I cannot say that I am a huge fan of snow and ice storms, but I do like to take advantage of them for photography when they occur during the daytime hours. Poor weather brings the birds flocking to my feeders. This winter has been pretty mild so far. We finally had our first storms in the past couple of weeks. During these storms, I photographed my feeder birds through my sliding doors with pleasing results.
Dark-eyed Junco
As usual, the birds pose nicely on the branches that are attached to my feeder poles.
Downy Woodpecker (male)
Tufted Titmouse
Downy Woodpecker (female)
Hairy Woodpecker (male)
House Finch (male)
Black-capped Chickadee
I recently set up a fallen branch on top of my deck rails in hopes that it will provide a good perch for photo ops. It certainly has not disappointed me so far!
Tufted Titmouse
Dark-eyed Junco
White-breasted Nuthatch
Dark-eyed Junco
White-breasted Nuthatch
I ended up sprinkling millet on the branch during a snow storm and the Juncos immediately enjoyed the treat.
Dark-eyed Junco
Dark-eyed Junco
I also propped up my old Christmas tree, as I have done since I moved to Pennsylvania. I added millet to the branches of this tree during that same snow storm. With this spread, I get up to a half dozen Juncos roaming around the little five foot tree at the same time.
At least the bad weather brings the birds! I’ll enjoy it while I can, from the comfort of my home.
For the past two years, I purchased a cut Christmas tree with a higher motive than just being festive. First, I knew my cats would enjoy it while it was indoors – and they did, for a little while. I knew they would get bored of it quickly, so they were not the main reason for getting a tree – I mostly do it for the birds. After Christmas is over, I like to move the tree outside on the deck that I feed my birds from. I place it between my feeder poles to give them protection while feeding. When winter is over and the tree starts to turn brown, I will bring it to my yard (aka the woods) and add it to my brush pile. This won’t happen for a while though – Fraser Firs stay green for a long time after cut.
Last year (left) and this year (right)
A variety of my backyard visitors use the tree as a perch while waiting in line at the feeders and also as protection from the weather elements.
Dark-eyed Junco
American Goldfinch
Pine Siskin
Tufted Titmouse
Carolina Wren
The birds love using the tree, especially in poor weather.
Dark-eyed Junco
Pine Siskin
Last week, we had very high winds with extremely cold temperatures. My tree was tipped over and I noticed that the birds were huddled close to it. I went out, adjusted the tree for optimal wind protection and poured some seed in and around it. The birds approved.
Using the tipped tree as protection from the wind
I often pour some millet on top of the tree. A lot of it ends up sticking on the branches and the Juncos go crazy for it.
Dark-eyed Junco eating millet
They also use the tree as protection when danger lurks nearby.
This Sharp-shinned Hawk was trying to pick off finches, some hid in my tree
If you don’t do this already, I highly recommend using your tree for the birds. You will get the most out of it and so will they!
I think I have an addiction – an addiction of photographing the Pine Siskins who have been visiting my deck this winter. My Flickr followers must be getting sick of seeing upload-after-upload of Pine Siskins (I try to break it up a bit with some other birds). How could I not photograph them though? I get anywhere from thirty to seventy visitors at a time. They are very active and don’t even mind it if I stand outside with them.
I do not want to flood my Facebook followers with all of these Siskin photos since there are so many that I like, so I will share a bulk of them in this post.
I get plenty of photos of my Pine Siskins on the branches that are attached to my feeder poles.
When it snows, I get even more photos.
I set up my old Christmas tree, a Fraser Fir, in-between two of my feeders. The birds use it as cover and a place to wait their turn.
They often perch on the top branches.
And at the very top of the tree.
These birds are one of the most aggressive song birds I’ve seen at feeders. They spend more time defending their territory than they do actually feeding. I have five stations set up for them – two thistle feeders, two black oil sun flower seed tubes and a sunflower heart tube. They also go after the suet and seed cakes. Still, they decide to fight each other. If they spent less time fighting, they would not use up so much energy!
