tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57133701793443717382024-03-05T07:16:00.996-08:00Paul's US Birding BlogPaul Bourdinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12959582799590448746noreply@blogger.comBlogger213125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5713370179344371738.post-5625101911050473122017-06-24T03:36:00.000-07:002017-06-24T03:36:02.950-07:00The Last Post - 23rd JuneAnd so our American adventure comes to an end after a hair over 3 years. We'd expected a longer stint, but life sometimes has other plans. We'll be moving to Ireland on 30th June. When reflecting on the time I've spent here the thing that strikes me is the sheer variety of birds that can be seen in New York. The state itself is big, and stretches north into the boreal zone which boosts the potential birds that can be seen, but I'd had no idea of the variety of migrants that pass through the city each year. The south shore of Long Island was also a big surprise, I was astounded at the general birdiness of places like Jones' Beach and Fort Tilden. I wasn't completely unaware of the spring warbler scene in Central Park, but it was still a thrill to be able to witness it.<br />
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All in all the birding has been excellent. I wish I'd got to grips with the songs and calls sooner than I did, a good ear is essential here, but in general I'm happy with what I've seen. The only birds that I feel that I've missed are mainly pretty scarce or tricky to see. Some are irruptive winter visitors, mainly to The Adirondacks, such as <b>Red Crossbill, White-winged Crossbill</b> and <b>Pine Grosbeak</b>. My first winter trip to the north was this year (an unsuccessful twitch for a <b>Ross's Gull</b>), and I should have done more. I also dipped several times on <b>Thick-billed Murre</b> (<b>Brunnich's Guillemot</b>). One more winter would probably have been sufficient. Of the three phalaropes that occur I saw the rarest (<b>Red/ Grey</b>), bit not <b>Wilson's</b> or <b>Red-necked</b>. I dipped several times on <b>Wilson's</b> which is annual at Jamaica Bay on the East Pond. The <b>Red-necked</b> is most readily seen on the spring pelagics out of Brooklyn, but they are very inconveniently timed in the middle of exams so I was never able to get on one. Had I done so I might have had a chance at another big miss, <b>Long-tailed Jaeger (Skua),</b> and even <b>South Polar Skua</b>. I love rallids, and I was especially disappointed with my failure to see a <b>Virginia Rail</b>. Inexcusable really, I just didn't get into the right place regularly enough, too distracted by warblers I suppose.<br />
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I did quite well for warblers to be fair, recording 36 species in NY state (and one other in Texas). I missed none of the regulars at all, and only 3 other species were recorded in NY in the time I was here;<b> Hermit, Virginia</b> and<b> Black-throated Grey, </b>each of them being one day birds at best.<br />
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Sparrows are a big feature of the avifauna here, and most are pretty easy to get onto. <b>Nelson's</b> took a while and a few false starts, as did<b> Clay-coloured</b>. <b>LeConte's</b> was the only semi-regularly occurring species I didn't connect with, but they are less than annual and rarely twitchable.<br />
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North American forests are well -populated with another of my favourite groups, woodpeckers. I basically cleaned-up on the eastern half of the country with the exception of <b>American Three-toed Woodpecker</b> which is now very scarce in the northeast (last sighting in The Adirondacks was 2012). <br />
If we had stayed I would have started to do a few more trips. Our family road trip to Florida last year, and this year's Texas excursion were great fun and I had my eye on a few birding holidays:<br />
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<ul>
<li><u><b>Great Plains grouse round-up:</b></u> It's possible to design a one-week road-trip through Nebraska, Colorado and Kansas that will produce Greater and Lesser Prairie Chicken, Greater and Gunnison Sage-Grouse and Sharp-tailed Grouse. The trip would have to be timed to coincide with the lekking behaviour these birds are known for, which means early April. Very inconvenient for my school timetable! A great trip, but a lot of driving.</li>
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<li><b><u>South-east Arizona:</u></b> The northern limit of a lot of Mexican birds, loads of birds!</li>
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<li><b><u>Alaska:</u></b> All those Auks!</li>
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<li><b><u>Pelagics:</u></b> Seattle and San Diego to mop up all the north Pacific seabirds, Mmmmmmm!</li>
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As to numbers, my US list stands at 457, and New York is 333 (triple Nelson!). I wasn't particularly bothered about chasing some of the more humdrum species (<b>Tufted Duck, Ring-necked Pheasant</b> etc.) so I could have seen more, but that seems to be a decent total for a reasonably active birder spending 3 years in NYC.<br />
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It's been a great 3 years!<br />
<br />Paul Bourdinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12959582799590448746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5713370179344371738.post-56687379263230951222017-06-16T09:13:00.005-07:002017-06-25T10:19:12.437-07:00Adirondack specials - 15th JuneMy last birding excursion in the US was to The Adirondacks to catch up with a handful of birds that I've missed in the past.
