Wildlife Week

     This week was National Wildlife Week, and you bet I saw some! Was it mostly birds? Absolutely! 

    I had the chance to bird with the kiddo, bird with friends, and bird solo. I mostly birded close to home, but I'll toss in some Green-Wood from last weekend too. Because, why not!

I can't say I have ever seen flickers face off before, but there is a first time for everything!

At Green-Wood last weekend, the flickers were frisky.

Squabbling and even pinning each other down on their backs, giving the pinned bird some pokes with that powerful bill.

Jumping up and tussling with their feet trying to not be the bird pinned below.

And all done with much grace.

And plenty of phoebes to go around, that day. All hawking for insects.

When heading out, as I was with the kiddo, and thinking about getting her home to have lunch -- it appears that all us parents are thinking alike. This red tail hawk was carrying food (maybe a rat?), potentially for its own family!

Downy woodpecker at Dell Water.

Bonus bird, I love finding a field sparrow. They are so darn cute. Even though we passed through the Dell Water earlier, we enjoy circling back because the sights can change and do change!

Savoring those dark-eyed juncos before they head northward....

Last Wednesday, after dropping the kiddo off to daycare and having a late start to my work day, I met some friends at Marine Park Salt Marsh. Always delighted to see this female hooded merganser, who has been here for the last few months, living her best life.

I noticed flocks of red-winged blackbirds, starlings, and small sparrows taking off and moving in the same direction... And I saw a raptor dive into the grasses.
Soon and empty taloned Cooper's Hawk appeared and at a loss this time around.

On my way out, we enjoyed an interesting sight, as the tide lowered. A group of bunker were in the shallows and this female red-breasted merganser and the female hooded merganser were hunting, actively. Corraling fish toward the waters edges.
Normally these birds are divers, but with the water so shallow, they ducked their heads below and swam quickly at the surface, coming up from time to time with a prize.

Today, an overcast and cold day but it didn't stop the red-wing blackbirds from singing loudly, as they do.

Of interest was seeing that the one inactive nest platform has had osprey at it both days. There is no nest being built, but as many as two osprey at a time have visited it and with food.
Perhaps this long-standing, vacant platform has a future?

Hope everyone had had a chance to see some wildlife this week. But don't worry if you didn't, you can see and appreciate wildlife any week of the year (and you totally should!).

Baby's First Progne Sp.!

     Yesterday, Doug G. of Brooklyn announced to the bird world that there is a questionable purple martin that might actually be something else on the lake at Prospect Park. As the day unfolded, it was determined to be undetermined in what species of martin this was. Cuban, Caribbean, Grey-breasted martin? No one seemed to really know. I figured this bird would have likely been gone today, but I was wrong.

    So being that it spent the night, and it was my day off, I figured Kestrel and I would go and see this bird, still today remaining unidentified and only listed as Progne Sp. Progne, being the genus these birds, martins are a part of.

    One needs to be strategic to bird with their baby, so I make sure she has a nap under her belt OR that we get out quick enough that she can nap while I bird. Today I opted for the get in a nap (and lunch) before we go out. Well damn, did this kid nap.... for over two hours. 

After she ate her lunch and I mine, we headed out. The Stroller tires need air, so it took a little extra effort on the hills, but we made it!

While in the park, we'll also be sure to sneak in some year birds, like wood ducks who were acting like mallards, plus (not pictured) a purple finch, tree swallows, and a hairy woodpecker (ty, Ryan!).

While admiring the wood ducks, babies are apparently loved by lots of children (except the child version of me), and inevitably Kestrel was adored by a little girl also looking at the ducks. So I guess in some odd way, everyone was looking at a bird of some sort.

We finally reached our destination and flying birds in overcast light, well gear up for some subpar pictures of the still, unidentified martin.

Apparently it vocalized and some vocals were recorded, hopefully soon the bird minds come together and figure out what this bird is. All the possibilities are not from here, hailing from somewhere far less cold (it was in the 30's today) and far more tropical. The contenders are Cuban, Caribbean, and grey-chested. So as it sits on my ebird list and the ebird lists of many others, it is for now simply a Progne sp.

Apparently the local raptors have been eyeing it and it had a close call with a merlin. 
Now of course at this point I have a quiet, agreeable baby with me. I could stand here for another hour and take endless (crappy) photos of this bird or, I could enjoy a little more birding with the kiddo. I chose the latter, you gotta take advantage of ANY time your tiny human gifts you with.

