Cape May Autumn Weekend

Cape May Bird Observatory had a stunning weekend for their annual event. I went to Cape May on Sunday, not for CMBO events, but just to enjoy the great weather, location, and birds. There were lots of birders, birding groups, and bird hikes, but also plenty of room to roam away from people and enjoy the opportunities the birds presented to the camera.

New for my photographic archives was a Eurasian Widgeon among a flock of American Widgeons in the state park ...

Eurasian Widgeon with its American cousins

In a year when photography has been frustrated by other demands and an inability to get out where the birds are, the day was refreshing and rejuvenating. A few examples of the wonderful colors and light in which the birds posed ...

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Song Sparrow

Eastern Phoebe

Brown Thrasher

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Northern Cardinal

Dark-eyed Junco ("Slate-colored" with some "Oregon" hints)

Swamp Sparrow

More soon. Good birding!

Sparrows

Birding along the Connecticut River in Brattleboro and Vernon this morning yielded six sparrow species.

Field Sparrow

Field Sparrow

Song Sparrow and Savannah Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrow

Savannah Sparrow

White-throated Sparrow

Swamp Sparrow

Good Birding!

LBJs - IDs for Exercises 11 & 12

Song Sparrow (default sparrow) - see! We don't need to use the breast spot to ID this songster.

Pine Siskin

American Tree Sparrow

Swamp Sparrow

Lincoln's Sparrow

White-throated Sparrow (l), Blue Grosbeak, female (r)

Fox Sparrow (foreground), White-throated Sparrow (2)

White-throated Sparrow (l), White-crowned Sparrow (r)

Purple Finch, female (foreground), White-throated Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco (background)

Song Sparrow (foreground), White-throated Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco

Swamp Sparrow & correction

I have revised my previous post (Tuesday). Among my sparrow photos from Cape May were several POOR photographs of a sparrow. I cropped and sharpened the photos, eventually IDed the sparrow as Henslow's Sparrow. This may be one of those cases of WANNABE ID. An email from Blake Mathys (who showed me the Common Ground Dove - see previous post) suggests that my photo is a Swamp Sparrow. The more I look at the photo, the more I think I have to agree. (Darn!)

My only previous encounter with Henslow's Sparrow was a distant one in Massachusetts last year. That meant relying on field guides. Peterson tipped it for me: “The striped olive-colored head in conjunction with reddish wings identifies it.” I seized the reddish wings and tried to make the head olive-colored.

The birds were moving fast through the edges of the tower field at Higbee Beach WMA, and I chose camera over binoculars, aim and click rather than look and ID.

Last week’s Cape May fall out brought exceptional numbers of Swamp Sparrows. Below, I repost (first photo) my probable Swamp Sparrow not Henslow’s Sparrow (see photo on CMBO View from the Field), plus several additional Swamp Sparrows.

Good birding!

I couldn't find photos which suited this week's column, but decided to put up a couple anyway. Swamp Sparrow behaving like a wren - and a visitor to my new window feeder. Please don't miss the unillustrated column below.