Black Billed Cuckoo

   As I said in the last post, the birding highlight of my three days away was a  Black Billed Cuckoo that was just amazing. I've only seen a handful of Black Billed (and for that matter Yellow Billed) Cuckoos. Mostly, I get partial views of them hiding in trees. The bird deserved its own post

   While walking along the road at Plum Island a group of birders were standing at a road crossing of a trail. One told me that a cuckoo was in the bushes. He showed me where to look and sure enough there it was. It was partially obscured by foliage but a step to the right or left and a slight bend and you could see the whole bird. I was quite happy to see it.

                                                  Below is the view I first got of the cuckoo.

  After a few minutes I decided I'd move off and let others get the same view of the bird. I sat on a guard rail and hoped that when it eventually flew it may land in the tree in front of me. Well, it did. It landed on an exposed branch and sat there about thirty seconds. I started shooting my camera hoping the light was good.  The photos below are what I got. I feel very grateful for the experience

   Below is one of the photos cropped. I prefer to post my photos without any enhancements. Even if I could post a nicer photo if I crop it or edit it, I'd rather post the raw honest photo. However, in this case I figured I'd quickly crop one of the above photos. 

Cropped

Three Days in May

 

Eastern Musk Turtle

    I had three days off from work this week. I took a vacation day and had my regular two days off consecutively to give myself three consecutive. The first day I hung out with my friend Charles in Rhode Island. He had moved to Brazil two years ago and this was his first time back in the states. The other two days I birded Plum Island. I stayed at the campground at Salisbury Beach on Wednesday night.

   Charles and I (and Laurie) had objectives on Tuesday. We met at Miantonomi and birded early. Next we were going to stop at a reliable spot for Musk Turtle From there we were going to look for White Ibis which would be a Rhode Island state bird for me. We would look for more birds in southern RI before heading north to hopefully find him a Black Crappie. Both Eastern Musk Turtle and Black Crappie would be lifers for Charles. 

  We met at around 7 am but birding was slow at Mia so we were out of there by 9:30. We quickly found a couple of Eastern Musk Turtles and Charles couldn't have been happier. I didn't get the White Ibis. The tide was really high and it was easy to scan the area and it was devoid of a large white heron shaped bird with a pink curved beak

   We went to a place that has breeding Hooded Warblers. Charles and I found three along with many other nice nesting birds such as Baltimore Oriole, Louisiana Waterthrush, and Eastern Wood Peewee. Charles was again thrilled. The highlight other than the Hooded Warblers was a loud Wood Thrush singing right out in the open.

   We then headed north to try to catch a Black Crappie. I failed in this quest. I landed two sunfish and broke off a big Chain Pickerel. We also saw Golden Shiners spawning. We dropped Charles off at a motel in Mansfield so he could take the train and a bus connection back to Newport the following morning. 

   

Wood Thrush

   Wednesday and Thursday Laurie and I went to Plum Island. Birding was okay. We saw good birds but had to work for them. They weren't dripping from trees. I got less than ten species of warblers both days. We did see five Blackburnian Warblers and I saw a Bay-Breasted. However we dipped on many of the rarer warblers like Canada, Wilson's and Cape May. 

  Despite being slow, a rarity shows up at Parker River each day. Last week while we were there a Wilson's Pharalope was in Bill Forward Pool. On Wednesday a Hooded Warbler showed up that most everyone  was trying to see it. For me, birding in RI, Hooded isn't super rare. Thursday, a Tricolored Heron was in the same pool as last week's Pharalope. We also saw a Yellow Crowned Night heron, Orioles, an Orchard Oriole, and Purple Martins. We didn't go to the ocean or saltmarsh but we ended up getting fifty one species. 

   By far, the highlight was a Black Billed Cuckoo that hung around for ten minutes on Thursday. I had never seen one out in the open for so long. It was special.

Veery cute bird

   Besides the birds, I tried shad fishing in the Merrimack but didn't catch any. Wednesday night after supper Laurie walked to the mouth of the river and watched nine Harbor Seals haul out on rocks. It was a relaxing way to enjoy the evening. 

  Thursday was cool (after two scorchers) but we tried for Blanding's Turtle for a third time at Oxbow NWR on the way home. We struck out. The best we could do was finding two Garter Snakes and a Veery. 

   All in all, my three days off were not truly amazing, but we made some good memories and it beat the hell out of work. It was good medicine for my gypsy soul. 

