Day 152: Blue-headed Vireo

The Blue-headed Vireo is a cute migrating song bird that can be found throughout Canada and in parts of the eastern U.S. We saw several during our recent trips to western Maryland, and they always seemed to be chomping on a bug. The Blue-headed Vireo has a blue-grey head and bold yellow wing bars.

 Yummy!

Day 151: Ruffed Grouse

We saw today's bird, the Ruffed Grouse, crossing the road in front of us in western Maryland. We caught a glimpse of the bird for about five seconds, during which I frantically grabbed the camera from the back seat and tried to capture a photo. Sadly, all I got was a big blur flying away. It was still awesome though, because it was a life bird for me and the first time Jared had physically seen one (he had only heard them before).

We did see another Ruffed Grouse later on, but it was looking a little "stuffed" - ha!

Stuffed Ruffed Grouse at a nature center in western Maryland

The Ruffed Grouse lives in forests from the Appalachian Mountains across Canada to Alaska. They are best known for the drumming sounds produced by the male. The drums are a series of progressively faster thumps produced by air rushing to fill the vacuum created under the wings when they are rapidly flapped in front of the body. The male drums throughout the year, but the vast majority of drumming occurs in spring, presumably to attract females and ward off other males.

Day 150: Spotted Sandpiper

The Spotted Sandpiper is a small shorebird that breeds near fresh water across much of the U.S. and Canada. They migrate to the southern U.S. and South America. Adults have short yellowish legs and an orange bill. The body is brown on top and white underneath with black spots. To me, it's fairly difficult to identify shorebirds, but the speckles on the breast and belly make the Spotted Sandpiper stand out. 

Day 149: Golden-winged Warbler

I have a really special bird for you today, and one that took a LOT of effort for us to photograph! The Golden-winged Warbler is a small but beautiful warbler that breeds in eastern North America. Specifically, it breeds in higher elevations of the Appalachian Mountains and northeastern and north-central U.S., with another population from southeastern Ontario and adjacent Quebec northwest to Minnesota and Manitoba.

Male birds are stunning, with a black throat, black ear patch bordered in white, and a yellow crown and wing patch. Golden-winged Warblers breed in open scrubby areas, wetlands, and occasionally mature forest adjacent to those habitats. Populations are declining, most likely as a result of habitat loss and competition/interbreeding with the very closely related Blue-winged Warbler (which I will post about later).

Last weekend, we were hiking in western Maryland (close to West Virginia) in an area where Golden-winged Warblers have been seen before. Jared really wanted to see, or at least hear one, so we kept searching. Finally, he heard one call off in the distance - success! Luckily, we were able to find it, and managed to get some great photos before it flew off!

Day 148: Lincoln's Sparrow

According to Jared and the sites I use to research, the Lincoln's Sparrow is considered to be one of the most elusive North American birds. We were very lucky to see one (after Jared spotted it) for a brief time a few weeks ago, while hiking in a local park. The Lincoln's Sparrow prefers to live in dense shrub cover and is very secretive.

Lincoln's Sparrow adults have dark-streaked brown upperparts with a light brown breast, a white belly, and a white throat. Their face is grey with brown cheeks, a brown line through the eye, and an eye ring. They are somewhat similar in appearance to the Song Sparrow.

Day 147: Cedar Waxwing

Cedar Waxwings are very interesting looking birds. They are named for the red, waxlike tips on the secondary flight-feathers of adult bird. They are brownish birds with a crest, a black mask, and a pale yellow belly. Cedar Waxwings breed in open wooded areas in North America and migrate farther south in the winter.

Cedar Waxwings often feed in large flocks, which can reach a size of several hundred birds. They mostly eat sugary fruits, such as juniper berries and ivy berries, but will also eat insects during the summer. If you are unfortunate enough to park your car under a juniper tree and a flock of Cedar Waxwings comes through, prepare to have a mess to clean up. They are also very noisy birds, making high-pitched whistles and trills.

Day 146: Willow Flycatcher

If you've been following my blog, you might have noticed that I've posted about several species of flycatchers. I've written about the Acadian Flycatcher, the Eastern Phoebe, and several types of flycatchers that we saw in Puerto Rico (1, 2, 3). To me (and other untrained eyes), they can be pretty difficult to distinguish. However, by looking closely at differences in plumage and vocalizations, you can learn to tell them apart.

Today's species of flycatcher is the Willow Flycatcher, a small insect-eating bird. Adults have brown-olive upperparts with white bellies. They also have a white eye ring and white wing bars. In the U.S. and Canada, they like to breed in deciduous thickets, especially willows and often near water. During the winter, they migrate to Mexico and Central America.

Day 145: Grasshopper Sparrow

The Grasshopper Sparrow is a small, inconspicuous grassland bird with an insect-like song. They forage on the ground for insects and seeds.

We heard several Grasshopper Sparrows last weekend when we visited western Maryland. The little suckers like to hide in tall grass, but I was determined to see one for a photo. Finally, one actually landed on the path right in front of us!

Day 144: Tree Swallow

Tree Swallows are migratory birds that breed in North America and winter farther south. They have pretty iridescent blue-green upperparts and white bellies.

Despite its name, the Tree Swallow can be found in fields, meadows, and marshes. They rely on woodpeckers and similar species for tree cavities to raise their babies, but those cavities are often in short supply. Luckily, Tree Swallows happily accept artificial nest boxes, and this time a year we see the boxes in our neighborhood parks full of swallow families. From my experience, it seems like Tree Swallows are pretty protective of their nests. Last time I was out for a walk and got close to a Tree Swallow nesting in a box, it tried to dive bomb me!

Day 143: Baltimore Oriole

The Baltimore Oriole is a small blackbird that is common in eastern North America as a migratory breeding bird. Adult males have bright orange underparts and an orange shoulder patch and rump. The rest of the male is black. Adult females are are duller orange on the belly and have yellow-brown upperparts.

Male Baltimore Orioles have a very loud whistling call, which we often hear before spotting the bird. They are very adaptable birds, able to live in rural forests as well as in urban parks and landscapes.

Day 142: Northern Waterthrush

The Northern Waterthrush is a warbler that breeds in the northern parts of North America and winters in Central America, the Caribbean, and northern South America. Here in Maryland, we see it when it migrates in the spring and the fall.

The Northern Waterthrush is rarely seen far from water. It has a smaller body and bill than its close relative the Louisiana Waterthrush (which I will blog about another time), with subtle differences in plumage, leg color, and song. One cute feature of the Northern Waterthrush is that it continually bobs its body and wags its tail.

Day 141: Great Egret

The elegant, dazzling white Great Egret can be found throughout most of the tropical and warmer temperate regions of the world. It inhabits freshwater, estuarine, and marine wetlands.

In the U.S., large numbers of Great Egrets were killed around the end of the 19th century so that their plumes could be used to decorate hats. The species has recovered in more recent years, thanks to conservation efforts.