Oh My Little Chickadee!

 12:45 to 1:15pm, 68 Degrees, Cloudy, Wind 6mph ESE

It was quiet in the sit spot for the first five minutes. Then came the Black-capped Chickadees! the one in the picture was maybe seven feet from my face! Really cool. I know at least the chickadees have found the feeder. And if the chickadees know, other birds know. For about five minutes the chickadees were feeding at the feeder. I could hear their calls start over near Fall Brook and back they went after spending time at the feeder. After snapping a few photos I let them be. Only occasionally looking directly at them. I want them to be comfortable with me. At one point I looked up at one, made eye contact, and it made an alarmed chirp and was gone. And yet, they kept coming. I am not sure if it was just a pair or more. They seem to be okay with me there!

At one point I heard a woodpecker pecking at a tree over by the brook. It sounded larger than the Downy Woodpeckers I see in the sit spot. I have seen downys pecking and they don't seem to make much noise. Then I saw a downy come from that direction as they do. At one point a male was in the dead tree just to my right. Maybe three feet from me and up six feet. Then it made its way over to the suet feeder at 23. 

I saw my first chipmunk in The Little Forrest. I am surprised it took so long. I have seen them around the condominiums property, so i figured they must be in The Little Forrest. I have mentioned squirrels. I also saw a ground hog just outside the tree line. So much to be learned and observed. I ran into a neighbor who lives at the end of the gulley, just outside The Little Forrest. He referred to the gulley without my prompting. So clearly other folks think it is a gulley. He says skunks come out of it at night. This might be a sign that I should get a trail camera. 

Merlin Identified 12 bird species. Nothing out of the Likely category. It was a quiet part of the day. 

Evening Dove

 5:30 to 6:00, 72 degrees, Cloudy, Wind 10mph N

Long Day! I volunteer at the Scarborough Marsh Audubon Center on Saturdays. I pick up canoes and put them down. Not qualified for the bird stuff yet. However I am learning. I did sunrise and then off to the marsh for some pre volunteering birding. Saw and photoed a Sharp Shinned Hawk. Not a great picture, however, it was good enough for an ID. By the time I get back it is after three. Super tired in the sit spot. 

Hard to see when you just want to sleep. I did not see many birds. Did I mention it is hard to see when you want to sleep? When I first sat some serious calling from cardinals and downeys. Saw a downey on 23's suet feeder. Not sure if there was a pair. They usually travel in pairs. Yesterday there were two on my feeder in front of my house. Very likely this female was one of them. After it left the feeder I heard a loud call just over my head! And there she was about ten feet above and two feet over. That woke me up for a bit. Also, I heard the downy's song. I love all woodpecker's songs. They sound like laughter. 

for a good while there was a Carolina Wren singing. If a Carolina Wren Is singing there are probably no predators about. For a small bird they make a lot of noise. They are definitely not afraid to let you know they are there. The volume of the song is impressive for a bird their size. It is said that bird song is calming to humans. I think we know from our ancestors that if the birds are singing there are no large predators about. Perhaps it is now in our DNA. We are not as far removed from nature as we think we are. 

The Mourning Dove pictured above flew quietly down by the crick. If we were not in drought it would be in the water. It is the first time I saw one in the sit spot. It would have been easy to miss, had I not seen the motion. It moved off into the ferns for a bit. Hard to see. I saw the motion of the ferns. It is easy to imagine that they have been doing this when I was in the sit spot and just did not see them. When I was first taught the sound of the Mourning Doves by my Dad, It was in the morning. For years and years I thought they were morning doves. So tonight I photoed an evening dove. 

Merlin IDed 15 birds. It did not hear the Mourning Dove! I thought it would hear it when it flew, but no. Wood Duck again. Will maybe go back and listen to the recording, however not tonight. Again the Dark Eyed Junco, too early. I saw the Red Breasted Nuthatch in Canco Woods yesterday. Also, too early so maybe the juncos are here. 

Canco Woods

 

7;00 to 7:40am, 65 Degrees, Sunny, Wind 5 S

Walked out to the sit spot and could hear Cardinals calling to each other. I saw the female down low when I first sat down. She flew up into Old Red, I believe. For a while I could hear them calling in front of me and behind me. They did not seem pleased. Lots of chatter from the usual suspects for about fifteen minutes. Then Merlin ID ed a Great Horned Owl, and The little Forrest went quiet. Almost fifteen minutes of no bird chatter. Not even a distant crow or jay. I have not heard an owl in The Little Forrest. However, this is the third time Merlin ID ed Great Horned Owl and things silenced. 

