Hey, is anybody out there?

...a lone visitor, outside my window. He sits and he calls...over and over and over...definitely not much happening for him or me when it comes to backyard bird visits!

Not a hawk!!

Recently, I visited Cape May, New Jersey. I spent one day bird watching and lucky for me.. this little Cape May Warbler was visiting too!! We were near the Hawk Watch station and this little guy grabbed every one's attention when he and the Mrs. landed near the Hawk Watch platform.. (sorry I wasn't fast enough to catch her!) I barely had time to focus on getting a few shots of him!! I don't think I've ever seen so many binoculars all pointed in one direction before..I kept thinking THAT would make a neat picture ..but these little birds were moving too fast to stop and take a shot of all the bird watchers!He was like a little jet plane zooming among the branches and leaves...but here he is picking some kind of worm off of a branch.. his head and bill are bent forward.. toward his tummy!
It's amazing to me that he will eventually fly to the West Indies where he will spend his winter ...such a long distance for such a tiny bird! I get tired just thinking about it! ;-0

Tumbling into Fall

There's not much to see and photograph these days as far as migrating song birds go...the weather has been very windy and cool...but it's still nice to get out and walk. We are quickly tumbling into fall-like weather and temps. and everyone is digging out their favorite sweaters and coats. During my walk this morning I found this Lesser Yellowlegs foraging the shallow waters near a wooded swamp. Lesser Yellowlegs are frequent visitors to this area. A very pretty wader..with a long and pointed bill...his marking were very pretty but it was those yellow legs reflecting in the water that made me take his picture.

Another lone visitor who allowed me to capture a couple photos of her was this Black-Throated Green Warbler. Fast and furious was a better description of her flying abilities. She was hungry and apparently saw something that caught her eye!

Thank goodness she decided to stop and enjoy her catch..or I would have only seen a glimpse of her as she flitted away! Oh well, it was a nice walk. Good for the heart as well as the soul.
Tomorrow the winds are suppose to calm down a bit..hopefully I can get back out to see what other nature treats October will bring.

Top Billing!

Look what I found a few days ago!! A Magnolia Warbler. My first! Yea!!
It's always amazing to me to see how Mother Nature helps it creatures blend with the colors of the fall season. After having heard from many experienced birders about all the markings one has to be aware of to identify fall warblers..and there are so many variations..whew!! It's my opinion that this little warbler should get top billing for "having the most"! A nice, bright eye ring, striking wing bars, some streaking on it's yellow underparts...and a tail that shows a large white patch in front of that black tip! Lucky for me that I got a photo of it to study...as I probably wouldn't have remembered any of those field markings two seconds after it flew away! ;0

Hidden Treasure!

This little Philadelphia Vireo almost slipped past me as I walked along the trails at a local park. It's that quick little movement you see out of the corner of your eye...and then you stop and stare and stare..knowing you saw something move in that tree..it's the thrill of the hunt that keeps me coming back!

This little bird is a welcomed, but rare, visitor in our area. He certainly is a sweet looking bird. The first Philadelphia Vireo was discovered near Philadelphia in 1842. Finding this little guy was definitely a WOW discovery for me..a lifer I suppose. At first glance he was hidden by all the leaves and I believed he was a warbler but when I, finally, saw the white-bordered black eye-line.. I thought different!!
He certainly was patient with me...as he sat for several seconds which allowed me to capture some better views of those eye markings, plus I was able to get several shots of those olive green to yellow underparts. I have since read that he is probably a fall juvenile due to his yellow belly color being rather bright. Apparently older Phil. Vireos are much duller at this time of the year, which is pretty much the opposite of what I would have expected!



His little gray cap kind of sealed the deal... Yep, I had found a nice hidden treasure on a beautiful fall day among all those ever-changing leaves. The hunt, the find..life is good! ;-0

Summers End..

It was late afternoon when I caught this American Goldfinch sitting quietly just watching over the meadow..the days are getting shorter, nature is on the move and we all watch as another summer comes to an end.
...this was an unusually quiet afternoon at the park...I don't know why I looked up but when I did, I caught sight of this Black-billed Cuckoo...Wow! I felt pretty lucky just to get a few shots of him..before he flew to another tree.. deeper into the woods. He is one of those elusive birds..that I would hear but not see.

Fruit is in abundance now..berries everywhere! I just happen to see this bird fly down from a nearby tree to eat some of these berries. I don't know why but Cedar Wax Wings seem to be one of my favorite birds to watch..their plumage always reminds me of silk..and when they fly..you see all those vibrant colors. So many different colors all on one bird!!

I came across this little guy near the end of my walk. He was quite actively flitting from one branch to another but I'm still not sure what he is...?? The lighting at the end of an afternoon can be really tricky and but it looks like his belly color has a creamy yellow look to it. She has now been identified as a female redstart! Thank u Dawn!

..and while I was over-haul'en my blogger look and beginning to edit my afternoon photos, this little guy flies right up to my study window..lucky my camera was right next to me and I got a few shots of him...looking in..maybe he came to wish me a Happy Bloggeranniversary! It was about this time last year that I published my first post! Whatever the reason, it was a nice way to end the afternoon!

Hot Spots!

Up at dawn and out on the paths for a morning walk was my idea of a great start to a great day. How I will feel by this evening will be another matter.. :0
As I walk looking for birds, these late summer days, I am finding that there seems to be little hot spots that you come across where several different kinds of birds are quite active..and if you just stand still you can catch, ever so slightly, a glimpse of this one and that one. I saw quite a few black and white Warblers, a few Parulas, a Black-Throated Green Warbler but the only early bird, nice enough to sit on a branch closer to the ground was a cute little Common Yellow-throat Warbler...of course we all know they don't stay around too long..and I was given a gift that this one stayed as long as it did...
Mid way through my morning I caught this little bird as it flew into a nearby bush... I am going to guess at this fellow, a Yellow-bellied flycatcher...or so I think..? I saw him several times.. but way up in the canopies of trees chasing bugs and was quite surprised when he/or another came closer to where I was standing.
I heard this little Eastern Towhee before I caught sight of it...there are several who seems to stay in one particular area..so I know if I find I'm not standing in or near that "neat little hot spot" I can always find these little birds who will cooperate with a pose or two!