[B]USA - a three hop stop 1- 7 September 2018[/B] (1 Viewer)

USA - a three hop stop 1- 8 September 2018

USA - a three hop stop 1- 7 September 2018

Another flying visit to the US for the final round of dental treatment took Carrie and I to Chicago for a day, Farmington Connecticut for two days, and to Boston and the coastal village of Rockport for the last three days.

We were mostly in Chicago to visit family friends, but this allowed time for a morning of birding at Montrose Point Bird Sanctuary, which protrudes from the western shore into Lake Michigan a 15 minute uber ride from downtown Chicago. I had high hopes that overnight rain might have brought in some birds and was there with longtime family friend Kelly before seven on an overcast but clearing morning.

As the light was dim we started with a walk along the pier, seeing a few Mallard and a solitary female Hooded Merganser in the shallowest water, while the odd American Herring Gull and Double-crested Cormorant were bouncing around on the lightly choppy unprotected waters of the lake. Right at the end of the jetty a wonderful pair of juvenile Red Knot were strolling casually among the fishermen and their tackle. Presumably they had never previously seen people, and were completely unafraid.

Other birds on the marsh and the beach included Ring-billed Gulls, a Semipalmated Plover, and four calidrids, which I guess were Semi-palmated Sandpipers. A juvenile Cooper’s Hawk zipped with malice aforethought over the marshy area in the dune hummocks and later perched close-by on a lamp post.

As we approached the woods a mixed flock of Barn Swallows and Chimney Swifts flew over, and as we entered the woods we soon began finding some of the migrants I was hoping to connect with. First up were a Red-eyed Vireo and the first of half a dozen female American Redstarts that came in at eye level in response to my pishing, while a Grey Catbird miaowed from deep cover without ever offering to show itself.

The northernmost area of the woods really came into its own as the sun came out, and with the available minutes ticking away I was delighted to add – thanks to the patient help of several local birders - four lifers in the form of juvenile Bay Breasted Warbler, the startlingly bright green juvenile Chestnut-sided Warbler, a couple of streaky Cape May Warblers and two delightfully showy Swainson’s Thrushes. Other birds here included a fine female Wilson’s Warbler, and several each of Black-capped Chickadee, House Finch and Red Cardinal. Birds I did not connect with for lack of time were Blackpoll Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Blue-Grey Gnatcatcher, and a Veery, plus Forster’s Tern and Willet on the beach.

So I continue to add my American wood warbler a handful at a time - and still have many species still to be found. Next stop – Farmington, Connecticut.

Cheers
Mike

Farmington Meadows - Mon 3rd & Tues 4th September

Back in Farmington for the last of three dental treatments there is an area of meadows just across the river from the Farmington Inn. On the evening we arrived we walked along the river, but didn’t get far before Carrie asked “what’s that in the water?” It turned out to be an extremely relaxed Beaver swimming slowly along right next to the bank. I’ve only once seen Beaver previously and those were distant views of a dark blob swimming almost invisible along the far side of a pond. This video taken with my phone shows how close it was and how well it behaved. The path soon became heavily overgrown and we cut out losses and went for dinner, but I was back the next morning determined to find a few birds.

I was pleased to find a female American Redstart, Tufted Titmouse, Downy Woodpecker, and Song Sparrow, and an immature Bald Eagle flew away along the river before I got thoroughly fed up trying to force a way along an increasingly dew-sodden, thorn-ridden and weed-choked path. When I eventually found a way out I followed the edge of a field and a stand of tall grass and weeds in a marshy nook. This area immediately started producing birds – headed by more Song Sparrows and a dozen Common Yellowthroats in a educationally wide range of plumages.

Other birds that responded to my pishing were a few American Goldfinches, more Song Sparrows and a pair each of Northern Cardinals and Black-capped Chickadees. There were thirty or so American Robins feeding in the field along with smalls groups of Mourning Doves. The highlight here was two Baltimore Orioles – one of which – a fine orange-headed juvenile flew into the tree above me, giving me my first lifer in Farmington. Other bits and pieces included a couple of noisy Blue Jays, a distant American Kestrel, three Barn Swallows, a couple of Northern Flickers and a Common Grackle.

That evening I walked along the road to the east of the river to a spot where Common Nighthawks and Chimney Swifts had been reported a few days earlier. While I certainly didn’t see the 81 birds seen by the eBird reporter a few days earlier, I did see four, one of which showed very well – long elegant wings with a white bar across the base of the inner primaries – before heading off south, presumably on migration - my first ever day-flying nightjar.

Cheers
Mike

Next morning a swift Uber ride brought me to Fisher Meadows – an area of sports fields and a good-sized pond a few miles north of Farmington in Avon. I was hoping to find a migrant Upland or Buff-breasted Sandpiper among the 25 Killdeer, but came up empty and had to make do with a flock of 30 Common Starlings, a Belted Kingfisher flying noisily away in the mist and a couple of White-tailed Deer at the edge of the woods on the far side of the field.

The edge of the lake produced a nice collection of warblers, which included two Common Yellowthroats, two vibrantly bright Yellow Warblers, a trio of American Redstarts, a couple of Warbling Vireos and a typically gorgeous Northern Parula. A Great Blue Heron was poised to strike on the far side of the pond and a Common Grackle clearly considered my worthy of close inspection.

