Bird Photography Weekly

Sitting in the car with all the windows and sunroof open, I leaned back with my eyes closed to revel in the cascade of voices around me.  Wood Warblers were singing, off in the distance a Black-billed Cuckoo called, the Wood Thrushes led the  flute section of the woodland orchestra, a Scarlet Tanager chatted hoarsely, a Least Flycatcher provided explosive commentary.  I had just opened my eyes, considering a side jaunt over to check on the Ceruleans, when a friendly Chestnut-sided Warbler popped up close to the car to meet me.

Go see what’s shakin’ elsewhere at Birdfreak’s Bird Photography Weekly.

Birding Clinton Road

I live close (seriously, like 5 minutes) to one of the most amazing birding hotspots in NJ and I don’t take advantage of it.  That is going to change. I popped over this morning in the cold and misty rain to see what had come in.  As I crept along the road with the windows down straining to hear; pulling over whenever someone would roar up behind me, the sky brightened.  Starting at the north end, the lake is on the left and there is a marsh on the right; I birded south stopping at most of the pull-offs.  Parking lots 4 and 5 were the birdiest with a stop at the field next to the tree farm and and a side trip up Paradise road.  The highlights were the singing of lots and lots of Black-throated Green Warblers, the insistent tooting of a Red-breasted Nuthatch, the unexpected call of a Barred Owl rolling across the ridge, and the arrival of Prairie and Blue-winged Warblers at the powercut.

Birds Seen:
Yellow Warbler
Tree Swallows
Barred Owl
Mute Swan
Baltimore Oriole
Red-winged Blackbird
Carolina Wren
Song Sparrow
Catbird
Jay
Black-throated Green Warblers – everywhere, Yay
Turkey
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Blue-winged Warbler
Red-shouldered Hawk
White-throated Sparrow
Purple Martins (Lake Lookover)
Titmouse
Robin
Crow
Raven
Chickadee
Ovenbird
Chipping Sparrow
Great-crested Flycatcher
Common Yellowthroat
Black and White Warbler
Hooded Warbler
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Great Blue Heron
Louisiana Waterthrush
Parula
Scarlet Tanager

At the Van Orden Powercut.  You remember we bird the powercuts, right?
Prairie Warbler
Towhee
Yellow Warbler
Blue-winged Warbler
Pewee
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Yellow Warbler

Alas, I did not hear any Golden-winged Warblers.

Wordless Wednesday-scary tree

Birding Clinton Road

Hard on the heels of my disappointed over missing the World Series of Birding because of my delayed flight back from New Orleans; a friend and I spent some time yesterday on Clinton Road. Clinton Road is a 10-mile wooded wonderland that goes from Route 23 to 94. It snakes through the Newark watershed, has sparkling streams that fall over iron-laced boulders, is a cool delight in summer and breathtaking in autumn. It is also the nesting territory for many of the wood warblers. (should I mention that it is haunted?)

My friend arrived at my house proclaiming that it was a very birdy day. From the house I could hear Orioles, Titmice, Chipping Sparrows and the “Weeeep” of a Great Crested Flycatcher. We threw our gear in the car and headed out.

We rolled down the windows and cranked up the heat (yes, it is still cold up here) listening as we crept down the road. At one end of Clinton Road there is the lake. At this hour the Red-winged Blackbirds were frantically shoves their epaulets in our faces, the Yellow Warblers were chasing each other like sprayed drops of feathered sunshine.

When we got past the houses and into the wooded section, the woods erupted in the melodious songs of the warblers. I smiled and thought to myself, “welcome back”. The Black-throated Greens were murmuring in the trees, Ovenbirds teaching from the forest floor, Prairies ascending the heights, Parulas and Redstarts singing for all they were worth. We were awash in Chestnut-sided Warblers. It was amazing to hear it all. In the end we got 52 species in 4 hours.

Black-throated Blue, Prairie Warbler, Black-throated Green, Ovenbird, Wood Thrush, Veery, Yellow Warbler, Blue-Winged Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Parula, Redstart, Pine Warbler, Black & White Warbler, Hooded Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Indigo Bunting, Red-winged Blackbird, Common Grackle, Baltimore Oriole, Goldfinch, Scarlet Tanager, Purple Martin, Barn Swallow, Tree Swallow, Mute Swan, Canada Goose, Mallard, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Turkey, Turkey Vulture, Black Vulture, Broad-winged hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Cooper Hawk, Mourning Dove, Cardinal, Robin, Blue Jay, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker, Phoebe, Great-crested Flycatcher, Red-eyed vireo, Crow, Black-capped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher, Catbird, Chipping Sparrow, House Sparrow, Cowbird.

Are you intrigued? Come to the highlands.