Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Spring discoveries

If you can call it spring... I went looking for migrating warblers in 30 degree (Fahrenheit) weather, geared in clothing more suited to winter trips. The warblers, not having a winter clothing budget, were slow in showing up. Nonetheless, a few birds did pop up on sunny mornings:

Northern Flickers are normally shy, but not this one. The flickers we have in the East are called "Yellow-shafted" because their tails are yellow on the underneath. (In the West, they are red.)
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Interesting fact: even though flickers are woodpeckers, they often forage on the ground.
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White-Throated Sparrow standing watch. This is their last hurrah in our area - they are getting ready to migrate to Canada for the summer.
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The is the first true warbler of the year - a Prairie Warbler. These guys show up early (and apparently in any weather) and try to beat all the other migrants to the nesting areas.
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"Hmm, that cloud is sure shaped like a peregrine falcon..." Piping Plover, a state-endangered shorebird, one of the very few that nest in NJ and NY areas.
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As the white-throated sparrows migrate north, Chipping Sparrows arrive to take their place. This is the smallest of our sparrows. Its bright rufous head turns dull gray for the winter.
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Woodpecker plunge... I think this one was a Downy Woodpecker.
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American Robins predict spring better than groundhogs. Normally, they are here by late February. This year, they did not show up until the middle of March.
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Another White-Throated Sparrow...
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"Is it Thanksgiving already?" Wild Turkey. (BTW, this bird's name is a good example of retronym.)
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This Great Egret has the freshest sushi in town...
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... but then again, since it came out of Brooklyn's Gravesend Bay, maybe not.
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Parting shot - Song Sparrow looking forlorn after several mating songs went unanswered...
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