I hired Joan Collins of <a href="http://www.adirondackavianexpeditions.com/" target="_blank">Adirondack Avian Expeditions</a>, and gave her a shopping list. Top of the list was <b>Bicknell's Thrush</b>. A high elevation specialist with a restricted range in NE USA and Eastern Canada, one of the only really 'easy' places to see this is on Whiteface Mountain, and Joan is the best person to find it! It means an early start (2:15am) in order to be on site for dawn when the birds are most vocal. We heard dozens, but only really saw three, of which only one was photographable.<br />
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Next up was a trip to Bigelow Road in the Bloomingdale area where Joan very quickly picked out a quiet chirp that she said was <b>Boreal Chickadee</b>. Sure enough a pair soon showed themselves. Two targets down, just one to go...<br />
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The last main site was on private land somewhere north of Tupper Lake where Joan had staked out nesting <b>Philadelphia Vireos.</b> We got to the site easily, and could hear the birds immediately, but seeing them was a problem. After quite a wait we eventually go on to a foraging bird and had great views. All targets achieved!<br />
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Joan then showed me a <b>Northern Goshawk</b> nest that she knew about, and it had two young birds in it which had clearly only hatched recently.<br />
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Other birds seen during the day included: a small colony of <b>Cliff Swallows</b>, <b>Ruffed Grouse</b> crossing the road, <b>Broad-winged Hawk</b> hunting said grouse, nesting <b>Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers</b>, calling <b>Barred Owls</b> and <b>Wilson's Snipe</b>.<br />
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<b>Bicknell's Thrush</b>. A real skulker, we saw 3 birds in about 3 hours, but must have heard 30.<br />
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<b>Boreal Chickadee</b>. A really nice bird, much more interesting than I was expecting!<br />
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<b>Philadelphia Vireo.</b> At last! I feel like I've chased this bird all over New York. Quite tricky to see even though we had at least 3 birds singing around us for about an hour and a half.<br />
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Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. This pair were working flat-out to feed the nestful of youngsters we could hear clearly complaining about empty bellies.<br />
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<b>Cliff Swallow</b>. A small colony of 8 or 10 nests under the eaves of a farmhouse.<br />
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<b>Ruffed Grouse.</b><br />
<br />Paul Bourdinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12959582799590448746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5713370179344371738.post-25770773101561549542017-05-28T12:47:00.003-07:002017-05-28T12:47:42.769-07:00Lesser Nighthawk - Lord Sterling Park, NJWhile watching the Henslow's Sparrow at Shawangunk I got chatting to a couple of birders about the extraordinary report of a<b> Lesser Nighthawk </b>at a park in New Jersey. It had apparently been handed in as an injured bird to a rescue centre, and they had released it once it had recovered. They assured me it had been present for a couple of days, and would probably still be there. I therefore hot-footed it south on a filthy twitch. Sure enough it was exactly where it had been for the past couple of days. A quite extraordinary record since they are really supposed to be in California right now.<br />
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<b>Lesser Nighthawk. </b>Unfortunately the key identification features are not visible (buffy spots on the primaries). <br />
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<b>Eastern Phoebe</b><br />
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<b>Red Fox. </b>Just trotting down the road, keeping a weather ear out front and back...<br />
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<br />Paul Bourdinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12959582799590448746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5713370179344371738.post-34004026552934133602017-05-28T12:35:00.002-07:002017-05-30T03:47:13.335-07:00Henslow's Sparrow at Shawangunk - 28th MayIn midweek a report came in of a <b>Henslow's Sparrow</b> singing at Shawangunk Grassland NWR. The habitat is good for them, and they've bred there in the past, but not for a few years. I read that a habitat management plan went a bit wrong a few years ago and the handful that were hanging on disappeared. Attempts have been made since then to correct the errors, and it looks like they might be paying off. Whatever the backstory, I had my Sunday sorted! I got up there early enough, and the bird was performing magnificently from the word go. For 11 months of the year <i>Ammodramus</i> sparrows crawl around in long grass and are nigh-on impossible to see. Come breeding season however, they're straight up on a perch belting out the love songs. A nice bonus was a breeding plumage <b>Dickcissel </b>about 100 yards further down the track, basically doing the same thing.<br />
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Other birds on the area included many <b>Bobolink, Eastern Meadowlarks, Tree Swallows</b>, and a singing <b>Willow Flycatcher.</b><br />
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<b>Henslow's Sparrow</b> looking for love.<br />
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<b>Dickcissel</b><br />
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<b>Bobolink</b><br />
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<br />Paul Bourdinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12959582799590448746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5713370179344371738.post-22351879115099055572017-05-23T13:39:00.006-07:002017-06-16T11:16:55.631-07:00Sterling Forest - 20th May<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A trip up to Sterling Forest to try and connect with some more migrants. The day started well with singing warblers all over the place. <b>Blue-winged</b> and <b>Prairie Warblers</b> were the commonest, and easily seen. It took a while before the first <b>Golden-winged Warbler</b> was found, but eventually one showed well. A hybrid <b>Blue-winged x Golden-winged</b> (backcross Brewster's x Golden-winged we think) provided a pleasant diversion. Bird of the day for me was the <b>Black-billed Cuckoo </b>however, showing briefly, but very close. We had heard a few calling, but only saw the one bird. <b>Yellow-billed Cuckoo </b>were also very vocal.<br />
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<b>Male Golden-winged Warbler</b> on a territory<br />
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Hybrid <b>Golden-winged x Blue-winged Warbler</b>. Note the wing pattern like a Blue-winged, a golden crown like a Golden-winged, and the white throat. It was also singing the Blue-winged song.<br />
