Birding in Maine» birdwatching

BPW: Birds and Critters

John Briggs — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 16:22:20 +0000

I had the opportunity this week, between bouts of studying Anatomy and Physiology, to take my camera to the backyard and points close by to photograph some birds and critters. The activity at our feeding stations is high, with adult male and female birds taking suet, grape jelly and seed back to their nests. I am patiently waiting for fledglings to show up at our feeding stations. A noisy House Finch family are the only species to have fledged so far.

I am also watching two Bald Eagle nests and several Osprey nests, hoping to capture some images of the young leaving the nest. Several families of Mallards and Canada Geese have been motoring around our cove with young in tow, but never close enough to get any worthwhile images. I noticed that one particular goose family has 3 less goslings than the week before. Could be the Bald Eagles feeding their young.

Enjoy the photos of the birds and critters that I have submitted for this weeks edition of Bird Photography Weekly. A note on the Red Fox kit: the image was taken through the windshield of my car, thus the strange looking background. The kit was startled when a tractor came down the dirt lane where it was standing on a pile of old lumber. The background looks strange, but I like the image never-the-less.

Some of the following images are tall. Tap your f11 key to open your browser to its fullest size before viewing. Simply click a thumbnail for a full-sized view.

Happy birding!

BPW: Gray Catbird

John Briggs — Mon, 17 May 2010 15:02:20 +0000

The Gray Catbird is named for its cat-like mew call. Like the Northern Mockingbird, the Gray Catbird is regarded as a mimic. Like many members of the Mimidae, it also mimics the songs of other birds, as well as those of the tree frog, and even mechanical sounds. Because of its well-developed songbird syrinx (the vocal organ of birds), it is able to make two sounds at the same time. The Gray Catbird’s song is easily distinguished from that of the Northern Mockingbird or Brown Thrasher because the Mockingbird repeats its phrases or 3 to 4 times, the Thrasher usually twice, but the Catbird sings most phrases only once. The Catbird’s song is usually described as more raspy and less musical than that of a Mockingbird.

The following is an audio clip of a Gray Catbird’s song and call. Click the play button.
Download audio file (catbird.mp3)

Just over half of the Gray Catbird’s diet consists of insects, such as beetles, caterpillars, cicadas, crickets, grasshoppers, moths, ants, aphids and spiders. The rest of the diet consists of fruit such as wild berries, especially blackberries, berries of sweet gum, grapes and seeds of grasses. We attract this bird to our feeders by offering grape jelly, orange halves and a sprig of grapes fastened to a perch with a clothes pin. Northern Mockingbirds and Orioles will also eat these offerings.

Gray Catbird – Dumetella carolinensis

Click a thumbnail to view photo full sized. Once a photo is open in the shadowbox, navigation arrows are at the bottom to go to the next photo. All photos taken with a Canon 7D camera and Canon 100-400mm f/4 L IS lens.

To end this post, I have included a short video clip of our backyard resident Gray Catbird sitting in a blueberry bush near the cove.

Click the play button to begin the video. To watch in HD, click 360p on the player to select HD quality. Video taken with a Canon 7D camera.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiSeWbOT12s

Happy birding!

Baltimore Oriole: Up close and personal

John Briggs — Fri, 14 May 2010 17:22:22 +0000

The Baltimore Oriole earned its name by resembling the color scheme on the coat of arms of Lord Baltimore, a Baron from Ireland after which the Maryland city is named. Baltimore Orioles are a sight to behold. Their color and song make them a favorite of any birder. These birds tend to be tree top dwellers and are an omnivorous species preferring insects, fruits and nectar. By offering the right foods you stand a great chance of luring them to your feeding station.

You can attract the Baltimore Oriole to your feeding station by offering a nectar mixture which will keep these beautiful birds returning to your yard for much of the summer. The types and varieties of Baltimore Oriole feeders are many. Purchasing nectar for Baltimore Orioles is not necessary and contains dyes. Providing a home made, nutritious nectar mixture is the way to go. Here is a tried and true nectar recipe for Baltimore Orioles.

Mix 1 part sugar with 6 parts water. (6 cups water to 1 cup sugar)
Bring the mixture to a boil. Boil for 1 minute. Be sure to keep an eye on it!
Be sure to cool nectar mix to room temperature before filling your feeder. Left-over nectar may be stored in your refrigerator for a week or two.
DO NOT ADD FOOD COLORING!

