Migration and Monhegan

One of my fondest memories of this past summer was the night we spent with campers on Monhegan Island.  Monhegan sits far our in the Gulf of Maine and it a perfect land beacon for migranting birds as they travel south. We hiked up to a open hillside for sunrise and watched the migrant show at it's best. Flyover warblers, shorebirds, and raptors graced the skies above and a few even landed for closer inspection.

We watched raptors diving over the Monhegan forests and heard Bobolinks calling high in the sky.  We were even given great views of a couple of Whimbrels that made repeated flyovers that morning.

Whimbrel over Monhegan taken by Tom Johnson

Of course the main attraction was after sunrise when we hiked the Monhegan trails in search of migrants busily feeding on trees and bush.  We were able to identify 19 species of wood-warblers that day in addition to seeing three species of vireos in one binocular field of view!  In addition, we had a rare Black-crowned Night Heron at the Ice Pond and so many Merlins you couldn't count them all.  

Prairie Warbler on Monhegan taken by Tom Johnson

If you're thinking about joining the Hog Island Audubon Camp on Monhegan next year, you're in luck!  We have two weeks of migration camp with two different sets of prices.  The first session will be a lower price as we will just do a day trip to Monhegan.  The second session of Living on the Wind: Migration and Monhegan will be higher in price but will include an overnight on the island and a chance to see this sunrise birding firsthand!  Of course spaces are limited and we are selling out fast.  I hope you'll consider joining us next summer. 

Book Review: The Warbler Guide

The Warbler Guide by Tom Stephenson and Scott Whittle is a massive volume of information on our favorite colorful songbirds.  The book is heavy but compact and the Northern Parula calling on the front cover will ask you to pick it up again and again. I like the icon structure for each species.  This gives valuable information in a concise manner.  The sonogram information at first may seem intimidating but a primer on how to decode the information is included in the beginning of the book.

This book is one-of-a-kind and unlike any other specialty species guide I've seen.  Each species is given a detailed account.  The book's cover species, the Northern Parula, has over 30 full-color photos to help decipher the small details.  The Distinctive Views section, which has very detailed close-ups of parts of each species, is my favorite because it really hones in on the areas that will lead to a successful identification.

Overall, I think this is a beautiful resource book.  The sheer volume of color photos alone is amazing.  The Quick Finder guides are fun and are almost like art more than guide book reference which is probably due to the fact that the talented Catherine Hamilton did the drawings for the book.  And for those that really are trying to study up on identification skills, there is even a quiz section in the back.

I highly recommend picking this book up for your birding pals this year. The Warbler Guide will not disappoint the birder that loves warblers and also wants to delve a little deeper into their identification skills.  For a sneak peek and some added reference guides, Princeton University Press has many resources on the website to give you more insight about this ground-breaking warbler guide.

This review copy was provided by Princeton University Press.

Warbler Tattoo

Everyone has a spark bird or birds in my case.  I became a birder in the spring of 2007.  I had just moved to South Florida and started working at Green Cay Nature Center.  As part of my job I knew I would need to hone my birding skills beyond the very limited knowledge that I had previously been bestowing to young kids.  So I started every morning to take a walk around the boardwalk and identify the birds.  

Missing Migrants by Charley Harper - inspiration for my tattoo.

At first I thought this daunting task of learning all the birds would be overwhelming but I learned quickly and something really magical happened.  I found that birding relieved my grief of recent break-up and become meditative in a way I had never experienced.  It was the warbler family that really transfixed me and made me into a birder.  The warblers are my spark birds and I thought it only fitting to ink a few on my skin this year to commemorate my birthday.  I have always loved Charley Harper's artwork.  I find the simplicity of his lines but the intricate patterns of his work to be visually stunning.  Thanks to ELark, I was able to take my warbler idea and put it to life.

We found a great tattoo artist named Shawn Hebrank online and I found out he would be in town for the weekend, so I shot an email over and by the next day we had an appointment.  Emily was so kind to give me this permanent artwork for my birthday/Christmas present.  What better present than one I will keep with me for life!

The best thing about Shawn, other than his friendliness, is that he really does pay attention to the details.  He worked tirelessly over getting all the right colors and shapes correct and referenced the Charley Harper Missing Migrants print that I brought along.  We reworked the Northern Parula so it could fit the design and Shawn was great at making sure that every beak color and wing bar was perfect.  I couldn't have asked for a better artist!

