Ruby-Throated Hummingbird
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
By: Pat Coate
The backyard feeder and garden has been quite busy over the last couple of weeks. This ruby-throated hummingbird was one of several that visited our bee balm and butterfly bush. This is the only species of hummingbird known to breed in the eastern United States.
When a chickadee had the audacity to land in the bee balm, a hummingbird aggressively chased it away. Hummingbirds, weighing only about one-tenth of an ounce, are extremely quick with a remarkable ability to change direction seemingly instantaneously. Their wings beat about 53 times per second.
I believe the hummingbird shown above is an immature female based on the streaking on the throat and a lack of red on the throat. Female hummingbirds raise the brood on their own as the male moves on after mating.
(Still working on the shore bird photos, hope to have them next week.)
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Magee Marsh and Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge in Northern Ohio
Magee Marsh in Northwest Ohio
By: Pat Coate
On a recent return trip from Milwaukee, I took a detour along the shores of Lake Erie in Northern Ohio making quick stops at Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge and Magee Marsh. As mentioned last week, Magee Marsh is a top spot for spring migration and a must for those undertaking a ‘big year’.
Happy Labor Day
Hope Everyone has a safe and happy Labor Day Weekend!!
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The Big Year
Birder extraordinaire – Greg Miller
By: Pat Coate
Enjoyed meeting and birding with Greg Miller, one of the birders that the book and movie The Big Year was based on, at the Roger Tory Peterson Institute Birding Festival. His character was played by Jack Black in the movie. Found Greg to be a very down-to-earth, genuine, humble guy who was a wonderful keynote speaker who appealed to birders and non-birders (my husband) alike. He discussed how he got into birding (largely his father), why he decided to go for the big year (way to deal with challenges in his personal life) and lots of anecdotes from both the big year and the filming of the movie, for which he was a consultant.
One of the many stories he told was that Jack Black wanted to go birding with him – to watch birds but mostly to watch Greg watching birds. The actor asked Greg what the name of a black bird they saw was – to which Greg said “red-winged blackbird.” Jack started to ask why it is called that – and on cue the bird showed its colors eliciting an ‘OOOOHHHHHH!’
One of the key places for spring migration on the big year circuit is Magee Marsh in northern Ohio. I got the chance to visit there last week and will show some offseason pictures from the area next week.
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Green Herons
Green Herons (2) in willow tree – can you see them?
By: Pat Coate
While visiting my father-in-law in Virginia we saw a family of green herons in the willow tree near his pond. The sequence of three pictures shown here move from distant to close-ups. The close-up photos are of an immature green heron, identified as such by the streaking on its neck.
Chautauqua Institution
Today I have the privilege to speak at the Chautauqua Institution http://www.ciweb.org/ for the Bird, Tree and Garden Club. Should be a good time!!
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Eastern Phoebe
Eastern Phoebe adult with food for recent hatchling
By: Pat Coate
We had another pair of Eastern Phoebes nesting on the porch. It’s always fun (and tiring) to watch the parents in action as they dutifully provide seemingly non-stop feeding. One of the parents, presumably the male, just flies right up to the nest with food; while the other, presumably female, approaches much more cautiously.
Community
By: Pat Coate
My younger brother Tom (Andy, do you believe everything you read on the internet?) took this lovely silhouette picture in downtown Richmond. I appreciate his loyal reading of and contribution to the blog.
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Red-spotted Newt
Red-spotted Newt (red eft stage)
By: Pat Coate
While hiking at Allegany State Park, I came across two Red-spotted Newts. These salamanders go through three stages: 1) aquatic larval stage that is tadpole-like and body color is greenish yellow, 2) sub-adult, land-dwelling ‘red eft’ (there is a Scrabble word for you Kathy!) stage where round red spots with black borders develop and body becomes reddish orange or sometimes brown, and 3) aquatic adult stage where body turns olive-brownish and tail becomes rudder like. All the photos here are of the second, or red eft, stage.
Oatka Creek
Indigo Bunting
By: Pat Coate
Visited Oatka Creek with a fellow birder and blogger on July 3rd and returned on July 6th while I was up in the Rochester area. Many thanks to Jim for the guided tour, it is a great park with good habitat diversity. See Jim’s blog at http://ayearinoatka.blogspot.com.