Of course, all good things must come to an end. We walked well house drive to West Island, then to the Ravine, the upper and lower pools, even part of the Lullwater - that's a pretty good haul, because then the crying began. When the crying starts we usually have to speed walk, find some fun bumpy ground to cover and find our way homeward -- while of course spying anything.
This Eastern Phoebe hunting from the ground was a nice treat and the the phoebe went to chase another bird.

I noticed the phoebe was going after a warbler! While the crying stopped, I finally got a clear view of this pine warbler and the wailing began again. It's not perfectly in focus, but we'll take what we can get. Again, this photo is a gift from Kestrel in that she amused me for a moment but then reminded me what our mission was that I got side-tracked from.
Birding with her is always an adventure, but I do enjoy having time out with her, and hey, whatever this martin turns out to be, she can at least have it on her life list, a gift to her.

...and don't worry, we had a dance party on the ride home. 

A Butcher Bird in the North-Forty.

     This week has been rough. Day light savings messed up our perfect, sleeps through the night baby. Which messed up us. Which made work very challenging this week. The ripple affect just progressed day-by-day. By Friday, I was toast. I spent my day off (cleaning) and trying to catch a nap. Birding, oddly, was just not my primary goal.

    So today, I got a decent night of sleep, was looking forward to some leisurely birding, and then I saw the notification about a Northern Shrike, just 10 minutes from home. I usually don't get along with chasing birds, so I clenched my jaw for the 907,5674,999th time this week and thought to myself, "just wait, make sure it is sticking around before you run off to chase a dream." So I enjoyed my breakfast with my family and then I saw that it was still being seen. Time to go.

    After parking, a kid comes running up, asking if I was looking for the Northern Shrike. I said I was. I could tell this kid was serious, I was happy to help him and his grownup get to the North Forty, the part of the field where it was being seen. 

    We walked into the trail that takes you back to the Return-a-Gift Pond, and then he put up his bins, and yelled "shrike!" And there it was, the Northern Shrike. Damn, he reminded me of such an important rule: LOOK AT EVERYTHING. I saw that bird and initially thought to myself, Mockingbird, but nope, it was a shrike, giving a mockingbird a run for its money. And then I also thought to myself, what a fantastic young person this was. He had a lot of cool bird experiences and I owe him, for helping to get me a life bird, let alone a life bird here in Brooklyn. I wish him many more good birds!

The Northern Shrike is a bird of prey disguised as a song bird.
This bird looks so, innocent, right?
Just wait till it turns its head...

Also known, affectionately(?), as the butcher bird. That hooked bill is used to behead birds, rodents, grasshoppers, small reptiles... they are known for using twigs and barbed wire as a place to impale its prey and help hold it tight while it, butchers it into small bite-able bits and even better to store it there for later - ain't that cute?
This bird, showing that light scalloping on its belly tells us this is an immature bird. Does that make this one an apprentice butcherbird?

This bird is truly carnivorous, that little hook on their bill is their killing tool, it can help to quickly kill their prey. 
These birds are also truly northern, before this, I'd only seen loggerhead shrike, similar to these, but denizens of the south and as their name implies, they have thick necks and heads.
They nest in the arctic and in the winter live in the Northern parts of NYS and other northern and mountainous states of the lower 48. So it's a real treat to see one here, in Brooklyn. 

I decided that I had great looks at the shrike, and wanted to keep enjoying the day. I decided to head over the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. The West Pond was full of snow geese, usually they are on the east pond or the surrounding marshy islands. So to see so many close, and flying overhead was a real treat.
Also, that yawn!!!

Good birds, good weather, and finally, a good night of sleep-- oh AND good pizza for lunch. That is a banner day!

Birding With my Little Partner

     At this point, with a 10 month old birding can go incredibly well or off the rails. I also find myself very flustered just trying to get out the door, making sure I am very well prepared for taking her out, it's a much longer process to get out the door. And sometimes she just doesn't want to be in the stroller.

    This last week she begun to go on a sleeping spree (I think she is having a growth spurt, apparently this is a thing) which makes going birding a touch easier. The gentle bumps and uneven ground lull her into the deepest of naps. We both benefit.

    This last week, we together visited Marine Park and Green-Wood Cemetery. The weather finally felt like spring, and I think the fresh air benefitted us both.

So, let me tell you about trying to remember everything...
I walked to Marine Park with the stroller, did a nice brisk pace - the baby weight is off, but I could, um.... shape up... And I throw my birding pack in the stroller, open it up when we get to the nature trail annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd no binoculars.
No binoculars, only a camera, and of course, no strap for said camera.
So I pushed a stroller one handed, used a camera in lieu of binoculars, and tried my ears at birdsong.
And some birds maybe had some empathy and approached us. This chickadee came within 12 feet of us, even PAUSED. But of course, stick.
So really clear photos of a chickadee.... with stick. Can't get 'em all!