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Male <b>Indigo Bunting</b><br />
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<br />Paul Bourdinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12959582799590448746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5713370179344371738.post-64598763691753993342017-05-23T13:29:00.000-07:002017-05-23T13:29:15.331-07:00Central Park spring 2017Spring migration started quite late as the first week or so was very wet and many birds were held up. A big push came through on the night of Monday 15th/ Tuesday 16th, with 27 species of warbler seen by me so far, including 21 on the 16th. <br />
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Warblers so far this season:<br />
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<b>Northern Parula: </b>Daily since 28th April.<br />
<b>Tennessee: </b>Single birds near Turtle Pond on 4th May, and at the Captain's Bench on 9th May.<br />
<b>Blue-winged: </b>Single birds at Strawberry Fields on 28th April, and near Summit Rock on 16th May.<br />
<b>Nashville: </b>Seen between 28th April and 11th May.<br />
<b>Yellow: </b>Daily since 28th April in small numbers.<br />
<b>Chestnut-sided: </b>Small numbers from 10th - 23rd May<br />
<b>Magnolia: </b>Daily since 6th May<br />
<b>Cape May: </b>A very good year for this species, with daily sightings from 2 May to 16th May, including 5 on the latter date.<br />
<b>Black-throated Blue: </b>Daily from 4th May<br />
<b>Blackburnian: </b>A late arrival with the first sighting on 16th May. Suddenly they seemed everywhere!<br />
<b>Yellow-rumped: </b>The first spring warblers to arrive, with the first birds on 15th April. Most have passed through already, the last sighting was 17th May.<br />
<b>Black-throated Green: </b>Daily from 4th May<br />
<b>Prairie: </b>Single birds on 28th April, 6th and 9th May.<br />
<b>Palm: </b>Common from 28th April until about 9th May, one of the first warblers to disappear.<br />
<b>Bay-breasted: </b>An excellent year for this species. Daily sightings between 10th and 17th May, with at least 4 on 16th.<br />
<b>Blackpoll: </b>Small numbers from 30th April, an early date for this species. Increased steadily, becoming the commonest warbler by about 17th May.<br />
<b>Yellow-throated: </b>The only rare warbler this spring, a single bird on The Point on 28th April.<br />
<b>Worm-eating: </b>One bird on 10th May, and 2 on 16th.<br />
<b>Black-and-white: </b>First seen 28th April, and daily since then.<br />
<b>American Redstart: </b>Seen daily since 28th April<br />
<b>Ovenbird: </b>8 birds on 30 April, and pretty consistently since then.<br />
<b>Northern Waterthrush: </b>First seen on 28th April, and every day since then.<br />
<b>Louisiana Waterthrush: </b>Single birds at The Point on 28th and 30th April.<br />
<b>Common Yellowthroat: </b>Seen daily since 28th April.<br />
<b>Wilson's: </b>Small numbers from 10th May, mostly around Turtle Pond.<br />
<b>Canada: </b>Regular in small numbers from 16th to 23rd May<br />
<b>Hooded: </b>A female in The Ramble on 6th May, and a male at Tanner's Spring on 16th May.<br />
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Additional warblers recorded by others included: Mourning, Kentucky, Orange-crowned. <br />
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Other interesting migrants this spring have included:<br />
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<b>Common Nighthawk</b><b>, Grey-cheeked Thrush</b><b>, Least Flycatcher, Great Crested Flycatcher, Scarlet Tanager, Rose-breasted Grosbeak,, Indigo Bunting, Spotted Sandpiper</b><br />
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<b>Common Nighthawk</b> roosting near Summit Rock <br />
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<b>Grey-cheeked Thrush </b>at Tanner's Spring<br />
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<b>Black-and-white Warbler</b>, ubiquitous <br />
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<b>Blackburnian Warbler</b>. Quite a few this year, starting on about 17th May <br />
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<b>Magnolia Warbler</b>, common <br />
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<b>Black-throated Green Warbler. </b>Not too many this year, but common enough <br />
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Female <b>American Redstart </b><br />
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<b>Hooded Warbler </b>at Tanner's Spring. <br />
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<b>Blackpoll Warbler. </b>All over the place now<br />
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<b>Prairie Warbler</b>. Only three in Central Park this year.<br />
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<br />Paul Bourdinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12959582799590448746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5713370179344371738.post-3307396618948322802017-05-04T15:28:00.003-07:002017-05-04T15:28:37.270-07:00Tennessee Warbler in Central Park - 4th May<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Having a slightly later start than I would have liked, I decided to bird the North Woods this morning, thinking it would give me more time in the field, and less time marching. It was inevitable therefore that something good would be found in the Ramble, and sure enough, when I checked Twitter at 9:10 I saw that a <b>Tennessee Warbler </b>had been found singing by Turtle Pond. That was only a mile and a half away! I hot-footed it down there and was on site by about 9:30. A brilliant male, feeding actively in a tree, pausing occasionally for a burst of song.<br />
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Other first-of-year birds so far this week included: <b>Cape May Warbler, Chimney Swift</b> and <b>Orchard Oriole</b> by Summit Rock and a <b>Spotted Sandpiper</b> near the reservoir on Tuesday, and <b>Black-throated Green Warbler</b> and <b>Black-throated Blue Warbler</b> in the North Woods today.<br />
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Male <b>Tennessee Warbler</b> <br />
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Male <b>Cape May Warbler </b><br />
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Female <b>Black-and-white Warbler</b>. <br />
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Juvenile male <b>Orchard Oriole</b> <br />
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<b>Baltimore Oriole</b> <br />
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<b>Spotted Sandpiper</b>Paul Bourdinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12959582799590448746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5713370179344371738.post-45789695599153104042017-04-30T11:51:00.002-07:002017-05-06T01:54:47.874-07:00Least Bittern in Central Park - 30 April<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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After a not-particularly birdy day at Doodletown on the 29th I decided that the best way to hit my target birds for this spring (Tennessee Warbler, Black-billed Cuckoo, Philadelphia Vireo, Least Bittern, Virginia Rail) would be to hang around with other birders, so I headed in to Central Park.<br />
