A Birding Update

The leaves have returned to the branches and with them have come the migrants. The Avian gods whoever they might be seem to have favored me these last few days. I have managed to see and photograph two or more year-birds every day. This post will be composed of a few brief summaries of the last few twenty-four hour periods, along with photos and links to my eBird checklist from each location. 

April/16/2012 RISD Beach, Barrington, RI

http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S10466566

We had but one first of year (FOY): a flock of six Dunlin, all exceedingly tame.

Other highlights included 1 beautiful Greater Yellowlegs, 4 Tree Swallows, 2 Purple Martins and 22 Double-crested Cormorants. 

The beautiful Greater Yellowlegs, This bird was an extremely brave individual and came to within only ten feet of me, a distance that would have made an average yellowlegs tremble with fear. 

One of a small troop of Dunlin putting RISDs lovely marsh to good use.                                                                              

Another photo of a docile Dunlin. This one was less then five feet from the lens of my camera!                              

April/17/2012 Talbot's Point, East Sandwich, MA

http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S10479285

This walks two year-birds came to us at the very end of the walk and if a flock of crows had not alerted us to the larger of the pair, both their names would be lacking from my list.

The bigger of my two FOYs, a Great Horned Owl

And the smaller of my year birds,  one of a pair of Red-breasted Nuthatch. 

April/17/2012 Sandwich Boardwalk, Sandwich, MA

http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S10479396

Again a two year-bird walk the first species being Laughing Gulls and the second a pair of Piping

Plovers. 

And yes, although this Laughing Gull is obviously monstrously gigantic, it is still just a Laughing Gull.

                                                       An endangered pied piper.


April/18/2012 RISD Beach, Barrington, RI
http://ebird.org/ebird/ybn/view/checklist?subID=S10483646

A short walk at RISD Beach yielded nothing more exciting then FOY Least Sandpiper, 1 Dunlin, 4 Killdeer and 2 Greater Yellowlegs.

The Least Sandpiper dark colors blend in perfectly with its mucky surroundings. 

April/19/2012 Swan Point Cemetery, Providence, RI
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S10489044

Among the trills and whistles of Chipping Sparrows and Yellow-rumped Warblers my ears picked up the buzzing of what I initially mis-ID'd as a parula but after seeing the bird my original ID was withdrawn to be replaced by a Black-throated Green Warbler. My embarrassing identification was made up for in part when from a nearby tree came the song of the parula.

"zh-zh-zh-zheeeeee-up" says the Northern Parula

       While the Black-throated Green sings "zee zee zee-zoo zee!"

My binoculars are currently in their death throes. The left eye piece will now not focus and the right eye piece has gone all funny. So, here I once again humbly beg anyone and everyone who has a spare minute to post a brief recommendation suggesting me to the Bird Watcher's Digest judges who are giving Leica binoculars to a lucky young birder. You have a few days to do this because the deadline for entries is May 18th. I have explained the steps to follow in a past post linked here.

Here's the link http://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/leicagreatleap/index.php. 

I would really appreciate it. Spring migration is here and I can't see anything!!