Mockingbird, Starling & Merlin App

I'm always looking for new places around town to check out. You just never know if a spot is going to be any good for birding unless you try it. There was quite a bit of sparrow habitat in the land near these solar panels, so I gave it a try. if you look closely, there is a bird set on top of the solar panel. 

A lot of birders dislike European Starling because they're not native. I actually think they are visually appealing when the sun is shining on them. They can imitate certain birds and make a whole slew of sounds that are interesting and hard to figure out. Some have been known to imitate the human voice as well.
The Northern Mockingbird has to be when it comes to imitating other birds though. When they are on a roll, they can imitate multitudes of birds in rapid-fire fashion! Although starlings and mockingbirds are in different families of bird species, they both imitate birds. 

A lot of people have been using the Merlin identification app. It picks up sounds of birds and shows you what birds are around. It works pretty well, if you stand still quietly but sometimes it displays a rare bird that you have to wonder about. I believe it can make mistakes, so it shouldn't be used as the sole source of bird identification. It can be a nice tool, however, in helping to let you know what potential species might be in the area. 

When I was out on this particular day, the Merlin App showed that there was a Gray-cheeked Thrush nearby which would be a rare bird sighting in this area. Unlikely, but it's always worth looking. Anyway, I didn't find one. 

This led me to a question. Did the mockingbird or starling imitate the Gray-cheeked Thrush and set off the merlin Alert? I guess I'll never know but it is an interesting possibility.

Red in The Morning Sailors Take Warning!

 When I was a kid I used to go fishing with my father in a small aluminum boat. As we made our way out of the mouth of the Connecticut River and entered the Long Island Sound, my father would look out at the sky and say "Red at night, sailors delight-red in the morning, sailors take warning!" I don't know how accurate that saying is but it's a saying that sticks with me till this day. The photo above is the sky as it looked at 6am this morning (probably closer to fuchsia than red).

 It's currently sleeting as I'm writing this post at 5pm so maybe the morning sky was a predictor of the afternoon weather?

The morning started out okay. It was a little cold and damp for this time of the year with temperatures in the 40's. Not cold enough to discourage a Song Sparrow to pop up and say hello but cool enough for me to make my birding trip a short one.

 I visited a tiny, local nature park. I thought my glasses were dirty when I first uploaded this picture then realized I must have clicked on some sort of photo filter. I decided to just leave it instead of going back to fix it.

I believe the Carolina Wren is the culprit behind many of the inquiries I get about the source of a mysteriously loud bird song.  They are only about 5" long and weigh less than an ounce but you would swear there was a bird blowing a bugle in the backyard when you hear it sing. Here is a link from Cornell Lab of Ornithology to an excellent site called All About Birds: and here is a direct link on their site which includes a sound sample of a singing male Carolina Wren.

A Winter Woodland Oasis At Highlawn Forest

 I love taking a hike through the woods on a sunny winter day but it can be tough to find birds in the forest this time of the year. I walked for about a mile on one trail and saw nothing but a crow flying over and heard only the lonely whistle of a distant titmouse.

On my way home I made one more stop at Highlawn Forest which is located in Middletown next to the Connecticut Forest And Park Association Headquarters. I sat on the bench and leaned up against that table to try to hide myself  a little. 

I visited this place once before during spring migration but thought-meh-not much out of the ordinary to see here. I was a bit spoiled at the time from seeing so many migrants at other prime locations so I didn't give it much of a chance. 

As it turns out, the vernal pools and damp leaves make this a winter oasis for woodland birds. In a time span of about 20 minutes I saw 30 robins, a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker, 5 titmice, 3 White-breasted Nuthatches, and 3 Golden-crowned kinglets, including the one in the photo. 

Happy Independence Day USA!

 Middletown Connecticut had their annual fireworks display Saturday night. We've seen many over the years and this was one of their best shows yet.

 The fireworks are lunched from a platform on the Connecticut River. We, along with hundreds of other residents watched from the Portland side of the river. The challenge is finding a place where the trees don't block your view and this year we found the perfect spot.

Portland has a firework display also but they delay it to make sure that the local Great Blue Herons have left their nests. Below is a video capturing the end of the fireworks display. Happy 4th of July everyone!

click center of video to play

Over And Under The Bridge

 I recently watched a program on the History channel called "The Men Who Built America". One of the segments was a dramatization about the enormous challenge of building the Eads Bridge . The Eads bridge which was completed in 1874 was over a mile long and made almost entirely of steel. That was a huge accomplishment at the time!