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My plan bore fruit almost immediately when a twitter alert went out that a <b>Least Bittern</b> was perched in a tree above The Gill. And lo, it was true! What a great bird, and one of my main targets for spring down, quite unexpectedly.<br />
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Other new birds for the season included lots of <b>Ovenbirds, Scarlet Tanager, Rose-breasted Grosbeak</b> and <b>Blackpoll Warbler</b>. There were lots of Thrushes all over the place, including V<b>eery, Wood Thrush, Swainson's Thrush </b>and <b>Hermit Thrush.</b> The <b>Red-headed Woodpecker </b>put in a show at the feeders, all-in-all an excellent day.<br />
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Female <b>Least Bittern.</b> No-one present could recall a previous Central Park record, and ebird only has 2 for the whole of Manhattan (both by Andrew Farnsworth). <br />
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Male <b>Scarlet Tanager </b><br />
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<b>Red-headed Woodpecker </b><br />
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<b>Ovenbird</b>Paul Bourdinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12959582799590448746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5713370179344371738.post-50719782498986103542017-04-28T14:41:00.000-07:002017-05-01T13:52:51.165-07:00Yellow-throated Warbler in Central Park - 28th AprilThe past week has been pretty wet, and few migrants have managed to make it this far north. Friday was set to be dry, so I got into Central Park by about 6:00am, and started at Strawberry Fields. Immediately it was clear that there had been a major fall. Every treetop was alive with warblers. The predominate species was <b>Yellow-rumped Warbler</b>, but soon enough we started picking up other species. A couple of <b>Palm Warblers </b>were the first non-yellow-rumps, followed by a <b>Northern Parula</b>, and <b>American Redstart</b> and then a <b>Blue-winged Warbler.</b> A <b>White-eyed Vireo</b> circled the area a couple of times, and a <b>Blue-headed Vireo</b> also showed up. A gorgeous <b>Baltimore Oriole</b> was next, followed by the first of many <b>Black-and-white Warblers</b>, and a lovely <b>Yellow Warbler</b>.<br />
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Next stop was the swampy Pin-oak which had a host of <b>Ruby-crowned Kinglets</b>, and singles of <b>Common Yellowthroat, Nashville Warbler </b>and a <b>Northern Waterthrush</b>. More <b>Yellow Warblers </b>here, as well as a <b>Green Heron</b> and a <b>Hermit Thrush</b>.<br />
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The last stop of the morning was The Point where a single tree produced a second <b>Nashville Warbler </b>and a <b>Yellow-throated Warbler</b> (ssp. <i>albiloris</i>), as well as another <b>American Redstart</b>. Nearby in the willows by The Oven was a <b>Louisiana Waterthrush</b>, a magnificent male <b>Purple Finch</b> and brief views of a <b>Prairie Warbler</b>.<br />
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The lores of this <b>Yellow-throated Warbler </b>are white, suggesting it is of the central race, <i>Dendroica dominica albiloris</i>. <a href="http://paulsusbirdingblog.blogspot.com/2015/04/yellow-throated-warbler-at-valley.html" target="_blank">Compare this with the <i>D. d. dominica </i>that I saw at Valley Stream</a> in April 2015.<br />
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This was first pointed out to me as a Northern Waterthush, but it is quite clearly a <b>Louisiana Waterthush</b>. (unstreaked throat, bubble-gum pink legs).Paul Bourdinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12959582799590448746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5713370179344371738.post-29204584035313711372017-04-15T13:12:00.001-07:002017-04-15T13:34:41.898-07:00Prothonotary Warbler - Marine Park - 15th AprilA <b>Prothonotary Warbler</b> was found in the week at Marine Park in Brooklyn. It hung around for a few days, so I decided to make it my first stop on Saturday morning. It performed amazingly well, regularly forcing me to take a step or two back to keep it in focus!<br />
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After that good start to the day I had a quick walk around the ponds at Jamaica Bay. The water level in the East Pond was very high so there was very little to see apart from <b>Barn </b>and <b>Tree Swallows </b>hawking over the water, a pair of <b>Peregrine</b> screeching at each other and a flyby <b>Little Blue Heron</b>.<br />
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The West Pond path has been rebuilt at last, but is not open yet. There weren't many birds here either, a single calling <b>Eastern Towhee</b> was the highlight. <br />
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<b>Prothonotary Warbler</b> has to be one of the best looking warblers. The word means " a chief clerk of any of various courts of law" (Merriam-Webster). It is attached to this bird "with reference to the saffron colour of the robes worn by clerks to the Pope" (Oxford).<br />
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It spent the entire time gleaning tiny insects from the leaves of the plants growing around the rocks near the Nature Centre.Paul Bourdinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12959582799590448746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5713370179344371738.post-79866998993119658202017-03-30T05:24:00.002-07:002017-03-30T05:24:15.911-07:00Texas trip - Attwater Prairie Chicken NWR - 29 MarchOn the way from Houston back to the Austin area we went via the Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Reserve. A splendid place, it is one of the last strongholds for the Attwater subspecies of the Greater Prairie Chicken. The morning I went there was an enormous thunderstorm so I had to wait until about 10:00am, by which time the birds weren't calling. It was still a good spot, with quite a few <b>Loggerhead Shrikes</b>, plenty of <b>Eastern Meadowlark </b>(but no Western unfortunately), and 6 <b>Northern Bobwhites</b>, one of which posed for a picture.<br />
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<b>Northern Bobwhite</b>. <br />
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<b>Eastern Meadowlark</b>.<br />
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<b>Eastern Hog-snouted Snake, </b>found in the pool at the motel we stayed at in Sealy.<br />
<br />Paul Bourdinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12959582799590448746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5713370179344371738.post-1666314773116058572017-03-25T17:04:00.000-07:002017-04-03T05:47:53.802-07:00Texas trip - South Llano River State Park - 23 to 25 MarchThis is a fabulous site in the "Texas Hill Country" west of Austin which has both <b>Golden-cheeked Warbler</b> and<b> Black-capped Vireo</b>, the two highly range-restricted specials in this habitat. They are fairly inobtrusive unless singing, so dawn is best, and I got them both after quite a bit of effort. The vireo was easier than the warbler, mainly as its area is closer to the main road.<br />