Merlin ID ed 12 birds. The Great Horned Owl was the only  unlikely in Portland today. 

Canco Woods is connected to The Little Forrest. If you go down the Crick to Fall Brook and go upstream you are in Canco Woods. An Argument can be made that The Little Forrest is part of Canco Woods. Its trees are connected to my sit spot. My guess is that most things that are in Canco Woods can be in my sit spot and heard from there. Here is the ebird list 146 birds. 

I walked over there today. There is a retirement community in the woods. After I started walking the were using leaf blowers. Not really good for birding. Some good open areas where you can see into the trees to see the birds. The picture above is a Carolina Wren from Canco Woods. Saw a lot of Cedar Waxwings. Fun little birds. Also, I saw a Red Breasted Nuthatch, Not likely in Portland today. So my guess is the ones that Merlin is hearing in the sit spot are here. Saw a few Baltimore Orioles. Took me a while to figure it out because they were yellow and not orange. How bout dem O's? Definitely a better place to photograph than the sit spot. I will be back. We are in drought. Fall Brook was dry where I crossed it in Canco woods. 

The Cardinal Rule

 6:00 to 7:00am, 63 degrees, Clear skies, Wind 3mph W

I did not see as many birds as I have the last couple of days. I was starting to think I got this. That always leads to trouble. I did see some birds fly high overhead. Ducks or geese, it is hard to tell when they are flying fast and you only catch glimpses through the tree canopy. For the most part, the bird sounds were not as close as they usually are.

When I firs sat I heard a Bobolink. I really do not think of them in this habitat. They do have an unmistakeable song. It sounds like bob-o-link. I guess that it is named after its song. Merlin said Bobolink despite Unlikely in Portland Today. I am confidant there was one. 

At one point I could hear a pair of Cardinals calling to each other. They started off to my right and above. I sit just inside the tree line. Almost all of the calls and songs are in front of me. This pair moved towards me. At one point directly over head. Not visible through the canopy. And then behind me, close behind. I am twisting and craning my neck. Calls are closer and closer. Then down and to my left a female Cardinal. No obstructions between us maybe twenty feet. As soon as I make eye contact she is gone. A couple of flaps and a glide into the brush on the other side of the gulley. Were they checking me out? Were they trying to see if the bird feeder was safe? I do not know. I know there are photographers that have become friends with the animals in a forrest. I am not sure how they do it. Perhaps the animals/birds and I will become friends. 

Today Merlin heard 23 bird species. As usual there were several that were Unlikely in Portland Today.  The Bobolink, Yellow Rumped Warbler, White Throated Sparrow, Dark Eyed Junco, The last three too early for their migration. Also, Wild Turkey. I heard a Herring Gull and Wild Turkey came up. Then Herring Gull. I think this was a missed ID. So maybe the other time was the same. I still think they can get here from Canco Woods. 

As I was eating my breakfast, I could hear a robin. I was in my condominium. Then a Red Eyed Vireo. Man, I think I am getting good. My hearing is getting super tuned in! I pocket started the Merlin recording. The Cardinal Rule is don't take yourself to seriously! 

Red Eyed Vireo

6:35 to 7:25am, 68 degrees, Clear, Wind 5mph SSW

I can not say for sure if this is a Red Eyed Vireo or not from this picture. This is a very cropped picture. It was on the far side of The Little Forrest and high up. I am really happy that I was able to see this bird and another. About the time this bird Came into The Little Forrest, Merlin started identifying the Res Eyed Vireo. I do not know for sure but I am going to think so. The vireo was definitely the star singer this morning. Starting high on the east side and moving across to the west. Maybe ten or fifteen minutes of consistent calls across The Little Forrest.

It would have been easy to miss the bird in the picture. My vision in The Little Forrest is improving. More in tune with the place and its movements. At one point I heard a jay, looked up saw a bird in the spot I thought it came from. It quickly dropped and glided out of sight. It is hard to see in The Little Forrest. Sun and shade are always close together. The Sun did not hit the floor where I was sitting until 7:10, An hour and twenty minutes after sunrise. I saw several other birds flitting about. They were consistent size/shape with the song birds I heard. Still hard to identify in the shade and inconsistent light of The Little Forrest.

