Sapsucker Woods, Report 6-2018

A dense tree cover. The phone camera makes the lighting brighter than it actually was. © S.G.Hansen

The morning was cool and sunny and clear. Young robins foraged around the small lawn medians at the parking lot. A few Red-winged Blackbirds sang among the reeds. A small crowd of immature European Starlings raucously gurgled around the feeder station. A young Red-bellied Woodpecker sounded high-pitched “querr”s.

I started a little bit earlier today, just before 8. Again, late. The beginning was a little bit quieter than last month’s. We are full in breeding season. The migrants headed for Canada have passed, but the summer birds that do stick around are having their second or thirds broods. I expected some song, plus fledglings and juveniles.

The canopy and mid-story were substantially more dense, darkening the air. The squirrels had decreased in number, but the chipmunks’ presence possibly doubled. A few minutes in the walk, I realized I forgot to apply bug spray. I unwisely thought I would have no need for it. The mosquitoes harassed my ears along the way (and one black fly towards the end). I ambled slowly throughout the walk, barely stopping for better looks.

At the boardwalk, I saw a family of White-breasted Nuthatches. Two juveniles – they sounded squeaky in comparison to adults – flitted from one tree to another, the feathers on their backs raised, wings poised. One of their parents flew to the same tree, “yank”-ing, noticeably in a deeper timbre.

Far in the woods, a Great Crested Flycatcher called. Prrrrt. Prrrrt. Prrrrt. Half a dozen pewees “pewee”‘d. A couple Red-eyed Vireos sang occasionally. Young woodpeckers continued to call. A Scarlet Tanager – who can be described as a robin sounding hoarse – lilted a broken song. A Veery sang as well. An Ovenbird twittered “teacher, teacher, teacher, teacher, teacher” a couple times. A few titmice and chickadees made their presence known with occasional calling. I’m sure their numbers were far greater than they let on.

A Wood Thrush sang, his steady, melodious trills slightly echoing among the myriad leaves. He sounded as if he were right above the trail. As soon as I rounded the corner, he had stopped. Disappointed I flushed him a way, I continued. Then I saw a flash of fluttering, a fleeting moment of two thrushes fighting. One briefly perched and then flew away. The second starting singing just off the path. The trills began to bounce off the leaves once more.

On the Les and Vail Severinghaus trail, just passed part of the trail that parallels, Salem Drive, I heard bizarre croaking. Walking closer, I discerned the source to be a young Common Raven. Far ahead, in an oak tree, the juvenile – a pitch-black splotch against deep green – begged, wings vibrating. Its parent flew to it. Their bills met. The juvenile uttered shrill gurgled croaks – too abstract for words, truly – as it swallowed whatever it was fed.

Three crows cawed. A Cooper’s Hawk called. Kek-kek-kek-kek-kek-kek-kek. The adult raven moved inward as its offspring flew to the trees closer to the Salem Drive apartments. The crows began to mob it, cawing, diving. The Cooper’s hawk called again. I presumed that the raven had flown in to drive the accipiter away, but the crows got another idea. I walked further down the winding path, above which the raven was perched. I unintentionally deterred the crows away. The Cooper’s called once more and zipped through the trees. The raven kept to the same perch, un-moving except to swivel its head around to study me.

eBird lists ravens as uncommon to Sapsucker Woods. I thought the fact interesting considering they clearly bred here this year.

Farther ahead, off the path, a Wood Thrush scavenged the forest floor. For nesting material, I thought. A moment later, a look through the binoculars revealed it carrying a worm in its bill. Its back and head were colored quite a reddish brown.

At the Wilson Trail junction by the pond, a Yellow Warbler and Common Yellowthroat sang. Two Mallards took off to head to the other side. I spied no herons.

More along with Wilson Trail, a House Wren warbled by the nesting box next to the stream. Activity zeroed to no new birds following my crossing the bridge. A second Yellow Warbler sang. The sixth Song Sparrow of the sang trilled. More Red-winged Blackbirds, Common Grackles, and American Goldfinches sang and called and flew high above.

I returned to the front parking lot. On a lone electricity pole, beyond the back parking lot, a Common Raven croaked, its beard fluffing magnificently.

eBird list located here.

Sapsucker Woods, Report 5-2018

The view from the boardwalk on Timmy’s Walk. © S.G.Hansen

Winter gray dulls. Spring gray augments the already vivid green of full-grown vegetation.

Rain had fallen copiously yesterday. The day started off cool. The forecast reported sun to shine later that morning, but the cloud cover appeared persistent. Sapsucker Woods feels open in the winter; in the spring, closed. One never knows how close trees are to one another until the green grows heavy. The American Beech’s copious hand-sized leaves obscured the sky, branches hanging over the trail. I touched the pointed tip of a leaf and barely felt it. Vernal pools of varying sizes had formed. Some spilled over the path, dampening the mulch to mush.

An enclosed portion of Sapsucker Woods. © S.G.Hansen

8:30AM was late. I’d missed who knows what and how many. I’m finding the discipline of getting up before dawn to witness peak spring migration without anyone to meet difficult. Better than 11, I reasoned.

I walked a longer route today. I knew more birds would keep deep in the woods. Starting on the Wilson Trail as usual, I veered onto the Les and Vail Severinghaus loop, continued onto the West trail, and finally merged with the Wilson for the end. Go west.

I always heard a bird sing or call. Even if I didn’t, I wouldn’t have heard silence. Water from tulips and oaks and whatnot incessantly dripped onto beeches beneath and the vernal pools.

Red-eyed and Blue-headed Vireos sang from behind the mid-canopy denseness. I stopped numerous times, listening, waiting for them to keep singing, watching for movement. I never saw one. But they were there. Same for the Veerys and Wood Thrushes.