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Several other specials occur in this habitat including <b>Canyon Towhee, Canyon Wren, Scott's Oriole, Rufous-crowned Sparrow, </b>and <b>Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay</b>, and they were all pretty straightforward. I also caught up with <b>Black-chinned Hummingbird</b> (common at every feeder),<b> Cassin's Sparrow</b> and <b>Lark Bunting </b>(both in open fields along the entrance road).<br />
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A feature of the park was the amazing number of sparrows and allies. In various places I saw 10 species of sparrow; <b>Rufous-crowned, Cassin's, Black-throated, Field, Clay-coloured, Chipping, Savannah, Lark, White-crowned</b> and<b> Lincoln's</b>.<br />
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<b>Golden-cheeked Warbler</b>.Quite a little cracker!<br />
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<b>Black-capped Vireo</b>. <br />
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<b>Scott's Oriole</b>. <br />
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<b>Canyon Wren</b>.<br />
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<b>Field Sparrow</b>.<br />
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<b>Lincoln's Sparrow</b>.<br />
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<b>Lark Sparrow</b>.<br />
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<b>Black-throated Sparrow</b>.<br />
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<b>Clay-coloured Sparrow</b>. <br />
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<b>Rufous-crowned Sparrow</b>.<br />
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<b>Cassin's Sparrow</b>. <br />
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<b>Canyon Towhee</b>.<br />
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<b>Spotted Towhee</b>.<br />
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<b>Lark Bunting</b>.<br />
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<b>Black-chinned Hummingbird</b>. Male...<br />
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...and female. <br />
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<b>Lesser Goldfinch</b>.<br />
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<br />Paul Bourdinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12959582799590448746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5713370179344371738.post-6202221365873964772017-03-23T16:34:00.000-07:002017-03-27T16:34:37.448-07:00Texas trip - W. G. Jones State Park - 23 March<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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At a site just north of Houston is a site that contains the westernmost populations of two birds I missed on last summer's east coast road trip, <b>Red-cockaded Woodpecker </b>and <b>Brown-headed Nuthatch</b>. This being probably my last opportunity to catch up with these I took a detour and spent the morning tracking them down. The woodpecker was easy enough. The nesting colonies are well marked (green rings painted on the base of the trees). They are pretty quiet, but woodpeckers stand out and I got views of 4 different birds.<br />
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The nuthatch was much harder, though I did eventually catch up with one exploring a nesting box (which I'm pretty sure was intended for the <b>Eastern Bluebirds</b> in the area.<br />
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On the way north I spotted a <b>Swainson's Hawk</b> hunting over a field.<br />
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<b>Red-cockaded Woodpecker</b>. The red cockade is the only thing separating males from females, but it's virtually invisible, so I've no idea of the sex of this bird. Quite nice though! <br />
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<b>Brown-headed Nuthatch</b>. <br />
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<b>Swainson's Hawk</b>. <br />
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<br />Paul Bourdinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12959582799590448746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5713370179344371738.post-12400183630133735012017-03-22T15:00:00.000-07:002017-03-27T16:24:11.516-07:00Texas trip - Falcon State Park and surrounding area - 21/22 MarchThe habitat here is much drier than other sites visited so far. Lots of cactus and other prickly things, a birding environment I actually quite like. There are several specials in the area. First up was a <b>Red-billed Pigeon </b>roost in a county park adjacent to the main state park. They were pretty easy to find, but quite flighty. Chapeño is a site on the Rio Grande here that regularly has flocks of White-collared Seedeaters that cross the river. No luck there, though I did watch a <b>Grey Hawk </b>cross from Mexico to the US. <b>Cactus Wren</b> is another local special that I picked up outside the main park in an area with lots of cactus. Other birds included a surprising number of <b>Verdin, Bewick's Wren, Pyrrhuloxia</b>, my first <b>Northern Bobwhites, Black-throated Sparrows</b>, and more <b>Olive Sparrows</b>.<br />
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A bridge on highway 83 driving north from the park on the 22nd had a large colony of <b>Cave Swallows.</b><br />
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<b>Red-billed Pigeon</b>. Several found roosting in trees in Star County Park<br />
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<b>Pyrrhuloxia</b>. Quite common in the whole area<br />
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<b>Bewick's Wren </b><br />
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<b>Cactus Wren.</b> Harder to find than I expected. I finally tracked this down in the very cactusy area behind the Star County Sheriff office. <br />
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<b>Black-throated Sparrow</b>. In the same kind of dry habitat as the Cactus Wren <br />
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<b>Verdin</b>. Quite a few in the state park itself. <br />
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<b>Ash-throated Flycatcher</b> <br />
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<b>Grey Hawk</b> at Chapeño. I watched it soaring on the Mexican side of the river before it headed across to the US. Yet another illegal immigrant! <br />
