What’s your best bird so far this migration period?

Posted on May 17, 2012 by
Scarlet Tanager ©Chris Bosak All Rights Resevered

For my upcoming show this Sunday (May 20) I want to continue discussing the spring migration. And why not? We’re still in the thick of what many consider to be the most exciting time of the year for birdwatching.

So I want to know what your best bird has been so far this spring? A colorful warbler, fleeting shorebird, soaring raptor? It doesn’t necessarily have to be exotic or rare, just one that made you say to yourself: “Ahh, that’s why I love birding so much.”

I know you can probably name 10 or 20 “best birds,” but try to limit it to one or two _ and a brief explanation of why it’s your best bird. I’ll read some on the air this Sunday. Include your name and hometown (I won’t include your last name on the air). Entries from all over the world are welcome. Don’t be shy, I want to make BirdCallsRadio as interactive as possible. Tell your friends, too. Click here to send your best bird.

More on Sunday’s show coming up in a later post. Thanks for your support of BirdCallsRadio.

Remember, Bird Calls airs from 1 to 2 p.m. on Sundays on 1490 WGCH and listen live. Archives of each show are available a few days after the original airing. You can find the archives here.

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Sunday, May 13, archive featuring Soundkeeper, Terry Backer

Posted on May 15, 2012 by

Terry Backer, Sound Keeper

Here is the archive of the show that originally aired on Sunday, May 13, and featured Soundkeeper Terry Backer, who has devoted much of his life to preserving and protecting Long Island Sound.

Terry, who is also a state Representative in Connecticut, talks about important initiatives that will protect the Sound, what the Soundkeeper organization (now 25 years old) has done over the years to protect the Sound, and, of course, birds. Terry has been fishing and shellfishing on Long Island Sound nearly all his life and offers an interesting perspective on the waters. bcr terry backer

Thanks for coming on the show, Terry. And, of course, thanks to all the listeners for your support of BirdCallsRadio.

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Most recent For the Birds column: Migration can be Fickle

Posted on May 14, 2012 by

Yellow warbler by Chris Bosak, copyright all rights reserved

Here is my most recent For the Birds column that runs weekly in The Hour (Norwalk, Ct) and The Keene Sentinel (Keene, N.H.). Also, be on the lookout tomorrow for the archive of Sunday’s BirdCallsRadio show with the Soundkeeper, Terry Backer. Thanks.

….

Ah, the whims of migration.
Last Friday evening I stepped into Selleck’s Dunlap Woods in Darien and was treated to one of the best birdwatching days I’ve had in years. It was actually a scouting trip for a walk I was to be leading the next morning.
Warblers danced among the tree tops in high numbers on Friday. I picked out Chestnut-sided, Yellow-rumped, Magnolia, Black-throated green and Yellow warblers, as well as American Redstarts. Ovenbirds, another wood warbler, were commonplace along the ground.
Ten minutes into the walk a raucous over my head captured my attention. An impossibly red male Scarlet Tanager was chasing another impossibly red male Scarlet Tanager from tree to tree. Two more male Scarlet Tanager Continue reading →

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International Migratory Bird Day is tomorrow. Get out there and bird!

Posted on May 11, 2012 by

International Bird Migration Day

(See below for photos of some common spring migrants!)

International Migratory Bird Day 2012 will be held tomorrow (Saturday, May 12)! Straight from its website (www.birdday.org), International Migratory Bird Day is a celebration of migrant birds and was “created in 1993, and the event is now hosted at over 500 sites throughout the Western Hemisphere, reaching hundreds of thousands of youth and adults.”

Also, according to its website: “As part of the 20th anniversary celebrations, the annual bird conservation theme will focus on 20 ways people may help preserve birds every day.  The theme is highlighted in the 2012 art created by Rafael Lopez.  The lively piece reflects the joy, curiosity, and beauty of birds, while sharing the importan Continue reading →

Posted in Random photos, Show archives, Songbird Migration, Wildlife wanders, Wood Warblers | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Terry Backer will be next guest on BirdCallsRadio

Posted on May 10, 2012 by

Terry Backer, Sound Keeper

Terry Backer is the Soundkeeper and a state Rep. from Stratford, Connecticut. He has devoted much of his life to protecting Long Island Sound, a vitally important body of water.

Tune in this Sunday as he will be the guest on BirdCallsRadio, which airs from 1 to 2 p.m. each Sunday on 1490 WGCH and Listen Live. 

We are excited to have Terry on the show. I have done much birding on and around Long Island and it’s nice to know people like Terry are looking after important habitats for these birds. As Soundkeeper, an organization based in Norwalk, CT, Terry ”is dedicated to the protection and enhancement of the biological, physical, and chemical integrity of Long Island Sound and its watershed,” according to its mission statement.

Soundkeeper is marking its 25th anniversary this year. Terry will describe on BirdCallsRadio the various victories, priorities and future hop Continue reading →

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Important pending legislation in Connecticut

Posted on May 9, 2012 by

Helping to spread the word …

Here’s a link to a page explaining important pending legislation in Connecticut. Act today. Thanks to Connecticut Audubon Society.

Click here.

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BirdCallsRadio archive of Micheal Moccio and Patrick Dugan (Dugan’s amazing bird imitations)

Posted on May 8, 2012 by

Patrick Dugan, left, and Michael Moccio in studio during airing of BirdCallsRadio on 1490 WGCH.

Here is the archive of the Sunday, May 6, 2012, BirdCallsRadio show featuring special guests Michael Moccio and Patrick Dugan. Michael and Patrick were instrumental in preserving a section of Cove Island Park in Stamford, CT, at Cove Island Wildlife Sanctuary. What was once a brush dump is now a wildlife sanctuary with habitats such as fields, woods, beaches and brushy areas. Check out the archive to find out how they did it.

Patrick is also known for his bird imitations and he does several during the show. Be sure to check that out, too. He even does his famous winter wren call.

This show also features an update from The Biggest Week in American Birding from northwest Ohio. Mardi Dickinson checks in, as well as appearances by Kimberly and Kenn Kaufman. The Kaufmans are instrumental is putting together the Biggest Week in American Birding and we were thrilled here at BirdCallsRadio that they appear on this show to give us an update. The phone connection during that interview is spotty at times, so we apologize for that. It’s not too bad, so please bear with the occasional static.

Joe Warren from Wild Birds Unlimited in Darien, CT., and Bedford Hills, N.Y., also joins the show to discuss the importance of listening for birds, and also what his stores have on tap for Mother’s Day.

I talk about a few walks I took over the weekend and what I saw — and didn’t see.

There’s a lot packed into this show. bcr 5-6-12 dugan moccio

Thanks for your support of BirdCallsRadio.

Posted in Bird identification, butterflies, Children, Connecticut News, conservation, International Birdwatching, Long Island Sound, Show archives, Wood Warblers | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment