Day 124 - May 4, 2012 - PART 2

What an evening last night (writing this on Saturday).  I am helping to collect data on CHIMNEY SWIFTS and last night was my first night for collecting data.

From 7:38 pm until 8:27 pm, I (with the help of another birder) counted 50 chimney swifts going into the chimney at Mitchell School here ein Woodbury.  I am hoping to get some pictures when I can.

Chimney swifts use chimneys at night to sleep.  For more information go to www.ct.gov/deep/wildlife

DATA:  7:38-8:27pm; 72F; mostly cloudy; slight

59)  Chimney Swift

Day 124 - May 4, 2012

Not the best picture :-(

I stopped at Upper Grassy and Good Hill Roads on my way home from work today to see if the BOBOLINKS  have arrived - and they did!


I saw 6 male bobolinks and saw their gold head feathers very nicely.  Their backs weren't totally white but in a few days, I am sure they will be which gives bobolinks the look of "wearing their tuxedos backwards".

I hope the pictures I took came out ok and, if so, I will add a few tomorrow to this post.

Not too good either  :-(

DATA:  3:50-4:00pm; 73F; mostly cloudy; slight

58)  Bobolink

Day 123 - May 2, 2012

Wow - what a day!  I left school and after having a hot chocolate sundae with everything at the Dairy Delite here in Woodbury, I went up to Trolley Bed Road. The only drawback was that when I spotted that male yellow warbler, my camera was in the car.  When I went back for the camera, the warbler was gone.  But tomorrow is another day!

I then went up to Logue's Farm where there was a report last week of a glossy ibis that was 'here today and gone tomorrow'.  But one never knows.  When I got to the pond on McVeigh Road, I scanned the pond with my binocs and saw lots of male wood ducks but then I saw a sandpiper!  So, to the car I went to get the spotting scope and tripod - I learned from that sandpiper on Trolly Bed Road to bring the scope with me - got the scope onto the tripod and started to observe the sandpiper.  It was dark on its back, white underneath, had dark legs, and an white eye ring - a SOLITARY SANDPIPER!  As I observed the sandpiper, a killdeer flew in so I watched the killdeer for a while through the scope.  And I counted 9 male wood ducks and 2 female wood ducks.

When I got home, I was bringing my laptop to our 'great room' where I work at home and saw a female ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK at the hopper feeder. 

Then as I started the grill, I heard a CATBIRD and when I went back into the great room, a male RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD was at the hummingbird feeder! 

SPRING IS HERE!  What a day!

DATA:  4:50-5:03pm; 56F; overcast; calm  for Logue's Farm
            5:59 pm for grosbeak;  6:03pm for catbird;  6:04 for hummingbird

54)  Solitary Sandpiper
55)  Rose-Breasted grosbeak - female
56)  Catbird
57)  Ruby-Throated Hummingbird - male

Day 122 - May 1, 2012

Decided to go to Good Hill Road/Upper Grassy Hill Road area to see if the bobolinks have arrived.  Well, they didn't but it is still early.  But it was not a lost.

 While checking out the shrubs that are on Grassy Hill Road, I saw an LBJ - 'Little Brown Job' - otherwise known as a sparrow.  I followed the sparrow and saw it landed on some rocks.  Through the binocs I saw that it was a Savannah Sparrow which I saw back in January.  So even though I have already seen them, I was able to get a few pictures of them this time.

Day 121 - April 30, 2012

Had some time today so I went over to Trolley Bed Road (which is becoming a favorite spot for me) to see what, if anything, has arrived - I'm still 'smarting' from not having my scope that day when the sandpiper was there.)

Although nothing was new in the pond, I did walked up and down Trolley Bed Road from Old Sherman Road to Route 64.  On my way back to the car, I did see a flash of yellow in the brush.  Looking at it a little longer, I saw that it was a small all yellow bird with red on it's breast - a YELLOW WARBLER!

That was all that was new for the day.