On a day that I had around seventy birds, I took a video with my phone. They did not seem to mind me and kept up their routine like I was not even standing there.
I hope you enjoyed these photos as much as I liked taking them!
I have finches on my mind because I had two special visitors to my yard this week – Pine Siskins and Common Redpolls. These species are not always in my area, but will find their way further south during irruption years. Irruptions occur when there is a lack of food in the birds’ normal wintering grounds. They can be easily overlooked if you do not know what to expect. A Siskin can be mistaken for a Goldfinch, a Redpoll for a House Finch. If you see these birds, do you know what to look for?
This blog will show you some simple differences between some of the finches found in northeast Pennsylvania. I’m not very technical when it comes to bird identification so this post is put together through my own observations. I’ll start with a compilation of frontal views of the birds I will discuss. Do you think you can name them without looking at the answers?
The answer key for these finches is at the end of this post.
A very common backyard bird is the House Finch. They are mostly brown finches with streaking on their stomachs. The males have red on their faces, chest and rump.
Two male and one female House Finches
A similar species to the House Finch is the Purple Finch.
A female Purple Finch with a male in the background
They almost look the same! Let’s take a closer look at the males and females of these two species, starting with the males. Male Purple Finches have bolder markings on their face, more coloring on their wings and their bellies have a lot less brown streaking (if any at all). They usually seem to be a much brighter raspberry color than the House Finches, though that is not a good field mark since some House Finches can also have brilliant coloring.
Male Purple Finch
The duller male House Finches can be pretty easy to differentiate from the male Purple Finch. Their color can also vary from red to orange to yellow.
Male House Finch
Some House Finches can be very bright and are confused for Purple Finches. The best way to determine that it is not a Purple Finch is by the brown streaking on the belly and lack of red on the wings and back.
Male House Finch
Now lets look at some females. The female Purple Finch also has very bold markings on her face. This is probably the best way to tell them apart. She also lacks any streaking under her tail, unlike the House Finch, but that can be more difficult to see.
Female Purple Finch
The female House Finch lacks the strong facial markings. The streaking on her underparts is also a bit thinner than the Purple Finch. She also seems more brown overall (to me, at least).
Female House Finch
Moving on to another bird that many people know – the American Goldfinch. In breeding plumage, the male Goldfinch is unmistakable with his bright yellow body, black cap and wings.
Male American Goldfinch in breeding plumage
The female is also very bright in breeding plumage, but she lacks the black cap and has duller wings. Still, she is an easy bird to identify.
Female American Goldfinch in breeding plumage
This bird loses and replaces it’s bright colors with more drab yellows and browns every fall. This is what the same bird looks like during the fall and winter months.
Male American Goldfinch in non-breeding plumage
Female American Goldfinch in non-breeding plumage
Insert some winter visitors into the mix. The two more common winter visitors where I live are the same size as the Goldfinch and I often see them flocking together around food sources: Pine Siskins and Common Redpolls. These birds typically only show up during irruption years.
Pine Siskins have brown streaking with subtle yellow markings around the edges of their wing and tail. They can be very easily confused with female House Finches, especially if the yellow is not very apparent. A huge key difference in the species are wing bars and the long, slender bill.
Pine Siskin
The yellow is more easily seen when the bird flashes its tail or wings.
Pine Siskins flashing their yellow
Some of them do have more noticeable coloring while perched. There is also a small percentage of them are the more extreme-colored green-morphs.
Green-morph Pine Siskin
Common Redpolls, on the other hand could be confused with Siskins at a distance or male House Finches at a quick glance. They have brown streaking and a short, slender bill. Males have red coloring on their chest and upper flanks.
Male Common Redpoll
Female Common Redpoll
There is also the rare Hoary Redpoll that can visit over the winter months. This bird is much more pale than the Common Redpoll, the streaking is fainter and the bill is smaller. The males have an even slighter hint of red on the chest.
Male Hoary Redpoll
Here is a [poor] photo of three of these birds at my feeder at the same time.
Pine Siskin, American Goldfinch and Common Redpoll
They are about the same size but when they are together, you can see the differences very easily.
Think you have a handle on it? Here are a few photos of some of these birds side-by-side. Can you determine who is who without looking at the answer key?
What species of Finch are these?
Who are these male birds?
These are fledglings of two of the birds in this post. They look like the females of the species.
How do you think you did? I hope my basic lesson on these birds helped you figure out which species these birds are.
Answer Key:
Top photo: from top left to right: American Goldfinch, Pine Siskin, House Finch (male); from bottom left to right: Purple Finch (female), Common Redpoll (female), House Finch (female)
Bottom photos: first photo: House Finch (female) and Pine Siskin; second photo: House Finch (male) and Purple Finch (male); third photo: House Finch (juvenile) and Purple Finch (juvenile). Yes, I did put all of the House Finches on the left side on purpose.
Every North American birder should try to make it to the tropics at least once in their lifetime, if finances allow it. The beautiful array of birds would be worth every penny. I took my first trip in December 2011 and stayed through New Years and the first week of January 2012. I visited four different locations: the Osa Peninsula, Monteverde Cloud Forest, Arenal Volcano and San Gerardo de Dota. Even though the trip was not based on birding, I racked up 130 life birds.
The trip was suppose to be during the beginning of the dry season, however, it rained for much of the trip. This led to mostly mediocre photos – many of which I never showed anyone else since they are not up to par with my normal work. Despite this, I wanted to share the beautiful birds that I saw, even with sub-par photos. I will also mix in some of the nicer photos – though, they were few and far between!
I’m not entirely sure where to begin, so I will jump in with some of my target birds. The bird names and locations are under each photo.
Resplendent Quetzal, San Gerardo de Dota
Blue-crowned Motmot, Monteverde Cloud Forest
Chestnut-mandibled Toucan, Corcovado National Park, Osa Peninsula
Keel-billed Toucan, Arenal Observatory Lodge property, La Fortuna
Scarlet Macaw, Corcovado National Park, Osa Peninsula
Note that I also wrote a post about the Quetzal early last year where you can see more photos. This was on bird that I had great photo ops with! I plan on doing the same for the Motmot.
As expected in the tropics, I saw many species of Tanagers, most of them were very colorful.
Rufous-winged Tanager, Arenal Observatory Lodge feeders, La Fortuna
Bay-headed Tanager, Arenal Observatory Lodge property, La Fortuna
Golden-hooded Tanager, Arenal Observatory Lodge property, La Fortuna
Flame-colored Tanager, San Gerardo de Dota
White-throated Shrike-Tanager, Corcovado National Park, Osa Peninsula
Cherries Tanager with a Variable Seedeater, Corcovado National Park, Osa Peninsula
Sooty-capped Bush-Tanager, Trogon Lodge, San Gerardo de Dota
Blue-gray Tanager, Arenal Observatory Lodge property, La Fortuna
Palm Tanager, Arenal Observatory Lodge property, La Fortuna
These birds are also classified as Tanagers, but do not have it in their name. They are still equally as beautiful!
Green Honeycreeper, Arenal Observatory Lodge feeders, La Fortuna
Bananaquit, Monteverde Cloud Forest
Yellow-faced Grassquits, Monteverde Cloud Forest
Buff-throated Saltator, Arenal Observatory Lodge feeders, La Fortuna
I also saw some species of warblers that I do not get in the northeastern US.
Rufous-capped Warbler, Monteverde Cloud Forest
Buff-rumped Warbler, Arenal Observatory Lodge property, La Fortuna
Slate-throated Redstart, Monteverde Cloud Forest
Collared Redstart, San Gerardo de Dota
Tropical Parula, Arenal Observatory Lodge property, La Fortuna
Some of the birds were cool surprises.
I nearly jumped out of the car for the White-throated Magpie-Jays, Arenal Volcano
Common Potoo hiding in the brush, Sierpe River
White-whiskered Puffbird, Corcovado National Park, Osa Peninsula
Slaty Flowerpiercer, San Gerardo de Dota
Black-throated Trogon, Corcovado National Park, Osa Peninsula
One of my favorite birds had a great mating display.
Montezuma Oropendola, Arenal Observatory Lodge feeders, La Fortuna
I saw a nice variety of different Flycatchers throughout my trip.
Great Kiskadee, Arenal Observatory Lodge property, La Fortuna
Tropical Kingbird in the rain, Arenal Observatory Lodge property, La Fortuna
Social Flycatcher, Arenal Observatory Lodge property, La Fortuna
Dusky-capped Flycatcher, Corcovado National Park, Osa Peninsula
Yellowish Flycatcher, Monteverde Cloud Forest
Black-capped Flycatcher, San Gerardo de Dota
Possible Mountain Elaenia (still being identified), San Gerardo de Dota
Common Tody-Flycatcher, Arenal Observatory Lodge property, La Fortuna
Black Phoebe, Arenal Observatory Lodge property, La Fortuna
Some of the finches were pretty unique…
Large-footed Finch, San Gerardo de Dota
Thick-billed Seed Finch, Arenal Observatory Lodge property, La Fortuna
Especially, the colorful ones in the Euphonia family.
Yellow-throated Euphonia, Monteverde Cloud Forest
Tawny-capped Euphonia, Arenal Observatory Lodge property, La Fortuna
Elegant Euphonias are hidden in this photo, Monteverde Cloud Forest
I did see some nice woodpeckers, including a couple I did not get to photograph like the Pale-billed and Lineated Woodpeckers.
Acorn Woodpecker, San Gerardo de Dota
Red-crowned Woodpecker, Corcovado National Park, Osa Peninsula
Black-cheeked Woodpecker, Arenal Observatory Lodge property, La Fortuna
I also saw some birds from the Thrush family.
Clay-colored Thrush, Arenal Observatory Lodge property, La Fortuna
Sooty Robin, San Gerardo de Dota
Black-billed Nightengale-Thrush, San Gerardo de Dota
Black-headed Nightengale-Thrush, Arenal Observatory Lodge property, La Fortuna
Of course, I did see some parakeets too!
Orange-fronted Parakeets, between San Juan and Monteverde
Orange-chinned Parakeet, Corcovado National Park, Osa Peninsula
I did not see many raptors, but I was able to photograph some. Unfortunately, my Owl photos are not even good enough to show on this post and my lifer Crested Caracara is too terrible.
Common Black-Hawk, Cano Island
Yellow-headed Caracara, Sierpe River
Here are a few birds that I found by the water:
Magnificent Frigatebird, off of the Osa Peninsula
Sandwich Tern, Corcovado National Park, Osa Peninsula
Bare-throated Tiger-Heron perched over a waterfall, Corcovado National Park, Osa Peninsula
Like their North American relatives, some birds were very vocal.
Great-tailed Grackle, Monteverde Cloud Forest
Brown Jay, Monteverde Cloud Forest
Some of the larger birds just chilled and let me get a nice look.
Crested Guan, Arenal Observatory Lodge property, La Fortuna
Black Guan, Monteverde Cloud Forest
Gray-headed Chachalaque, Corcovado National Park, Osa Peninsula
But many of the smaller ones were hard to catch!
Band-backed Wren, Arenal Observatory Lodge property, La Fortuna
Black-cowled Oriole, Arenal Observatory Lodge property, La Fortuna
Black-hooded Antshrike, Corcovado National Park, Osa Peninsula
Ruddy Ground-Dove, Corcovado National Park, Osa Peninsula
As you can see, this post is lacking Hummingbird photos. I will put up a post specifically about them at another time since I saw so many! For now, and to close this post, I will leave you with a photo of my target hummingbird…
This winter was a harsh one. Our days were extremely cold and the snow seemed never-ending. It made me more anxious for spring than ever before.
