Swamp Sparrow at Wooton Wetlands Preserve

Posted on October 19, 2013 by Hugh

A slightly cloudy, unseasonably warm morning convinced me to try Wooton again, and I arrived shortly after sunrise. Yellow Rumps are still present, but wading birds are missing. I spent quite a bit of time tracking sparrows, then went to Sands Road in hopes of better subjects. My luck wasn’t much better, and the bug hunt was nearly fruitless.

Swamp Sparrows aren’t easy to photograph. They are often quite shy.

Bluebirds are plentiful at both Sands Road and Wooton.

Downy Woodpeckers are usually not camera shy.

This Flycatcher may head South soon.

I heard this distant Red Shouldered Hawk screaming long before I saw him.

Savannah Sparrows are easily found at Sands Road.

Today’s Bugs.

Ruby Crowned Kinglet at Governor Bridge Natural Area

Posted on October 18, 2013 by Hugh

After a couple of mediocre days I decided to try my luck elsewhere, and did somewhat better, but the migrating birds are harder to find now. Several circuits of the area only turned up the ubiquitous Yellow Rumps, and not much else.
Bugs are harder to find as well.

This Eastern Towhee didn’t give me a good look.

Northern Flickers are appearing in flocks of 2-5.

Ruby Crowned Kinglets are fast and numerous.

Yellow Rumped Warblers are still moving in big flocks.

Blue Jays are migrating also, but many will stay for the Winter.

Cedar Waxwing. Another re-edit.

Today’s Bugs.

More bugs than Birds in Harwood

Posted on October 17, 2013 by Hugh

It’s been a disappointing couple of days as the warm weather continues. What’s up with 70 degrees in the middle of October?
In any event, I’m not finding any new birds or insects despite searching, so I’m just posting what I found without further ado.

This Prothonotary Warbler is a re-edit.

Today’s bugs.

This may be the brain of an invading alien species.

Palm Warbler at Sands Road Park

Posted on October 15, 2013 by Hugh

With good weather promised, I decided to repeat yesterday’s route, and I’m glad I did. Wooton was gray and gloomy, but cleared after an hour or so. I sorted through dozens of Yellow Rumps, but didn’t find anything interesting.
I then headed for Sands Road, where things picked up immediately. I basically stayed in one small area for an hour or so of excellent birding.
I did a quick bug check without finding anything new.

This Sharp-Shinned Hawk was looking for an easy meal at Wooton.

This American Redstart is a re-edit.

I was lucky to get this close to a Yellow Bellied Sapsucker.

This Yellow Rumped Warbler was captured in the early fog.

I’m not really a Sparrow guy, but they have their own appeal, like this Savannah Sparrow.

This Ruby Throated Hummingbird is another re-edit.

If you go to Sands Road, just set up here, next to the parking lot.

You can find Ruby Crowned Kinglets just about anywhere you look.

This Fall Goldfinch was a nice surprise.

This Flycatcher flew into a nearby tree and posed for a while.

Prairie Warbler – another re-edit.

There are many Palm Warblers at Sands Road.

Bluebirds hang out near the parking lot.

This Northern Flicker was also shot in the fog.

Today’s Bugs and a couple of webs.

Red Bellied Woodpecker at Wooton’s Landing

Posted on October 14, 2013 by Hugh

Today’s weather was a big improvement even if the variety of birds wasn’t as good. I spent an hour or so at Wooton before heading to Sands Road, which wasn’t as good either. I did find a few bugs, however.

This is a Savannah Sparrow.

Yellow Rumped Warblers are still the dominant bird.

Ruby Crowned Kinglets move very quickly.

This appears to be a Cooper’s Hawk.

This Red Bellied Woodpecker has a real mouthful.

Bluebirds have become easier to find.

Today’s Bugs.