  It gave me a new appreciation of our own bridge here in Portland. The Arrigoni Bridge (above photo) crosses over the Connecticut River connecting Portland with the city of Middletown. It was completed in 1938 and was voted as the most beautiful steel bridge that year. I'm guessing that I've crossed this bridge over 20,000 times in my lifetime so I can only imagine how many cars, bikes, and pedestrians have traveled across this bridge since it was built.

A walk across the bridge you walk across the bridge gives you views of areas that are otherwise hidden from view like this old railroad line which I believe is still used on occasion. I wonder what the trains and buildings in this area looked like when they were new?

This is a view of Saint John's cemetery and church from the other side of the bridge.

This is an old structure below the bridge in Middletown. I'm wondering what is it and what happened to it?

 I took a walk over to the site of the old Middletown landfill. I don't think we used the word landfill back then, it was just a dump. They would just bury trash under a mound of dirt. Since the dump was closed that mound of trash has reverted back to habitat which is appealing to some birds. I found this Red-tailed Hawk perched on a pole there the other day.

On the other side of the bridge there's a road that leads you past oil holding tanks and the old Brownstone Quarries.  A walk over and under the bridge is like a living museum with local examples of history and industry.

 There's a nice little park along the river in Portland not far from the bridge. That's where  I found a flock of  Dark-eyed Juncos. I  spent a few minutes trying to get a picture of one. I think they have a nice, clean look about them.

When I saw this ship sailing by I wondered if all my daydreaming about history might have caused me to time travel or if I was having some sort of hallucination. This ship looks like something from the 1600's.  I sent my photo to Mathew who has a blog called Soundbounder.  He has a lot of knowledge about Long Island Sound and the ships in the area. It turns out that it a replica of a ship sailed by Henry Hudson in 1609. You can read more about this ship in this article from the Soundbounder Blog.

Biking From Main Street To Birdland

 I spend a great deal of time during the week driving an automobile. I'm thankful for the conveninece a car provides but they do come with a cost. They are expensive to operate and maintain. Exhaust fumes pollute the air and the noise they make pollutes the ear. Driving requires a lot of concentration which adds stress to our lives. These are some of the obvious negative aspects of driving but there is a more subtle point to be considered. When you're in a car your are surrounded by a protective shell of steel and glass that isolates you from outside world. It is impossible to be fully aware of your surroundings while driving.

 I  recently rode my bike to Middletown and was able to enjoy a tour of Main Street that wouldn't be the same if I had driven my truck. I could the smell food cooking in restaurants I passed, see storefront window displays in full detail, and even hear the sound of horses trotting down the street. I was able to drop off mail, get my bike tuned up, and stop for  coffee without having to worry about finding a parking space.

   I was able to get a closer look at historical buildings that I passed by and found it easy to manuevere my way around town to explore anything that I was curious about.

 After leaving the Main Street area I headed down to river road to find some habitat that is more suitable for birds and wildlife.

 I found a Red Fox poking around for food in the woods. It was set back on an embankment near some railroad tracks. The fox seemed as curious about me as I was about him. it stared at me and even walked closer toward me at one point.

 There is a fair portion of land along the Connecticut River which is still undeveloped in the south end of Middletown. I've had good luck birding in this area over the past few years.

I didn't come across anything out of the ordinary during this particular trip but I had some nice views of some birds like this American Robin which tried unsuccesfully to camouflage itself.

 Carolina Wrens are frequently surrounded by vines and branches but they often give themselves away by singing, chipping, or making scolding calls.

   It seems that I'm able to get closer to birds while on a bike but taking photos while trying to stay balanced can be a bit awkward. I had a great view of this Eastern Bluebird but it wasn't at the best angle for a photo.

 I've learned that using a bike for transportation can provide a smooth transition from the modern world to the natural world. It allows you to enjoy the journey, not just the arrival at your destination.

Productive Birding At Power Line Cuts

I spent time birding along some local Power line cuts this weekend. I find them to be a covenient place to search for birds. They have built in trails, shrubs & evergreens of various heights in the middle, and taller trees along the borders. That makes it easier to move around and see birds from various angles. 

I met up with some fellow birders on Saturday for a Hartford Audubon field trip.  Joe (leader) led us through some areas in the Maromas section of Middletown. None of us had a butterfly book handy but one member of the group was able to identity this butterfly. I'm used to seeing these butterflies very early in the year. - can you identify it? (Click here for the answer).

We saw a nice variety of birds on Saturday including a Scarlet Tanager and a Rose-breasted Grosbeak (photo). At first we thought it was a female but we noticed there was a splash of red on the chest indicating it was a young male.