I didn’t expect to see an Eastern Wood-Pewee. For some reason they are the most ridiculous flycatcher set one’s binocs on despite the fact that they sing every two seconds. It would be the only pewee of the six that I see.

I kept hearing a vociferous, abrasive call from the canopy. The best way to locate a bird in foliage is for it to see it fly away first. It took me another moment to find the bird. It gave me pain worse than warbler neck. I saw it briefly, reddish brown tail fanned and unfanned. Great Crested Flycatcher. I knew it’s weep call well, but forgot about it’s prrrt call. I heard at least another two during the walk.

A Yellow-bellied Sapsucker softly mewed twice. It sounded like he didn’t have to make much territorial effort.

An Ovenbird sang a few times at the Les and Vail Severinghaus and West junction. I was relived. Up until now, I only had four warbler species so far this year: Yellow-rumped, Yellow, Palm, and possibly (by song alone) Nashville. Ovenbird is an excellent staple warbler. Where there’s an Ovenbird, there’s more warblers to follow.

I saw lots of Mayapple. © S.G.Hansen

When I reached the edge of the pond, converging with the Wilson Trail, the clouds parted. The air began to feel warm and humid. A Baltimore Oriole sang such small bits of his song he sounded like a late-fall ghost. A Yellow Warbler flew to a small tree in front of me to forage. I saw his red stripes. I had to sneeze twice. I tend to sneeze when I look up towards the sun. A flash fight among an Eastern Kingbird, a robin, and a blackbird occurred in the reeds across the pond. Once the three seconds were over, they perched near one another, as if watching, waiting.

I heard my first of year House Wren. My neighborhood has all Carolina. I spotted something small and bird dart across the path. I pished. A bird flew up. Wilson’s Warbler! His black cap sharply contrasted against his yellow body.

More of catbirds’ skewered songs…. Cardinals still nested. Another oriole alighted the air with his cut-short song. Not long after, I heard an unfamiliar song. A sweet song. Short, one phrase. Pishing didn’t coax it out. But it showed itself near the path, foraging low in the trees, singing as it moved opposite my path movement. A Maggie. Magnolia Warbler. Number 3 song, according to my Audubon app.

Japanese honeysuckle. Bad. Very bad. © S.G.Hansen

A muskrat dense weirdly close to the path. © S.G.Hansen

I searched the reeds by the pond and those at the Sherwood Observation Platform for Green Heron, rails, and bitterns. A Great Blue Heron is like a penny to me. I didn’t see a Swamp Sparrow like I did last month. At the platform, I heard a Belted Kingfisher rattle a little. I sat on a bench. I’d continuously heard blackbirds and grackles throughout the walk, especially close to the pond. Two grackles mobbed a crow that had no interest in anything but flying to its destination. Two Tree Swallows loudly gurgled as they fought, tightly whirling around each other. I heard the kingfisher again. He was perched on a branch across the pond. Likely, he was aware I was watching him. I’d propped my bins on the railing so my arms wouldn’t shake. I thought I would watch him until he dove away, but minutes passed. He didn’t budge. Occasionally, he bounced up and down, tail sluggishly flicking, beak opening and closing – all at once. He turned his head around to preen his back. (Kingfisher beaks are blacker and longer than I imagined). I sensed I disturbed him.

Back at the parking lot, a Common Yellowthroat sang. I was eased to look at him even for a little bit. “Wichity, wichity” morphed into syllables un-yellowthroat-like. Then I saw my 44th species for the walk: an Eastern Phoebe.

You can view my eBird list here.

Sapsucker Woods, Report 4-2018

We experienced March weather for much of this April. The temperature rarely exceeded 40° at its highest, and a dull overcast ruled the sky, often precipitating cold rain or light snow. The ground remained frozen. Crocuses bloomed late. Tree blossom growth stymied.

Still the birds migrated.

I started full-time for state parks in the beginning of April. Since I worked in maintenance, I was outside. Miserable as it was most of time, working in cold or cold/wet weather, I could witness early migration. An Eastern Phoebe sang around the shop on my first day. Common Loons – donned in full breeding plumage – wailed and yodeled near the waterfront of Cayuga Lake. Common Grackles crackled and flew about everywhere. Robins yeeped and foraged on the lawns. Belted Kingfishers dove for fish at the marina, also where Great Blue Herons hunched. An Osprey struggled against 40 MPH winds to fly north. Dozens of Tree Swallows flycatched on the lake. The same flock of Ruby- and Golden-crowned Kinglets and a lone Brown Creeper hung around the campground for a few days in a row. A small flock of Yellow-rumped Warblers blazed through the small trees by the bathhouse. And I heard my First of Year Chipping Sparrow on the 12th, and my first Field Sparrow on the 20th.

This past weekend, we got spring. The temperature finally exceeded 45°. According to our office manager (I forgot where she pulled the statistic from), this was the first weekend since December 17 that had clear skies both days. The park patrons certainly took advantage.

I planned to visit Sapsucker Woods on my next day off, this Monday. The spring weather continued. Full sun. Blue sky. I didn’t have to layer as much. It took some willpower to not linger by the Lab entrance and feeders – a sparrow corner this morning. Song, white-throated, junco, tree, and 2 fields. Also present were numerous blackbirds, grackles, goldfinches, and house finches. The latter two’s sweet rolling songs filled the air.

I followed my usual route: the Wilson Trail around the pond. In the woods, oaks and other trees had fully developed buds. The old leaves of the beeches shook in the breeze. I disturbed a Rusty Blackbird foraging in the swamp as I ambled on the boardwalk. Farther into the woods, the quiet settled for only a little while. Chipmunks, gray squirrels, and red squirrels scurried in the leaf litter. A small flock of titmice and Golden-crowed Kinglets fluttered by. A Wood Duck briefly called, presumably a flyover. Various woodpecker drums echoed. A female Yellow-bellied Sapsucker cried and immediately flew into view. I watched her climb the trunk, but she flitted away seconds later. I tried to get back on her when a circling Broad-winged Hawk soared into my bins field, banded tail was fully fanned out, reddish tan breast bright in the sunlight. Ecstatic at this surprise First of Year, I held my gaze until it circled north out of view.