Palm Warbler and More at Sands Road Park

Posted on October 13, 2013 by Hugh

It was the kind of gray and threatening day that a smart person would stay home, but I was jonesing for my bird fix, so I headed out early to Wooton and Sands Road.
I made a quick stop at Sands Road, where it was too dark, then headed to Wooton, where I ran into Dan Haas, birder extraordinaire. Among other things, he showed me the difference between a Snowy Egret and a Little Blue Heron, so I got a life bird out of the deal.
After a productive couple of hours, we headed fro Sands Road, which is right down the road, and Dan showed me the best places to find birds in this park which I have only visited a a couple of times.
We did very well, but the lousy light produced only second rate photos. I’ll go back soon under better conditions.

I haven’t seen many American Kestrels, so these birds were a nice find.

Yellow Rumped Warblers were present in large numbers at both locations.

Swamp Sparrows are another bird I haven’t seen often but they were plentiful at Sands Road.

Ruby Crowned Kinglets will be plentiful for a while longer.

I saw a lot of Palm Warblers last year, but this is my first this Fall.

I wish these were better images, but I really like Northern Harriers, so here they are.

This Northern Flicker flew into a tree quite near us.

This Chickadee was foraging with the Yellow Rumps.

This Blue Headed Vireo was mixed in with the huge flock of Yellow Rumps, so I was lucky to find him.

This Eastern Towhee is an old image I’ve re-edited.

Golden Crowned Kinglet at Wooton Wetlands Preserve

Posted on October 9, 2013 by Hugh

It was a dark and stormy morning. Well, not quite, but clouds and wind prevailed. There were some good reports from Wooton yesterday, and I had a brief appointment this morning, so I decided to give it a try.
There was quite a bit of activity, especially among small birds, and it turned out to be a worthwhile trip.
It was much too windy to get any good bug pics, but I gave it a try.

Bluebirds are year ’round residents at Wooton.

The Black and White Warbler and this Yellow Billed Cuckoo are old shots I’ve re-worked.

The Yellow Rumped Warbler will soon be the only warbler we see ’til Spring.

This Tennessee Warbler is a late migrant.

Snowy Egrets will be common for a while. Edit: This is a Little Blue Heron, first I’ve ever seen.

This is the first Golden Crowned Kinglet I’ve seen since Spring.

Downy Woodpeckers are a little easier to find when the leaves have fallen.

This distant bird is probably a female Cooper’s Hawk.

Today’s Bugs.

White Throated Sparrow at Governor Bridge Natural Area

Posted on October 8, 2013 by Hugh

There was some talk that we might see more migrants after yesterday’s weather, but Governor Bridge was very slow today. What birds I did find were well into the trees, and difficult to photograph.
Bugs are starting to hide for the Winter.

This Eastern Phoebe was flycatching from a large tree.

Ruby Crowned Kinglets continue to pass through.

This is my first White Throated Sparrow of the season.

This Tufted Titmouse greeted me early today.

Yellow Rumped Warblers are migrating in large numbers, and many will stay for awhile.

Today’s Bugs.

Bald Eagle at Governor Bridge Natural Center

Posted on October 6, 2013 by Hugh

Another October Summer day brought in a few migrants and my first good look at an eagle in quite some time. Governor Bridge was very busy with birders, and I suspect most saw some good birds.
I’ve been working on my bug photo technique, and got some better results.

This Bald Eagle was the first good bird I saw this morning. A most welcome sight.

Yellow Rumped Warblers are here to stay for a while.

White-Eyed-Vireos will soon be headed South.

I don’t have an ID for this Flycatcher yet.Edit:Eastern Phoebe

It’s been a while since I’ve seen an Eastern Towhee at Governor Bridge.

Yellow Bellied Sapsuckers are migrating through our area now.

Downy Woodpeckers are permanent residents.

Today’s Bugs.

Yellow Rumped Warbler at Governor Bridge Natural Area

Posted on October 5, 2013 by Hugh

Graeme joined me for another successful day at Governor Bridge. The warblers didn’t come in close, but I waded into the bushes and found a few, including my first Yellow Rump of the season.
We looked long and hard for new bugs.