Eleven reasons to keep our local farms!

Song Sparrow

Having an old farm right across the street was a major plus when we moved into our new neighborhood two years ago. My daily dog walks past the corn and hay fields in the morning yielded Blue Grosbeaks, Indigo Buntings, Orchard Orioles, American Pipits, Eastern Meadowlarks, flocks of Canada Geese, Killdeer, American Kestrels, Northern Harriers and other hawks hunting the fields. It was with great sorrow that we soon learned that the farm property has been sold and approved for light industrial development. A year and a half went by without anything happening, so we hoped that plans had been scrapped due to the poor economy. Alas, last winter bulldozers came and tore the farm house and the old barn down. However, nothing more has happened since. New crops were not sown last spring and the fields were left fallow all summer.

Ironically, the property is now in a more bird-friendly state than ever! Last Saturday I therefore decided to check it out, since the current owner probably doesn't care. The fields were overgrown with waist-deep weeds and grasses and hopping with sparrows! I zig-zagged across every field flushing birds in all directions and walked along all the hedgerows between the fields and along the forest edges. Best birds found were 1-2 Vesper Sparrow, 3 White-crowned Sparrow, 16 Savannah Sparrow, 2 Palm Warblers, and a beautiful Blue-headed Vireo.

Blue-headed Vireo

 

Eastern (yellow) Palm Warbler

 Immature White-crowned Sparrow

American Kestrel

The sparrows and grasshoppers had also attracted the attention of several Kestrels and a Merlin. Being a warm sunny day with a NW breeze also meant a strong hawk flight overhead, with numerous vultures, Red-tailed, Red-shouldered, Cooper's, and Sharp-shinned Hawks, a late Osprey and a Northern Harrier streaming south.

 

Turkey Vulture

Black Vulture

Adult Red-tailed Hawk

Adult Red-shouldered Hawk

Adult Cooper's Hawk

Immature Sharp-shinned Hawk

I will keep birding the area for all it's worth for as long as I can until they start digging and the inevitable fences and No Trespassing signs come up....... Sad!

Cromwell Valley Park Saturday 10/16/10

I spent this gorgeous morning at Cromwell Valley Park, located just north of Towson in Baltimore County. The season has certainly changed since my last visit to the park. The trees had turning yellow, and the weedy fields were crawling with sparrows of all sorts, mostly Song and Swamp Sparrows but also Field, Chipping and a lone LINCOLN'S SPARROW. The hedgerows along the fields were plentiful of more sparrows such as White-throated Sparrows and Eastern Towhees, Palm Warblers (both eastern and western forms), hoards of Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Common Yellowthroats, Eastern Phoebes, a lingering Black-throated Green Warbler, House Wrens and at least four WINTER WRENS. Above, hawk migration was going strong with lots of Turkey and Black Vultures, Red-tailed, Red-shouldered and Sharp-shinned Hawks heading south.

The bird of the day was without a doubt this brilliant adult male NASHVILLE WARBLER hanging out in a flock of Palm Warblers. After patiently stalking them for about an hour he finally allowed for some close-up views and shots:o)

Young female Common Yellowthroat:

Eastern Phoebe:

 Fly-by Great Blue Heron:

 Eastern (yellow) Palm Warbler:

 Ruby-crowned Kinglet:

 Swamp Sparrow:

 Winter Wren (now considered a separate species from both the European Wren and Pacific Wren):

Good birding All!

Warbler migration still going strong

While working from home today I could not help but pay some visits to the backyard and check for migrants along the forest edge. The cool fall weather and NW winds brought quite a few birds into our neighborhood and by the end of the day I had tallied 5 warbler species (12 Yellow-rumped, 4 Palm, 3 Magnolia, 2 Black-throated Green, and 1 Blackpoll Warbler), Red-eyed Vireo, Ruby-crowned and Golden-crowned Kinglets, Red-breasted Nuthatch, several Blue Jays, 2 Downy Woodpeckers and a Northern Flicker.

First-year female Black-throated Green Warbler:

 Male Downy Woodpecker:

 First-year female Blackpoll Warbler:

 Eastern (yellow) Palm Warbler:

 First-year Male Magnolia Warbler:

 Red-eyed Vireo:

 Ruby-crowned Kinglet:

 One of a dozen Yellow-rumped Warblers (first-year male):

The arrival of the hoards of Yellow-rumped Warblers typically signals the end of warbler migration. They will be highly missed until their return in spring!

Backyard strikes again!