DATA:  3:05-3:40pm; 68F; mostly clear; slight breeze

53)  Yellow Warbler

Day 120 - April 29, 2012 - PART 3

Jack-in-the-Pulpit

Jack-in-the-Pulpit

After leaving Whittemore, I figured I would try Trolly Bed Road one more time.  I did see a great blue heron and kingfisher besides the usuals - grackles and red-winged blackbirds.  So I decided to walk that trail to the Woodbury Reservoir.

Well, the reservoir does not look like the reservoirs I have seen such as the Hemlock and Aspetuck in the Fairfield-Easton-Monroe area.  I have no idea what the Woodbury reservoir was used as a water source but I will search for info when I have time.

Trillium

I ddi not see anything new but did see/hear:  yellow-rumped warbler, hairy and red-bellied woodpeckers, 2 kingfishers, male and female wood ducks, and chickadees.

So, overall, it was a good day of birding.  I have also added some plant pictures from Whittemore here.

DATA: WHITTEMORE:  9:10-12:40pm; 48F-58F; clear; slight

           RESERVOIR AREA: 12:45-2:10pm; 58F; clear; slight

BIRDS:  48)  Pileated Woodpecker
              49)  Eastern Towhee
              50)  Hermit Thrush
              51)  Common Yellowthroat
              52)  Ruby-Crowned Kinglet

Day 120 - April 29, 2012 - PART 2

After my stop at Trolley Bed Road, it was off to the Whittemore Sanctuary.  However, this time I took a few different trails instead of just the White Trail - I took the White to Red to White to Yellow to Blue.

Old Holes

Close-Up

As I left the Red Trail and go onto the White Trail, I noticed a tree with large holes in it made by a woodpecker.  These holes went into the center of the tree!  Smaller woodpeckers - downy and hairy - usually just chip off pieces of bark to get to insects that are under the bark but Pileated Woodpeckers dig deep into the tree to get to the ant colony, or some other insect colony, that inhabit the inner portion of the tree.  As I looked at the side of the tree facing me, I could tell the holes were old since the wood had developed a weathered appearance.  But as I walked past the tree, I noticed fresher 'drill' holes.

Newer  Holes

 As I continued on my way, I heard the LOUD 'hammering' of a woodpecker but ut wasn't enough information to make an identification - even though there were those big holes.  I did not hear much again for awhile.  Then all of a sudden, I heard this loud, wild sound - like a car engine trying to turn over but just couldn't.  It started out loud then got quieter as it went on for what seemed to be 10 seconds - KUK KUK KUK kuk kuk kuk kuk kuk kuk - PILEATED WOODPECKER! (bird #48).

I continued my walk without expecting to see too much.  Not sure why I thought that other than perhaps that it was chilly that morning and I figured most birds would not be out much since the chilled air might keep the insects from being out.  Boy, was I wrong!

Towhee

 First, I saw an EASTERN TOWHEE (#49) hopping here and there on a shrub.  Then a little later, 2 HERMIT THRUSHES (#50) came close to the trail.  Hermit  Thrushes can be told from their more musical cousins the Wood Thrushes by where there is red/rufous on the bird.  The hermiT thrush has the color on its Tail and the wooD thrush has the color on its heaD.

Towhee

I ended my walk by taking the Blue Trail that went past a large pond.  There I saw Canada geese, male and female wood ducks, 2 red-shouldered hawks that flew overhead, red-bellied woodpecker, red-winged blackbirds, and grackles.  I also checked out the area that is below a beaver dam, I am assuming since it was all made of sticks.

Hermit Thrush

In one of the trees near the pond, I followed a quick moving dull bird which had a dull green/yellow head and neck area - definitely not bright yellow like a goldfinch.  This bird was going after insects like crazy which made it difficulty to keep it in the binocs.  After consulting a few books, I determined it was a female COMMON YELLOWTHROAT (#51).  It moved so much (like most warblers do), that I could not get a picture of it.

Hermit Thrush

In a couple of trees over from where the common yellowthroat was, I found a RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET (#52) - a small roundish nondescript bird unless you're lucky enough to see its reddish stripe on its head.