Scarlet Tanager

Species: Scarlet Tanager
Family: Cardinalidae
Date: 5.20.16

Observation:

We spotted a Scarlet Tanager skipping from treetop to treetop off the east side of the house.  He seemed very disinterested in the swarm of newly hatched flies next to him (seen in the photo below).

A Fact:

Scarlet Tanagers are long distance migrators.  They breed in eastern North America and migrate to northern South America for the winter.







Learn More at All About Birds: Scarlet Tanager

Black-capped Chickadee

 Species: Black-capped Chickadee (Parus atricapillus)
Family: Paridae
Date: 1.18.16




Observation: 

This chickadee was spotted along the edge of the fields out the north end of our property.




A Fact from Alice (courtesy of the National Audubon Society's Field Guide):

Voice: The Black-capped Chickadee's voice is a buzzy chick-a-dee-dee-dee or a clear whistled fee-bee.

Habitat: Deciduous and mixed forests, and open woodlands; suburban areas in the winter.


Learn more at All About Birds: Black-capped Chickadee

Bald Eagle

Species: Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)      
Family: Accipitridae
Date: 8.5.15

Observation:  

This Bald Eagle was not spotted right outside our home, but we decided to include a few things we saw over our summer vacation.  This eagle was spotted on Haskell Island in Maine during our August trip to the island.

A Fact from Alice:  

The largest observed Bald Eagle nest (St. Petersburg, Florida) was nearly 3 meters in diameter and over 6 meters tall.

Learn more at All About Birds - Bald Eagle

Common Yellowthroat Warbler

Species: Common Yellowthroat Warbler (Geothlypis thricas)
Family: Parulidae
Date: 7.13.15

Observation:

These photos were take on two different days at two different locations.  The male yellowthroat (top picture) was photographed down by the Muddy Branch.  The female (middle photo) and juvenile (bottom photo) were in the underbrush on the edge of the back lawn.  I believe there were two different juveniles with the female, probably around two weeks old (give or take a week).

A Fact: 

Common Yellowthroats are one of the bird that are particularly susceptible to brood parasitism (brown-headed cowbird lay eggs in their nest).  The song of the male Common Yellowthroat is one of the more recognizable and common summer bird songs...I will add audio at some point. 

Learn more at All About Birds - Common Yellowthroat Warbler

Red-eyed Vireo

Species: Red-eyed Vireo (Vireo olivaceous)
Family: Vireonidae
Date: 7.13.15

Observation:

Getting a photograph of a Red-eyed Vireo seems remarkably challenging given the fact that they can be heard singing throughout the day.  The male here was pausing to sing as it foraged in the top of one of the large tree on the north end of the lawn.  In the background you can hear a Black-capped Chickadee and one of the many annoying mosquitoes. (I apologize - the mosquito sound is very distracting)


A Fact:

The male Red-eyed Vireo sometimes sings more than 20,000 times in one day.  It is a song worth learning, because you will hear it all the time, even in the middle of the day when most birds are not singing.

Learn more at All About Birds - Red-eyed Vireo

Common Grackle

Species: Common Grackle (Quiscalas quiscula)
Family: Icteridae
Date: 7.8.15

Observation:

This Common Grackle was hanging around with the Red-winged Blackbirds down by the Muddy Branch.  The accompanying photos show the grackle with its eyes open and closed - always a little eerie. 

A Fact:

Grackles are the number one (bird) threat to corn; they eat both ripening corn and corn sprouts.

Learn more at All About Birds - Common Grackle

Cedar Waxwing

Species: Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum)
Family: Bombycillide - Waxwings
Date: 7.9.15

Observation: 

Cedar Waxwings are some of the more noticeable birds on our property - typically flying around in pairs or threes.  These photographs are from down by the Muddy Branch on the north end of the property.  It was later in the evening and the waxwings weren't as quick to move on as they often are earlier in the day.

A Fact:

In the northeast, you may find a Cedar Waxwing with tail-tips that are more orange than yellow.  This is a result of the red pigment from the berries of an introduced species of honeysuckle.  The orange tail-tips were first noticed in the 1960's.




Learn more at All About Birds - Cedar Waxwing

Red-winged Blackbird - female

Species: Red-winged Blackbird - female (Agelaius phoeniceus)
Family: Icteridae
Date: 7.9.15

Observation:

I went down to the Muddy Branch at the north end of our property last night and was greeted by the alarm call of many blackbirds who did not appreciate my presence.  The female with the grasshopper (I think) in her mouth kept a very close eye on me.  After a few minutes things quieted down as the birds became a little more relaxed, as long as I didn't move around much.



A Few Facts:

Red-winged Blackbirds are highly polygynous - some males may have up to 15 females mates.  Not surprisingly, males spend a great deal of their time defending their territory (roughly a quarter of the daylight hours).  Studies have shown that typically one-quarter to one-half of the nestlings are sired by someone other than the territorial male.  


Learn more at All About Birds - Red-winged Blackbird

American Redstart - First summer male

Species: American Redstart - First summer male
Family: Parulidae
Date: 7.6.15

Observation:  

The first photograph captures the view that had me very interested and perplexed.  I really didn't know what I was looking at.  The second image is what pointed me in the direction of an American Redstart, but the plumage was very interesting.  After consulting a couple of sources, it seems (at least to me...I would be very happy to be corrected) that this is a first summer male that had not developed the adult plumage.  The bird in the third photo, I believe, is another first summer male, although it could be the same individual in different lighting that I captured on my walk back down the edge of the meadow.  In both instances, the birds were foraging in the growth along the meadow about ten feet off the ground.