A little farther down, I heard strange squealing. On cue, two more sapsuckers appeared, an adult male and an immature. The immature, for whatever reason, wanted to bother the adult, but the latter wanted nothing to do with former and chased the youngin’ away. They disappeared not long after.

As soon as I approached the West Trail junction, I heard a loud mew practically next to my ear. Another adult sapsucker was foraging a few feet away from at eye level. He, too, disappeared shortly, not liking my next-door presence.

At the northwest corner of the pond, a few spring peepers peeped. One more Chipping Sparrow prattled, or perhaps two. Two male cardinals chased after each other. A female chipped nervously, her crest up and tail wagging slowly. Since pines and other evergreens grow here, I kept my ears open for Pine Warbler. Other birders observed them over the weekend. I wasn’t about to make assumptions since I’m still confused about the different between chipping sparrow and pine warbler. I know chipping sparrow, but not the pine warbler so confidently.

I walked to the end of the dock located at the northern side. I’d been hearing Canada Geese for nearly all of my walk so far. I saw not one Mallard or American Black Duck, or even a Hooded Merganser. The Ring-necked Ducks and Common Mergansers sighted over the weekend moved on rather quickly. The pond was still. As I searched for any obscured ducks, I barely caught an Osprey producing a prodigious splash as it successfully snatched a fish. The Osprey flew to a snag by the Lab to eat its brunch.

Continuing on Wilson north, I walked into a burst of Ruby-crowned Kinglets. My tally increased rapidly as they dashed from branch to branch, tree to tree. A Brown-headed Cowbird sang from the canopy. A robin searched for food by the stream. A Cayuga Bird Club member was walking the trail from the other direction. We exchanged our sightings and chatted for a bit. I felt slightly downcast about my Pine Warbler, but I hoped to see the Palm Warbler she had just earlier.

After we parted ways, I went to the Sherwood Observation Platform behind the Lab. Two phoebes flycatched next to the platform. A couple frogs (toads?) sounded from behind the reeds. As I left, I heard an unfamiliar call. I didn’t see the bird that produced that call, but a Swamp Sparrow ventured out (another First of Year) to forage along the pond’s edge, next to the lawn, only about four feet away from me. I watched it for a long moment. I was lucky to get a good look at such a cooperative Swamp and noted its diagnostic marks.

Nearing the front of the Lab and back to where I began, I gave up on my Palm Warbler. I left happy with quite a number of observations: sparrow diversity, a surprise Broad-wing and Osprey, several Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers of various ages and plumage, and a couple movements of Ruby- and Golden-crowned Kinglets. The fact that the weather was finally spring-like helped a little!

You can view my eBird list here.

Sapsucker Woods, Report 3-2018

The snow in the valley of Cayuga Lake basin – where I now live – had mostly melted during the past couple days. “Up the hill,” towards the Lab, several inches of snow still covered the ground. The car thermometer read 16°. Until this week, this month hovered around the thirties. I wasn’t worried this dip would deter early migrants. The sun shined at its fullest this morning, without even a wisp of a cloud to cover any blue.

Nearly at the parking lot, I flushed a few small birds gritting on roadside. I slowed…junco, junco, junco…Fox Sparrow! It perched for a moment to study my car before diving into the bushes. A happy-chance first-of-year! I hadn’t seen one since December.

For this month’s walk, I joined the Cayuga Birding Club, which holds a walk at Sapsucker Woods every Saturday and Sunday at 8:30. I was first to arrive. As I waited at the Lab entrance, I watched and listened to take note of the much activity happening around the feeders. Several dozen Red-winged Blackbirds flocked in the trees above the feeders, singing a continuous chorus of kon-ka-ree’s and calling. The number of Blue Jays kept to the teens. The usual amount of feeder goldfinches sang and per-chick-o-ree’d. American Tree Sparrows, White-throated Sparrows, and Dark-eyed Juncos skulked in the brush and foraged for seeds. Geese honked, chickadees dee-dee’d, downies downied, several crows cawed, cardinals boomed their song, mourning dove wings whistled. I heard a fox sparrow sing – likely the same one from before – from somewhere around the parking lot.

Our guide, Dick Feldman, started the walk with standing by the pond for a good while to allow us to visually sort out the birds. Our group was small, unsurprisingly not exceeding ten. The eight of us looked at the tree sparrows, marked the yellow of the white-throats, observed two downies fighting, and noted the goldfinches’ increasing yellow. A couple Common Grackles (another first-of-year) joined the blackbirds.

A pair of Wood Ducks suddenly took off. I was the only one quick enough to notice and ID them. They must have hidden themselves towards the back of the open water, behind the geese and mallards. (The pond would be completely frozen if it weren’t for the water churner). Mid-March is quite early, especially at this moment because of the cold and snow. Unlike other ducks, they are only here for spring and summer. A third first-of-year for me…

Dick the led us around the building to the northern end of the Wilson Trail. We stopped to watch a half dozen Cedar Waxwings forage for seeds in two tamaracks. The clear morning sun alighted the subtle softness of their gray-yellow-beige gradient and the bright yellow terminal tail band. I’ve only seen in passing twice this year, zooming overhead, faintly crying zee zee zee. This flock stayed put, eating and resting at leisurely. We left them behind to continue our walk.

