Author Archives: birdsinmyviewfinder

This woodpecker makes neat rows of holes in tree bark in order to gather sap and also eat the insects that get trapped in it. Hence the name Sapsucker. The hints of yellow on the chest and belly also contribute to the common name. This is a female. Males have a red throat. Note theContinue reading “Yellow-bellied Sapsucker”

That big bill gives this dabbling duck it’s name: Northern Shoveler. The wings on a male display a very colorful pattern of a powder-blue shoulder with white, green and black speculums.

A pair of Cooper’s Hawks nested about 70 feet (20 meters) from my home last summer. They may be planning to repeat this year. This one was sitting on branch outside my window after having stopped briefly at the old nest. The local birds and chipmunks are not too happy about it. But these commonContinue reading “Returning Neighbor? Cooper’s Hawk”

American Kestrels are a small falcon, about the size of a dove. The slate-blue color on the wings indicates that this is a male. Kestrels like open fields where they can prey on insects and small animals. They sometimes hover, or kite, over the field as they search for a target and then drop downContinue reading “Snapshot: American Kestrel”

I did not see many Snowy Owls this past winter and any sightings were from a long distance. That wasn’t the case a few years ago. This one was sitting on pile of sticks about 30 yards (27 meters) away. It was fluffed up for warmth in the winter cold and enjoying a little rest.Continue reading “Snapshot: Snowy Owl”

The winter range of this very abundant diving duck just barely includes the southern New England coast. They migrate as far south as Central America in fact. The closely related Greater Scaup is nearly identical but I was able to determine the species of this one once it landed and I could clearly see theContinue reading “Snapshot: Lesser Scaup”

This is a male Bufflehead performing some courtship action for the benefit of the nearby ladies.

A Ring-billed Gull tried to steal a fish from a Belted Kingfisher. He had no chance. The Kingfisher is much faster. This was about as close as he got before the Kingfisher pulled away and “left him in the dust”.

The three birds flying together are, from left, a Semipalmated Sandpiper, an American Avocet and a Lesser Yellowlegs. The photo was taken in 2022 on Plum Island in Massachusetts. Avocets are rare on the east coast of the US above Virginia. Their usual breeding and migration area is the US west of the Mississippi River.Continue reading “Found in the Clutter: Trio in Flight”

This small goose is a winter visitor to New England waters. Brants, known in Europe as Brent Geese, breed on the coast of the Arctic Ocean and winter along the Pacific Coast from Alaska to Baja California, the Hudson Bay, the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the New England coast. This small group was partContinue reading “Brant”