Hawk Watching

Yesterday at the Putney Mountain Hawk Watch was a wonderful day. We had twelve species: Accipiters (SSHA, COHA, NOGO); Falcons (AMKE, MERL,PEFA); Buteos (RTHA, RSHA, BWHA - the one broadie was missing primaries and secondaries on one wing, other wing also ragged, making us wonder how it could even fly), Big Black Birds (BAEA, OSPR, TUVU). Many were low and the stream was steady.

A few photographic highlights. The Green Mountains are fast becoming hills of brilliant color. At 9am, Stratton Mountain still held a cloud in its grip.

Vermont's true snowbirds are returning - not the two legged kind that head to Florida for the winter - but the Dark-eyed Juncos that shift south, or down-slope, and stay around for the winter months. Now they stand out against the bright fall colors ...

The hawk watch/photographic highlight was the young Cooper's Hawk which made several sweeping attacks at the plastic owl we put on a tree top ...


Red-tailed Hawks are beginning to move southward, though often hunting along the way. This one kited to the west, then drifted north, and finally went south with dispatch ...

Likewise, the Turkey Vultures are beginning to move. A few drift northward for a while, but most are moving south, including this young one ...

And finally ... there were many Canada Geese flocks (20-70 birds at a time) on the move, often close enough to look for the smaller Cackling that might be mixed in. No Snow Geese yet. This flock never organized itself into the familiar V formation, but moved with seeming randomness from the Connecticut valley to the West River Valley ...

Good birding!

Sunday Afternoon

After days of rather dreary weather, it finally cleared this afternoon. We attended the Brattleboro Literary Festival in the early afternoon, went for early Sunday dinner, then home - where the afternoon sunlight through the fall foliage was wonderful.

The yard has been especially busy with woodpeckers - multiples of Downy Woodpeckers, at least one pair of Hairy Woodpeckers - and others that are, or soon will be, migrating. There have been several Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers working the trees; most likely they are young. This one is certainly a juvenile with just flecks of the red cap and red chin beginning to appear ...

Norther Flickers (yellow-shafted) are flying through the yard constantly. They are feeding heavily on the berries of the many viburnum that my favorite companion has planted throughout the yard. They are very skittish, and it was sheer luck that the camera focused quickly on this one ...

There were few migrating songbirds present. However, I did coax this Ruby-crowned Kinglet down - every so briefly - from the crown of the apple tree where it was feeding (note the broken white eye-ring) ...

I have to include one of the birds that does not fly south. The White-breasted Nuthatch helps lighten the short December days and warm the cold January days, and I salute him/her, even though many seeds were tossed out before one was chosen ...

And finally, just a touch of the autumn colors that are coming to their peak ...

Good birding!

Butter Butts

Watching warblers during their Fall migration is very different from watching them in the Spring. In the Spring, their plumage is fresh, and for many species, colorful. They may be on the way to breeding territory, but they are singing at every opportunity, getting their voices tuned up for the competition over a mate.

As the warblers move southward in the Fall, there may be more of them depending upon how successful they have been in raising young. If they are singing, however, it is not with the same vigor as in the Spring. And their plumage is often dull, especially for young birds. Roger Tory Peterson included two pages in his Eastern Guide illustrating “Confusing Fall Warblers.” He pictured twenty-four species of warbler, plus a kinglet and vireo. The most recent one volume edition of his field guides drops the word, “confusing,” from these pages. That was an editorial decision; the birds are still confusing.

Many adult warblers are in worn plumage or have molted into a less distinctive, more camouflaged, winter plumage. Most of the hatch year warblers, the immatures or juveniles, are plain compared to breeding adults. They can be easily overlooked. Which is the point: it gives them a slight edge against predators.

A case in point is the Yellow-rumped Warbler. When I showed my favorite companion a couple of photographs I took a week ago, her response was, “It looks like a sparrow.” That is, a non-descript, little brown bird.

But a closer look showed a wash of yellow along the sides and a broken white eye-ring. I had also seen the bird fly, and then it flashed the diagnostic yellow patch which gives it the common name: yellow-rump.

On recent days, the Yellow-rumped Warblers have been all around the clearing on the Putney Mountain ridge, busily feeding on berries or flycatching insects. They are plain little birds which sometimes showed their “butter butt” (as some like to call it) when flying.