If you're in the Fort Collins, CO area, you can get your own Shawn Hebrank tattoo.  He will be moving here in January and will be working at Tribal Rites.  This is a great tattoo shop across from Colorado State University. All the staff seemed really friendly and they even allowed many rounds of Sibley trivia as Emily tried to keep me distracted through the painful parts.  

Warblers

Identifying warblers in the spring of 2007 is what really got me hooked on birding.  I went to work early every day to identify Black-throated Blue Warblers and Cape May Warblers.  I fell in love with warblers and birding and being outside in the early morning hours with migration all around.

Princeton University Press is offering some beautiful warbler Quick Finder selections based on the new book The Warbler Guide by Tom Stephenson and Scott Whittle over at their blog.  You should download some of your favorites and while you're at it, pick up a copy of this new book.  Maybe you will fall in love as well, ore maybe you already have!   

Nemesis Bird: Yellow-breasted Chat, plus a Bobcat or three

Everyone has a nemesis bird, one that alludes you no mater how many times you seek it out.  I've been looking for a Yellow-breasted Chat for a few years now.  Many days have been spent searching for one at Lucky Hammock but this chunky skulker has escaped me again and again.  

Imagine my surprise today when I heard a chat was spotted from the front entranceway boardwalk at my work.  I rushed out and looked around.  Within 10 minutes I had my bird.  There it was in a Saw-toothed Palmetto, out in the open at eye level only 15 feet from the boardwalk.

Green Cay Nature Center is a special place and I am lucky to work there.  Even more lucky to find such a great bird to start my 2013 off right!  After the chat dipped back down in the vegetation I turned my head and there was mother Bobcat slinking from the opposite direction.  She stopped and looked in our direction.  Her two kittens followed her out and gave us a quick glimpse.

Two great wildlife sightings in a matter of minutes!  Thanks goes to Anita Holland and Linda Fell who helped my find the Yellow-breasted Chat.  Special thanks to Linda for emailing all these great photos from our time together on the boardwalk.

A LaSagra's Flycatcher has been hanging out in the Green Cay parking lot this week but it wasn't spotted this morning.  I was so elated about the chat that I wasn't even disappointed in missing it.  I may be the only birder in Palm Beach County that would rather catch a nemesis bird like the chat than a rare stray.  Good birding everyone!  

Lifer Kentucky Warbler!

Today is number 255 in my Bird-a-Day efforts and after being stuck in Miami rush hour for two hours I was almost at my wits end.  The rain was coming down in buckets and it was already 6:30PM.  I was just beginning to think my hopes of seeing a lifer Kentucky Warbler were dashed but traffic eventually moved and the skies stopped raining just long enough for me to check A.D. Barnes Park.

I walked the sidewalk towards Homeless Hammock.  I followed the directions from birders who had posted of the whearabouts earlier in the day.  And sure enough it was right there, 5 feet away from me on the edge of the hammock.  I ran back to the car and took a few photos.  I know they are crummy but they show my lifer Kentucky Warbler.  I haven't been this stoked about a lifer in ages.  I guess the doubt that mounted in my stressful commute and the rain had me down but this little warbler picked up my spirits.  I was literally beaming while watching him hunt insects in the leaf litter.  It was hard to walk away but I did so happily knowing that I found the prize and the long hours in the car were worth it.  I topped off the celebration with a Shipyard Pumpkinhead once I was home. Thanks Kentucky Warbler for sticking around!  And thanks Miami birders who diligently post their sightings on TAS.   

FL Keys Birding

I've shared the story of the Bobolinks EmilyLark and I found in the Keys but I almost forgot to show you the rest of the migrants that we happened upon at Founder's Park and then later at Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park in Key West. The Keys were full of American Redstarts everywhere we went.  But some less seen migrants were also found like the Blue Grosbeak below. 

Blackpoll Warblers were also found in high numbers.  We found them literally everywhere.  The one above was dangling from the prop roots of a Strangler Fig. After birding Founder's Park in the lower Keys we decided we would head down U.S. 1 and eat lunch in Key West.  