A movement of many red-winged blackbirds with a few grackles and starlings whirlwinded around us, darting from tree to tree, perching, lifting up. Two blackbirds sticking closely together stuck out to me: Rusty Blackbirds! I presumed them both as male since they were purely black except for some spotty rust patches. Their yellow eyes seemed to stand out more boldly than a grackle’s. Unlike the waxwings, they did not stay put, but they gave us enough time to get our good looks. I recalled the one Rusty frequently sighted at the feeders towards the beginning of the year. It hadn’t been observed for weeks. I was happy to see two at once this morning.

Two of us dropped out to warm up. I didn’t feel too cold, especially because we moved some. Owling at 4:30 during a Christmas Bird Count spoiled me (see why here). We gingerly walked the path till the viewing dock, which was directly on the other side of the pond from the bench area. Two Songs Sparrows dueled as we stood and chatted. After our rest, we backtracked our path to the Lab entrance. We encountered nothing new. Same birds, same sounds. A blue jay was perched in the tamaracks that the cedar waxwings once occupied.

Our walk ended in time for the Lab to open for the day. By then, the sky had become partly cloudy. Bird activity lessened quite a bit, but the blackbirds and goldfinches unceasingly sounded as we parted.

Sapsucker Woods, Report 2-2018

Over the past couple weeks, eBirders reported a male Rusty Blackbird hanging around the feeders near the entrance of the Lab of Ornithology. I missed it last week and wanted to try again today. I planned to watch the feeders for a bit, and then, if no luck, walk the trails and return to the feeders.

I arrived just before 9. A light snow fell. I heard a crowd of Blue Jays as soon as I turned off the car. They bunched in a leafless tree near the sidewalk. Goldfinches were perched with them. I headed for the birders. When I was within twenty feet of the tree, the goldfinches fled en masse in a twittery mess, all two dozen.

I peeked through wooden blind – through tight grove of pine, spruce, and hemlock –  and browsed the ground. No Rusty. Not one bird. Only snow and seed.

I could never have imagined blue jays being more incessantly noisy than at this moment. Utter pandemonium. In addition to the usual “jay!”-ing and bugling, they sounded a strange whistle I’d never heard before. On and on, from all directions. They zipped overhead, between tree to tree every few seconds. Just when I settled on a number, more came into view. Up and up went my count. Easily thirty. On top of that, more than a dozen each of House Finches and female Red-winged Blackbirds flew into the berry-laden trees by the boardwalk. I counted at least nine cardinals with them. The goldfinches twittered from a distance. A Pileated Woodpecker intermittently called from within the woods. White-throated Sparrows, American Tree Sparrows, and Dark-eyed Juncos flitted up from the ground to perch in the shrubs.

This sensory overload distraction was worse than a fallout of warblers. I awed at hearing a new blue jay sound. I scrambled to tick each species, let alone count how many of each. I turned this way and that to note what birds flew around and picked up.  I wondered which bird species can sound like pickerel frogs (the blackbirds? or the jays again?). Don’t forget the two dozen Mourning Doves hunched in three different trees.

I thought I saw at least two Purple Finches with the house finches, all gobbling down berries. I excitedly tried to confirm the ID but lost track of them in the bustle. After spending some time on other birds, I noticed that the finches had perched close together in an adjacent tree (not moving, thankfully). As I went from male to male, I questioned my ability to differentiate House from Purple. I thought I long graduated from that stage. Perhaps, now, I was seeing only House and the Purples had flown away. Or, I solely saw overly bright and colorful Houses. I considered the early reports on northern songbirds not irrupting this year, including purple finches. I went with ticking only house.

During my finch deliberation, I heard in the background but didn’t register the jays “jay”-ing more often and louder. Even the fifty or so mallards in the pond quacked in protest. I’d been standing in the open, relatively close to the feeders, binoculars poised. I sat on the bench by the pond. The canopy over the bench seemed to help. While I processed my observations, all of the birds settled down. The goldfinches, jays, and others began visiting the feeders. The juncos and sparrows foraged around me in the leafless shrubs. I could hear the cars on Route 13 passing by. I figured I would sit for another half hour until the visitor’s center opened.

I saw a Hairy Woodpecker foraging. When I put my bins on it, the jays got loud again. I assumed I roused everyone from the peaceful feeder feast. I felt like a cat minding its own business, wandering without the instinct to kill on sight. I started walking the Wilson Trail. The jays followed me for a bit. Eventually, their noise died down. Now immersed in the forest, a quiet descended. All of the birds flocked by the feeders, leaving only a select solitary individuals, such as a chickadee and a red-bellied woodpecker, to forage in Sapsucker Woods.

The snowfall stopped. A high wind blew through the pine grove canopy. I passed a mole hole dug near the edge of the path. A gray squirrel huddled on a six-inch pine branch, tail on back. A young red squirrel scurried inside its hole in a snag. At the same time I passed right in front of the snag, the squirrel peaked through, saw me, and immediately rushed back inside.

My trek was quiet the entire time. I looped around the pond and the Lab, back to the feeders. The jays started. I looked for the Rusty again. And yet again, no Rusty. I kept under the entrance canopy, creating a final tally of my sightings. The jays quieted, and everyone else went back to placidly feeding.

My 2018 Resolutions

First, a review of My 2017 Resolutions (please read first).

1a/1b: I achieved the first part. Because of my Magee Marsh trip, I became more motivated to study warbler songs. I developed a multi-step learning process with several sources that specialize in both sound and sight. I did manage to memorize a few songs I hadn’t before (i.e. manage to do playback inside my head), notably Hooded and Black-and-white. Unfortunately, I couldn’t accomplish much of the second part. The cold, rainy, windy weather at Magee Marsh hampered warbler migration, hence also my chance to put my studying to the test. Then a few days after the trip, I sprained my foot. I was bed-ridden for two weeks – during the exact time-frame of the height of warbler migration. I even missed Saw Mill River Audubon’s annual Doodletown trip. I did see an Ovenbird and had a couple more good looks at Canadas. Another plus: two lifers, a Cape May and a Nashville at Magee Marsh.

