Pileated Woodpecker and Cedar Waxwings

After being away for a few days, we returned home today to a few surprises in our yard. Cedar Waxwings were everywhere, including a lone Bohemian Waxwing. Juvenile and Adult Cedars were eating blueberries that we left on our high bush plants, swallowing the berries whole and getting into fights with each other and the Gray Catbirds who liked them also.

While I was in the yard trying to photograph the Cedar Waxwings, a Merlin flew by within two feet of where I stood and chased down a Song Sparrow. Narrowly missing the sparrow, the Merlin disappeared into the trees near the Winnegance Bridge.

Quite a few Warblers and Blue Jays were around, but the Warblers were to panicky to get good id’s. Tree Sparrows were very numerous along with a Savannah and Lincoln’s Sparrow.

During low tide, the river held 38 Canada Geese, one Green-Winged Teal and a lone Greater Yellowlegs.

On our way home today from our trip, we pulled off the side of the road to look at a map. As we were preparing to pull back out onto the road, a movement caught my eye. A Pileated Woodpecker was working a rotting tree stump no more than 15 feet away.

I must have looked suspect to passer-bys as I had half my body protruding out of the moon roof in our SUV taking pictures and video of this large woodpecker. At one point, a Bald Eagle flew overhead and the woodpecker slid around to the other side of the stump until all was clear. We would have never known that this fella was there if I had not seen the movement out of the corner of my eye.

Enjoy the photos and video below. *Tip* For full view of the pictures that are “tall and narrow”, press F11 on your keyboard to make your browser window as large as possible. If you do not do this, the picture will resize within your browser and you may not get the full size.

 

 

The following steaming high definition video portrays a Pileated Woodpecker searching for food in a rotted tree stump. A broadband connection is recommended to view the video.

Dimension: 518×291 | Video bit rate: 1000Kbps | File Size: 12.6mb
Playback: Click Play Button | Broadband Connection Recommended
Streaming Video of Pileated Woodpecker | ©2008 birdingmaine.com

 

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Happy birding!

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Bird versus window

We don’t have many birds flying into our windows here at home. About the worst that happens is a brush by because we keep our feeder within 2 feet of our picture window.

Last evening, this juvenile Black and White Warbler had a fairly decent collision which put it straight to the ground. My wife alerted me that the bird was on the ground dazed and confused. I went out and gently picked up the tiny creature and kept it warm in my hands for a time.

It seemed like this little fella was going to be fine. After 15 minutes or so, it climbed my shirt and perched on my shoulder for a while, looking around and cheeping occasionally.

 My little friend finally shook it off and flew into the trees. But not before leaving me a little present for my help. No problem, it washes off easily. I feel better that the little fella is fine. (Yes I did handle the bird. But it was to protect it from predators while it recovered. I had no intention in causing harm to this migratory bird.)

Ornithologists estimate that up to 100 million birds are killed each year by collisions with windows. These collisions usually involve small songbirds, such as finches, that may fall unnoticed to the ground. Sometimes the birds are merely stunned and recover in a few moments. Often, though, window hits lead to severe internal injuries and death.

Here are a few tips to help avoid these collisions.

• Relocate feeders and other attractants. You can start by simply moving your feeders and birdbaths to new locations. Bird strikes usually occur at particular windows, so moving feeders farther away from them may solve the problem entirely. You can also try placing your feeders much closer to the glass—if a feeder is just a foot or two from a window, birds may still fly into it, but not with enough force to injure themselves.
• Avoid apparent visual tunnels. Bright windows on the opposite wall from your picture window may give the illusion of a visual tunnel through which birds may try to fly. Try making one window less transparent by keeping a shade drawn or a door closed, or by altering the lighting inside the house.
• Commercially available hawk silhouettes are effective at deterring window strikes, as long as you use several. They work not because they look like hawks, but because they break up the window’s appearance. Do not attach objects directly to thermopane windows without consulting the manufacturer.
• Attach branches in front of windows. For a more natural look, attach dead tree branches in front of your window. They may cause the birds to slow down and avoid the window as they fly toward it. You can arrange the branches so they don’t obscure your view.
• Attach hanging objects to deter birds. Hang lightweight, shiny items in front of the window so they move in the breeze and dissuade birds from approaching. Try strips of shiny, reflective plastic (hung a few inches apart), old aluminum pie plates, or unwanted compact discs.
• Reduce reflections with trees or awnings. Reduce the amount of light reaching a problem window by planting shade trees close to it. This will help prevent reflections. However, it will also obstruct your view. Trees take time to grow, so consider shading your window with an awning instead. Either one may help birds by reducing the amount of sky reflected in windows.
• Cover windows with netting. Place netting over the window. It provides a physical barrier to birds flying into the glass, yet won’t obstruct your view. Small-mesh netting is best, so if birds do fly into it they won’t get their heads or bodies entangled but will bounce off unharmed. You can mount the netting on a frame, such as a storm-window frame, for easy installation and removal. You could also try insect screening material.

Another aid in avoiding collisions at night is to draw your blinds so birds don’t see the light inside your home. During night migration, birds are know to fly into windows that have light on the other side. This commonly occurs in taller building such as apartments and high-rises.

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Here on the home front, I am recovering from a back injury. I have not been out and about birding like I would like too, but there’s plenty of action in the yard. Fledglings are everywhere! Parents are feeding the young and juveniles are playing and learning.

Fledged Hummingbirds have this activity not much unlike a game of chicken. They charge at each other until at the very last second, one will dodge, just avoiding a mid-air collision. I have counted at the least 10 Hummingbirds, 6 of which are fledglings.

