2013 Calendar

Limited amounts of my 2013 Photography Calendar still available. Makes a great gift!
-Bill

Fall warblers thick and feeding! ID Help Needed

 

American Redstart showing its good side. 

This morning I was out doing some scouting in Barrington, NH along some freshly cleared forest that will create early successional habitat in the next few years when I found myself buried in warblers. Very quickly I was able to count the following warblers:

Black-Throated Green
Yellow Rumped
American Red Start
Black and White
Yellow
Cheastnut Sided

also in the mix with the warblers
Chickadees
Tufted Titmouse
Catbirds
Goldfinches
Blue Jays
Crows

Most seem to be feeding on worms and insects

Not 100% sure on the species in the following 2 images, when the plumage changes from spring to Fall the birds can look VERY different. Any one have suggestiosn for the following 2 birds?

Not sure on this one, best guess is Adult Female Black-Throated Blue??

I can really use some help here on this one.

American redstart

Sandhill Cranes pay a visit to Massachusetts!

I spent nearly the entire day Sunday exploring the Massachusetts seacoast looking for birds and other wildlife. The trip didn't let me down! Based on some reports from the Mass Bird List  I decided to head to Rowely first to see if I could locate the Sandhill Cranes that have been reported several times last week.

Just to note, Sandhill Cranes are very rare for this area but very abundant our in our Western states.  Sunday marked the first time I have ever seen this species in person. In the birding world there is a term for this. The very first time you identify a species, this is called a "lifer". I like to make it even more certain that for me a "lifer" includes a photos to document the sighing. Many times I will think I saw one type of bird but it was actually another, as in this past Sunday I was certain that I was photographing a Northern Harrier, only to find out it was a Rough-Legged Hawk, another Lifer for me!

There were 2 Cranes in the farm field when I arrived. They were close to the road so it was pretty easy to get some nice shots without disturbing the birds. From what I can tell, they will stick around a few more days and then continue to migrate.

When birds as rare as these show up it can cause quite a stir in the nature photography world. Want to see what nearly $100,000 in camera gear looks like? You would think Paris Hilton was out there in that muddy field somewhere.

This is what the crane thought of all the attention. I'm pretty sure he felt this was his best side. Notice how he is checking to see if people are watching!