2: Weekly visits to a personal local hotspot failed. The corner of the Croton Reservoir that runs along Baptist Church Road in Yorktown has good ducks. I love ducks. I  wondered what I would see and hear during non-winter months. But the road is narrow and windy and full of blind curves. And because there has been more commuter traffic in Westchester in general, there is also a lot of traffic on Baptist Church Road. I got tired of cars often missing me by a hair as I stood on the side of the road. There was no good time of day to go birding there. (DEP owns the land by the water. A routine police car admonished me for literally standing one foot off the road.) I lasted until early April. I realize in hindsight I could have gone to another part of the reservoir, but I really stood by sticking with that one spot on Baptist Church Road. I don’t particularly mind I quit altogether.

3: I got a portable GPS! Late in the year, since it was a holiday present. I’ll definitely put it to use when I drive by myself to my upcoming SMRA trip to the Adirondacks.

4: Not really achieved….not what I had in mind, at least. I did attend board meetings, having been initiated as a Board of Director in April. My state parks job had me working weekends, which, I think, did make it harder for me to connect with events and people. (Silver lining: I managed to learn more about invasive plants and trees because of this job. I even helped to remove some in parts of Fahnestock and the Highlands.) As of this month, I’ve resigned from the board since I’m moving away. So a possibility of undertaking this resolution again is shot.

___________________

Now for my 2018 resolutions. Four/five resolutions are a lot. I simplified things.

1: Keep studying warbler songs.

2: Connect with people at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in any way I can (I am moving to Ithaca, after all) and with Chemung Valley Audubon, the closest chapter to Ithaca.

3: Purchase a scope. I regard November 20, 2018 as my five-year anniversary of becoming a birder. I’ve withheld acquiring one since I wanted to feel confident that my birding hobby will last for years to come. You see, I have science phases (geology as a child, ecology as a preteen, astronomy as a high school and college student). Unlike these other subjects, I can socialize with so many people who share this amateur ornithological hobby. That’s what makes it different. Here’s hoping. I think five years is a good milestone for acquiring a scope, an expensive but much needed investment. I do love waterfowl watching most.

Brinton Brook Hike, Report 12-2017

A north-western view from the power lines field. © S.G. Hansen

The forecast predicted the snowfall to begin at 9, when the hike starts. It wasn’t yet snowing when I arrived a few minutes before. The sky, though overcast, brightened the brown forest floor. The past few chilly days and freezing nights finally forced many of the oaks and maples to lose their lingering leaves.

The birds – usual winter flock species – scurried about the canopy for last-minute food before the snow and called in constant communication: titmice, chickadees, white-breasted nuthatches, white-throated sparrows, juncos, a red-bellied woodpecker, a hairy woodpecker, a lone American crow. I thought I saw and heard a kinglet, but the chickadee’s incredibly quick movement tricked me. But as luck had it, the moment I got my binoculars on the chickadee, I spotted a nearby Brown Creeper gradually climbing the trunk. I’d actually heard the creeper’s tinny, high-pitched call.

The time read five past nine. Mike was unusually late. No one else showed. Was the hike was somehow canceled without my knowing? …Or was today even Second Saturday? I took the creeper as a sign of good birding to come. I went ahead.

Halfway to the kiosk intersection, I heard a loud rapping from somewhere within the locust grove. Time to play Find that woodpecker! I expected to spend quite a bit of time hunting for the noise-maker. Not for long this occasion… A Pileated Woodpecker took off and flew towards the parking lot. It maniacally called the entire way, prompting the jays to shout in slight hysterics.

I stood at the intersection to listen for other birds. I heard voices. A look through my bins down the trail revealed they belonged to Mike and another person. When they caught up, Mike explained he was late because he had to deal with work issues. Karen, both a birder and a hiker, would be the only other joining us for the hike. She hikes around Brinton Brook once a week, though she wished she could make it to the Second Saturday hikes more often.

Beyond conversation, I only heard a few white-throats at the meadow. I encountered more – plus a song sparrow – foraging in the cattails at the western end of the pond. When I reached well away from the cattails, the white-throats migrated to the shrubs at the edge of the path, leaving the song sparrow to its own. Juncos twittered in the canopy.

Brown is beautiful. © S.G. Hansen

A thin layer of ice coated this end of the pond. Mike thought we wouldn’t see ducks. But when we reached sight of the other end, quite a few waterfowl were foraging: Four Green-winged Teal (all males, with lovely auburn and green faces), eight Mallards, and a dozen Canada Geese. Though they segregated themselves in groups of their own species, they all kept close to one another. The ducks moved to the back the closer we approached. The geese didn’t mind us that much, of course.

Meanwhile, nearly a dozen goldfinches fed on the black birch seeds above our heads. A couple whitehatches “yanked” incessantly. A Carolina wren trilled. As I watched the ducks, a kinglet bounced from one reed bunch to another over the pond, barely giving me time to notice that it was Gold-crowned.

An oriole nest (belonging to either Baltimore or Orchard, both of which breed in Westchester). Orioles weave basket-like nests out of grasses and stitch them together with their bills. Th nests, which hang from tree branches, can have more than 10,000 weaves. © S.G. Hansen

Snow began to fall when we ventured out to the power-lines, starting off as flurries then quickly becoming heavier. One could hear the flake bunches practically hitting the ground and the vegetation. The power-line wires usually buzz, but today they sizzled. Snowfall filled in bird silence. I heard only sparse calls from a few birds: a second flicker, a second song sparrow, and a some more white-throats.

