Walking into Work: Falcon, hoodies and kingfisher

Posted on February 24, 2012 by

Belted kingfisher, copyright by Chris Bosak

 

Peregrine falcon by Chris Bosak

Hooded merganser by Chris Bosak (copyright, all rights reserved)

As I mentioned in a previous post, I work in a building located along the Norwalk River and take the parking spot farthest away from the building’s entrance. I’m always on the lookout for birds in or around the river. Today the birds were pretty good to me.

A peregrine falcon perched on the Yankee Doodle Bridge, a belted kingfisher perched on a piling and two male hooded mergansers hugged the near coast of the river. Mallards and gulls, of course, were plentiful, as well. Cardinals sang and mourning doves cooed in the background. Not a bad way to start the day. (Above photos were taken previously.)

Don’t forget to tune into Bird Calls Radio at 1 p.m. on Sunday at 1490 WGCH or “Listen Live” above. Jayne Neville, founder and owner of Mount Vernon Songbird Sanctuary, will be the guest. We will discuss topics such as wildlife rehabilitation and landscaping for wildlife. Should be an interesting and lively show. Thanks for supporting Bird Calls.

Posted in BirdCallsRadio.com, Random photos, raptors, Walking into work, wildlife rehabilitation, Wildlife wanders | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Jayne Neville, wildlife rehabilitator, founder of songbird sanctuary, next guest on BirdCallsRadio.

Posted on February 23, 2012 by

Jayne Neville holding chimney swift at the Mount Vernon Songbird Sanctuary in Southington, CT.

Jayne Neville (formerly Amico), the founder and president of Mount Vernon Songbird Sanctuary, will be the next guest on Bird Calls Radio, this Sunday from 1 to 2 p.m. on 1490 WGCH or “listen live” above.

Mount Vernon Songbird Sanctuary, formerly The Recovery Wing, Inc., is located in Southington, Connecticut. It is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to the conservation of migratory songbirds. It fulfills this mission through education, rehabilitation and preservation of their habitat. Jayne is a state and federally permitted wildlife rehabilitator and has cared for thousands of songbird since 1997.

Her expertise is with warblers, flycatchers, hummingbirds, woodpeckers, chimney swifts, swallows and killdeer. Jayne has taught The Basics of Songbird Rehabilitation for many years at the State of Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection exam and all day training seminar for new rehabilitators.

Jayne also teaches wildlife rehabilitators at wildlife conferences. She is past vice president and president of the Connecticut Wildlife Rehabilitators Association.  She was also sub-permitted to band and was involved with the banding and study of vagrant hummingbirds in the Northeast.

I will also take a look at what rare birds have been in the area and perhaps take a look back in time at birding of yesteryear. Joe Warren from sponsor Wild Birds Unlimited in Darien, CT, and Bedford Hills, N.Y., will also join us as usual to educate us about backyard birding.

It promises to be an excellent and exciting show. Be sure to tune in this Sunday at 1 p.m. As always thanks for supporting Bird Calls Radio.

Posted in Backyard birding, BirdCallsRadio.com, conservation, Mount Vernon Songbird Sanctuary, Upcoming shows, wildlife rehabilitation | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Red-throated loon with fishing line

Posted on February 21, 2012 by

Red-throated loon, Chris Bosak all rights reserved

(More photos at end of this post)

I pulled into the parking lot at my place of work along the Norwalk River. As usual, I took the parking spot farthest away from the door so I could walk along the river to see what surprises it might hold.

On Tuesday afternoon, it was a red-throated loon. I was thrilled as loons usually are found closer to Long Island Sound and not this far up the river. On top of that the loon was close to the river’s edge, so I grabbed my camera. The loon dove under so I moved to the edge of the dock. It resurfaced fairly close so I snapped some photos. The photos will be servicable, I thought, despite the gray sky and gray reflection on the water. “Good enough for a quick ‘Walking to Work’ entry on this blog, anyway,” I thought as I walked to the office.

When I looked at the photos I soon discovered it wasn’t going to be a quick blog entry. The loon had fishing line around its head and Continue reading →

Posted in BirdCallsRadio.com, conservation, Ducks, Long Island Sound, Random photos, Walking into work, wildlife rehabilitation, Wildlife wanders | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Good day at Norwalk Harbor; highlighted by horned grebe

Posted on February 21, 2012 by

Horned grebe by Chris Bosak, copyright all rights reserved

Working a holiday on Monday, I took a few extra minutes for lunch and headed down to Veterans Park, which is a short distance from where I work in Norwalk. I often have good luck there this time of year with ducks and loons. I certainly didn’t leave disappointed this time.

The highlight turned out to be a horned grebe, which I spotted completely by accident. A sizable flock of scaup caught my attention. The flock had drifted all the way to the north end of an inlet of Norwalk Harbor. I knew it was only a matter of time until they had to drift south again so I took cover behind some tall grasses near the shore. I sat down on a rock at a position where I could point my camera through a small opening in the grass _ and I waited.

