Author Archives: birdsinmyviewfinder

I have been planning to do a series of posts on the migrants passing through my area in the past few weeks. But I keep getting side-tracked. First the Tree Swallows have been performing their annual display as they prepare to leave us (previous two posts). And now an Osprey provided a bit of aContinue reading “Osprey”

Tree Swallow activity continues to grow. This morning we were driving north from the southern end of the Island when I spotted a large dark area on the road ahead. We pulled over and looked at the 2000+ Tree Swallows sitting in the road with probably as many or even more in the shrubs andContinue reading “More Gathering of the Swallows”

Tree Swallows are gathering by the thousands on Plum Island as they prepare to migrate. We come across tall shrubbery that is sagging under the weight of the birds crowded onto them while roosting. Waves of Swallows will flow like a river over bodies of water as they dip down to catch drink in flightContinue reading “A Gathering of Tree Swallows”

The single American Avocet summering in our area is apparently still enjoying its visit. I did a post on this vagrant previously and we have continued to observe it over the summer. Vagrant, of course, meaning out of place. This bird should be somewhere in New Mexico, Colorado or elsewhere along the eastern side ofContinue reading “American Avocet”

Bird and human activity has been slowed by the ongoing heat and drought in my area. But life continues. These are some of the birds that I have spotted in the past few weeks. I’ll do cute first. These are part of the new generation of Gadwalls. There is a family of flycatchers, Empidonax, thatContinue reading “Some Recent Sightings”

Young Hummingbirds (in my previous post) aren’t the only juvenile visitors to my backyard. There was a family of Cooper’s Hawks nesting somewhere in the wooded area near my home. One or two would come close on occasion and there was a period when I could hear the young hawk begging food from the parents.Continue reading “Cooper’s Hawk”

Birds have to learn their lessons, just like us. I photographed a young Ruby-throated Hummingbird trying to figure out my feeder. He or she was trying to get at the fluid from underneath instead of using the ports on the top. I guess it wasn’t paying attention to mom when she was using the feeder.Continue reading “Life Lessons”

I watched some Great Egrets hunting for small fish and caught some of the action with my camera. Great Egrets, like herons, stand still or move very slowly as they wait for their prey to get close enough to snatch with a quick thrust of their head. This Egret prowled the edge of a tidalContinue reading “Great Egrets”

We think of a vagrant as someone, who by circumstance or choice, is a wanderer who often lives by begging. A vagrant bird is one who is found outside its normal wintering or breeding areas. Scientists aren’t certain about why some individual birds wander so far afield. It may be a storm system that drivesContinue reading “Feathered Vagrant”

The Pileated Woodpecker is the largest woodpecker in North America. It’s about the size of a Crow and measures up to 19 in. (49 cm) long with a wingspan up to 29.5 in. (75 cm). They are forest birds that like older forests with large dead trees and fallen wood where they can find theirContinue reading “Pileated Woodpecker”