Praying Mantis egg sack. © S.G. Hansen

Now that snow was falling quite a bit in the woods, the birds in the sanctuary also quieted down. So much so that I heard maybe a couple titmice and white-throats at most until we reached the parking lot again. We even took the longer route again, hiking the new white trail the golf course owners created. We enjoyed walking through the first-of-season snow. Karen took the opportunity to finish talking about her Purple Martin housing problem. She’d just put up the housing – a gift from a friend – this past breeding system. But an adamant flock of House Sparrows kept trying to nest in the gourds, even after she repeatedly climbed to throw away the nesting material (the gourds are fifteen feet above the ground). Eventually, the “little fucks” took revenge by chewing on her fencing and garden plants. She was thinking of donating the martin housing to Croton Point and purchasing a house sparrow trap.

Mike said to watch out for the juncos when we reached the stream near trail’s end. Alas, there were none.

We came back to the same birds I observed before the actual hike. As Mike and Karen talked, I thought I heard a Gold-crowned Kinglet. I kept my ears open for the high-pitched see-see-see call. Instead, I heard a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker’s mewing. It mewed for a good minute. I thought I saw one right after the Pileated sighting. I’d taken note of the facial markings, but the locust branches obscured the sapsucker so much I eventually lost sight of it. I was glad to hear it mew at the end of the hike.

All in all, I observed 22 species. A decent number for this time of year at Brinton Brook with a few good winter birds. Always nice to have a brown creeper – my favorite bird! You can view the eBird list here.

Sadly, this month’s hike is my last Second Saturday. I will be moving away after the New Year, before January’s hike. These three-and-a-half years were filled with fun and educational experiences. Thank you for everything, Mike!

I’m thinking of re-locating my own Second Saturdays to Sapsucker Woods.

Hike on Turkey Mountain

Western view from the summit of Turkey Mountain. © S.G. Hansen

Saw Mill River Audubon holds an annual hike at Turkey Mountain the day after Thanksgiving. This year is my third. I haven’t yet hiked at any other point in the year, but at around this time, bird activity is nearly nonexistent. You’re in a short, heart-pumping hike but not an entertaining bird excursion. You’re met with infrequent calls from blue jays, titmice, chickadees, and white-breasted nuthatches but not much else. And you’re going to largely hear a lack of bird presence, really (the constant din of leafblowers will inhibit your listening ability). Hike leader Michael Madias – who also leads SMRA’s Second Saturday Brinton Brook hikes – can’t figure why. There seems to be enough food around the mountain (tulip tree seeds for one), and the power lines field provides different habitats. In contrast, Turkey Mountain does lack understory much like every other wood in Westchester thanks to deer overbrowsing. It’s also worth noting that Turkey Mountain is not an eBird hotspot.

In 2015, I observed 9 species and 32 individuals, the most interesting having been Eastern Bluebirds. In 2016, I observed 8 species and 47 individuals – only common year-rounders. I started this year’s hike not expecting much.

Our group was small, but actually twice as big as last year. Rudy from Brinton came along, and Miok and Roger, SMRA Monday morning walk regulars, were hiking Turkey Mountain for the first time. A special visitor also joined us: Chuck,  an Indiana resident, an experienced birder, and a Sycamore Audubon board of director.

To summarize, this year’s observations went beyond my expectations, totaling 15 species and 49 individuals. Depressing in other places but not at Turkey Mountain! We were met with silence for much of the hike but managed to pass through a few winter flocks. I haven’t yet compiled an overall list, though our combined observations added 6 species this year. At the parking lot, a Hairy Woodpecker called. During the ascension, we heard a Common Raven croaking and a Pileated Woodpecker hesitantly calling. Miok also heard a Carolina Wren, which I missed since I’d plowed ahead of the group to keep up with Mike.

We spent at least 20 minutes on the summit (829 ft in elevation) resting and viewing distant sights, including the hazy, mirage-like Manhattan skyline.

© Mike the Hike Leader

© Mike the Hike Leader

Yours truly smiling for the camera. © Mike the Hike Leader

Soon after we started descending, Chuck thought he heard the “mew” call of a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. Perhaps the second of the hike since he thought he heard one on our way up. Playback yielded nothing. Wishful thinking, he noted. A sapsucker certainly would have been noteworthy.

Not long afterward, we saw a small flock of bluebirds low in the trees, diving for whatever food they found on the ground. Not an addition, though bluebirds are always a wonderful sight. The late-morning clear sunshine illuminated the males’ bright blue and orange plumage.

Pinnacle activity occurred towards the end. Several more each of blue jays, red-bellied woodpeckers, and whitehatches, plus the first-of-the-hike downies and a Northern Flicker, made much noise from all around us. Mike got on a large black bird soaring fast high above the canopy, but the rest of us couldn’t see anything but blue sky. “It was probably an eagle, or maybe it was a Turkey Vulture,” he said. “Maybe it was a floater in your eye,” Chuck commented.

Meanwhile, I noticed how silent the woods became. Shortly, as if answering a question, Mike saw a Red-tailed Hawk flying through the trees. It perched in an oak some hundred feet away, streaked white breast blazing bright. Not everyone could see it with so many branches in the way, but when it took off (and for good), the hawk was then seen by all.

We’ll see what Turkey Mountain has in store next Thanksgiving!

Brinton Brook Hike, Report 11-2017

Tulip Tree leaves. © S.G. Hansen

I took the day off from work to attend the Second Saturday hike! It almost felt strange to be a part of a group going around Brinton Brook, and I certainly missed it. This month’s group consisted of no strangers: hiker leader Mike, regular/caretaker Rudy, Saw Mill River Audubon President Val Lyle and her partner Alan, and Mike and Yuan who are regulars of SMRA’s Monday morning walks. Once again, our hike was dominantly a birding hike.

The temperature late this week took a dive to below freezing, in the mid-20s. With a little wind, we had a nicely brisk hike. Most trees – sugar maple, red maple, tulip, sycamore, sassafras, etc – lost their leaves, which covered the trails in several layers. Only White Oak and American Beech still kept their leaves.