A Fact:

Male American Redstarts may have two mates at the same time.  While polygamy is not uncommon in birds, the redstart is different in that the male often holds two different territories that may be separated by a quarter-mile.

Learn More at All About Birds - American Redstart

Baltimore Oriole

Species: Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula)
Family: Icteridae
Date: 7.6.15

Observation:

I spotted this Baltimore Oriole making a couple trips to the end of a branch high up in a pine on the edge of the meadow.  The oriole was bringing food for a fledgling that was resting in the tree.

A Fact from Annie: 

The Baltimore Oriole and Bullock's Oriole were considered one species until the 1990's when genetic tests showed they were two distinct species.  The two hybridize extensively in the Great Plains region where the range of the two species overlap.



Learn more at All About Birds - Baltimore Oriole 

Eastern Wood-Pewee

Species: Eastern Wood-Pewee (Contopus virens)
Family: Tyrannidae
Date: 6.24.15 (Updated photos on 7.2.15)

 Observation:  

Alice spotted the Eastern Wood-Pewee as it landed on a branch of our back-yard brush pile.  As I slowly attempted to get closer, we saw the bird sallying out (the feeding technique of looping out, catching an insect, and returning to the same or nearby perch) to catch insects five or six times in a minute.

A Fact from Alice:

Eastern Wood-Pewees are usually found in forest clearings (like our back-yard).  They are often spotted on dead branches, as they like to sit on conspicuous perches when they are foraging for insects.


A Fact from Dana:

Eastern Wood-Pewees are territorial during breading season.  A male's territory is often 5-20 acres, and a male pewee will attack other species that approach while he is singing.

Learn more at All About Birds - Eastern Wood-Pewee

Veery

Species: Veery (Catharus fuscescens)
Family: Turdidae
Date: 6.29.15


      
   

Observation:

We have been treated to singing Veeries all summer long; they are the most noticeable singers at dusk.  Yesterday, I spotted one for the first time as it was feeding with the robins on the lawn during the afternoon.  It hung around for a short time, and perched in view for a brief photo-op.


A Fact from Alice:

Veery can fly up to 160 miles in one night, and they can fly at altitudes up to 1.2 miles.

Learn more at All About Birds - Veery

American Goldfinch

Species: American Goldfinch (Carduelis tristis)
Family:Fringillidae
Date: 6.28.15

 

Observation:

I noticed this female Goldfinch working her way along the ropes to one of our swings, but it wasn't until I looked more closely at the photographs that I saw the Goldfinch was pulling off fibers from the rope for her nest.

A Fact from Alice:

The American Goldfinch breeds later in the year than most birds.  They wait until plants have produced fibrous seeds (milkweeds, thistles, swing rope!) as they use these in nest building and in feeding their young.

Learn More at All About Birds - American Goldfinch 

Chestnut-sided Warbler

Species: Chestnut-sided Warbler (Dendroica pensylanica)
Family: Parulidae
Date: 6.26.15




Observation:

The Chestnut-sided Warbler's song was what drew my attention, and the warbler was kind enough to make an appearance just long enough for me to confirm what type of warbler it was.  I was walking around the backyard with my digital voice recorder, not a camera, so I have uploaded a brief clip of the Chestnut-sided Warbler's song.

A Fact from Annie:

The Chestnut-sided Warbler has become increasingly common over the past 200 years.  It likes to lie in open, second growth forest areas.

Learn more at All About Birds - Chestnut-sided Warbler

Northern Flicker

Species: Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)
Family: Picadae
Date: 6.23.15

Observation:  

Kate noticed this Northern Flicker in one of the maples down toward the brook.  It was quite far away (I am impressed the picture isn't more blurry when enlarged).  A month earlier a Northern Flicker gave us a good up-close viewing, foraging for insects right off the edge of our porch.  

A fact from Annie (hey, its' my birthday!):

Northern Flickers prefer to forage for food on the ground (ants, beetles, etc.), and their call is somewhat similar to a Pileated woodpecker's (and my sister thinks they sound like a monkey-bird).

Learn more at All About Birds - Northern Flicker

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Species: Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Pheucticu ludovicianus)

Family: Cardinaidae (Cardinals)

Date: 6.21.15

Photo credit: Tony Northrup Photography 

(many thanks for providing a site that allows images to be used on the Web!)

     

Observation:

A male Rose-breasted Grosbeak got my attention when it flew to the a porch window before it retreated to the wild grape on the trees off the porch.  It flittered about the grape for a couple of minutes before disappearing when I went to find the camera.

A Fact from Dana:

The song of the rose-breasted grosbeak is similar to the American Robin's.  Its tone is a little "better" and its song isn't as choppy as the robin's.

Learn more at All About Birds - Rose-breasted Grosbeak.

American robin

Species: American robin (Turdus migratorius)

Family: Turdidae

Date: 6.21.15

             

Observation:

Dana spotted a robin right by our hammock.  Dana thought the robin looked like it was eating the newly wet grass (it had rained about a half an hour earlier).  After more consideration, Dana has proposed the robin may have been looking for worms.

A fact from Dana: 

Robins' diet changes during the day.  They tend to forage for earthworms early in the day and switch more to fruit later in the day.

Learn more at All About Birds - American robin