Waiting for birds to do what you think they should do is often a fruitless exercise, but this time it actually worked out. A pedestrian on the street near the north end of that inlet gave the scaup just enough incentive to drift back to the south. Eventually they reached that opening in the grass and I fired away with the camera. The birds were a bit farther than I would have liked, but close enough that I got some OK, but not great, shots.

Then, as the last straglers were crossing that opening in the grass through which I was shooting, the horned grebe popped up literally a few feet from the shore right in that opening. I had one chance to refocus and grab a shot. I was so focused on the scaup I didn’t even notice the grebe until it practically bit me in the nose. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a horned grebe before, so I was happy for the opportunity to see one so close _ even for the split second it was.

The grebe continued to hug the shoreline of the inlet until it disappeared into the larger harbor.

The sightings didn’t end there. I saw at least half a dozen red-throated loons, a few red-breasted mergansers, and even a few long-tailed ducks that far up into the harbor. Strangely, no hooded mergansers. That’s usually a given.

As I walked back into my office building after lunch, I noticed a red-throated loon on the Norwalk River near the docked boats. Another one for the my “work list.”

Scaup by Chris Bosak, copyright all rights reserved

Posted in Ducks, Long Island Sound, Random photos, Uncategorized, Walking into work, Wildlife wanders, woodpeckers | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Milan Bull discusses the 2012 State of the Birds Report: Archive of Feb. 19 show

Posted on February 20, 2012 by

Milan Bull, senior director of science and conservation for CAS, discusses the Connecticut State of the Birds 2012 report. Photo Mardi Welch Dickinson/KymryGroup™ All Rights Reserved. www.kymrygroup.com

Here is the archive of the Sunday, Feb. 19, 2012, Bird Calls Radio show, in case you missed it. In this show, Milan Bull discusses the recently released 2012 State of the Birds Report. Bull is the senior director of conservation and science and also one of the founders and editors of the report. This year’s report focused on “Where is the Next Generation of Conservationists Coming From?” We discuss the findings at length.

Bull also discusses what the 2013 State of the Birds report will focus on. All interesting and important stuff. Give it a listen here. bcr2-19-12bull

I also talk about house finches and how quickly they have spread throughout the U.S.

Posted in Children, conservation, CT State of the Birds, Show archives | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Great Backyard Bird Count under way!

Posted on February 18, 2012 by

Great Backyard Bird Count

The Great Backyard Bird Count started yesterday (Friday, Feb. 17) and will continue until Monday (Feb. 20). If you haven’t done so already, be sure to get out there and count the birds somwhere _ a nearby park, woods, or even your own backyard. Submit results and find more information at www.birdcount.org.

I’m heading out today with my boys to count birds at two properties owned by the Darien Land Trust. Can’t wait to see what’s out there. And if there’s not much out there, I’ll still submit the results. A lack of birds is just as important to the GBBC database as a ton of birds. Dr. John Fitzpatrick, director of Cornell Lab of Ornithology, discussed why (and plenty of other things about the GBBC) on the last Bird Calls Radio show. Here it is in case you missed it. . BCR archive 2-12-12 with John Fitzpatrick GBBC

So get out there and count some birds. Feel free to hit “contact me” above and send me your highlights!

Don’t forget to tune in tomorrow (Sunday) at 1 p.m. for another new Bird Calls Radio show with Milan Bull, senior director of conservation and science for Connecticut Audubon. He will discuss the recently released CT State of the Birds report.

Thanks for supporting Bird Calls Radio.

Posted in Backyard birding, Children, conservation, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, CT State of the Birds, Great Backyard Bird Count, Show archives | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Milan Bull next guest on Bird Calls Radio; CT State of the Birds report

Posted on February 16, 2012 by
Milan Bull, senior director of science and conservation for CAS, discusses the Connecticut State of the Birds 2012 report. Photo Mardi Welch Dickinson/KymryGroup™ All Rights Reserved. www.kymrygroup.com

Milan Bull, senior director of science and conservation for CAS, discusses the Connecticut State of the Birds 2012 report. ©Mardi Welch Dickinson/KymryGroup™ All Rights Reserved. www.kymrygroup.com

Milan Bull, the senior director of conservation and science for Connecticut Audubon Society, will be the guest this week on Bird Calls Radio, which airs from 1 to 2 p.m. on Sundays at 1490 WGCH AM or WORLDWIDE STREAMING on “Listen Live” above.

Bull discuss the recently released 2012 Connecticut State of the Birds report. This year the report focused on “Where is the Next Generation of Conservationists Coming From?” I often ask guests how to get youngsters back in the outdoors, so I find this topic very appealing. I look forward to discussing this topic with Bull.

Bull, by the way, was the guest on the very first Bird Calls Radio program back in March 2011. On that program we discussed the 2011 State of the Birds report, which focused on bird habitat. Bull is one of the founders and editors of the report. On that show in March 2011, Bull told Bird Calls Radio listeners what the next State of the Birds report would focus on. I’ll ask him Sunday what the 2013 topic will be and see if he reveals the answer.

As always, thanks for supporting Bird Calls Radio.

Posted in BirdCallsRadio.com, Children, conservation, CT State of the Birds, Upcoming shows | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment