Colorful July Day

This Sunday at the park was a fantastic day for birds. I always think of August as a slow time for birdwatching at PLP so today being the 27th of July, it could be one of the last good days of the summer. Among the many birds I spotted today were Great-crested Flycatcher, Red-eyed Vireo, American Goldfinch, Gray Catbird, Song Sparrow, Northern Cardinal, Indigo Bunting, House Sparrow, Baltimore Oriole, and Red-winged Blackbird. But one bird I really got a good long look at was this talkative House Wren. I could hear two of them chattering back and forth at each other in the low brush to my right. I focused on an open spot where I could get a clear view and sure enough one of them jumped right into my view. The other one flew off but this one stayed around for a few minutes posing and chattering loudly at me. Wrens are neat little birds with a lot of attitude and of course they don't stay put for very long so it is a fun challenge to photograph them. I was super happy to get a photo of the one in mid-chatter with his bill wide open. I have found that Wrens are eager to respond to a recorded call of their chattering sound. There's a lot of quick noise in that call and I wonder what on earth they are saying in such quick bursts. The remaining Wren hopped back down into the brush but popped out for a second to check me out. Out in the baseball fields on the east side of the park were a pair of Killdeer. I've tried in the past to get closer to these guys and they usually bump and fly away very easily. But with my new lens giving me more reach I was finally able to capture a better shot of one today. Killdeer are considered a member of the "shorebird' family and you can see why by the length of their legs. They would allow them to easily walk through flooded and muddy areas while searching for food. Killdeer also make such an interesting and unmistakeable noise –the noise for which they are named, sounding like "kill deeeer, kill deeeer." Along my hike today there was no shortage of Butterflies and insects. I spotted a number of different Dragonflies, Monarchs and even a Black Swallowtail butterfly. A number of the Monarchs I saw were landing on the hot pink colored Swamp Milkweed plants, making for great photo opportunities. I took dozens and dozens of shots but it was worth it to get just this one gorgeous image. I may indeed get this one framed later on. A very enjoyable visit!

A Rainy First Week of October

Well today is Saturday and it's been raining almost continuously since Thursday evening. And when it's not raining, it looks like it might start again at any moment. So when I arrived at the park this morning I had my rain jacket on just in case. It was quite overcast and dreary but at the time I didn't realize it would be the nicest part of the day! I was pleasantly surprised to see so many birds today and I had a few close encounters that resulted in some neat photos. Some of the more memorable sights of the day included Ruby-Crowned Kinglet, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Hairy Woodpecker, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker, Song Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Tree Sparrow, Eastern Phoebe, Northern Cardinal, House Wren, Common Yellowthroat, Eastern Bluebird, and an Ovenbird! I was bummed that I didn't get any photos of the Ovenbird worth posting here, though I sat and waited patiently for quite a while hoping to see him again. It is only maybe the 2nd time I've seen one in the fall as opposed to in the spring. I had no problem getting this first bird here, a House Wren. There were a pair of them together in a shrub with little to no leaves. When I went in closer to see them they seemed to become interested in me and came right out to the edges in plain sight. I've had similar instances with Wrens and I'm realizing that they must be one of the most curious of all birds I've encountered. There were other small birds in the very same shrub and a flash of yellow caught my eye only seconds after snapping the Wren photo. Here was a Common Yellowthroat also very close and unobstructed and I was lucky enough to catch just this one shot. It is un-mistakenly a male as indicated by the black mask, but both his black mask and white stripe above it are faded considerably. I've not had an opportunity to see one this closely so late in the season before so that was kind of a treat. My favorite sighting of the day however was still to come and I barely noticed it just 30 seconds before I had decided to get back in my vehicle. On the east side right near the parking lot I spotted a flash of bright blue on the ground and noticed not one but two brightly colored male Bluebirds! They were drinking from a small puddle that collected in a low spot from all of our recent rain. I decided to sit down on the ground but of course I scared them off quickly. But they didn't go far, only straight up into the trees above me. After sitting here for only just a few moments I became aware of just how many Bluebirds –and other sparrows– that were taking a liking to this area. I bet there were at least 6 male Bluebirds around. I didn't notice any females but I'm guessing they were also around somewhere. As I watched the little puddle in front of me, another larger puddle off to my left became the new gathering place. Both Tree Sparrows and Bluebirds would wade in and take a bath, shaking vigorously and splashing everywhere. It was quite fun to watch as I've never seen a Bluebird bathing before. I took lots of photos on continuous mode hoping to catch a neat splashing shot. I did get some but there was more splash than bird in most of the photos. It was one of my favorite Bluebird encounters to date!