The Yellow-rumped Warbler is one of the few warblers that does not abandon North America. Its winter range extends throughout the southern states and well northward along the Atlantic coast. Wintering yellow-rumps are not uncommon near the coasts of Connecticut and Massachusetts.

Because so many winter in North America, the Yellow-rumped Warbler is one of the first warblers to return in the Spring. Like many birders, I await the April morning fallout of these birds. It is a sign that at least some of the cycles of life are working as they should.

The mature male Yellow-rumped Warbler in fresh breeding plumage is stunning: White wing stripes on blue-gray wings. White throat and belly separated by a black bib. Black mask through the eyes. Broken white eye-ring. Bright yellow on the flanks. Bright yellow butt. And bright yellow cap. Dull down the colors, and you have a breeding female.

Scientifically, the Yellow-rumped Warbler is Dendroica coronata. Dendroica comes from Greek and means “tree-dweller.” Coronata is from Latin meaning “crowned,” and refers to this warbler’s bright yellow crown. In other words, scientists name the bird for its head, and common people name it for its butt. Make of that whatever you want. (Audubon, by the way, knew it as the Yellow-crowned Wood-Warbler.)

I should probably point out that not every bird which flashes a yellow butt when it flies is a Yellow-rumped Warbler. Magnolia Warbler and Cape May Warbler also have yellow rumps and share some other plumage similarities, suggesting that all may share a common ancestor somewhere in the distant past. The Yellow-rumped is bigger, and among warblers, in general, is described as burly, sturdy, and athletic.

There are two sub-species of the Yellow-rumped Warbler. The “Myrtle” is the eastern and northern form. Audubon wrote that during winter, “its principal food consists of berries of various kinds, especial those of the Myrtle and Pokeweed” - hence its name. The western form is “Audubon’s.” It was first described by the nineteenth century ornithologist John Townsend, who honored his friend in the naming. Audubon’s Warbler is one of the few birds named in honor of John James Audubon. Unfortunately for Audubon, he lost the warbler honor when scientists concluded that “Myrtle” and “Audubon’s” were really the same warbler species. “Myrtle” Warbler has a white throat; “Audubon’s” has a yellow throat.

Warblers, in general, need insects to survive. The abundance of this protein source in late Spring and Summer is what brings them to our woodlands for breeding. The Yellow-rumped Warbler is one of the few warblers that can survive on berries and seed for an extended period of time. Forbush wrote that along “the coast during the milder winters there are many flies rising from the seaweed in sheltered spots on mild days even in January, and there are eggs of plant-lice and some hibernating insects to be found on the trees, but the principal food of the Myrtle Warbler on the eastern coast during the inclement season is the bayberry.”

The Yellow-rumped Warbler is a leisurely migrant. Through September, October, and much of November, it gradually drifts southward, as though it just has to take time to enjoy the brilliant colors and crisp, clear days of a New England autumn. It is as though it was unaware that autumn will be followed anon by winter.

Well, we know that winter is coming. We are stacking our wood, putting in the storm windows, bringing out the flannel shirts, and servicing the snow blowers. But not at the expense, I should hope, of savoring these days when nature spills its palette across our hillsides.

I’d like to take a lesson from the Yellow-rumped Warbler and do some drifting, meander through the woods and fields, and see what there is to be seen. Maybe a bluebird, always a chickadee, and surely the bright butter butt.

Good birding!

Addendum on previous post - Richardson's Cackling Goose - My ornithological consultant, Hector Galbraith, confirmed my photo as that of a "pretty classic hutchinsii cackler."

Cackling Goose

Yesterday among the hundreds of Canada Geese on the waters of the Brattleboro Retreat Meadows was at least one CACKLING GOOSE.

I spotted one from the parking area near Curves about Noon - behind the island in West River. About 2:30pm, I spotted one from boat landing on Rte 30. Same bird?

Perhaps a word of caution: I do not have a lot of experience with Cackling Goose, so if anyone has a doubt about the ID, please tell me, and reasons for not agreeing.

Unless contradicted, I shall call this a Richardson's Cackling Goose (Branta hutchinsii hutchinsii), but there is close overlap with Lesser Canada Goose (Branta canadensis parvipes), and there are intergrades in both species.

Thanks in advance - and Good Birding!