The snow is finally all melted, birds are returning and the migrants are slowly coming through. Birds are pairing up and warm days are here!
Mourning Doves pair up early
While it is getting warm out, we are also having a ton of very windy days. It doesn’t stop the birds from coming, but it’s enough to annoy both of us!
Downy Woodpecker on a windy day
One of my favorite signs of spring are molting Goldfinches. They go from their more-drab winter coat to the most brilliant yellow.
The Goldfinches are molting!
I have a few nesting boxes up – one for Chickadees or Wrens, a ledge for Robins, Doves or Flycatchers, and a Brown Creeper box. So far, I have tenants in at least one of them.
Black-capped Chickadees took over this nesting box
I also found the nests of two other birds – Blue Jays are building one behind my neighbors house.
Blue Jays building a nest
I also spotted Nuthatches going in and our of a hole on my neighbors house. As much as I was excited to see this, I think I should tell them now so that they do not unknowingly patch up the hole while there are eggs or babies inside. Oddly enough, I just purchased a Nuthatch nesting box, so if my neighbors choose to evict their tenants, maybe I can set up my box nearby. Speaking of Nuthatches – I’ve seen them exchange gifts to each other a couple of times right outside my window.
White-breasted Nuthatch before stashing the seed
One bird who is nesting in the area that I have yet to find nests for are the Red-shouldered Hawks. I hear this bird more than I see it (I also hear the Jays mimicking them) and hope to find a nest one day.
Red-shouldered Hawk being mobbed by Blue Jays
I had my first visit from a pair of Cardinals. I’ve been hearing at least two males singing, but this is the first time I’ve seen them. Never again will I take such a beautiful bird for granted as I did in New York. I hope they decide to stick around my yard!
This Cardinal was a long-awaited yard bird
As for birds returning for the summer, I had a quick visit from my first non-Junco yard sparrow, a pair of Flickers are being very vocal behind my house and the Phoebes can be heard singing around the woods.
A brief visit from a Chipping Sparrow
Along with geese, blackbirds and gulls migrating overhead, I got my first feeder migrants of the season.
A male Purple Finch – one of many migrants passing through
A female Purple Finches behind the brightly-colored male
And that’s not all… the woods are becoming more active! So far, I’ve seen Pine Warblers and both Golden- and Ruby-crowned Kinglets, including some singing males. It was truly the first time that I felt like Spring is here.
Too bad this Pine Warbler would not come closer
The only decent photo I could get of this Ruby-crowned Kinglet
I cannot wait to see who else will pass by! Spring is HERE!
I often participate in Project FeederWatch’s BirdSpotter photo contests, keeping in mind that my chances of winning were probably were low. The main reason why I submitted photos was to hopefully get recognized, like I did last year when my colorful backyard bird photo made it on Cornell’s Facebook page and caught the eye of an editor from the National Wildlife Magazine. That photo ended up getting published in the NWF Magazine.
This past December, I had another photo recognized as an Eyecatcher by Cornell with the theme of Natural Foods.
American Kestrel eating a crab in Cape May Meadows, New Jersey
Later that month I submitted a newly captured photo for the theme Hints of Red. I was surprised that it won first place for the week!
House Finch looking ay my camera at the right moment
Last week, voting took place between all twelve winners for the grand prize, which includes a three-day trip to Oregon. I was convinced that there was no way I could win it because some of the other photos seemed a bit more “fun” than mine.
It turns out that I was wrong! My little curious finch WON!
This is the first time one of my photos won anything! I aim for getting unique photos that show emotion rather than photos that are perfect in a technical sense, and I think that is exactly what this photo shows.
My township is less than two inches away from the being the snowiest February ever recorded set back in 1958. This coming Tuesday snowfall will most likely surpass the record. I am at my wits end with all of this snow!! There is still one thing (and one thing only) that I enjoy about it. That is, of course, the amount of birds that utilize my feeders and the photo ops they bring.