We didn’t encounter much bird activity until the black locust grove at the kiosk. I heard a few House Finches. Some of got on a Red-bellied Woodpecker and one Hairy Woodpecker, though I’m sure I heard at least three Hairies in the vicinity.

The meadow was quiet. Rudy pointed out a tree in which he saw a lot of birds flying around in (possibly eating caterpillars that had just hatched) back during July’s hike. In the middle of his story, we suddenly heard something took off from behind us. All of us turned around in time for us to see a medium-sized bird rushing away to the trees, wings whistling loudly.

American Woodcock! we exclaimed simultaneously. We had a good laugh after being startled. None of us noticed it was only a few feet away from us.

“We almost stepped on it,” said Val. She and I were surprised to see one so late in the year.

“That means the meadow is doing really well,” Mike remarked. SMRA maintains the meadow habitat by mowing it once a year and ensuring a healthy biodiversity through growing native plants, such as goldenrod and butterfly weed.

Much later, when I submitted my list to eBird, I saw that this woodcock is the first sighted at Brinton Brook ever.

We took a brief rest at the western end of the pond, where the donated bench is located. When I was here last month, the pond was mostly wetland. A lot of rain had fallen over the past couple weeks, and the pond was a pond once again. A late Eastern Phoebe flycatched in the trees in front of us. At the other end, we saw a small flock of Mallards. I noticed that two of the ducks looked peculiarly small.

We walked the trail quietly. The ducks moved a bit to distance themselves from us. At a clearer spot with better lighting, we began to make out that this duck flock was more diverse that we first realized. First, we noticed that there was one American Black Duck. Second, I confirmed my guess that the very small ducks were Green-winged teal, last sighted this April during the Second Saturday Hike, overall the third time sighted in the sanctuary.

Third, to my great surprise, I then noticed one duck a little larger than the mallards that had a certain brown head with a certain white face stripe and white neck: Northern Pintail. This male didn’t have the eponymous long tail – it was quite short. That tripped me up. But I would know the head pattern any day. Once again, I observed first bird for Brinton Brook! I couldn’t contain my excitement at the idea of seeing a pintail here. These are rare in Westchester to begin with.

When we arrived at the blue trail’s beginning, Rudy said that he had been hearing a Barred Owl somewhere around the Pond Loop. I asked Val to play some playback on her phone. Everyone started hiking up the blue while Val and I lingered. A few “who cook’s for you” rang through the mostly silent air. After half a minute, I said forget it. Shortly after, all of us heard a Carolina Wren trill closer to Mt. Airy Road, presumably provoked by the owl playback. Carolina Wrens trill out of aggressiveness over territory or warning other birds about predators (avian or feline).

The power lines were mostly quiet as well. In the beginning, I heard a call somewhere from within a the vegetation. I pished. A few American Tree Sparrows and a Field Sparrow popped up. I didn’t see them side by side, so nearly confused the Field for a Tree. Val handily compared the two species with the Sibley’s on her phone. Tree sparrows have a rusty eyeline and bicolored bill, whereas field sparrows lack an eyeline and have a bright pinkish bill. I was apparently incorrect to use the double white wingbars as helpful point of reference.

As we were looking at the sparrows, a mockingbird flew by and second mockingbird called for a few seconds. Farther up the powerlines trail, we heard a bunch a chip calls from the other side of the field: White-throated Sparrows.

We continued on the new white trail that borders the sanctuary property. Truly, it belongs to the neighboring golf course. But since it’s a route that goes to the Croton Arboretum, hikers are allowed to use this trail. The owners of the golf course bought the parcel of land at the north-eastern edge of Brinton Brook last year to build a driving range. SMRA once had the opportunity to purchase it a couple decades ago, but we couldn’t afford it. The construction finished recently. You can see a massive grass hill-wall just beyond the trees. Very fortunately, the owners and SMRA are cooperating to replenish the border with native trees and plants.

Back to the birds. We returned to having a quiet hike, save for a small flock of Dark-eyed Juncos, a couple chickadees, a White-breasted Nuthatch, and a few singing white-throats.

Mike and others recently planted White Pines and White Spruces where the Hemlock grove used to be so owls can return to the Sanctuary. © S.G. Hansen

Reliably, activity picked up near trail’s end. Larger flocks of juncos and white-throats foraged in the brambly ravine. Our third carolina wren for the hike sang. We counted a fourth hairy woodpecker for the hike. High in the trees foraged a mixed flock: chickadees, a couple Ruby-crowned Kinglets, and a Golden-crowned Kinglet. Two Tufted Titmice fought for a little in the trees on the other side of the trail.

When I got back in the car, the temperature read 35°.

All in all, we observed 26 species. The American Woodcock and Northern Pintail were exciting birds additions to Brinton Brook’s life list. You can view the eBird list here.

Brinton Brook Hike, Report 10-2017

Last Tuesday, I felt like I was baking in the 80° temperature as I hawkwatched on Hook Mountain. This morning, I woke up to see frost on my car, and that the temperature read 37°. I had to wear a parka, gloves, and a hat (yours truly gets cold – as well as warm – easily).

As I got ready in the parking lot, besides the usual common birds, I heard White-throated Sparrows singing and calling around me. These weren’t my First-of-Season (FOS), as I heard a white-throat singing briefly near my bedroom window a few days ago.