Please do not add any type of food coloring, honey (which ferments) or artificial sweetener to your Oriole nectar recipe. The appearance of your feeder and the taste of the sugar nectar solution will do the work to attract Baltimore Orioles. Orange dye is unnecessary in attracting Orioles. Natural flower nectar is clear, not orange. Orange dye contributes absolutely nothing to the good health of an Oriole. Same thing goes for Hummingbird nectar, no red dye!

Keep in mind that you will need to clean your feeders and replace the nectar every 4 or 5 days in cool weather, and every 2 to 3 days during hot weather. Wash your feeders regularly with hot water and a 10% bleach solution. Be sure to rinse thoroughly and allow to dry before refilling.

Along with the nectar, we offer grape jelly, orange marmalade and orange halves for the Orioles that visit our feeding stations. We also offer a suet mixed with bits of fruit, berries and peanut butter. The combination of these foods ensure that the Baltimore Oriole is a regular visitor in our backyard all summer long. We even get an occasional Orchard Oriole, mostly during the spring and fall migration.

The following is an audio clip of a Baltimore Oriole’s song. Click the play button.
Download audio file (BaltimoreOriole.mp3)

The following photos of male Baltimore Orioles were taken several days ago when they first showed up in our yard. No photos of the females yet, but I am sure I will get a few soon enough. And along with that will come the fledglings!

Happy birding!

Longing for the birds of summer

John Briggs — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 19:23:52 +0000

Are you ready for summer yet? There is no question that I am. Winter in Maine this year basically ended at the end of January. February had no measurable precipitation what-so-ever until the huge gale at the end of the month which gave us nearly 7″ of rain in two days. This storm brought winds nearing 100 mph, caused power outages for days on end and caused severe beach erosion. So far this winter we have received a paltry 52.50″ of snow, well below normal. Ice out on our cove occurred more than a full month ahead of normal. So to repeat what I said before, bring on summer!

Early migratory bird arrivals to date include Common Grackles, Red-winged Blackbirds, Brown-headed Cowbirds, and Turkey Vultures. Ducks are also on the move including Green-winged Teal, Ring-necked Duck, Northern Pintail and a reported Canvasback at the Yarmouth Town Landing.

Spring break is here and I have next week off from classes. Baring inclement weather and contingent upon getting my assignments done, I will be out and about with scope, binos and camera looking for birds. (It’s supposed to be spring break, what the heck is the deal with all of this homework?) Sharon is off work the second half of next week and we will more than likely head for the Scarborough Marsh, Biddeford Pool and Granite Point. If the weather holds, we may go to Plum Island in Massachusetts, a great place for early migrants.

I signed up for only two courses this summer ( Anatomy and Physiology II and Clinical Office Procedures), much less than the 5 – 6 courses a semester I have been juggling since returning to school. I want to be out in the field looking for birds and photographing them in all their glory. Keeping such a light course load will assure that I can enjoy my summer.

While we await the long, warm days of summer, I have put together several photographs I have taken over the last year or so and produced this pictorial called The Birds of Summer. Hopefully, this pictorial will stir your desire to start thinking about and planning how you are going to approach birding this summer.

Some of the following photos are “tall” and those with smaller screens may not see the full size photograph after clicking a thumbnail. Hit your f11 key to open your browser window to it’s fullest size before clicking a thumbnail.

The Birds of Summer

Happy birding!!

Merry Christmas!

John Briggs — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 13:31:24 +0000

Merry Christmas | Dark-eyed Junco

Birding in Maine wishes everyone a very Merry Christmas and a happy New Year 2010!!

Carol of the Birds

Whence comes this rush of wings afar,
Following straight the Noel star?
Birds from the woods in wondrous flight,
Bethlehem seek this Holy Night.
“Tell us, ye birds, why come ye here,
Into this stable, poor and drear?”
“Hast’ning we seek the new-born King,
And all our sweetest music bring.”

Hark how the green-finch bears his part,
Philomel, too, with tender heart,
Chants from her leafy dark retreat,
Re, mi, fa, sol, in accents sweet.

Angels and shepherds, birds of the sky,
Come where the Son of God doth lie;
Christ on earth with man doth well,
Join in the shout, Noel, Noel.

an Old French Carol from Bas Query

Thank each and everyone of you for making our site what it is today. Your visits and comments are greatly appreciated!

Happy birding!

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