American Kestrel hunting!

 

American Kestrel male

American Bittern

American Kestrels hunt from our birdhouses in our now mowed Bobolink field here in NH. Here's a male kestrel yesterday flying up to land on a house after getting perhaps a cricket. The field is habitat for so many birds and critters. In spring Meadowlarks stop by on migration, Tree Swallows arrive in March and claim nest boxes and sometimes bluebirds can score a box. The big thrill is when the Bobolinks arrive to breed in early May. Savannah Sparrows sometimes breed in the grasses and we used to have American Bitterns nest in the field. In summer the grasses, wildflowers and weed seeds feed goldfinches, Song and Chipping Sparrows and more. The Bobolinks stay all summer, raising their young and leave in late summer. In August we have a big Common Nighthawk migration fly by and the nighthawks can be seen swooping over the field catching flying insects. In late summer or early fall the field is mowed. It is amazing who then uses the birdhouses to hunt from including Eastern Phoebes, American Kestrels, a Red-tailed Hawk, imm. and also the bluebirds. Crows and Wild Turkeys patrol the mowed field finding food. Northern Harriers stop by the field and edge of the pond to look for voles and prey. In winter the bluebirds may roost in the birdhouses and also look for any insects who emerge in a warm nook. Foxes and Coyotes leave tracks in the snow as they hunt for voles. Endless dragonflies, butterflies and other insects and spiders use the grasses and flowers to feed and hunt. It is a spectacular habitat year round and we manage it to be so.

Migration Alert! Northern Harriers are migrating now!

 

Classic Northern Harrier, white rump a giveaway, hunted our field edge by the pond at 4 pm yesterday as we watched from our deck. We are lucky to get a number of migrating harriers attracted to our big Bobolink field and vegetated pond edge. This one is a female, males (the "gray ghost") are pale gray above, juv. are orangish buff below. Watch for them migrating now.

Palm Warblers Are Migrating Now!

 

"Yellow" Palm Warbler, photographed in NH 

"Yellow" Palm Warbler

"Western" Palm Warbler, photographed in FL

Palm Warblers, one of the later migrating warblers in fall, are migrating through NH now and we had two in our yard yesterday. Here (as in these photos from NH) we see the "yellow" Palm Warblers (Setophaga palmarum hypochrysea) which have yellow breasts and are the eastern subspecies of Palm Warbler. They breed from central Quebec east. They winter along the Gulf Coast, from LA to northern FL. The "western" subspecies of Palm Warbler (Setophaga palmarum palmarum) breeds from Ontatio west, across to parts of the Yukon and ne. British Columbia and winters in the Southeast, down through south FL. Some may also winter on the West Coast. This subspecies has very little yellow on the breast but still has the bright yellow undertail coverts. There is a breeding zone south of James Bay where they intergrade. So this gives you some idea of why Palm Warblers may look different, depending on which area of the country you are in. For all the subspecies of birds, with photos, see our The New Stokes Field Guide to Birds, Eastern and Western Regions.

Northern Flickers are Migrating Big Time!

 

Oh the gold! Northern Flickers (of the Yellow-shafted subspecies group) are migrating through here in NH big time. So exciting to see the beautiful gold underwings against the fall foliage. Flickers in the West are of the Red-shafted subspecies group and have reddish underwings and undertail.

Dahlia "Karma Bon Bini"

Dahlia "Karma Bon Bini" picked just before the hard freeze here in NH which has diminished most of the plants and flowers the pollinators thrive on. Blue Salvia and Agastache survived giving bees more nectar.

 

White-throated Sparrows Are Coming!! Are You Ready?

 

The sparrows are coming!! Will you be ready? White-throated Sparrows are on the move and numbers have been seen in northern NH on their way to us. They winter in much of the eastern, middle and far western parts of the country. Brush piles, native plants gone to seed, mixed seed on platform feeders or ground will welcome them.

Sharp-shined Hawks are Migrating!

 

The last flowers, boo-hoo, picked them just before hard freeze that happened yesterday. Hard freeze today also, 27 degrees this morning. Accipiters, like these Sharp-shinned Hawks, and falcons are migrating. The seasons progress.

