The weather outside is frightful but the sea ducks are so sight-full

Winter bird watching in New England may seem a bleak and windswept prospect but New England is situated along the Atlantic migration route or “flyway" and is also set at a mid-latitude locale overlapping both summer breeding and wintering grounds. Unlike Florida or Alaska which may see migration to or from, New England has both. For example Neo-Tropical summer migrants make their way north to New England in the Spring and winter sparrows and sea ducks make their way south to New England in the Winter. During the latter half of the year, the cold and ice-bound portion, well bundled birders should head to the ocean and look for sea ducks, loons, and grebes in the black and snow fletched sea. For Massachusetts residents Rockport and Glouscter, Plum Island, and Cape Cod make good destinations for viewing. In Rhode Island head to Little Compton or Sachuest Point, and New Hampshire residents should head to any beach or ocean overlook from Seabrook to Kittery.

Winter sea ducks may seem confusing as they stay off shore diving for dinner and bobbing between waves. A spotting scope and good field guide are essential and taking a guided trip can help immensely. On the upside, sea ducks (unlike fast flitting warblers) are not apt to burn valuable calories flying from place to place and remain fairly static, between dives, making for easier viewing. So fear not—besides cold ocean winds a trip to the New England beach in winter is a great reminder that all life is not gone during these cold months.

Roger Tory Peterson

It is the green, fabric-bound book embossed with a tiny Bobolink that sits on the shelves of teachers, hikers, sailors, and farmers across the country, the foundation of bird watching as we know it today, Roger Tory Peterson’s A Field Guide to the Birds.

First published in 1934, this book became the benchmark for all subsequent field guides to the birds of North America. Though not the first book to illustrate common birds of the east, Peterson’s guide was the first to systematically, almost typographically, present birds on the page. While earlier illustrators portrayed awkward, twisting scenes Peterson took the bird out of their natural context and laid them plain on the page, with thin lines denoting important field marks, changing the way we perceive birds in the field to this day.



Peterson's warblers



happy holidays - a dust of snow

The way a crow

Shook down on me

The dust of snow

From a hemlock tree

Has given my heart

A change of mood

And saved some part

Of a day I had rued.

     "a dust of snow"
     by Robert Frost

The longest night and hope in a crow

The winter solstice marks the longest night of the year, we are in the bottom of the gloomy barrel yet in all this darkness we can take heart that the days are getting longer. It is also a full moon, aptly known as the “cold moon” and a quiet time of year for birds. What life there is moves on feathery purposefulness and is often the birds we take for granted during the sunny, songbird-filled summers.
 


http://www.crows.net/

 Just before dusk watch for loose lines of crows flying in the same direction. Known as “skeins” these trails of birds are as they appear, the daily commute home to a communal roost. The common crow is a social animal and winter roosts can number anywhere from a dozen to several hundred thousand. Little is understood about what happens in these huge roosts but tracking has shown crows from a dozen miles around traveling the same line each evening to meet at a specific feild, parking lot, or even abandoned building. Crows are faithful to their routes and can be seen each day over the highway on the drive home or from an office vantage point. Find comfort in the black crow flying to roost in the fading light against a grey, pregnant sky; the crow is not alone and flies with purpose.  

white-throated sparrows

When the snow and ice begin to pile up we most likely want to leave for the warmer climes of Puerto Rico or Panama.  And like us, the song birds that fill our summer airwaves are no fools they do leave the chilly New England fields and forests for the warmth of Florida, Central America and the Caribbean. But some hardy birds are unfazed by New England’s wintry grip and after a summer spent raising young in the Canadian arctic make their way to our backyards appearing in October and November ready to spend a balmy winter in New England.

One of these winter arrivals is the White-throated Sparrow. No larger than a small pear, the white-throated sparrow has a surprisingly striped head, with lines of white and brown running from its beak to the back of its neck, tinged with yellow in the front. The bird gets its name from a small flash of white feathers just under the beak- its white throat. The white-throated is known for its song, a melancholy series of clearly articulated notes, slow and proud, with a hint of waiver. New England Folklore translates the song as, “Old Sam Peabody Peabody Peabody” while Canadian bird watchers hear, “Oh sweet, Canada, Canada, Canada”.

The recently released Occurrence Maps created by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology synthesizes data into a remarkable visual depiction of migration. Watch the map for the white-throated sparrow.

Holiday gift guide - memberships

If you’re in need of a last minute holiday gift consider giving a membership to Mass Audubon or a regional conservation and preservation organization. Mass Audubon’s mission of preserving land and educating the public about the natural world in Massachusetts may seem like a small local drop in the big earth bucket but the 5000 acres protected by Mass Audubon play a crucial role in the global conservation movement. Research is showing that migrating birds need pockets of protected land at every step of their transnational journey. Small parcels of fields and streams in Massachusetts mean that Bobolinks from Argentina and Black-throated blue warblers from Panama have a place to breed right here in Massachusetts before their winter journey south.

Membership to Mass Audubon will not only help protect vital pockets of land in Massachusetts but it will give access to sanctuary properties around the state, discounts to classes and programs  and a subscription to Sanctuary magazine. I hope a membership to a local conservation group such as Mass Audubon makes it under the tree this year.

carolina wren







It’s December in New England and the cold air is here, the trees have lost their leaves, and the woods are quiet. Yet, even now a few brave and hardy birds are singing. One of these winter songsters is the Carolina Wren. No larger than a mouse, the Carolina wren, as the name implies, is a southern species that has made a home in these Yankees climes over the past several decades. With its creamy buff belly and rich, leather brown back, stiff tail, and a striking white line above its eye (known as a supercilium) the Carolina Wren can be heard singing its clear, bright song from a waist high vantage point like a fence post or trash can. Its spring and summer song is transcribed as the repetitive phrase: “tea-kettle, tea-kettle, tea-kettle, tea” but in the winter it is more often heard giving a clear, watery trill. In comparison to many of the New England backyard birds the Carolina Wren sounds like an alto saxophone rising above an orchestra of penny whistles and with a varied repertoire of songs and calls, the quality of sound is a good clue to knowing that you are hearing one of these southern musicians.

Coffee

In this cold time of year it easy to forget about the summer birds that breed in New England bringing the air to life with song and color. While these summer songsters are spending their winter in the tropics they should not be forgotten as there is no way around the bad news. Song bird populations are in steep decline across the globe. Loss of habitat, expansive human development, and agricultural malpractice are among the top reasons for population decline. There are many small steps that we can take to help preserve the American song brids.

"sun" coffee plantation

One of these small steps  purchasing and drinking coffee that is certified with a Bird Friendly, Birds and Beans, or Rainforest Alliance seal. Drinking certified, shade grown coffee means that crucial habitat is being preserved in the Caribbean, Central and South America. High yield or sun coffee is grown in large, monotonous stands providing little feeding, nesting, or usable habitat for the birds while shade grown coffee preserves a diversity of trees amongst the coffee trees. Though this problem may seem distant remember that many of “our” birds (Baltimore Orioles, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, and Wood Thrush to name a few) winter in these faraway forests and their survival is dependent on the preservation of usable habitat. The answer is simple this holiday season gift, brew and drink certified coffee!

For other holiday gift ideas read the binocular buying guide.

Binoculars (V/V) – price or why unfortunately money can buy you love

There are four important numbers associated with a pair of binocular that you will need to know: magnification, diameter, field of view, and price.

Unlike many products a binoculars’ price is directly related to its quality. That being said the improvement from an old pair of opera glasses to a pair of new, low price binoculars will be a wonderful change. Many bird watchers are now hooked on Zeist, Leica, and Swarovski spending upwards of $2,000 per pair there are some wonderful binoculars made by Nikon, Eagle Optics, and Vortex for under $200. Find a store or at least borrow a pair from a friend and spend some time looking through any pair of binoculars before you purchase them.

For more on purchasing binoculars please visit these links:

http://www.binoculars.org/

http://www.birdwatching.com/optics.html

http://www.eagleoptics.com/binoculars

Binoculars (IV/V) – field of view

There are four important numbers associated with a pair of binocular that you will need to know: magnification, diameter, field of view, and price.

The field of view is a number (not always written on the binocular) that is the width across that you can see at 1000 yards distance. This is best conceptualized by imagining that you are looking at a fence that runs right to left and is 1000 yards away. With a FOV of 200 feet you can see fewer fence posts than with a FOV of 400 feet. FOV is important for bird watchers when trying to find a tiny duck in the ocean or follow a darting warbler in the tree top. It is easier to locate small or fast moving birds through a larger sized field of view. You will sometimes have to look at the fine print to determine a specific pair of binoculars FOV but a good rule of thumb is about 350’ at 1000 yards. You will also find that binoculars with lower magnification may have a larger a FOV and be easier for the beginner bird watcher.

For example view this scene through three different FOVs.

Field of View

  

Binoculars (III/V) – diameter

There are four important numbers associated with any pair of binoculars: magnification, diameter, field of view, and price.

The second number “50” written on a pair of binoculars is the diameter of the objective lens. This number is more physics than practicality but in a nut shell the larger the diameter the more light enters the binocular producing a crisper, brighter image. For a more in depth description click here. Most bird watching binoculars run 30-50mm. The downside of a larger diameter is heavier, often more expensive binoculars.