When I reached the kiosk intersection, more white-throats were calling. Two Pileated Woodpeckers moved around a tree trunk behind the kiosk. They flew away as I walked closer. I then began observing more than the dozen white-throats: I was blasted with a migration movement. Sunlight poured through the wood, warming the locust grove. I started with 8 species at the parking lot. Including the Pileateds I added 13 on the Old Farm Road trail alone. I witnessed quite a group – an explosion of activity and chatters and calls and whisper songs. Several zippy Ruby-crowned Kinglets. One slightly less zippy Golden-crowned Kinglet  (FOS). Two Blue-headed Vireos. Two Yellow-rumped Warblers. A lone Eastern Phoebe. And a few common birds tacked along (perhaps also migrating, perhaps resident birds that stick with the migrants to find more food): chickadees, titmice, cardinals, downies, a towhee, a white-breasted nuthatch, a robin, and a song sparrow. They flitted all over, from branch to branch, tree to tree, fly-catching, fighting one another. They covered all levels of the canopy, from the shrubs to the near tops of the trees. I had to re-learn how to bring my binoculars up to particular spots because I didn’t have many chances to go birding these past couple weeks. I lost the birds a few times but shortly got the hang of it. I also kept telling myself to stick with just one bird for a little, then move on to another. The hyperactive kinglets, vireos and yellow-rumps made this difficult. Tallying to my best ability also proved difficult. I felt like a beginner again.

More than a half an hour later, the movement seemed to have passed on. I doublebacked to the yellow trail, so I would head towards the pond.

When it comes to birding in the spring and fall, one has to be mindful to distinguish if one is following the same migration pack or encountering additional numbers of the same species observed before. Today tried this ability of mine as well. Just passed the meadow, I observed both species of kinglets and blue-headed vireos again. I took a few minutes to especially watch the vireos; they were much closer, and I always delight in them since they are my favorite vireo species. (I then took another moment to consider what I meant when I wrote down “wb sp” in my notebook earlier. I completely blanked that it meant “warbler species,” which I used as a stand-in before I figured I was looking at Yellow-rumped Warblers. I was prepared for “confusing fall warblers,” but sometimes I simply need to spell out words even when I’m trying to save time writing while out in the field.)

I noticed it got quiet again. I found zero wader-birds or waterfowl at the pond, the water level of which was rather low, but not low enough for the land to become a wetland.

While walking along the pond, I came across ruby-crowned kinglets, blue-headed vireos, and yellow-rumps foraging right above my head. I decided against increasing the numbers – I must have been following the flock. However, I was certain that I did see four yellow-rumps at once. They were drinking at the edge of the pond. A few kinglets joined them, and a vireo was bathing.

I debated completing the full pond loop this time. I ended up turning left on the blue trail as usual. The moment the power lines came into view, I saw a Red-tailed Hawk stoop across the field. Instead of venturing out to the power lines, I continued on the blue, not having done so in countless months. I wondered about other pockets of this morning’s migration movement. For the first time ever, against a backdrop of radio silence, I could hear and recognize the golden-crowned kinglet’s tinny and quiet tsee tsee tsee call – two of them. As they continued calling regularly, I happened to catch sight of a camouflaged blurb rustling among the leaf litter: a Hermit Thrush. (Second FOS) I couldn’t recall the last time I saw one at Brinton. I find these secretive, shy thrushes thrushes hard to come by so I watched it until trees hid it from my view. Not farther down the trail, I heard soft drumming to my left. I expected a Hairy or a red-bellied woodpecker, but it was another winter resident, my third FOS for the morning: an immature male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, whose yellow and black back looked rather blurred, though his crown and throat were bright red.

Not long after, I reached the yellow trail (the blue all the way loops to another point along the yellow). A Red-shouldered Hawk called somewhere from the northwest. Unsurprisingly, I think, I may have stumbled upon the same migration group of kinglets, vireos, and yellow-rumps from before. Indeed, I was now south of the pond, they may have traveled this bit of distance from when I last saw them about fifteen minutes before (the amount of time I spent on the blue trail). I tried to get on every bird to make sure the numbers checked out, and they were similar. My ticks remained unchanged.

A little further down the trail, when the kinglets and vireo were barely out of ear shot, I began to hear a Winter Wren whisper song, a remnant of the spring song, partial in phrase, very faint in volume. So faint that the wren sounded like it was twenty or thirty feet away. In fact, I didn’t recognize that the song to belong to the winter wren initially. This wren’s musical, non-stop trill-filled song sounds so rich and usually lasts up to six seconds – a mouthful of a song for such a tiny bird. This whisper song lasted only a couple seconds, the trills sounded squished. When I started walking again, I flushed the wren from a large log that rested next to the path. I reflexively brought my hand over my chest. I didn’t move, nor wanted to. To my relief, the wren popped back up. This one was a little less secretive compared to past winter wrens I have observed. Smaller than a House Wren, the Winter Wren’s plumage is brown like a House’s, though several shades darker overall. Its tail is shorter and stubbier, sticking straight up like bangs wet with gel. The wren hopped along the log, occasionally singing its whisper song while delicately pecking for insects. Very slowly, trying not to disturb it again, I grasped at my binoculars and brought them up. I did scare it again and it dropped down. It appeared shortly after, hopping onto another log to forage on. Its beak moved so slightly while it sang, barely opening to let sound out.

The wren dropped down again. Delighted with a fourth FOS, I decided to move on. The second I started walking, I saw the wren fly farther away from the path. I heard its whisper song another couple times before I was finally out of earshot.

Towards the trail’s end, I encountered a few kinglets and a phoebe. I counted the kinglets but kept my phoebe at 1, in case the same phoebe I saw towards the beginning decided to hook up with other birds.

Back at the parking, to my surprise, but I suppose you don’t have to guess: more kinglets and another vireo! This time, I did add numbers to my tally. I wound up with more than a dozen ruby-crowned kinglets and three vireos altogether. A conservative estimate. Even if I did see more than two migrating groups of kinglets and vireos, I’d rather I keep my numbers low so as not to arouse suspicion from eBird.

Speaking of eBird, you can view my list here. A wonderful, fall migration-filled morning!

You may noticed that I didn’t observe any Dark-eyed Juncos. Definitely next month!