Prothonotary Warbler (male)
By: Pat Coate
Made a short stop at Magee Marsh on the way to Milwaukee last weekend and, though it was past peak, I saw about eight warbler species including a nesting pair of prothonotary warblers.
Latest
Prothonotary Warblers
Dancing Sandhill Cranes
Bow to your partner..
By: Pat Coate
I had the wonderful experience of watching two sandhill cranes “dancing” earlier this month. I saw them in a field in Ontario and they couldn’t have cared less that I was there. The dance was so much fun to see – full of bowing, leaping, running.
Peek-a-boo and Warblers 2
Northern Parula
By: Pat Coate
Happily a recent trip to Allegany State Park yielded a warbler that I don’t often see – a Northern Parula. It, along with several other birds, seemed to be playing peek-a-boo with me while working its way through this beautiful flowering tree. Some field marks for the Northern Parula visible to varying degrees in the photo include white crescents around the eyes, white wing bars (2), yellow neck and chest with a reddish bar across the chest, and grey-blue head and wings.
Spring Warblers
Prairie Warbler
By: Pat Coate
Great time of year for birding. Lots of warblers are moving through the area. Nine species so far, hoping to add some more this week.
Tree Swallows
Tree Swallow
By: Pat Coate
Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s AllAboutBirds.com gives a good description of tree swallows and their typical behavior, which I have observed often:
“Handsome aerialists with deep-blue iridescent backs and clean white fronts, Tree Swallows are a familiar sight in summer fields and wetlands across northern North America. They chase after flying insects with acrobatic twists and turns, their steely blue-green feathers flashing in the sunlight.”
But recently I watched about twenty tree swallows repeatedly fly along a small stream and seemingly dip down to the water. I figured they were feeding on insects, but this next photo made me wonder if they might instead be getting a drink.
Osprey Back and Building (again)
Osprey
By: Pat Coate
There are now two ospreys hanging out together on the nesting platforms at the Birch Run DEC ponds. I presume one is male and the other female. However, I did not see the “dark necklace” that usually identifies the female on either bird. They have been busy adding new sticks to the nest.
Waterfowl 1 – Northern Shovelers
Male Northern Shoveler
By: Pat Coate
This has been a very good spring for waterfowl. There has been good quality and quantity locally as well as in birding spots near Buffalo and Rochester. The pictures shown here were taken at Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge and Montezuma Wildlife Refuge.
The Northern Shoveler is easy to identify due to its large, spoon-shaped bill. Its bill has over 100 small, comb-like structures that are used as a sieve to filter small invertebrates from the water. Marshes are its preferred habitat.
Elk of the Pennsylvania Wilds – Part 2
Pennsylvania Elk
By: Pat Coate
Here are a few more pictures taken in the Benezette area of the Pennsylvania Wilds, which is considered the heart of Pennsylvania’s elk country. Between a trip in mid-March and one this past weekend I ran into two herds totaling over 50 elk. One herd seemed very acclimated to people as the elk were grazing right on the lawns in the village, while the other herd was south of town in a more “wild” setting.
Eastern Phoebe
You know its spring when you have 68F degree temperatures and your nesting Eastern Phoebe returns to your barn!!!
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