For more on selecting binoculars please visit these links:

http://www.binoculars.org/

http://www.birdwatching.com/optics.html

http://www.eagleoptics.com/binoculars

Binoculars (II/V) – magnification

There are four important numbers associated with a pair of binoculars: magnification, diameter, field of view, and price.

One misconception about binoculars is that bigger is better. This is not always true. Binoculars are defined by two numbers (e.g. 7 x 50). The first number (7x) is the magnification, or the number of times larger than life an object will appear. Most popular binoculars are between 6 and 12x (any larger than 12x the image is too shaky to view). While a more powerful magnification such as 10x will bring birds closer to you and reveal more detail, it will also be a darker, shakier image making these bigger binoculars less effective. Larger magnification also equates to heavier binoculars and a smaller Field of View (see IV/V). Most people find that a 6 x or 8 x are well suited for bird watching. The most important thing is to simply look through a bunch of binoculars and find a pair that just feels right and if you are buying off the web remember that bigger is not always better.

For more on selecting binoculars please visit these links:

http://www.binoculars.org/

http://www.birdwatching.com/optics.html

http://www.eagleoptics.com/binoculars 




6x

 

 



10 x

 

 

Binoculars (I/V)… Dear Santa

Forgo the diamonds, the Wii, the iPad and the Snuggie this holiday ask Santa to bring you a new pair of binoculars. Many of us begin our birding life with a pair of grandpa Joe’s “submarine spotters” or auntie Jane’s opera glasses. One a massive bulk of metal with loose fitting eye pieces and a range finder the other a diminutive pair of close set lenses. It’s time for an upgrade and since the modern era of bird watching has done away with the shotgun and “bird in hand” method of identification there is now a market full of wonderfully clear, lightweight, and weather resistant binoculars. Over the next five days I will overview the important numbers associated with any pair of binoculars (magnification, diameter, field of view, and price) and explain why people don’t always like big things.

For more on selecting binoculars please visit these links:

http://www.binoculars.org/

http://www.birdwatching.com/optics.html

http://www.eagleoptics.com/binoculars

hairy woodpecker – a lesson in comparative size

Bird identification is not a simple decoding of a painting by numbers. It requires an entire toolbox of tricks. Childhood learning tells of one bird, two bird, red bird, blue bird however, the adult world muddies life with variables like molting, age, air temperature and location all which effect the physical coloration of a bird. Tools such as sound, location, shape, and even attitude help in identification. The Hairy woodpecker is a good example of an identification problem that cannot be solved by coloration. Compare the hairy to the downy woodpecker in a field guide and find a slightly pumped up, bad joke version of the downy.  In highway commuter terms the hairy is the Highlander to the downy’s Rav4. 





AllAboutBirds.org



Imperceptible differences in plumage leave size as the best clue to identification. If the two woodpeckers aren’t perched next to each other on the branch (wishful thinking) look at the size of the bill in comparison to the overall size of the head. The downy’s bill is tiny, representing about ½ the length of its own head while the hairy’s more substantial bill is equal to the total length of its head. With both species of woodpecker active all winter long this is a good time of year to get a grip on this backyard identification challenge.  

hooded merganser

Before the water freezes watch for small rafts of Hooded mergansers on tree lined lakes and ponds around your home. The smallest of the three “saw bills” or Mergansers, a family of thin billed, diving ducks can be found in fresh, brackish, bay or even ocean water. The hooded merganser is a jewel of a bird, compact in the water, with a mohawk of feathers hanging off its head. Ducks court in the winter and males get into their finery this time of year. Vying for attention, small rafts of these ducks can be seen splashing, preening, and chasing. Watch the ornate males raise their combs revealing the full moon disc of bright white feathers in their crest.

downy woodpecker

The smallest of the six common woodpeckers in New England, the downy is a diminutive bird with an anxious bordering on playful demeanor. Most often heard giving a whinnied series of “pik-pik-pik” notes come spring this 6.5 inch bird will drum loud, short bursts of beats on dead, percussive trees. The upright shape and tree climbing behavior of the downy makes it an easy bird to learn. Look for the tiny brick of red feathers on the back of its head which separates the male from the female. The beginner bird watcher can take comfort with this identification until they open the bird book and find the hairy woodpecker glaring at them like a slightly pumped up, bad joke version of the downy. Separating these two species seems tough but it launches the beginner into the world of bird identification using non-plumage clues. Listen for the downy tapping bugs out of the trunks of leafless trees, knocking down snow from thin branches, and eating suet at the feeder.