American Toad

Wild Geranium

Mount Auburn Cemetery

 

Summer Tanager

   If you were to look up some of the best places in the United States to see migrating warblers you would find Mount Auburn Cemetery (MAC for now on) in Cambridge on that list. MAC is an open green space in a sea of urban development. When migrating warblers see the sun coming up, if they are over the ocean they look for the nearest land. From the ocean they can see the hills in Cambridge and head in that direction. Once at the cemetery the birds have seventy foot oaks, flowering trees, and shrubs to hide, rest, and feed in. As a matter of fact, during migration, Mt Auburn will have one of the highest total of warbler species on average seen in the entire country on any given day.

   I had never been to Mt Auburn Cemetery despite the well earned fame. I could never bring myself to deal with Boston traffic. Instead, I have always taken the much longer but much easier drive to Parker River NWR on Plum Island. Rarely have I been disappointed on Plum so I always try to make it back each year. 

   Dan Berard, whom was the Ocean State Bird Club president for many years was leading a walk at MAC on Mother's Day and reached out to the OSBC for members to join him. At first I thought about all of the reasons why I didn't want to go but then I realized this was a golden opportunity. We had to meet at 7 AM so despite my hatred of getting up early, I knew I wouldn't have to deal with traffic on a Sunday morning. I was birding with my friend Nicole from Connecticut and of course, I dragged Laurie along. A couple other Rhode Island birders Chris and Su also joined the walk. 

   We met just inside the gate at 7 AM and to my surprise our group was only about ten people. We walked around the huge cemetery for the next five and a half hours. In that time we walked a variety of landscapes. There is a very tall hill with a tower that was rumored to have a Summer Tanager. There are a couple of small ponds. There were dozens of flowering trees along with the already mentioned seventy foot oaks.

 

 Dan is the best birder I know. He can hear birds from distances that no one else can hear. He knows all of their calls and the subtle differences of ones that look almost alike. We ended up identifying twenty four species of warblers!!! Twenty four!! I did not hear or see all of them but as a group that is the number of warbler species that we know were in the cemetery. I have never been on a walk with anywhere near that number of species. I think the closest I've ever gotten was eighteen (twice). 

   The best warblers that I actually saw were Blackburnian, Bay Breasted, and Blackpoll. The best bird of the day was a Summer Tanager. Though I usually see at least one a year, it was a lifer for many of the people on our walk. We had multiple Baltimore Orioles, a Bald Eagle, Broadwing Hawk, and a Least Flycatcher along with dozens of species.

   I didn't take a ton of photos because many of the birds were really high up and most of the day was cloudy. Still it was great having so many migrating species around. I truly understand what makes Mount Auburn so special.

 

 A few notes. The place is huge and there are a lot of cemetery roads. I would have gotten lost if I were not on a guided walk. If I went again, I would download a map before hand or pick one up at the entrance. This area is named "mount" for a reason. It is very hilly. Some of the paths and roads are steep. Parking is allowed on any road that doesn't have a green line down the middle. From Norton on a quiet Sunday morning it was a fifty three minute drive. It is about fifteen minutes (maybe slightly less) from the  Mass Pike without traffic on a weekend morning. There is a bathroom near the main gate but that is the only one. There were a lot of birders at the cemetery (it is famous) and I had a ten minute wait to use the bathroom.

 

A Slow Start to May for me?

   

In the spirit of integrity of my blog, I have to admit that the first quarter of May has not been very kind to me. No I'm not whining about it, but as of this writing, I've only had a couple of "great" hours outdoors. The rest, well, meh.

   Like every other fishermen in southern New England, I know that very big stripers are in the area. I went for them two nights in a row and only landed a couple. My biggest was probably a big slot and nothing compared to some of the monsters I saw caught. This whole having a job thing sucks. Also, the place that I fished was shoulder to shoulder with fishermen and just not my scene. Anyway...moving on

Louisiana Waterthrush

   The first five days of May were a continuation of the last few days of April at work. We had to get ready for what we call Inventory, which is an audit of all merchandise in the store. Long story short, those of us with any authority (managers and leads) worked our ass off for a week. This is part of the reason I did not get to striper fish as much as I wanted, I was working long hours that were also stressful. 

   The plus side to all of the work is that it is over. I had the last two days off from work and spent all of it outside birding. Laurie came with me both days. And like the fishing for me, it was not as good as expected. 

  We went to Mia both days and really didn't see much. The highlight list was short, a hummingbird, Rose Breasted Grosbeak and a close encounter with a Hairy Woodpecker. After Miantonomi both days we tried other spots without much luck until evening yesterday. The best bird we did find was a Solitary Sandpiper in a little pond that very few people know about. 

   After a long day of birding we could have driven home about 4 pm but I knew traffic would be awful so I sucked it up and drove to one more birding location in Arcadia. This was a great decision. Laurie napped in the car and I walked. Immediately I saw a Louisiana Waterthrush. It was in marshy habitat better suited for a Northern Waterthrush but there it was. I got some proof photos but nothing more.