A couple of photo sessions in the backyard by the storm water retention pond this morning yielded some nice captures. As a clear sign of fall and the trailing edge of warbler migration, the first Yellow-rumped Warbler of the season showed off its fresh but drab basic plumage. The Cape May migration radar forcast predicts a massive flight this upcoming weekend, so if you want to enjoy the warblers while they are still around do it now!! And for my European friends - keep your eyes and ears peeled as more Ne-arctic vagrants are heading your way!!

As usual - click on images to enlarge:o)

First-year male Magnolia Warbler:

 Adult female Common Yellowthroat:

 First-year male Black-throated Green Warbler:

 First-year male Yellow-rumped Warbler

 First-year female Northern Parula:

Cromwell Valley Park Sunday 9/26/10

As the rain cleared this afternoon I decided to go birding at Cromwell Valley Park and look for the elusive Connecticut Warbler still missing from my life list. Just as I got there a birder couple pointed out a Northern Waterthrush feeding along the creek. I hunkered down next to the water's edge and watched the waterthrush slowly walking towards me flicking leaves over and picking maggots and leaches hiding underneath. While I was sitting there, an American Redstart, Magnolia Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warblers and Common Yellowthroats were flitting around in the bushes by the water. The surrounding trees were busy with Downy Woodpeckers, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Northern Flickers, Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers and American Robins, Brown Thrasher and Gray catbirds came down to drink and bath in the creek.

Northern Waterthrush:

 Gray Catbird:

The rest of the afternoon was spent birding the Minebank Trail and I added another Northern Waterthrush, 4 Palm Warblers, 2 Nashville Warblers, a male Black-throated Blue Warbler, a stunningly bright Tennessee Warbler, 2 Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, Marsh Wren and 2 Lincoln's Sparrows.

Rose-breasted Grosbeak:

Magnolia Warbler:

 Tennessee Warbler:

Camping on Assateague Island is fun!

I somehow persuaded Mary to get up at 3:00am last Saturday "morning" and drive out to Assateague Island in time to witness the morning flight at Bayside. We arrived just in time around dawn and the herons and egrets were already heading out from their off-shore roosts in large numbers to the feeding grounds in the saltmarshes; Great Egrets, Snowy Egrets, Little Blue Herons and Tricolored Herons all intermixed. As the sun rose the songbirds starting moving and the air filled with the flight calls of a variety of warblers. Many went unidentified darting across the skies as they made the jump from the island over to the mainland, but some distinct species were relatively easy to pick out based on their coloration or calls; Northern Parula, American Redstart, Yellow Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, Palm Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, and Northern Waterthrush. Flocks of Brown Thrashers, Cedar Waxwings, American Robins, Northern Flickers, Starlings were also on the move, and two DICKCISSELS migrated overhead.
One of many Yellow Warblers seen this morning:

 One of several flocks of Brown Pelicans passing by over the bay:

 Adult winter Forster's Tern:

 Adult winter Laughing Gull:

As the morning flight ebbed out, we headed back to the mainland and Ocean City for some yummie breakfast and fresh coffee. We then proceeded north in search of "grasspipers" at the Murray Sod Farm in northernmost Worcester county. After checking about a dozen green sod fields we came upon a newly harvested field that hosted no less than eight BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPERS, five Pectoral Sandpipers, and three Semipalmated Plovers.

We were lucky and managed to book the last available campsite at the Assateague Island National Seashore online the night before, so after a successful piper hunt we returned to Assateague Is. and checked in at the Ranger Station. With our tent up and camp set I explored the campground and the surrounding saltmarshes while Mary went for a run.
My wonderful birder babe Mary!

The pups are getting used to the idea of camping. Scarlett quickly learned that the mosquitoes were much less bothersome off the ground.

 Walker had a harder time with the bugs and had to seek refuge in the tent long before sunset.

One of about two dozen Caspian Terns roosting in the salmarshes:

Juvenile Little Blue Heron:

 A very cooperative Nashville Warbler:

Juvenile Tricolored Heron:

While enjoying a great evening in front of the campfire (except for the annoying mosquitoes!) we watched a Chuck-will's-widow hawking insects between the tree tops. At one point it landed on a vertical snag and perched with its head pointing straight up for about 15 minutes. A pair of Great Horned Owls serenaded us through the night and in the wee hours of the night many shorebirds could be heard migrating south. In the morning hours before breaking camp I added more great birds like Baltimore Oriole, Bobolink, Blue Grosbeak, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, and Red-breasted Nuthatch.

Adult winter Royal Tern:

 Juvenile Osprey:

 Yellow Warbler:

 Blackpoll Warbler:

We'll be back as soon as the weather cools down!