FALL BIRDING

I had the opportunity this morning to do some Fall birding. The first place that came to mind was the Five- Rivers Environmental Center. So I headed down in the pre-dawn hours to kill some time before work.



  A couple of Cooper's Hawks were hanging out in the visitor center parking lot when I arrived. A couple of crows were scavenging some bread that was left for them and the hawks seemed to be enjoying the opportunity to harass them.



Once the sun started to warm things up, it became apparent that there was a good movement of migrants last night. There were quite a few Palm Warblers feeding on the vegetation that had gone to seed.



  Palm Warblers are one of my favorite Fall visitors.



The low sun angle was providing some great lighting for these birds. 


 A couple of Nashville Warblers were also found this morning.



Lincoln's Sparrows countinue to move through the area.



The small flock of Purple Finches countinues to hang out at 5-Rivers. The usually do during the Fall until they move on to a winter location.






There were a few White-crowned Sparrows mixed in with the gathering of White-throated Sparrows.



White-crowned Sparrow




And here is the bird of the day. As I was working my way through a group of Yellow-rumped Warblers and Palm Warblers, I heard a chip note that was noticably different. It was about the same volume as the Palm Warblers, but it was much "sharper".



Bright yellow undertail coverts... a busted eyering ....



it even was displaying the diagnostic small white patch at the bend of the wing. What could this drab, active little Warbler be? It's an Orange-crowned Warbler! A nice find for this area during Fall migration.

AN AFTERNOON AT THE COXSACKIE GRASSLANDS

I was in the area today so I stopped down and visited the Coxsackie Grasslands. A very unique area that consists of a managed grassland in the midst of a growing commercial area. A great oasis for migrating birds that was created and is being maintained through the dedicated efforts of local individuals.



As I walked along, I flushed a couple of sparrows from the ground that flew up into the adjacent hedgerow. I noticed that one of the birds had a lot of white on the edge of the tail as it flew away. Once it perched and I was able to get a good look at it, I realized that it was a Vesper Sparrow.


The other one was also a Vesper Sparrow and perched a little further down the hedgerow. Quite a treat as this species of bird is getting harder and harder to find in our area. These birds are probably migrants, but with all the positive grassland habitat modification that is going on at the Coxsackie Grasslands, they may just nest there someday.

The bold eye-ring, buffy flanks and white edged tail give this sparrow a very unique look. It's a shame that not many nest in our area due to habitat loss.

Once I had stopped gawking at the 2 Vesper Sparrows in the hedgerow, I spotted 2 more of them on a nearby berm. I had all 4 of them in sight at one time and was reminded of a similar encounter that I had a few years ago in the town of Knox. It was also in October when I spotted a small flock of them migrating south.

At one time they were actually called Bay-winged Buntings as they are fairly stocky for a sparrow and have a heavy bill. As time went on it was discovered that they were actually sparrows.

A Northern Harrier was also out over the grasslands looking for a meal.

A great place to observe them.

A Common Yellowthroat was spotted along the one of the edges of the fields.

And a Palm Warbler as well. A great place to spend a relaxing afternoon.

10/03 5-RIVERS

Not only was it a foggy morning up here on the hill, but it was the first official weekend of small game hunting on the state land. So I made a pre-dawn drive down to Five Rivers E.E.C. to see if any new migrants had arrived. It was worth the trip.


There was a lot of bird activity along the paths and trails. Most noticeable were the numbers of sparrows in many of the hedgerows. Two White-crowned Sparrows were spotted in with a lot of White-throated Sparrows and Song Sparrows.


A Lincoln's Sparrow was also spotted along a gravel road. Nice to see one out in the open for once.

Lots of Yellow-rumped Warblers were also flitting about. Very resourceful birds. They're not fussy eaters and will eat berries, insects, seeds and anything else they can find.

Still some Palm Warblers mixed in with the yellow-rumps. Only 5 were spotted today compared to last weekends abundance.

"Chipping" and wagging their tails. That's what they do best. They always seem to be in such an upbeat mood.

I couldn't quite figure out what this one was doing. I don't know whether it was trying to catch some kind of insects that were on the branch or actually trying to eat some of the lichen.

I heard some Purple Finches flying over earlier in the morning and finally caught up with one. Not unusual for them to stop by in the fall as they look for wintering areas. This was a very distant picture.