Let’s just say that my feeders were pretty busy…
Busy bird feeders
My most abundant guest is the Goldfinch… I lost count at 40 the other day when counting them for the GBBC. The only other finches I have been getting this year are House Finches.
American Goldfinch
Male House Finch with ice
Female House Finch
I live in the woods, so I also have tons of Woodpeckers.
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Along all of my other regulars…
Mourning Dove braving the storm
White-breasted Nuthatch
Tufted Titmouse
The snow was so heavy on Thursday that it quickly accumulated on birds if they stayed still for a moment.
Dark-eyed Junco with snow accumulation
Mourning Dove with snow accumulation
Some birds took cover in the Christmas tree I have set up under the feeders.
Black-capped Chickadee in my Christmas tree
Dark-eyed Junco in my Christmas tree
I think, overall, the birds are as sick of all of this snow as I am.
I started my blog in February of this year so this will be my first “new year” with an audience. I am taking this opportunity to do what many others do this time of year – reflect on my year, with a focus on my best birds and experiences. Personally 2013 brought many changes to my life – I started the year in New York and am ending in Pennsylvania. As far as birds go, I got 36 life birds, a great oppurtunity to be a part of the birding community and unforgettable trips with friends.
I started out with a bang doing New Years birding with my friend; the first bird we spotted together was a life bird for me – the Northern Shrike. This bird eluded me any time I would look for it during the previous season. The scope views were great, but he was too far for good photos.
Documentation shot of the Northern Shrike
Halfway into the month, my friends and I went up to the Cayuga Lake region to search for a Townsend’s Solitaire that had been reliably seen. We searched for two hours and never found the bird. Of course, the bird was spotted about ten minutes after we left – go figure. As we were making our way back down the lake I received an email about a juvenile gray-morph Gyrfalcon that was spotted at Montezuma NWR. A Gyrfalcon?? We turned right around and chased this bird which would have been a lifer for all three of us. We had our sights on a bird that we thought was the Gyrfalcon, but it was too far even for scope views and concluded that it was a Rough-legged Hawk (shadows played tricks on us). We went to another area to get a better view and the bird we were looking at was, indeed, the Gyr. It was a great turn-around to our otherwise disappointing day!
I promise you that this is a Gyrfalcon
This month was the start of my interest in falconry. My friends caught and hunted with a handsome male Red-tailed Hawk who they named Rusty.
Rusty, my friend’s Red-tailed Hawk
I watched birds hunt for the first time at the New Jersey Falconry Club Annual Meet. I hope to have the time to hunt with birds one day in the future. For now, I will follow around my friends and photograph them with their birds.
Rogue, my friend’s Harris’s Hawk
January was also the start of my Redpoll invasion that ran well into February. I had over 100 birds at my feeders – they cleaned me out, but it was a great experience. Within the Common Redpoll flocks, I also spotted a couple of Hoary Redpolls.
Common Redpoll
Hoary Redpoll
The winter months bring tons of waterfowl to the finger lakes. This year was my first time seeing rafts of ducks swimming close together – this raft included great views at a life bird, the Eared Grebe.
Eared Grebe
In March, my friends and I did a winter big day where we found a flock of Red Crossbills at a residential feeder. My next lifer was seen on the very next day – a Lapland Longspur within a flock of Horned Larks.
Red Crossbills
Later in the month, after multiple attempts at finding Short-eared Owls both locally and further north, we finally had one fly over low as the sun was setting. I didn’t even lift my camera for it, because I did not want to lose this beautiful sight by playing with settings and focus.
My biggest highlight this month was not an actual bird – earlier in the season, I submitted a photo to Project Feederwatch that was recognized by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology on their Facebook page. An editor at National Wildlife Magazine saw this photo and asked me if she could use it in an article. The magazine arrived in my mail box on March 15th. I was published in a national magazine for the first time!