Before a delicious lunch at The Cafe, a block off of Duval St., we went to Fort Zachary for a few more migrants. We were rewarded with plenty of birds including the Dickcissel above and the Prothonotary Warbler below, both seen in one sweep of the binoculars.  We also found a Swainson's Thrush under the nearby brush.  In a large tree by the bathroom we found a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher and we heard a nearby Gray Kingbird calling from the wires.  In just a couple of days, a mini-fallout occurred at Fort Zachary that we would miss but I wasn't complaining, the birding in the Keys seems always to be good.

If you haven't birded the Keys in spring then you're missing out.  I highly suggest a little trip south in April, it will be one you won't forget!

Black-and-white Creeper

I was reading the other day that the Black-and-white Warbler was once called the Black-and-white Creeper by many naturalists, such a perfect name! This is one of my favorite warblers and luckily for me, it overwinters here in South Florida so I see them for a good part of the year. The photo above was taken this past week at Green Cay. This young warbler put on quite the show circling and circling closer and closer until it was only a few feet away from a small crowd of visitors. I must have taken a dozen or more shots but this was my favorite. Oh, little black and white creeper, I'm going to miss you. Summer will be here before we know it, I feel it in the air...or should I say humidity.

Bird A Day: Black-throated Gray

The Bird A Day challenge has been taking me to new birding spots and expanding my County, State, and Life Lists. Yes, I do keep them all though not on any competitive level, just for fun. The latest adventure took me to Greynold's Park in Miami-Dade where I relocated an overwintering Black-throated Gray Warbler. At first I couldn't find my target bird but the park was so interesting that I enjoyed searching around. As I realized that my pursuit could end with a dip I went back to the spot described online and pished around. Finally I heard a chip note and knew my warbler was there, way up in the top of the canopy. I took a few crummy photos and watched the warbler until it disappeared. One more bird on the Bird A Day challenge, one happy birder!

Little Winter Warbler

The Palm Warblers are molting in some pretty feathers these days. I've seen more yellows and rust colors show up on our normally drab little winter warblers. Many people overlook our little wag-tailing Palm Warblers but I find them fascinating. Maybe it's that constant nervous twitch or those tiny little legs that keep it perched. Whatever it may be, I do love the little Palm Warbler.

Oh little warbler,
How you always make me smile
Except when you leave.

Canada Warbler at Green Cay

Migration has been pretty good at Green Cay this year.  Last week Linda Fell (photo taken by her above) found a Canada Warbler.  I was lucky enough to go out the next day and relocate it.  Also seen were American Redstarts, Yellow-throated Warbler, Prairie Warblers, Black-and-white Warbler, Northern Parula, and Worm-eating Warbler.  A couple of Red-eyed Vireos and some Blue-gray Gnatcatchers made for a very interesting day at the "Chickee Hut" island. 

Earlier in the week I had birded Matheson Hammock in South Miami and had a very cooperative Swainson's Warbler, Northen Parula, Worm-eating Warblers, and Blue-gray Gnatatchers, all found on the service road.  This area has given Miami birders a Thick-billed Vireo, Kentucky Warbler, and Cerulean Warbler in the past month.   I wish I had seen that Cerulean!  You better believe I'll be out there trying this week. 

Saturday is the North American Migration Count and birders around the country will be out counting in mass.  I'm hoping for something good on this year's count.  I'll be birding the normal Green Cay/Water Utilities areas.  This will be my 5th year leading this count area and I continue to be surprised.  Migration is coming through, don't miss it!

Black-throated Gray Warbler

Notice the distribtuion of this small migrant, it's a little off course in Florida.

Last year a Black-throated Gray Warbler was found in Broward County. After much searching I had a very bad glimpse of it but this year I didn't have to go searching for this West Coast warbler, it came to me instead. A Black-throated Gray Warbler has been found at Green Cay. It can be seen in the parking lot oak and cypress tress. I was lucky enough to see it this morning about 15 feet away in a large feeding flock full of Yellow-rumped Warblers and Pine Warblers. In addition to this little rarity, a Blue-headed Vireo and a Black-and-white Warbler were found in the mix. You never know what you will find unless you get out there.

Winter at Green Cay is my favorite time of year. There are large rafts of coots to scan through, ducks of all sizes, and of course the wintering warblers. Below is a sampling of warbler activity at Green Cay over the past two weeks. For those following my Palm Beach County Big Year...well I must say that currently I am only in the 50s as far as species go but soon I am going to buckle down and hit the 100 species mark. I hope to provide more posts about this adventure soon.

All photos taken by Bill Kominksy at Green Cay.