As we walked the trail, we noted how many human footpaths have been carved entering the marsh and grasslands, it's a shame there is zero enforcement of park rules. We, who we kidding, she was sleeping at this point, I enjoyed a very close and not shy song sparrow, foraging in the grasses just off trail.

Normally these birds are super skulky, but this one saw us (and our hulking stroller) and just kept on skipping around in the brush.

We'll be saying goodbye to them soon, but for now, they just keep on shoveling.

On our trip to Green-Wood today, we birded for THREE WHOLE HOURS, with only 3 minutes worth of crying. That my friends, is a big W for my book.
Now, we did make sure we took a diaper/snack/snuggle break to make sure we could stretch those little legs. We also sand a lot of little songs to the birds (she has picked up this habit of repeating some high pitch "do-do-do's" and swaying as she sings them. So, I've reinforced that behavior because she gets really happy doing it, so if you saw us singing together while we birded, it's just our thing.
Now upon our arrival, this red tail was swooping at the ducks, causing a bit of drama, so from that moment, I could tell we were going to have a good time out.

So let's talk about why we're really in Green-Wood.

The Timberdoodles, Bog Suckers, American Woodcocks, Potatoes ... they're here!
It's also a real treat to see them and enjoy the view because if they spook and flush, it's mostly a sudden heart attack, in what you get.
These birds are migrating to their nesting grounds and Green-Wood is one of a few Brooklyn Locations that they can be quite dependable to find, when the season is right.

You can see why these birds are often spooked, practically underfoot sometimes. Their cryptic patters are just absolutely perfect camouflaged. They are often hunkered down and remain still to rely on their ability to blend in, but if you're lucky, sometimes you do get to see the "dance," which is presumed to be a way to move the ground underfoot to help coax their favorite food, worms, toward the surface where they can easily be snagged by a hungry woodcock. 

Additional bonus bird: Hermit Thrush.

And first warbler of spring unlocked, Pine Warbler!!!
I thank my little Kestrel for being the best baby today, between the warm weather, the birds, and some tough few weeks of working while momming, I REALLY needed this.
We celebrated at home with a picnic in the backyard in the warm sun.

Green-Wood Cemetery 3.6.21

     I had a little time to myself this past Saturday to go out and do some birding. Most mom's have their mom time doing all sorts of things, maybe the salon, a spa, I have no idea what typically moms do when they have "me time," but I enjoy doing some birding, then pick up dumplings and bubble tea.

    I headed over to Green-Wood Cemetery and upon entry, the action began with raptors overhead.

A local cele-birdy, "Rover," the 3.5 year old bald eagle (you can tell by their plumage) was right overhead as I entered the cemetery. He even took a glance it me, it seemed.

I found most of the action to be around the Dell Water, there were very many American robins flipping leaves and digging around for insects. A sign of spring is watching these birds' diets change from winter berries to insects.

In addition to many robins, there were also very many mourning doves around the Dell, foraging for seeds on the ground.

Around the feeders, and foraging on the ground were house finches. Who were also busy singing their song. As the birds sing, it gives me hope that warm days are ahead.

And then, I spotted my favorite sparrow.
Fox sparrows are so good.

Big, bold, and similar plumage to myself, I love everything about these sparrows.

They will soon be heading to their breeding grounds, well North of here. I'll miss them.

A Singing Wigeon

     You ever hear an American Wigeon sing its majestic song? It opens its mouth and with all its might give the wheeziest, nasal squeak. Like an old rubber ducky toy in a tub, water logged, with a questionable culture of mildew growing inside, but given a big enough series of squeezes, a long drawn out, nasal squeaks will erupt. That is the sound of the American Wigeon.

    I saw one last week after work at the park on the way home. And this fella was in a musical mood.

This handsome fella, the drake American Wigeon was out to impress.
Soon They will be going back north to nest, so this guy has some work to do.

And there he goes.
If you still need some help, imagining the majesty of his call, I'll help you out: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Wigeon/sounds

... And he was not stopping!
Folks may not realize that the mallard quack we all know, is definitely not what all ducks sound like, in fact different species make all kind of different sound. Some are pretty whacky, I can't wait to teach them all to my kiddo.

Unfortunately there were no wigeon hens anywhere nearby to hear his beautiful crooning. But my heart was touched by those sweet little squeaks.