My photo in National Wildlife Magazine
April brought another really great life bird – the Bohemian Waxwing. A friend and I went up to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology to photograph birds. As soon as we parked the car, I received an email that the Waxwings were nearby. We packed back up and headed to the location. We ended up getting permission to go in private woods and were surrounded by these beautiful birds!
Bohemian Waxwings
May was highlighted by The Biggest Week in American Birding. Back in February, I volunteered to be on the events blogging team. I ended up getting a bit more involved than last year, met many new friends and walked away with a lot of great memories – and 12 life birds.
This Long-eared Owl was the most unexpected life bird at Magee Marsh
Cape May Warbler at Magee
Things slowed down in June and July. We did, however, get to see the return of a local family of Barred Owls. At about the same time, I also had a guest Great Horned Owl in my own woods. All of these birds proved to be great subjects and were fun to watch.
Young Barred Owl
Great Horned Owl
In August, I added some more really good life birds – An American White Pelican who was out of range at Montezuma NWR and some Least Bitterns that I was able to self-identify in the field. A Black-billed Cuckoo also flew into my yard – this was a very unexpected visitor!
Black-billed Cuckoo
Then came September and our annual trip to Cape May. For me, this trip started last year and both visits were beyond my expectations. While the morning flight at Higbee was not as great as last year, we still went on a good day and saw many birds zip by.
Cedar Waxwings morning flight
I finally saw a Marsh Wren – a bird that I had previously only heard… many times… many many times.
Marsh Wren
We also found out where the Black Skimmer flock likes to hang out during the fall – a beach near the 2nd Avenue jetty. I was in Skimmer heaven!
Black Skimmers
Endless Black Skimmers
I moved to my new house in Pennsylvania – this was a big change for me. Leaving New York was difficult, but it had to be done. Before I left, however, I was given the opportunity to hold my favorite bird, the American Kestrel, for the first time thanks to my friends.
Me with an American Kestrel
Birding slowed down for me in October. I spent a lot of time settling into my new house and only went birding once with a new friend. Other than that, I watched as migrants passed through my yard. In November, this same friend also brought me to Barnegat on the coast of New Jersey – a first for me. The trip yielded five life birds including the Harlequin Duck – our target bird.
Harlequin Ducks
We stopped by Sandy Hook Gateway National Park to check in on some Snowy Owl sightings. Just as we were about to give up, a fisherman told us where to find the one of the birds on the north beach. The photo op was unbeatable. This was one of the earlier Owls from this years irruption.
Snowy Owl
Last week, my best Christmas present was in the form of votes – I won week 7 of Project Feederwatch’s BirdSpotter Contest. This was completely unexpected since I never asked anyone for votes – it just happened!
My winning House Finch photo
We visited Barnegat again in December with another friend to show her the Harlequins. Once again, the trip did not disappoint us. Not only were we rewarded with great views at Harlequins, we also had up-close looks at Northern Gannets and an unexpected visit from two Razorbills off shore.
Northern Gannet
I look forward to seeing new birds in new places for 2014. Every year keeps getting better as I add more places to visit. More trips to Cape May are already planned, the Biggest Week is already in discussion and we are even considering going to the Rio grande Birding Festival this year. Perhaps my post a year from now will be even better than this one!
Last week, I shared photos of birds on ice. The wintery weather continued this week with a heavy snowstorm. It was so heavy at times, that snow was just accumulating on the birds who would stay in the same place for a minute or more.
Dark-eyed Junco accumulating snow
I had at least thirty or so Juncos on my deck, in the trees and scattered around the ground.
Dark-eyed Juncos
It’s a good thing they are ground feeders or they would have cleaned me out!
Dark-eyed Junco
The Junco’s weren’t the only birds out during this storm – my feeders were very busy with all of my common visitors.
White-breasted Nuthatch
House Finch looking in
Hairy Woodpecker
Hairy and Downy Woodpecker comparison
It’s amazing how these birds can survive the winter. I’m happy to provide them with a helping hand.