Neat Little Birds

I've been slacking about getting out to the park in the morning like I used to and this Saturday it was after 10am by the time I arrived. But the late start didn't impede my success in locating some very interesting birds today. Over the wood chip trail on the southwest side I spotted a small little bird hopping about in the treetops very high above me. You could tell that it was gleaning insects off of the leaves and this helped me realize that it was a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. In addition it was in almost the exact same area I'd first spotted one earlier this year. These are quite beautiful birds that have quite an intense blue coloring on their top but the problem is that it's difficult to see them low enough to the ground. Like before this one was so high up that most of my photos were practically from underneath him. Another bird I've not seen for some time presented itself to me on the north side just long enough to realize that it was a Wren. It quickly darted back into the thick Buckthorn but after waiting just a few minutes he made another appearance. By this time I'd gone in much closer to where I'd hoped I might get a better photo and as luck would have it, he popped out right in front of my camera. I love seeing Wrens as they can be a bit secretive. When I am able to see them I'm always amazed at how detailed their wings and tail are, with banding so tight together that they almost look speckled. I guess I was on a roll today with smaller birds as I again spotted a male Indigo Bunting later. He was in the very same area as before and again flying back and forth over the paved trail. These brilliantly blue colored birds are also tough to photograph as they prefer the treetops and never seem to come down to meet you. I followed him back and forth for a long while hoping he might at some point choose a lower perch. To my surprise he later landed right near me only about 8 feet up but when I raised my camera he took off a little higher. This was my best chance at a photo and though it is quite cropped in, at least you can see how bright blue he is.

A New Month

Well my "Big Month" of May is officially over now and today is the first day of June. June is also a great time of year to see some neat birds in the park and today was no exception. Among other birds today I spotted a Great Blue Heron, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Yellow Warbler, my first Hummingbird of the year, and even a Turkey Vulture! Off the wood chip trail on the southwest side I spotted a small drab colored bird hopping around quickly in a pile of dead branches. Since I couldn't quickly identify it I watched for a while until I could see it out in the open and realized it was a Wren. I had a heck of a time getting a decent photo as he just wouldn't stay put for more than a brief second or so. I've seen a few earlier in the season when there was much less foliage for them to hide. I know there are different types of Wrens but going strictly by the time of year I saw this one I'm guessing it is a House Wren. The next item I really want to share on my blog here is not a bird but a plant that I've become very familiar with over the past few years. This is a Jack-in-the-Pulpit I also spotted along the same wood chip trail but nearer the end where it meets back up with the paved path on the west side. I don't claim to know much about them yet, other than what they look like with big, broad, dark green leaves that look like they would fit right into the Amazon jungle or something. And then there's the flower portion which is a very unique looking growth that includes a "hood" that folds over the top. They are fairly common in the park this time of year. and this particular one was quite large making it easy to spot growing only a few feet off the trail. Later near the baseball diamonds on the west side I spotted a male Bluebird perched on the chain link fencing. I kept sneaking in closer and closer for a better photo but every time I would scare him off into the neighboring treeline. Eventually he would come back though onto the fence but never in the same place. Finally I just walked along the treeline and was able to get close enough for a good photo. Bluebirds have just not been as plentiful in the park as in past years and this year it is quite a treat just to see one. A short time later on the north side I had another good photo opportunity, this time of a Common Yellowthroat in some thick Buckthorn trees. Luckily he perched out near the edge in a more open space. Come late June and July the Common Yellowthroat can be heard singing constantly in the park. They have a very easy to recognize and remember "whichety–whichety–wichety" song that I often try to imitate poorly! Click here to listen to it for yourself.

Little Birds and Big Deer

When I arrived at the park this Saturday morning I parked on the south side just to be different. I started my usual clockwise route but noticed a very small little bird hoping around near the ground by the small pond just off the parking lot. The lighting wasn't that great and so all I could make out at first was the silhouette. Though I'm not yet that familiar with them I began to recognize it as a Wren. Wrens don't seem like a common species in this park -to me anyway- as I'd only captured my first photo of one earlier this summer. Surprisingly I was able to inch my way closer and bend on one knee to get a better view without scaring it off. It scurried around quickly from one small log to the next, picking at various things near the surface of the water. I thought I'd never get this close to one again and so I snapped a vast amount of photos, hoping I'd eventually get something worthwhile. It was awesome to watch one this close up and get to see some of the tiny intricate patterning that makes them almost invisible against tree bark and natural textures. I'm not very sure but I would assume the species is a common House Wren. On the north side I was focusing on some more birds when something much bigger caught my eye. Against the tall cattails stood an enormous Buck with an 8-point rack. I'd barely noticed him and I'm sure he noticed me first. Even when it was clear to him that I'd spotted him, he stood as still as a statue not moving an inch. I took a few photos of him with different settings and he still never moved. I didn't noticed any Does around and so it looked as though he was alone. Looks like there will be another set of antlers to be on the lookout for come next spring! Earlier in my walk I'd spotted a few Ruby-crowned Kinglets but was unable to get a decent photo. This species is probably THE toughest to get good photos of as they seriously are changing positions approximately every one second. Most times about all you can do is to point and click wildly over and over trying to keep up with them and then hope somehow you managed to get one in the frame! Kinglets are becoming quite familiar to me now and I know a few things to look for -aside from their characteristically energetic behavior. They can be strikingly olive-green in color, have very obvious wing bars and eye-rings, but most of all it's the time of year that helps me realize what I'm seeing is a Ruby-crowned Kinglet. They are active and easy to see in early spring but disappear for most of the summer and now again are quite common in the fall. I would say there are more of them at the park in the fall than in spring but that's just my observation. I was pleased to realize after looking at this photo closer that I'd captured a male -as evident by the tiny bright red patch on the very top of his head.