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.