Chipping Sparrows will eat all that you can provide. Especially if one of these “Chippers” are raising a Brown Headed Cowbird. It is amazing watching the Sparrow feeding a bird 3 to 4 times its size. The fledged Chippers are all over the place and they are noisy.

We had 17 species nesting either on our property or within the immediate vicinity. From Purple Finches, Osprey, and Bald Eagles to a family of Black Ducks and Canada Geese. I will compile the list and report it as soon as I am sure I have identified all the local nesters.

The sun has finally revealed its warmth, after all of this cool, rainy weather we have been having. Hopefully the flooding is over and we can began to enjoy the outdoors once again.

I leave you with a few pictures of a female Ruby-Throated Hummingbird that I photographed this morning on one of our feeders.

 

Happy birding!

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The Hummingbirds are here

Just a quick post this evening. Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds are back and visiting everyone of our ten hummingbird feeders. Some territories are being set up and it looks like we my have a breeding pair or two this year. If only the Baltimore Orioles were as plentiful. Still no Orioles as of this time.

Tomorrow morning, Sharon and I will be at the Evergeen Cemetary and Capisic Park in Portand to look for Wablers. We are hoping this “hotspot” for migrating Warblers will be very productive and the photographs plentiful.

The following photos of the Ruby-Throated Hummingbird was taken on our feeder this morning. Enjoy!

 

Happy birding!

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Egrets and Flickers

A beautiful weekend ends this Sunday evening with a raw east wind and a fog bank backing in from the Atlantic. But before the gloom came some spectacular bird watching this morning at Small Point, Maine.

Sharon and I got into our car at a bright and early 6 a.m. this morning, only to clamber out again to get looks at three 2nd year Bald Eagles who landed on the mud flats behind our house. We watched as one would take flight and land near another, which would lead to a short battle over who would get the spot of real estate. This went on for fifteen minutes or so, each Eagle taking its turn harassing the other. As the Eagles headed toward Winnegance Lake, we drove south down the peninsula to Small Point.

A very small pond on the road to Small Point Beach held a trio of Snowy Egrets. Using our car as a blind, we watched the Egrets eat small fish, chase and fight each other and display, all from not more than 20 feet away. Several pair of Grackle were gathering nesting material, Red-Winged Blackbirds sang from the reeds and Eastern Phoebes were singing from the hedges.

I later walked a dirt lane between some cottages and found many Northern Flickers, who were probing the ground for tasty ants. Osprey flew overhead and a single adult Bald Eagle circled the cove.

A tally of the species we observed are below.

Location:     Small Point, Maine
Observation date:     4/20/08
Notes:     Clear skies, temp upper 30’s, light wind. Observers: John and Sharon Briggs
Number of species:     30

American Black Duck     6
Ring-necked Duck     3
Bufflehead     6
Red-breasted Merganser     1
Double-crested Cormorant     2
Great Blue Heron     1
Snowy Egret     3
Turkey Vulture     1
Osprey     2
Bald Eagle     1
Mourning Dove     4
Northern Flicker     8
Pileated Woodpecker     3
Eastern Phoebe     4
Blue Jay     2
Tree Swallow     12
Barn Swallow     1
Black-capped Chickadee     5
Red-breasted Nuthatch     1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet     12
American Robin     3
European Starling     4
American Tree Sparrow     2
Savannah Sparrow     3
Song Sparrow     4
Northern Cardinal     1
Red-winged Blackbird     18
Common Grackle     15
Brown-headed Cowbird     1
American Goldfinch     8

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2

Enjoy the bird photographs we have posted below. Click a thumbnail image for a larger size.

 

Happy birding!

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Osprey and Herons

This weekend started out dreary, with rain, wind and temps in the upper 30’s. Although forecasters were calling for fog, drizzle and a few wet snowflakes for Sunday morning, I was surprised to find clear skies when I woke up this morning at 5:30 a.m. Rousing Sharon from her slumber, we went for our morning coffee and decided to go to the “Abby”, where 10,000+ waterfowl have been reported on the Maine BirdList.

Traveling through Bath, heading towards Bodoinham, clouds began to overspread the area. My main objective was to photograph birds. After a few choice words, we decided to head south to Popham Beach where skies looked clear. It was a race against the clouds and the clouds won! At times the sun would peek through, but it would be at the wrong time.

Near the Winnegance Bridge, an Adult Bald Eagle was soaring in circles approx. 300 feet in the air, with a 2nd year Bald Eagle soaring under the adult approx. 100 feet in the air. The marshes near Popham Beach greeted us with an unusual sight. A Northern Harrier sat on a pice of driftwood watching four Great Blue Herons feeding not more than 30 yards away.

We did record impressive numbers of Great Blue Herons. From the Winnegance Bridge to Popham Beach, we recorded 50+ GBH. Our tally for Sunday April 13th, 2008:

• Great Blue Heron
• Ring-Necked Duck
• Common Merganser
• Red-Breasted Merganser
• Common Loon (including one calling this morning at home.)
• Bufflehead
• Common Goldeneye
• Mallard
• Black Duck
• Green-Winged Teal
• Common Eider
• Red-Tailed Hawk
• Sharp-Shinned Hawk
• Northern Harrier
• Osprey
• 2nd Year Bald Eagle
• Adult Bald Eagle
• Blue jay
• Northern Cardinal
• Eastern Phoebe
• Black-Capped Chickadee
• White-Breasted Nuthatch
• Pileated Woodpecker
• Tree Swallow
• American Goldfinch
• Red-Winged Blackbird
• Common Grackle

Enjoy the few bird photographs that I did manage to get, including the pair of Osprey tending their nest.

I am working on putting together, by numerous requests, a two part series on how I get my bird photographs. The first part will deal with preparation and how to find birds. The second part will deal with equipment and camera settings.

 

 Happy birding!

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