Broad-winged Hawk mega migration in New England!

The motherload of Broad-winged Hawks passed over the hawkwatch sites in NH and MA yesterday with Pack Monadnock Raptor Migration Observatory, NH, reporting 2,886 Broadwings (out of 3,000 total raptors), Mt. Watatic, MA, reporting 2,988 (out of 3,078 total raptors) and Mt. Wachusett, MA ,reporting 3,898 (out of 3,964 total raptors). Counting was aided by some highly experienced spotters at these sites as large "kettles" rose up then peeled off overhead especially during the afternoon hours. These Broadwings are on their way to hawkwatch sites south of here and eventually past places like megasite Corpus Christi HawkWatch, TX, where 23,451 raptors were seen yesterday. The Broadwings will winter in Central and South America then return in the spring. There are still favorable winds this weekend for more migration, but after that most of the Broadwings will be gone and it's onto migrating falcons, accipiters and eagles. To track the migration visit hawkcount.org. (photos from other times)

 

Prime Time Broad-winged Hawk Migration Now!!

Broad-winged Hawks in New England did migrate yesterday finding lift mainly for a few hours in the afternoon. Pack Monadnock Raptor Migration Observatory, NH, saw 2,269 raptors, 2,195 of them Broadwings after 2 pm. The other New England hawk sites south of Pack missed that big number. Mt. Watatic , MA, saw 414 raptors, 378 of them Broadwings just about the same time Pack was getting their big numbers. Mt. Wachusett, MA, saw 33 raptors, 22 of them Broadwings. Meanwhile over in VT, Putney Mt. hawkwatch had 1,308 raptors, 1,270 of them Broadwings. The biggest migrations were seen yesterday at the mega sites, Corpus Christi HawkWatch, TX, 36,515 raptors, Hawk Ridge, Duluth, MN, 12,049 raptors and Holiday Beach Hawk Watch, ON, 17,372 raptors. There are still a few more days left in the prime time window for Broadwing migration and now through the weekend, which has clearing and northerly winds, should be good. All of these numbers can be seen at the amazing hawkcount.org website, you can follow the numbers there and hopefully get out and see some raptors yourself.

Go Hawkwatching Now Is The Time!

Go hawkwatching! If you are a birder in the Northeast the next several days, Tues. to Sun. will see a major push of migrating Broad-winged Hawks out of New England. Tues., Sat. and Sun. maybe look especially good with favorable northwest or north winds, the kind of winds Broadwings like to move on. To find a hawkwatch near you go to the awesome website hawkcount.org where daily results from all the major hawkwatch sites are posted and there are directions to the hawkwatch sites. Be aware that some sites are limiting visitations and may have other social distancing restrictions during this pandemic. Happy watching!
 

Broad-winged Hawk Migration has started!!

 

Here we go, hawk migration has started!! There was a big push of Broad-winged Hawks in NH yesterday and peak migration time for these raptors here is Sept. 12-25 with historically especially big flights several days on either side of the 15th. Big numbers have been seen on northeast and northwest winds so watch the weather and get out and look!! (My composite photo from our Stokes Pocket Guide to Birds of North America)

Clueless young Red-tailed Hawk

 

It's the time of year for birds to molt and young birds to learn the ropes. This Pine Warbler is hunting in our lawn, Eastern Phoebe is hunting from a post and this young Red-tailed Hawk dwarfs its bird house perch, while it figures out how to catch voles.

Buff-breasted Sandpiper migration

 While we wait for the big hawk migration push, don't forget to look (observing socially distancing) for the many migrating shorebirds now, some common, some rare, like this Buff-breasted Sandpiper I photographed on the NH coast in 2011. This is a juvenile bird, told by the whitish margins of the back and wing feathers and paler underparts than the adult.

An Arctic breeder, it usually migrates through the interior of the country and can be found during migration in plowed fields, upper beaches, margins of wetlands and short-grass habitats. Birds found outside the main migration route are often juveniles.