I was pleased to find four Least Sandpipers on a small area of shingle along the western edge of the pond and a couple of Mallard at the mouth of a small stream entering the top of the lake.

The woods and meadows just to the north held White-Breasted Nuthatch, an unidentified flycatcher, a juvenile Cedar Waxwing, Black-capped Chickadees and a couple of Baltimore Orioles and another Great Blue Heron working its way along one of the drainage ditches beneath the canopy of large trees. I closed with a flyover Merlin than caused havoc on the playing fields before disappearing at speed over the distant trees.

Cheers
Mike

Yay, another installment of a visit to the dentist ...makes me green with envy compared to my trips to the dentist, where avian delights probably amount to a Rook or two if lucky.

Nice job on the Red Knots and excellent photo! Not an easy one to get inland.

This is the last one Jos - and the best thing is that its my wife who needs to go into the dentists's chair rather than me!

Thanks Ovenbird

These two juvenile Knots had been around all week - but lots of birders were out after them that Sunday morning. It was a real privilege to se them literally walking around at my feet.

Cheers
Mike

Hi Mike,

I hate to be nit-picky, but I believe the warbler pictured in Post #2 is actually a young female Black-throated Blue. Note the lack of noticeable yellow anywhere and almost complete lack of contrast throughout the body (both go against Yellowthroat, which should show yellow undertail and throat). My Sibley 2014 guide says that 1st-winter female BT Blue can sometimes show no white "handkerchief" on the wings (paraphrased).

Regardless, I really enjoy your trip reports, especially your USA ones. Thanks for another nice report!

Hi Birdmeister

Very happy to be nit-picked

I have absolutely no pretensions to competence in identifying American wood warblers in autumn. Personally I'd be delighted if it was a female Black-throated Blue Warbler because it would be a lifer!

I actually posted this bird on the ID forum thinking it might be one of the Mourning/Nashville/ Connecticut group, and received a swift response the it was a Common Yellowthroat.

Anyway, here's a couple more pix of the same bird. Any thoughts would be most welcome.

Cheers
Mike

Hi Mike,

Thanks for the additional pictures. On second look (and having seen a similar bird today), I think your bird is a Common Yellowthroat. Sorry to get you all excited about BT Blue, but I am hesitant to go against the BirdForum expertise. Must have been the late night last night that led me astray, I guess!

No worries - I'm just pleased to be stimulated to look closer at species I don’t know well.

Cheers
Mike

And rather belatedly ... here's a video of the beaver:

https://youtu.be/A1BJFmrI-yQ

Cheers
Mike

My final birding session came a couple of hundred miles further east at Andrew’s Point in Rockport - a headland that sticks out in to the Atlantic Ocean to the northwest of Boston. My ambition here was to hope for a flyby Great Shearwater as this is one of the best land-based sites for seeing this species. It wasn’t to be, but the gentle northeasterly wind had pushed a few bird into the bay to the north – and I was pleased to pick up a dozen or so Cory’s Shearwaters at a recognizable range. They’re large long-winged unhurried shearwaters that appear uniform grey-brown with a paler head and significantly paler underparts.

I was fortunate indeed that one of New England’s best birders – Rick Heil – was also there and kindly let me have a look through his scope (this was a “bins only” trip ). He had seen three Great Shearwaters before my arrival, but there were significantly further out, so its doubtful I could have seen them, let alone identify them.

Other good birds moving south among the hundred or so Northern Gannets included a first winter Black-legged Kittiwake and a dark phase Arctic Skua which came closer than any of the skuas. Typical coastal birds included Great Black-backed American Herring and Ring-billed Gulls. Its hard to wax lyrical about large white-headed gulls, but I did enjoy the smoky brown juvenile American Herring Gulls and watching a young Greater Black-backed Gull struggling to feed on something dead between some rocks which was only reachable as the waves ebbed.

Also close to shore were 50 or so Common Eiders, all in eclipse plumage, six female Black Scoters and four White-winged Scoters. A Spotted Sandpiper and a few Double-crested Cormorants graced the rocks below us, with three Ruddy Turnstones flying north and ten small calidrids going south being the only waders. Other bits and pieces on an enjoyable morning included a dozen migrating Tree Swallows, a probable Sharp-shinned Hawk migrating a good kilometer offshore, and a couple of flyover American Robins.

A few minutes in the beautiful Millbrook Park behind Rockport’s main beach that same afternoon produced a Carolina Wren chirruping away inside a bush, a Ruby-throated Hummingbird that certainly wasn’t staying for the winter perched on a bare branch above the stream that fed the pond and a Cedar Waxwing feeding on berries in a tree on the other side of the pond flew out and away, making a gentle finale to an enjoyable few days of birding.

Cheers
Mike

Mike, I think you saw more birds in your 6 days than I did in 14!...but then you weren't spooked by Bear.:-O

Agree wholeheartedly regarding imm.Chestnut-sided Warbler....(at risk of sounding like an estate agent/realtor)...they are stunning, a great report!

Cheers

Thanks Ken

My "Bear" was kept sweet with regular bouts of shopping and good food everywhere!

Cheers
Mike