Hooded Warbler

 

   The highlight was seeing Hooded Warblers, again the photos weren't great but I was happy to see them. They were on breeding grounds so I did not use playback to get them closer. It was a joy to watch them feed and just be doing warbler things. 

   At this place I ended up seeing nine species of warblers, Baltimore Oriole, Yellow-throated Vireos and many other species. All told, I probably saw thirty species. It was great.  

Spotted Turtle

  Because it was chilly both days, we only saw a few herps. We saw one Garter Snake and turtles on rocks sunning themselves. We did find a first of the year Spotted Turtle which I would call the herp highlight. Fun fact, if you Google "best places to find herps in Massachusetts" you will get zero info on snakes and frogs but plenty of info on herpes including genital herpes.  More photos below

Bleeding Heart

Baltimore Oriole

Japanese Cherry

Veery

Hooded Warbler

Burrage Pond Wildlife Management Area

 

Black and White Warbler

   Tuesday Laurie and I went to Burrage Pond WMA in Hanson, MA. This is the only place in Massachusetts that I know of that Sandhill Cranes nest. It is the reason that we went though we did not see or hear any. The WMA is huge with many different habitats. There are woods, streams fields, a large lake, dead trees, unused cranberry bogs, and canals.  The place is huge. Because of all of the habitat there is a large variety of wildlife.

  Wildlife Management Areas are different than say state parks. They are created for all outdoor recreation including hunting and trapping. They also are not usually well signed and trails are not marked. It can be easy to get lost if you just wander without paying attention in an area of this size. I had been to Burrage a few times and although I could still get lost, I know enough of the area that I can get back to the car after a couple of hours exploring.

Northern Water Snake

   The weather Tuesday was beautiful. I was hoping to see Sandhill Cranes but also migrating warblers and snakes. There are four official parking areas along with many road pull offs around the property. He went to the main parking area on Hawk's Ave. From there it is an easy ten minute walk to the impoundment where I hoped to see cranes.

   
   Though I did not see the Sandhills, we did see Ring Necked Ducks, Green Winged Teal, and the common stuff like Great Blue Herons, Osprey, and Mallards. We walked all along the the water for nearly a mile looking at all of the turtles. I was hoping to see a Spotted in the mix of the hundred Painted Turtles but it was not to be. 

  We took a path that lead into the woods. We came across a small flock of warblers that put on a show for us. We had Black and White, Yellow, and Palm Warbler along with a few Blue Gray Gnatcatchers. We watched them for a few minutes.

  Next up the path Laurie found a Garter Snake which I caught and held. Only a few feet away we found another Garter. I couldn't attempt to catch it though. Some equestrians were coming right up the path and we had to move away for the horses. We turned around from this spot and worked our way back to the car about two miles away. 

Tree Swallow

Back along the impoundment we came across a Northern Water Snake sunning itself. It was the first of the year for me and was thrilled to see it. That was the last exciting thing we saw on the trail and we headed back to Norton.

   It was still early and I did not want to sit in the house on a beautiful day at 3 pm, so we went to the Great Woods Conservation Area in Norton. We had a rough time following the trails based on the map at the parking lot but it was nice out and I didn't mind. Laurie on the other hand was panicking that we might get lost. We found a pair of Red Breasted Nuthatches which is a very good bird to find in this part of the state. It is a very tough bird for me to get in Rhode Island and I don't know if I've ever seen one this close to where I live. 

Red Breasted Nuthatch

   All in all...a fine day

  A few more photos below

Red Winged Blackbird

Eastern Kingbird

Herping April 14

 

Eastern Musk Turtle

I knew for a week that the extended forecast for this past Tuesday was going to be warm. Temps since I had not seen since October were coming. In the Norton area the expected temperature was going to be seventy seven degrees. This forecast was important and I followed it religiously for a week because I had Tuesday off. I wanted Tuesday to be epic.

   Normally, when I think epic in the spring, I think of whales from shore at Race Point. Because of the cooling waters of Cape Cod Bay and the Atlantic, while it was going to reach eighty inland, Provincetown's forecast called for forty eight degrees and it was going to be rainy.

  So we went herping. We went to a national wildlife refuge in central Massachusetts that has Blanding's Turtles. I've seen three in my life but Laurie has not seen any. Obviously, the air temp was going to be much warmer than the water temperature so turtles almost had to be sunning themselves. 

  We didn't see any Blanding's though we saw dozens of Painted Turtles. We did come across four Garter Snakes. I got some photos of the first one but the other three hid themselves too fast. These were the first snakes of the year for me.

   After a picnic and a forty minute drive back closer to home, we went to my favorite herping spot where I see Pickerel Frogs, Fowler's Toads, and Black Racers. I didn't see any of them, but did see a Musk Turtle. I was very surprised to see this guy in a very fast moving brook. This was only my second Eastern Musk Turtle in Massachusetts and I had no idea they would be in such fast water. 