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<br />Paul Bourdinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12959582799590448746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5713370179344371738.post-7530830473753520232017-03-21T12:00:00.000-07:002017-04-07T06:26:14.142-07:00Texas trip - Santa Ana NWR - 21 MarchSanta Ana is one of my favourite spots on the Rio Grande with a wide variety of habitats, plenty of not overly-maintained trails and loads of birds. The birding started at the HQ with a <b>Clay-coloured Thrush</b> coming to the feeders at 8:00am. <b>Plain Chachalaca </b>were also present there, as was a <b>Buff-bellied Hummingbird</b>.<br />
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I joined a guided walk with one of the volunteers, and it was excellent. The guide knew her stuff, particularly the calls, which was a real boon. The walk produced a host of good birds, with highlights being; <b>Northern Beardless Tyrranulet, Olive Sparrow, Verdin, Swainson's Hawk, Green Kingfisher, Cinnamon Teal, American Avocet, Solitary Sandpiper, Hooded Oriole</b> and <b>Altamira Oriole</b>.<br />
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<b>White-faced Ibis </b><br />
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<b>Golden-fronted Woodpecker</b><br />
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<b>Harris' Hawk</b><br />
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<b>Olive Sparrow</b><br />
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<b>Verdin</b><br />
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<b>Wilson's Snipe</b><br />
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<b>Long-billed Dowitcher</b><br />
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<b>American Avocet</b><br />
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<b>Black-bellied Whistling Duck</b><br />
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<b>Black-crested Titmouse</b><br />
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<b>Rio Grande Leopard Frog.</b><br />
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<b>Gulf Coast Ribbon Snake</b><br />
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<b>Texas Spotted Whiptail</b>Paul Bourdinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12959582799590448746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5713370179344371738.post-51181958340885501752017-03-20T18:00:00.000-07:002017-03-27T16:00:55.072-07:00Texas trip - Estero Llano Grande State Park - 20 MarchThis small park is an absolute beautywith a wide variety of habitats and excellent birds. I only spent an afternoon there, but managed to find a lot of great things including a roosting <b>Common Pauraque</b> along one of the trails, with a <b>Curve-billed Thrasher</b> nearby. The main pond had <b>White-faced Ibis </b>along with <b>Blue-winged</b> and <b>Green-winged Teal, Roseate Spoonbill </b>and <b>White Ibis</b>. The hummingbird feeders attracted a <b>Buff-bellied Hummingbird.</b><br />
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<b>Common Pauraque.</b> This roost site has had one of these birds (the same individual?) for many years, and finding this was a matter of accurate map-reading. Nonetheless it's a spectacular creature<br />
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<b>Least Grebe</b> <br />
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<b>Couch's Kingbird</b><br />
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<b>Inca Dove</b><br />
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<b>Buff-bellied Hummingbird</b><br />
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<b>Blue-winged Teal</b> <br />
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<b>Curve-billed Thrasher</b><br />
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<b> Roseate Spoonbill</b><br />
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<br />Paul Bourdinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12959582799590448746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5713370179344371738.post-43869854497434896982017-03-20T17:30:00.000-07:002017-03-27T15:43:51.697-07:00Texas trip - South Padre Island - 20th March<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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South Padre Island is a strange mix of over-developed beach resort and migrant trap. There are a couple of small patches of habitat that are being managed to benefit birds, and cash in on birders who seem to be the only people apart from Spring Break students and conference attendees that seem to come here. There wasn't much at the small patch of mangrove and reed bed that comprises the reserve. Best birds were; the half dozen or so <b>Pectoral Sandpipers</b> on the main scrape, a similar number of <b>Redhead </b>in the same spot, a <b>Reddish Egret</b> feeding in the shallows just past the mangroves.<br />
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Just north of the reserve is a patch of beach where it's possible to approach quite close to a roosting flock of terns, with a few waders scattered along the shore. This was more interesting. The bulk of the birds were <b>Black Skimmers </b>and <b>Royal Terns</b>, but there were a few <b>Cabot's Tern</b> (recently split from Sandwich Tern) and one <b>Caspian Tern</b>. The waders were mostly <b>Dunlin,</b> with a few <b>Short-billed Dowitchers</b> and a <b>Marbled Godwit</b>.<br />
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<b>Cabot's (Sandwich) Tern</b>. One bird appears to be offering the other a fish, possibly a mating ritual.<br />
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<b>Caspian Tern</b><br />
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<b>Dunlin</b> <br />
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<b>Marbled Godwit</b><br />
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<b>Short-billed Dowitcher</b><br />
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<br />Paul Bourdinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12959582799590448746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5713370179344371738.post-62046144702124553642017-03-20T06:42:00.000-07:002017-03-26T06:42:51.834-07:00Texas trip - Laguna Atascosa - 19/20 MarchNext stop was Laguna Atascosa NWR, close to the southern tip of Texas, and home to a host of tropical species that only just creep into the US in this area.<br />
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The area around the HQ has a series of trails, and the birding was easy and pleasant. The dawn chorus provided by the <b>Plain Chachalacas</b> was truly raucous.<br />
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Like all the reserves I visited the staff of volunteers load up a
variety of feeders with bird blinds attached. The birds have obviously
come to appreciate this bonanza, and it certainly makes photography
easier! The most spectacular bird here is the absolutely beautiful<b> Green Jay</b>, with <b>Altamira Oriole</b> coming in a close second. Other good birds here included <b>Long-billed Thrasher,</b> an out-of-range <b>Bullock's Oriole, White-tipped Doves, Golden-fronted </b>and <b>Ladder-backed Woodpeckers </b>and <b>Black-crested Titmouse</b>. Every power line had a range of perched flycatchers, including <b>Great Kiskadee</b>, plenty of <b>Couch's Kingbirds,</b> and a couple of <b>Scissor-tailed Flycatchers.</b> The raptors were mainly <b>Crested Caracara</b>, with one <b>Harris's Hawk</b>.<br />