A Black-throated Blue Warbler was checking out some of the local berries. Migration is the only time these birds can be found at lower elevations.

A Nashville Warbler foraged in some of the lower vegetation.

Nashville Warblers also mainly nest at some of the more northern latitudes such as the boreal forests in Canada. In our immediate area small numbers do nest at the higher elevations.

Blue-headed Vireos are always good company on a cloudy, damp day. As is the case with most of them, this bird was singing along like it was the middle of summer. They seem at times oblivious to the weather.

A Green Heron was intently looking for something to eat at the Research Ponds. Getting late for them to be around.


An Eastern Meadowlark was spotted on the way home in Rensselaerville.

This young Turkey Vulture was spotted in a field a little further down the road. Vultures are somewhat of an anomaly in the bird world due to the fact that they actually have a sense of smell. I like the way you can actually see through this birds nostrils.


A Ruby-crowned Kinglet was foraging along on of the forest roads near home.

When I finally got home this Northern Flicker was on the lawn looking for ants and other insects. It flew up on a branch and posed.

SUNDAY 9/27 AT FIVE RIVERS

September is usually a dry month in these parts, however this year it has been exceptionally dry. Rain finally moved in last night and it was still drizzling at daybreak. I was actually kinda looking forward to some inclement weather as this tends to slow fall migration down a bit and causes the birds to suspend their southerly progress. It was very foggy at the house so I went down in the valley to 5-Rivers to see if anything was going on.

One of the first birds I spotted at daybreak was this Wilson's Warbler. They are very active and this one was no exception. It disappeared very quickly.

Once I started walking the trails, it didn't take long to realize that something interesting was going on. The first thing I noticed was that there were a lot of Palm Warblers "chipping" and wagging their tails.

They were all over the place and were a lot of fun to watch as they foraged along the paths. I stopped counting at 25 and there were probably a few more than that.

We only get to see them during migration, so there must have been a major movement of them out of Canada. Watch out for that spider web buddy!

Almost stepped on this one. They can be very tame and curious.

There were also quite a few Yellow-rumped Warblers mixed in. They also make a "chipping" sound while in a flock feeding. Their numbers continue to build during migration, but a few can be found in our area all summer long. There was actually a male found singing at 5-Rivers on June 19 of this year. Uncommon, as they usually stick to the higher elevations.

Now that looks like fall!

A Lincoln's Sparrow popped out of the foliage and gave some nice looks. There were a lot of sparrows around, mainly White-throated.

This is the same bird in a little better light. Another was found a little further down the trail.

A Bay-breasted Warbler was found along the edges of one of the ponds. This bird was fairly well marked and had quite a bit of bay coloring along the flanks.

Blue-headed Vireos are a lot of fun. This little guy was singing away in the drizzle and even came down out of the tree tops to see what I was up to. If you have the chance to get close to them, they actually make some very interesting sounds. Lots of soft chattering and murmurs.

It can be tough to crawl out of bed on cool damp mornings like this. This morning it was well worth it.

NOW WE'RE COOKING

Went out at dawn to see if migration had really kicked into gear yet. The weather has been very favorable for the migrants so I figured I would stay close to home in Partridge Run WMA.


This Bay-breasted Warbler was found in an alder thicket just after dawn. I was actually trying to get a picture of a Northern Waterthrush that was lurking in the dense cover below.

Sure makes it easy to identify them when they still have that much "bay" on them.

Found this Northern Parula in a clearing a little further down the road.


This Magnolia Warbler is the first of many to pass through the area this fall. Judging by the numbers we see here, they must be a very common bird in the boreal forest of Canada.

A Black-and-white Warbler checking out a dead snag.

During fall migration, Black-throated Green Warblers are one of the most prevalent birds one can expect to see while in the field. Plenty more of these birds to come.

Even from below American Redstarts are easily recognizable due to their unique tail pattern.

Found another Bay-breasted Warbler basking in the early morning sunshine.

It will be interesting to see how many are spotted this fall as there has been spruce budworm outbreak for the last few years in Canada.

A first fall female Black-throated Blue Warbler hanging out in the shade.

Spotted two birds hanging out on a broken branch laying on the side of the road. I was surprised to see a Palm Warbler here this early. The Yellow-rumped Warbler may or may not be a migrant. One thing is for sure, migration is definitely underway.