  A little later on I came across my first Common snapping Turtle of the year. All in all, not a bad day. The Musk Turtle was the highlight but any four snake day is a good day.

Below are some photos of a very cooperative Palm Warbler that I watched for ten minutes 

Springtime Sights and Sounds

   

  I could not convince myself to enjoy this traditional New England winter. I had no desire to go snowshoeing or ice fishing. Even when it came to the fun winter birding my mindset was "been there, done that, can't justify the gas".  So I pretty much stayed in the house working out and binge watching television.

   So when spring arrived, I was very willing to get out and see some of the sure signs that it was really here. One of my favorite things I enjoy about spring nature is that it starts with a trickle. Take birding, during peak migration from late April through the third week of  May, I may see seventy new species of birds. During March, you can count on only a few new species such as Eastern Phoebe,  Tree Swallows, Great Egret, Ospreys, and a few others. To me, when these new individuals arrive, I feel as though I need to see them like I would reconnecting with an old friend. 

   For me, it isn't just about birds. I need to see many old friends of different types of animals. The feeling is strong and quite honestly, with some of the species if I don't see them I feel incomplete. This may sound absolutely ridiculous (because it is) but if I miss seeing Wood Frogs (for example) I feel as though there is an empty hole I can not fill.

   So, once we got some warmer weather, off I went to see "old friends". The first were Wood Frogs. When we had a huge rainstorm with fifty mile an hour winds two weeks ago, my only thought was I hope the power doesn't go out. The thought that it was a "big night" for amphibians did not cross my mind.  Luckily, I had the next day off from work and it dawned on me that the warm rain had to have triggered the frogs to migrate to vernal pools. so we migrated to see them.

   Sure enough, we did see dozens of Wood Frogs. The light was perfect and despite having  loads of photos of them I couldn't help taking another hundred more. While we were at the vernal pool, Laurie found a Spotted Salamander. I moved a leaf it swam under with a stick and we got a very good look. A lifer for Laurie.

   My next old friend I needed to see were herring. Sunday was nice so we went to a herring run and I was really hoping to see a "scout" or two. It would have made me happy to see a couple of these early fish leading the way for the bulk of the run. To my astonishment,  the run was full of alewives (the name of the most common  species of herring). There were more herring than I had ever seen at one time, thousands for sure. After I got out of work on Monday, we rushed down to the run again with a picnic. We ate our food and watched the herring fight the current in the manmade ladder to get over where a mill once stood. I had Tuesday off and for the third day in a row, we went to the herring run and watched the fish. It was almost seventy degrees so we sat on the damp grass and watched them for an hour. There were even more than the previous two days.

   Despite naming the March birds in the opening paragraph, none of them hold a place in my heart as much as another early arrival...Pine Warbler. I love hearing their trill in the wood. I had been listening for a couple of weeks when taking walks in the neighborhood that has some huge White Pines but hadn't heard any. Tuesday we went to Myles Standish State Park in Plymouth, MA (before going to the herring run). We brought a picnic (sensing a theme?) and sat in the pines. There were multiple Pine Warblers calling. I enjoyed listening to them the entire time we were there. I didn't even try to see one. Just listening to them was enough for me.

 

Red Bellied Cooter

   Another creature I try to see every year is Red Bellied Cooters. These are an endangered turtle in Massachusetts and the next closest population is in New Jersey. They are a new species to me and I only learned about them three years ago. Seeing them still feels "fresh". I didn't really expect to see any in March, but when we went to Myles Standish there was a big one on a log. Turtles don't move a hell of a lot, so we watched it for five minutes and thanked it for its time. 

   My next spring adventure is usually hit or miss. I usually go to Provincetown and see the migrating Right Whales. I have been successful a few times and struck out more often than I have seen them. However, there is a thrill of seeing whales from the beach. You aren't surrounded by three hundred people on a whale watch boat after paying seventy dollars to board. It is just you and the whales, and you found them not a captain of a vessel. It is a magical feeling. I hope to get to P-town on Wednesday of next week but the weather will determine if I can go. 

   In the next month we will have overshoot Blue Grosbeaks, Summer Tanagers, and Prothonotary Warblers. Common warblers such as Redstarts, Palm, and Black and Whites will be here in mid to late April. A few warm days in the middle of the month will get snakes going and my eyes will go from looking in trees in the morning to under rocks as the sun rises throughout the day. I'll hopefully run across more old friends. I appreciate them all but the Wood Frogs, Pine Warblers, whales, and herring at the beginning of the season hold a special place for me. I simply need to see or hear them every single year.