Philadelphia Weekend

Last week (19 & 20) we did an extended weekend in Philadelphia to celebrate the beginning of our decades long honeymoon.For people living in a small Vermont village, a big city get-away may seem an odd choice. But our kids wanted a part of the weekend, so Philly it was.

We stayed at a charming (and affordable) boutique hotel in the old Washington Square neighborhood.

I grew up in a big city (Detroit), but for me the charm and excitement of city life faded away long ago. However, the weather was absolutely superb, and people were every where enjoying life. Nearly every coffee shop, sandwich shop, tavern, and restaurant had tables on the sidewalks and wide open windows, and the streets were full of people enjoying company, food, and beverage.

The streets around our inn were full of history and historic old homes, now well cared for.

Much of this part of Philadelphia feels like an old European city, which is not surprising since those cities provided the known models for city planning and city building when much of this Philadelphia neighborhood were being built.

It was especially fun wandering the narrow streets and alleys to and from Independence National Historic Park a few blocks away - like this one, with a street barely wide enough for a car ...

Photography of architecture, history, or cityscape takes a different kind of camera eye from bird photography. These photos are of the tourist variety. For the next seveal weeks, I will do a Monday post with a few attempts at seeing the city and the history from angles other than the tourist angle. In advance, thanks for feedback.

Saturday's Birding

Saturday's hawk watching was mostly staring at blue sky. There were few hawks, and those few were distant. I arrived late morning at Putney Mtn, so even the morning songbird activity was on the wane. But I was pleased that there were so many Yellow-rumped Warblers in their confusing fall plumage. These winter "Myrtles" are such a contrast to the stunning plumage they sport in the spring. Lots of berries for them, and plenty of insects to "flycatch."


White-throated Sparrows have been common for a couple of weeks, and still are, but beyond these two species, the variety and numbers were limited (a few Blue-headed Vireos, Common Yellowthroats, Eastern Towhees, woodpeckers, ever-present chickadees). Blue Jays have been migrating by the hundreds.

And finally, just a couple of images from Saturday's wandering ...

Northern Cardinal - A Favorite Bird

The Fall Equinox was this week. The “Farmer’s Almanac” tells me that today’s length is twelve hours and one minute. Starting tomorrow there is more night than day, and it only gets worse for the next three months as we head toward winter.

Long lines of geese cross the distant horizon. We hear their honking from somewhere overhead. Confusing fall warblers are heading to the tropics; the striking and colorful plumage differences that make these birds the envy of the world is now muted. The warblers all “look alike.”

The birds came north a few months ago because our temperate northern forests provide a protein cornucopia for raising young - insects, creepy crawlies, amphibians, reptiles, rodents and other small mammals compress their reproduction into a few intense months, producing so many offspring that birds come from thousands of miles to enjoy the bounty.

That protein bounty is about to go into hiding, or dormancy, and the birds are leaving.

Most species are through with raising young for this year, but a few are still busy with the task. Late nesting American Goldfinches were in my backyard early this week feeding fledglings. On Putney Mountain one early morning last week, I watched a Cedar Waxwing feeding fledglings. For at least an hour, the young birds did not move from their perches in the scrubby oak tree; they waited for their parent to return with food, then fluttered wings and offered a gaping mouth. This was a late brood. Elsewhere around the opening on the ridge, young waxwings were practicing their flycatching skills. Except for the proximity of their parents, they were on their own.

About a week ago I was surprised to see a very young cardinal on the ground around my feeders with his mother. He was a plain, dull tan-colored bird. He had only a trace of red wash in his feathers. His beak was black, not the orange red of the adults. Mother cardinal had led this young bird to a source of food where it could learn to forage. This may have been one of the first times he was expected to feed himself. He tried his begging posture, but without success. She ignored her fledgling’s pleas, and fed herself. She was beginning to replenish her fat reserves which she had expended in the arduous task of laying eggs and feeding young.

This very young cardinal was around the feeders for several days with one or both parents. Gradually he learned to feed himself, a picky picky eater. He still half hoped a parent would do the job for him. But the parents had shifted out of parental mode. Their hovering young might make it or might not. The adult cardinals knew that they would soon face the challenge of personal survival and that trumps all else.