Merlin heard 22 different species. Only two had the red dot. Northern House Wren and Eastern Towhee. The towhee use to be called the rufous sided towhee. A much more fun sounding name to my ears. Also, heard the Red Breasted Nuthatch again. Still in the unlikely in Portland mode. September it looks likely. 
 

Practice Makes Progress

 

4:00 to 5:00pm, 74 degrees, Sunny, Wind 5mph SE

Not the best shot of this Downey Woodpecker. However, I saw the Downey! The time spent in my sit spot is paying off. I am seeing more and more birds. I saw my first Goldfinch. After all the noise they make it was nice to finally see one. I saw a Cedar Waxwing, a Black Capped Chickadee, most likely a Tufted Titmouse and crows. The waxwing was maybe twenty feet from me and it was still hard to see and identify in the dappled sunlight. It is quite possible birds have been doing this the whole time and I have just not seen them. Also possible, that the birds have gotten used to me. Or maybe, the bird feeder is bringing them in. It is now clear the seed level is going down. Maybe all of the above. No matter what the cause I am seeing more birds. Practice makes progress. 

The Crows making a ruckus again! They do not live in The Little Forrest. However, they will fly over and through from time to time when chasing something off. I think they live in Chevrus Woods. That is where their calls seem to originate the most. Today some flew through the understory. Always fun when that happens. They were making a general ruckus for a while. I heard what I though was a raven.(No Merlin conformation) Then the chase was on! I could see 5 crows on the other side of the little woods chasing something. Seconds later a large crow or perhaps a raven came through the understory and perched. It looked furtive. Tucked in tight dense leaves. No calls. Then it was gone and the crows calls ended. Did I see crows chase off a raven? I am not sure. However I think that is what happened. Crows and ravens are not friendly. 

The Goldfinches were really active at one point during my sit. Mostly I hear them off to the east, my right. I could here them moving around the canopy in Old Red. I could see birds flying about the canopy. Mostly, near the upper branches of Old Red. Never seeing one directly, for even one second. Moving between the branches and leaves as Goldfinches will. Are the getting closer or am I getting batter at seeing into The Little Forrest? Some of both I suspect. Practice makes progress. 

Merlin heard twenty species. How many where there? I do not know. It heard four woodpeckers Hairy, Pileated, Red Bellied(Not likely in Portland today) and Downey. I saw the Downey! Several were new to The Little Forrest: The Hairy, Eastern Bluebird, Chimney Swift. All unlikely in Portland today. Not a red dot though. So maybe. 

Ominous Skies

 6:00 to 6:45am, 66 degrees, 100% Clouds, W 8mph S

Storms a coming! Did not go out for sunrise because the conditions were not conducive to good pictures. Went to the sit spot a little after sunrise.(6:47am) This is usually one of the most active times for bird song. There was some good song this morning. Goldfinches leading the way, less Cardinals than usual. I am seeing better into the Little Forrest. I saw a few birds this morning up in the canopy. 

I saw what I think was a Blue Jay. Light was not good. It started up high on the other side of the Crick. Moved over to the high eastern branches of Pinky. (White Oak side) Then lower in the middle somewhere. Flitted behind the trunk and was on some of the lower west branches in front of the trunk. Stopping at each spot and checking things out. It was a somewhat circular motion around the bird feeder. The feeder is to the east of Pinky and below their branches. Then it was gone off to the west. I think the seed is going down. It reminded me of the Downey Woodpecker yesterday. 23 has a new suet cake out. It came down from the east. I heard it over there. I believe it flew behind me before landing on one of Pinky's dead branches. Lower west side. Then to the bush in front of the suet. Checking to see if it is safe before going to the feeder. I suspect the Blue Jay? knew I was there. I sit maybe fifteen feet to the east of it. 

Many mysteries in The Little Forrest. At one point the crows were crowing off in Chevrus Woods. Several swooped in through the understory. A squirrel was agitated and calling an alarm in the red maple just outside the tree line. (Merlin Thinks this is a Mallard) It went on for some time. Maybe a hawk, owl, or eagle. Who knows. Perhaps, if I sit enough some of the mysteries will reveal themselves. 

Merlin Identified 17 species. Mallard was a missed guess. That was a squirrel. Perhaps the Junco is an early one. I think the Red Bellied Woodpecker was there.