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On the dirt roads themselves were a couple of<b> Greater Roadrunners</b>, and a pair of <b>Northern Bobwhite </b>flashed past the front of my car on the way out.<br />
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<b>Green Jay</b><br />
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<b>Scissor-tailed Flycatcher</b> <br />
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<b>Plain Chachalaca</b> <br />
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<b>Great Kiskadee</b><br />
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<b>Great-tailed Grackle </b><br />
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<b>Altamira Oriole</b><br />
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<b>Bullock's Oriole</b> <br />
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<b>Long-billed Thrasher </b><br />
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<b>Greater Roadrunner</b><br />
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<b>Crested Caracara</b>Paul Bourdinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12959582799590448746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5713370179344371738.post-90102405770561405812017-03-19T06:14:00.000-07:002017-04-07T06:45:12.450-07:00Texas trip - Aransas NWR - 19th March<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This year's Spring Break destination is Texas so see old friends. With Fi only able to take a week's holiday, I got a free week's birding holiday in Texas! Watch out Rio Grande here I come! First stop was Aransas National Wildlife Refuge where the headline bird is <b>Whooping Crane</b>. The bulk of the wild population (310 out of about 440 birds) winter in the Aransas area. They were easy to locate, but hard to see well as they were about a mile away over the marsh. I eventually got good flight views, and serviceable, but distant photographs.<br />
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Other good birds in the reserve included<b> Pyrrhuloxia, Merlin, American Kestrel </b>and <b>Crested Caracara</b>. <br />
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The trails from the park HQ led through some nice habitat down to some saltmarsh areas, and it was here that I found singing <b>Sedge Wrens</b>, among the various other birds. In this area I also had both <b>Marsh</b> and <b>House Wrens</b>, as well as <b>Sora, Belted Kingfisher, Neotropic Cormorant,</b> and a range of waterbirds. Along the trail were several ponds and in the one closest to the HQ was a <b>Least Grebe</b>.<br />
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In the fields outside the park on the way out were flocks of <b>American Golden Plovers </b>with a few <b>Pectoral Sandpipers </b>mixed in.<br />
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Other wildlife included an <b>Eastern Hog-snouted Snake, Feral Pigs </b>and plenty of <b>White-tailed Deer</b>.<br />
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<b>Sedge Wren</b><br />
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<b>Least Grebe</b><br />
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<b>Pied-billed Grebe</b><br />
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<b>Whooping Crane</b><br />
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<b>Green Treefrog</b><br />
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<b>Eastern Hog-snouted Snake</b><br />
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<br />Paul Bourdinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12959582799590448746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5713370179344371738.post-55064804857786602902017-03-17T06:18:00.000-07:002017-03-26T06:19:03.936-07:00American Woodcock in Central Park - 17th MarchA cold snap hit New York this week, seemingly catching a large group of migrants unawares. This included plenty of <b>American Woodcock</b> which were reported from all over the city. One birder saw a group of over 20 huddled along the Loch in Central Park! I got in early to try and document this for myself, but with only limited success. I found one bird snuggled up under a park bench in The Ramble, but couldn't find any others at all. Presumably the survivors of the blizzard had moved on, or back?<br />
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<b>American Woodcock</b><br />
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<b>Fox Sparrow</b>Paul Bourdinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12959582799590448746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5713370179344371738.post-64896303389810618502017-02-19T13:52:00.001-08:002017-02-19T13:52:26.926-08:00Little Gull and Black Guillemot at Montauk - 19th FebA long weekend in winter is a good opportunity to head off to distant parts of the state to pick up on some rarities. Several good birds were found in Montauk this week, so I headed off early for the long drive east. First up was a <b>Black Guillemot</b> that has been hanging around the Coast Guard Station in Montauk inlet. It was very obliging, but didn't come too close. Lots of other good birds there including extremely close views of <b>Common Loon</b> and <b>Surf Scoter</b>, and a nice first winter <b>Iceland Gull</b>.<br />
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Next stop was Ditch Plains Beach. Just offshore was a feeding flock of <b>Bonaparte's Gulls,</b> with a single <b>Little Gull</b>. Good views, but the tide was rising so time was short.<br />
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The lighthouse at Montauk Point was glorious, but the sea was flat, and the rafts of ducks were some distance offshore. Thousands of <b>Black Scoter, Surf Scoter, Long-tailed Duck</b> and <b>Common Eider,</b> but no sign of the female King Eider that has been here. No problem, a good day all round.<br />
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I can't remember the last time I saw <b>Little Gull</b>. I think it was Staines Reservoir in about 1989! Brilliant birds.<br />
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<b>Black Guillemot </b>are quite rare in New York, this is the first record in about 5 years.<br />
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Cracking first winter <b>(Kumlien's) Iceland Gull</b>.<br />
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<b>Surf Scoter</b><br />
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Female <b>Common Eider</b><br />
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<b>Common Loon. </b>Almost close enough to touch!Paul Bourdinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12959582799590448746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5713370179344371738.post-89132087911621195192017-02-15T13:32:00.000-08:002017-02-15T13:32:02.502-08:00Red-necked Grebe in Central Park - 14th FebA quick slide around the reservoir in Central Park looking for a <b>Red-necked Grebe </b>that has been hanging around for a week or so. It was pretty easy to find, out in the middle, feeding actively and preening. It had been released on the reservoir after being rescued in Brooklyn, but a nice bird nonetheless.<br />
