl (Strix varia)
This Barred Owl (Strix varia) saw me long before I saw it, monitoring my movements from afar while perched in this tree on a cloudy May morning. Those enormous dark eyes tracked me in a relaxed fashion as I was still rather far away when I noticed it. I had been watching several warblers and a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher before my eyes stumbled on this slightly larger species. Barred Owls are, of course, usually snoozing during the day, but not always – and the spring season is when I have seen them the most active diurnally. This bird did not wake up because I was there, nor was it sleepy....
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