Raccoon
Raccoon
By: Pat Coate
Had a recent and somewhat rare daytime encounter with this raccoon. The name raccoon has Native American roots and, per Wikipedia, means “one who rubs, scrubs and scratches with its hands”.
Female Gypsy Moth laying eggs
Been seeing lots of Gypsy Moths here in Allegany State Park. The females are the white moths and males are the brown ones (no males in the photos). I am not sure what those eggs are on the right of the Gypsy Moth egg-mass.
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Wood Warblers
Mourning Warbler (male)
By: Pat Coate
A friend in Allegany has a wonderful farm and foothill property with a beautiful hiking loop through many habitats including corn fields, meadows, woods and pasture -a birders paradise. On a recent hike I came across two warblers I don’t often see – Mourning and Hooded Warblers, and both were obviously breeding in the area.
Savannah Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
By: Pat Coate
Love the thistle – was fun to try to get this guy with such a beautiful backdrop. Taken at Piney Tract in Pennsylvania.
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4th of July healthy little snack
How to make your Red White and Blue 4th of July healthy little snack!!
-Small Flag
-Blue Berry
-Red Raspberry
-Jell-o No Bake Cheesecake with grand-cracker crust
-mini baking cups
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Fused Feathers on the Waxwing
Going through some older photos and we have been banding lots of Waxwings lately. You just have to love the fused feathers at the tips of the wings making it look wax like! . . . . IDK, this picture just makes me smile.
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My Nemesis Bird – Finally Got It
Belted Kingfisher (female)
By: Pat Coate
Taking a break from the Roger Tory Peterson Festival this week to gloat over finally capturing a decent photo of a belted kingfisher. This is one of several nemesis birds – ones that I see fairly frequently but ones that prove quite uncooperative when I reach for the camera.
My typical encounter with these birds is that I hear one as it flies away from me up river. I might catch another glimpse further along as it flies further up river or crosses the river rattling away. I’ve managed a few photos but most were quickly deleted.
Clay-colored Sparrow
Clay-colored Sparrow
By: Pat Coate
These photos are also from Piney Tract (aka Mt. Zion Grasslands), near Sligo, PA. Piney Tract is a reclaimed strip mine that is now an Important Birding Area. The clay-colored sparrows we saw there were life birds for me.
On the drive down I was lucky to sit next to Robert Bochenek. He shared aspects of his very interesting career and life story, as well as many of the pictures he took throughout the Roger Tory Peterson Festival. I have included a picture he took of a clay-colored sparrow and will be sharing more over the next several weeks.
Henslow’s Sparrow
Henslow’s Sparrow
By: Pat Coate
The Roger Tory Peterson Birding Festival was held this past Friday and Saturday in and around Jamestown, NY. On Friday I joined about 15 others and we loaded up the Jamestown Audubon van, picked up a few more along the way and headed down to Piney Tract (aka Mt. Zion Grasslands), near Sligo, PA. Piney Tract is a reclaimed strip mine that is now an Important Birding Area and contains mostly grasslands habitat. The target birds were grassland sparrows – Henslow’s, Grasshopper and Clay-colored. We were 3 for 3 and all were life birds for me!
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Indigo Bunting
Indigo Bunting
By: Pat Coate
Happy to be heading to the birding festival sponsored by the Roger Tory Peterson Institute this weekend. Hope to see (and get a better picture of) Indigo Buntings, warblers, grassland sparrows and lots more.
Greg Miller of “The Big Year” fame will be speaking and co-leading one of the field trips. Should be a lots of fun.
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Red-winged Blackbirds
Red-winged Blackbird (male)
By: Pat Coate
We recently visited our daughter in Milwaukee and made a stop Bong Recreation Area in southeast Wisconsin on the way out. Bong Recreation Area bills itself as a ‘prairie pothole’. It contains grasslands as well as many shallow wetlands, or potholes. The prairie pothole region of the northern Great Plains is important for migratory waterfowl. As a side note, we learned that, for obvious reasons, signs for Bong Recreation Area are often stolen.
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Happy Memorial Weekend
Everyone have a safe and wonderful Memorial Weekend.
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California Birders
Just had the opportunity to meet two great birders from California who were photographing east coast birds here in Allegany State Park. They had just got done photographing a Chestnut-sided Warbler and commenting on the great birds we had! It was nice meeting you guys and hope you come back to Allegany!!!
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Mon@rch's Nature Blog 