Out On the Wing #93: Winter Bird Weekend

This past weekend was very birdy days for me. I've seen some pretty cool things this weekend and I'm so excited to share them.

I assisted with a winter bird walk at the Watershed today. We had several people participate and were at varying skill levels when it came to birding. We started at the front of the main office and worked our way towards the back hedgerows. As we walked, we paused to notice the robins and waxwings feeding fervently on the berry-covered trees. We didn't stay long as the cold was bone-chilling and so we moved along at a fair clip to keep up our body heat. And wouldn't you know it, it would be a great morning despite the cold and my lack of gloves.

As we entered the meadow east of the main office, we watched and listened for singing White-throated Sparrows (Zonotrichia albicollis). It was around this time that we noticed the Turkey Vultures (Cathartes aura) flapping low over the field. They were doing so because the thermals they needed to soar into the sky either hadn't materialized yet or it was too cold for them to do so. Despite this, we would later see a few Black Vultures (Coragyps atratus) that had made it well up into the sky.

As we watched, Jeff Hoagland (who was leading the walk. I was assisting), called up some crows using a crow call. Almost instantly, a nearby American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) and several of his buddies showed up to "crow" about the apparent danger. This outburst prompted a Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) to burst from the trees nearby and escape to safety. We would see a few more as we traversed past the fire circle and to the trail that leads to the Restored Meadow. Before arriving there, we noticed a mixed feeding flock of chickadees, titmice, Myrtle Warblers (Setophaga cornota coronota), nuthatches, robins, and Eastern Bluebirds (Sialia sialis).

A White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis) foraging for food.

A Myrtle Warbler hiding behind a twig.

That is the least blurry Eastern red-cedar (Juniperus virginiana) I've ever seen...

Leaving the birds to their foraging, we moved on to Wargo Pond to look for waterfowl. We weren't disappointed and found not only the usual Canada Geese (Branta canadensis) and Mute Swans (Cygnus olor), but also there were two pairs of Gadwalls (Anas strepera), some American Black Ducks (A. rubripes), and two female Hooded Mergansers (Lophodytes cucullatus).

Since it was nearing 11am, we headed back towards the main buildings. Just before we arrived, we received two lovely surprises. The first came with some nearby bluebirds. Some of our birders hadn't even seen them before and were overjoyed upon seeing them land in a nearby sapling. The blue on the back of one male was dazzling and I managed to get a few good photos of it as well.

The last surprise came from above. I glassed a kettle of Turkey Vultures in the distance for the smaller Black Vultures and saw a small bird far above them. It was small due to the distance, but looked very different from the other soaring birds we'd seen that day. It was cross-shaped with large trailing feet and a pointed bill at the front. Long pointed wings were also noticeable.

"LOON!", I shouted. "JEFF!! LOON!!"

Jeff had wandered a little further down the trail at that point, but noticed me yelling. They all looked up. Soon enough they saw it as well. The loon gave out a yodel. It was a Common (Gavia immer)! I scanned the heavens above and found two more flying in circles near the bird as well. I was amazed and excited all at the same time. It was an amazing experience. As we returned, we were thanked for the walk and for our expertise. I was commended by Jeff and the others for spotting the loons high above, but I knew it was just luck.

That luck continued into the next day when my housemate and I went looking for an Eared Grebe (Podiceps nigricollis) that had been reported for two weeks at Round Valley Reservoir in Clinton Township, NJ. A bitterly cold day, we got turned around a bit before a fellow birder pointed us in the right direction. A couple of pictures with a band of coots later and the bird was ours.

As I return home to Massachusetts for the winter, I'm hoping to find some winter species for the life list before the year comes to a close. I can't wait to see what I can find!