Reaching into the bag, Streby gingerly pulled out a tiny nestling. Not yet golden, it had dark-olive plumage with faint yellow wingbars. The baby golden-wing squirmed and peeped in Streby’s hand as he flipped it on its back and gently threaded a pair of minuscule elastic bands around its delicate little legs. He was outfitting the bird with a nano-sized radio transmitter backpack.
Weather like this can generate spectacular birding. Fallout conditions occur when warm air from the south or southwest meets colder air to the north. The collision can produce fog, rain, and swirling winds – weather you might not consider suitable for birdwatching. But these conditions can cause countless birds – migrating north on tailwinds – to drop from migration and into view.
The Forecast Calls for Birds by Bryan Pfeiffer
Photo by Gerrit Vyn
BOOM! and the birds are just dropping outta the sky! Well, not exactly but this week’s weather has meant for a pretty impressive yard-list for me. Especially since I live in the city of St. Albans!
Use the link above to check out Bryan Pfeiffer’s blog for the weather low-down and why it’s raining warblers and flycatchers and scarlet tanagers.
My yard list this week:
Blackpoll Warbler (by far the superstar!)
Magnolia Warbler
Least Flycatcher
Scarlet Tanager
Black-throated Green Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Wood Thrush
American Redstart
Red-eyed Vireo
Nashville Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Possible female Bay-breasted Warbler
Possible Pine Warbler
And the usual suspects:
Black-capped Chickadee
Catbird
Blue Jay
Chimney Swift
Mourning Dove
Song Sparrow
Cardinal
American Robin
Eastern Phoebe
Downy Woodpecker
White-breasted Nuthatch
House Wren
For songbirds, singing a lot of songs indicates a bird is smart, but that signal is not necessarily indicative of intelligence for everything.
Horticulture Farm Walk this Weekend
Join me this Saturday for my one and only bird walk this spring at the University of Vermont’s Horticulture Farm! The Friends of the Horticulture Farm have invited me there this Saturday, from 8 - 11am to lead a bird walk through orchards, woods and fields. We’ll focus on both the birds and talk a bit about birdscaping so you can make your backyard a haven for songbirds. Space is limited and there is a fee.
Click here for info on how to register.
Photo from Garth McElroy video via burdr.com
Morning Backyard Birds…
Again, with no time to bird this weekend, they just come to me. How wonderful to have a backyard in the city where there’s great rest-stop habitat.
Red-eyed Vireo
Male and Female Cardinal
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Possible female Bay-breasted Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Photo by Terry and Joanne Johnson as seen on Cornell’s All About Birds website
The Invaders: Honeysuckle and Buckthorn
Roz Renfrew was featured on WCAX this week talking about how invasive plants impact grassland birds. Click through to watch the video.
A new study from scientists at Boise State University in Idaho shows that even species considered “tolerant” of human activity may be adversely impacted by human disturbance; Kestrels nesting in close proximity to roads and developed areas had elevated stress hormones and high rates of nest abandonment. The apparently favorable location, then, becomes an ecological trap.
From ScienceDaily
BOOM! Migration!
If you love Woodcreeper, you’ll love Tom Auer. He blogs about birding in New England and tracks regional radar to keep us all on our toes in May.
Too bad I have to work today. Birding tomorow?
Why Birds Attack Windows
“This territorial reaction may be so strong that the bird may exhaust itself, but it usually doesn’t result in fatal injury.”
Eastern Pheobe Juvenile by Stephen Ramirez @ Birdsiview.org on Flickr.
Love this shot. This youngster just looks so sweet….spring sweet! Happy May everyone!
Spring crushes are the best…especially when it’s from Bird and Moon!
Funding Available for Golden-winged Warbler Habitat
Photo by: Christian Artuso, Golden-winged Warbler Working Group
Vermont Natural Resource Conservation Service is targeting grown-up fields and pastures to be managed to benefit the golden-winged warbler. This small migratory bird is declining across it’s range (northeastern US and adjoining parts of Canada) and is therefore a regional species of concern. Golden-winged warblers are part of a group of birds called “shrubland birds” that require thickets of shrubs and woody cover interspersed with grassy and herbaceous openings. A mixture of short and tall shrubs, scattered trees and herbaceous openings are ideal. This habitat can often be found on old fields or lightly grazed pastures on farms in the Champlain Valley; this region is also the primary range of the bird in the state. Funding is available for southwestern Chittenden County, western Addison County and northwestern Rutland County to help create preferred habitat conditions. Contact your local USDA Service Center for more information. Applications will be accepted until May 7th, 2013.
Spring Bird Show
Mon 4/22/13 Noon 7pm Mud isn’t the only thing that reminds us it’s spring. With the warmer weather comes the return of the dawn chorus. The chirrup of the
It’s today at noon on VPR’s Vermont Edition - the annual Spring Bird Show!
People who care about birds can change the world,” said Audubon chief scientist Gary Langham. “That’s why this year’s record-setting global participation is so exciting. Technology has made it possible for people everywhere to unite around a shared love of birds and a commitment to protecting them.