Red Crossbills

The big news is that there is a Red Crossbill influx in NH and other areas this year. Saw a flock of 15 Red Crossbills yesterday at the Harris Center for Conservation Education in NH. They were picking up grit in the parking lot. Cone specialists, they can breed at any time but usually breed late summer into autumn or late winter into early spring. This species is complex and different populations or "types" have different flight calls and bill shapes. Identification as to type requires a recording of flight calls. There may be 10 North American types and this is still being studied. Very cool to see them. We have recorded them and sent recordings to Cornell for identification as to type. The Harris Center birds seem to be type 10, who come all the way from the Pacific Northwest!

Red Crossbill

Happy Birthday Phoebe

Yesterday was our precious Corgi Phoebe's birthday. She turned 14! Photo from a few years ago, Phoebe in crown then Chanel her mom, then cousins Abby and Bubbles.

Lookout for Birds trapped by Tropical Storm Isaias

Here we go again. Dreaming of Black Skimmers coming to our inland NH property so we can count them as a yard bird, as Tropical Storm Isaias approaches New England on Wed. According to BirdCast be on the lookout for birds entrained by this storm such as Black Skimmers, Royal, Sandwich and Sooty Terns, and Band-rumped Storm-Petrels. And stay safe!

https://birdcast.info/scientific-discussion/isaias-approaches/

Blue-headed Vireo Song, zzzzzzzz

Blue-headed Vireo was singing in our yard this morning, its song not always easy to tell from Red-eyed Vireo's. The pauses in between its song phrases compared to Red-eyed's is so long make me think I could fall asleep during the pauses, ZZZZZ (that is one way I remember it). The quality of the song phrases are different between the two species as well. Learn bird songs, you will hear many more than you ever see.

Blue-headed

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Blue-headed_Vireo/sounds

Red-eyed

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-eyed_Vireo/sounds

(photo from another time)

Indigo Bunting Late Comer

Indigo Bunting, male has been singing from tree tops in our NH yard for last several days. Good luck to him getting a mate this late in season. (photo from FL)

Purple Finch is our NH State Bird!

Purple Finch was at the feeders today. One of the joys of living in NH and our state bird!

American Goldfinch beauty!

Tis the season for American Goldfinches to look their best in their breeding colors. Just when other birds are winding down their breeding, goldfinches are nesting in summer. Attract them with thistle (nyjer) or finch mix bird seed. Enjoy them now!

Forster's Tern Here, inland NH!

Yesterday saw a Forster's Tern flying over the pond (really a shallow lake created by a dammed up river) we view from our deck here in SW NH, headed south. It is rare to see terns inland here so this was a special treat. These terns usually are seen on the coast of NH from July 9th to Dec. 28th. There are only a handful of records inland according to Eric Masterson's excellent book, Birdwatching in New Hampshire. Ironically we also saw a Forster's Tern from our property here on 10/2/07 and that one stayed for several hours flying over the pond and sometimes landing on a rock. We are used to seeing many Forster's Terns in FL in winter and that is where this photo is from.

Great Spangled Fritillary Butterflies are out now!

Great Spangled Fritillary butterflies are now in my pollinator garden. I caught one in flight! Love these large butterflies. They are found across much of the upper three quarters of the country and into southern Canada. Look for them now in moist open areas including meadows, gardens, pastures.

Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July!!! Red, White and Blue Birds

Northern Cardinal

Great Egret

Indigo Bunting

Eastern Bluebird, male

Flowers from our garden

Here are some red, white and blue birds plus an Eastern Bluebird, male, that gets our vote for most patriotic bird as he has the combined colors in his plumage. Happy Fourth of July! Hope you have a safe, great holiday and see some red, white and blue birds!

Baby Birds!

Eastern Bluebirds

American Goldfinches

Hairy Woodpeckers

Babies are everywhere now! Here are some photos of fledglings getting fed by their parents. For many nesting birds, they are fed in the nest and once the young leave the nest they are fledglings and still dependent on their parents to feed them for a while, "college age" we joke. These are know as "altricial" birds. "Precocial" birds are capable of moving around and feeding on their own once they hatch. Examples of altricial birds would be these shown, all your feeder birds and many others. Precocial birds would be species such as turkeys, pheasants, grouse, waterfowl and shorebirds. It's a fun time watching all the young birds now.