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 MoreCommon Yellowthroat
You can see me, but I can still see you, Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas) male. Keep working on that hiding game…especially in nesting season! Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreOvenbird
Those Ovenbirds (Seiurus aurocapilla) will soon be crafting their ovens on the forest floor, filling them with eggs and keeping a very low profile when near this home. This leaf-covered little dome nest is certainly what gave them their name. I’m glad it was not TEACHER-TEACHER-TEACHER instead! Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreLouisiana Waterthrush
This is a Louisiana Waterthrush (Parkesia motacilla) photographed on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica, where it was recaptured after being banded in a previous year. Costa Rica has both species of waterthrush residing throughout the wintering season in a wide variety of habitats, but much like in the states it is usually found along an area with a water source nearby. The Louisiana Waterthrush is usually more commonly found on this Caribbean slope of Costa Rica, but I’ve caught it on the Pacific side as well. Seemingly its distribution isn’t fully understood yet due to its...
Read MorePine Warbler
This Pine Warbler (Setophaga pinus) was enjoying foraging in White Pine (Pinus strobus) trees in the early morning light today, the first of many warbler species to arrive in the coming weeks. Now is the time to break out your Peterson Field Guide warbler plates and study songs as well. This male was singing intermittently, more focused on eating than advertising. Their song resembles that of the Chipping Sparrow, or even the Dark-eyed Junco, but it is a little more deliberate and slower trill. In my opinion the best way to learn a song is to literally watch a bird singing it as much as you...
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