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<b>Red-necked Grebe</b>. My last one of these was in exactly the same spot 3 years ago,my first NY rarity.<br />
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<b>Tufted Titmouse</b>.<br />
<br />Paul Bourdinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12959582799590448746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5713370179344371738.post-25033603878113842222017-02-05T10:39:00.002-08:002017-02-05T10:39:57.481-08:00Evening Grosbeak at Tupper Lake - 5th FebruaryOn Jan 26 a first year Ross's Gull was found on Tupper Lake in The Adirondacks, about 5 hours drive north of NYC. Being a completely sensible person I spent the following week nervously checking the NYS listserv to see if it was still there. The only news on Friday was that it had not been seen yet, the last sighting being Thursday afternoon. At 3:00pm I had to make a decision, which was obviously "let's go for it!", so I jumped in the car and drove straight to The Adirondacks. I spent the night in my car (-16°C), and started birding on the causeway where the bird has been seen most often at 7:00 on Saturday morning.<br />
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It was pretty desolate, particularly looking west over the main part of the lake. When looking east the most noticeable thing was 1000 BLOODY ICE FISHERMEN! WTF? It turns out that Saturday was the annual ice-fishing competition on Tupper Lake, with participation limited to 1,000. Each ice fisherman had arrived in a truck, which had a trailer containing either an ATV or snowmobile, which then towed a sled loaded up with all the gear you might need for a day ice fishing (This included, but was not limited to: Ice boring tool, tent, barbeque, brazier, deck chairs, sleeping bags etc.). To describe the area as busy would be a dramatic understatement. Not surprisingly the gull had buggered off!<br />
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Some other good birds had been seen in the area fortunately, so I spent the morning chasing down a <b>Northern Shrike </b>in the town park, and a flock of <b>Evening Grosbeaks </b>that had been frequenting a feeder in someone's garden. By midday it was time to head home. Not the day I'd hoped for, but not bad nonetheless. <br />
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A magnificent male <b>Evening Grosbeak</b>. 16 birds moved around the area, mainly staying pretty high in the trees...<br />
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... though they did visit the feeder occasionally. This is a female.<br />
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Amongst the Goldfinchs was this <b>Pine Siskin</b>. Oddly this is the first I've seen perched in the three winters I've spent in NY. I thought I'd see more.<br />
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<b>Northern Shrike</b>. Finally! I've dipped on a couple of these so was pleased to finally catch up with it. Now all I have to do is to wait for it to be split!<br />
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<br />Paul Bourdinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12959582799590448746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5713370179344371738.post-68198751986113824362017-01-22T06:01:00.002-08:002017-01-22T06:01:31.351-08:00Long Island rarity round-up - 21st JanLast weekend was taken up by a completely unnecessary and absolutely wonderful family skiing weekend in Massachusetts, but that of course meant that a bevy of brilliant birds immediately turned up within driving distance, in eastern Long Island. I constantly checked on ebird the status of each one as the week progressed, and set off super-early on Saturday morning to try and get them all!<br />
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First stop was the furthest away, a juvenile <b>Sandhill Crane</b> on Wainscott Pond. There were a group of 'hunters' shooting duck on the pond itself, so I checked a nearby field where it had been seen previously and hey presto, there it was! It still has traces of brown on the wing coverts, and lacks the red front of an adult, so this is a first winter bird, almost certainly hatched somewhere in Eastern Canada last summer.<br />
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Next up was Southold at a private house on the North Fork of Long Island. A<b> Townsend's Solitaire</b> has been hanging around here for nearly 2 weeks. It went absent on Thursday, but I tried anyway and found it in about 10 minutes! The light was a bit rubbish, and the bird was much prettier than it looks here.<br />
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Sands Point Preserve has had a male <b>Barrow's Goldeneye</b> visiting every winter for a few years. I have tried a number of times each winter I've been here, but have usually been beaten back by the cold, but not today. A gorgeous, bright, warm day with no wind and the sea completely flat, and the Barrow's about 100m off-shore at the farthest reach of the preserve. Brilliant views, and it sat next to a <b>Common Goldeneye </b>for comparison of key features. Fantastic!<br />
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I dropped into Point Lookout on the off-chance that a Thick-billed Murre that had been seen yesterday was still around. It wasn't but I did get decent views of <b>Purple Sandpiper</b>, and this lovely <b>Red-throated Loon</b>.<br />
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A magnificent, and suspiciously fat, Red Fox at Robert Moses. Clearly habituated to people, this animal would normally be hidden away at this time of day. It had a bit of a limp as well. That, combined with its magnificent condition, suggests that this animal begs for food from people. Still a beauty though. <br />
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<br />Paul Bourdinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12959582799590448746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5713370179344371738.post-70138120004675258122017-01-08T11:49:00.003-08:002017-01-08T15:32:48.484-08:00Trumpeter Swan at Nyack Beach State Park - 8th JanThe first <b>Trumpeter Swan</b> in New York that's been reported a reasonable distance from the city since I've been in the US was reported from Nyack Beach SP last week (they are regular in winter at various sites in the north of the state). Saturday saw our first snow of the year, so traveling was dicey, but Sunday was gorgeous so off I went. The site is only half an hour from home, and the bird was easily found. Tick!<br />
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The massive all-black bill is quite obvious...<br />
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The bird was quite fearful of people, and moved away once we approached to less than about 100m. Paul Bourdinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12959582799590448746noreply@blogger.com0