   On Sunday, I checked some of the power lines and an undeveloped rail trail in Portland. Some notable birds included: Prarie Warbler (above photo), American Redstart, House Wrens, Eastern Towhee,  Blue-winged Warbler, Broad-winged Hawk, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, and Yellow-throated Vireo. My favorite sighting of the day was a close-up view of a Hooded Warbler. It was a brilliant male just a few feet away.  I was afraid to take the binoculars away from my eyes. When I did, the bird was gone along with the chance for a photo.

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  I had an early taste of the fall weather this weekend and it felt good to break out the binoculars again. The power line cuts made for productive birding areas this weekend. I'm looking forward to more fall weather and plenty of good birding opportunities.
 What's the most interesting bird species you've seen in your area recently?

Searching For Lazy Summer Birds

Now that the hot weather has arrived, I'm taking a much more casual approach to birding. Instead of putting in a lot of effort to finding birds, I'm content with the birds that seem to find me. The Turkey Vulture in the photo was stretching his wings early one morning near aircraft road in Middletown. They do this to regulate body temperature, dry their wings, and to bake off little critters. They probably think they look cool doing it too.

I spent too much time trying to get a decent photo of a Prairie Warbler up at the power lines in Portland. I finally managed to catch one out in the open, although it wasn't very close. As I was concentrating on taking this photo, two Ruffed Grouse crossed the path right in front of me!

  During a recent early-morning visit to the Maromas area of Middletown, I found a young family of Wood Ducks playing follow the leader.

There was no need to track the deer as the deer were on the tracks.

I've come to like snakes since I started using a camera because snakes stay still when you're taking there picture. I think this is a water snake.

The Great Blue Herons start leaving their nests in our area during July.There are more of them around and they seem easier to approach. I found this one near Wethersfield Cove.

This was one of about 20 hanging around the Portland Fairgrounds early one morning.

I've also been making short trips out to local areas during the evening. The Helen Carlson Bog in Portland is a great place to find Green Herons this time of the year.

This Cedar Waxwing seems to be yawning as it must be close to bedtime.

    I'm sure I'll become more adventurous before the summer ends t but for now, I'm satisfied with sitting by a pond watching the Mallards stare back at me.

Watching Flickers From A Natural Blind

I was on my way to a birding location when I decided to check a field that was along the way. I never made it to my intended destination. Instead, I spent the next couple of hours hiding in the bushes watching birds. While out birding , I've been trying to make a conscious effort to find areas where the birds are most active and try to get close to them without scaring them away. In this particular field which is located in Middletown, I noticed that many birds were landing on a dead tree snag which a large bush and other vegetation in back of it. I had to do a little bushwhacking to get into position but eventually settled into a good spot where most of my body was hidden. I even stuck a couple of branches in my hat to blend into my surroundings a little better.

I've tried this sort of thing before and a lot of times it doesn't work out but this time it worked like a charm. I did run into a couple of minor problems. I had difficulty getting my tripod legs to set flat on the ground because of all the roots and tangle. When I went to fold the tripod back up I noticed that the little rubber caps on the bottom of the legs had fallen off when I had to pull the legs back up out of the vines. I couldn't find them so I just bought new ones which were better anyway. The other problem was that I was often looking at the underside of the bird which wasn't always a good angle for taking photos but the birds put on a great show.

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-At one point, there were 7 Northern Flickers stretching their wings, calling, climbing, and tapping on wood just a feet away from me. I read in the David Sibley book, The Sibley guide To Bird Life & Behavior, that Northern Flickers have a variable clutch size of 3-12 eggs. An experiment was done by a researcher who would remove one egg a day from a flicker nest but always leaving at least two in the nest. The female flicker ended up laying 70 eggs by the end of the season. I found that to be interesting. The whole section woodpeckers had good information.

I watched as young Eastern Bluebirds would land on the highest point of a branch only to be chased away by another bluebird which would land in the same spot.

A handful of Cedar Waxwings stopped to rest before moving on to other areas.

This Eastern Kingbird has a mouthful of something. It doesn't look very eastern kingbirdy from this picture but it was at the time I was there.

I believe this is an Eastern Wood Pewee. They're easier to identify when they're singing but this one was quiet. I couldn't get it in focus using the auto setting so I blindly turned the wheel to a different setting and tried the manual focus button. It did come into focus but who knows what kind of crazy setting I had it on.

This Blue Jay was last bird I saw before leaving. I plan to keep a record of places where I'm able to watch birds while hiding in the natural surroundings. Birds seem to behave differently when they're not threatened by human presence. This makes them more interesting to observe and easier to photograph.

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Here is a video of some flickers in action.