Other young cardinals have been around the feeders for months. The ones that first appeared in late June or early July are molting into adult plumage. The males are beginning to acquire the red feathers that will make them such bright spots in the dull winter landscape.

The Northern Cardinal is an abundant bird of our southern states. It has been expanding its range northward. In the 1920s, Forbush knew of a few year-round cardinals “as far north as the region about New York City.” In Vermont, a sighting was recorded at Wells River in 1933. It wasn’t until the 1960 Christmas Bird Count that the next sightings were recorded - three that winter. By the time of the first breeding bird atlas in Vermont (c.1980), the cardinal had expanded its breeding range along the river valleys.

The cardinal is not abundant in Vermont, although it is common. It is non-migratory. A pair tends to stay on or near its territory throughout the year, while younger birds may flock together. The pair bond relaxes during the early months of winter, then renews in late winter and early spring as the male and female sing together and feed together. The female is as accomplished a vocalist as the male, something that is rare in the bird world and which doubles the pleasure of their human audience.

With her warm brown plumage splashed with red, the female cardinal is a beautiful bird. But her mate, sporting his brilliant red feathers and cocky red crest trumps any attention she may attract.

The male cardinal is a fierce defender of his territorial prerogatives. He will drive off any real or imagined rival with persistence, even when the intruding rival is his own image in a window. When we lived in Pennsylvania, for several summers we had a male cardinal who banged against the bedroom windows in an effort to drive off his reflection. This week someone told me about a male cardinal who attacked the side view mirror of their car; he saw another male cardinal in the car’s mirror, and was determined to drive it away.

The male cardinal also has a strong instinct to feed. He feeds his mate when she incubates and tirelessly feeds his own young. Male cardinals have been observed stuffing food down the throats of nestlings of other species. One male even fed goldfish in a backyard pool. I would suspect the sobriety of the reporter, except for the accompanying photograph (in “Song and Garden Birds,” by Wetmore, 1964.)

Cardinals raise two or three broods during a summer; four broods have been recorded. Multiple broods and warming climate are contributing factors to the range expansion of the cardinal. Bird feeders help as well, providing a food supply during the difficult winter months. I have yet to meet anyone who is not delighted to have cardinals at their feeders and often hear disappointment at their absence.

Most songbirds are heading south. The ones who stay around may be noisy with calls and chattering, but their melodious songs are over for the year. Except for the cardinal. This redbird may sing any month of the year, as though practicing for the springtime serenades. If the young cardinal at my feeders learns to feed himself, then he will soon be able to start learning the songs of his parents - his melodious cardinal songs adding to the fall colors and brightening the crisp days of winter.

“In richness of plumage, elegance of motion, and strength of song, this species surpasses all its kindred in the United States.” So wrote John James Audubon, and who am I to argue with Audubon.

I saw the young cardinal again today - still in plain plumage, still with a black beak. He was busy feeding himself on my seed. He’s learning, and that Good Birding!

Blue-headed Vireo

It was a gorgeous day on Putney Mountain - clear, crisp air - brisk wind - changing fall colors - but very few hawks. I finally dragged my tripod up so I could have my camera fixed on the plastic owl which sometimes attracts the attention and animosity of a passing sharpie. Alas, the few sharpies were high over head, and not interested. But with good company, and great scenery, I can still think of few better ways to spend a morning.

There were a few Yellow-rumped Warblers doing their flycatching act, and the ever-present chickadees (tits for any one from across the pond) ... and just before I left, I succeeded in phishing down this Blue-headed Vireo, curious about the strange creature making strange sounds.

Good birding ... regardless of the number of birds!

I've been away for a few days and am just getting caught up. But today was my day as official counter on Putney Mountain. Last week was great - this week has been dismal, at least in numbers of migrating hawks. Weather was mild, thin cloud cover, no wind ... and no hawks, except for this single Osprey, which flew over the ridge so slow I felt like I could reach out and touch it. Migration will pick up when the front moves through. Late September early October are usually good times for Peregrines, accipters, and the larger buteos. TVs begin moving as well.

The open area along the ridge attracts migrating songbirds - several hundred noisy Blue Jays moved over the clearing today, while smaller birds fueled up on the berries - unfortunately most of the berries are from the invasive buckthorn. This Black-throated Blue Warber was anything but a confusing fall warbler ...

... nor was there any confusion about this Northern Parula ...

Good birding!