Bank Swallow

It's not every day that I get a new bird in Newfoundland. During my early days of birding it was quite common to see a new bird at least once a week. Now...not so often. In fact, it has been several months since I have seen a "life" bird. Today, I broke the long drought with this great little Bank Swallow.

At the start of my day of birding, I stopped at Fourth Pond. It doesn't always yield birds, but when it does, they are often good ones. Last year, Catherine Barrett had a Ruff here.  Every time I almost pass the road by, I think of that great find, and I am motivated to drive down to the pond.

Before I reached the pond, I spotted swallows sitting on the wire. I slowly inched my way underneath them and opened my sunroof. At last, I was going to get some better pictures of the Barn Swallow.  Their colors were brilliant in the morning sun. There were also Tree Swallows about.

I stared at the group of swallows on the wire and finally, came to the conclusion that one of them was different. In the beginning, I thought it was a Tree Swallow, but it definitely had a dark collar and didn't have the blue/green color anywhere.







I really looked this bird over and found it to be very small, even smaller than a Tree Swallow. Its tail was smaller and different from a Tree Swallow.  Guessing, I concluded it was a Bank Swallow. I wouldn't dare take my eyes off of it to check my guide for fear that it might take off.


 It began to squirm a bit and gave me a slightly different view. Had to be a Bank Swallow! I have never seen one, and I was pretty excited.

Then, it struck a fitting pose for a May 2-4 weekend. Perhaps he had a late night.

Checking the NL Bird List, I found that both the Barn and Bank Swallows are uncommon breeders in Newfoundland. I feel quite lucky to have been able to get such a good look at both species this morning.

I haven't forgotten about the Tree Swallow, but plan to dedicate a post to it in the future. The good news is that a male Tree Swallow has been in my yard for the last three mornings straight....checking out my nesting box.

Northern Shoveler (Spoonbill) Males

Northern Shovelers are regular, uncommon visitors to the St. John's area. Yet, like most uncommon or rare birds, they may or may not stay very long. I have learned my lesson about assuming I will be able to see casual drop-ins at my convenience. As a result, when these four shovelers were reported in Goulds, I wasted no time getting over to see them on the very day.  
At the sighting, I was taken by the striking color of the males and of course, the amazing spoonbill. These birds are so front-loaded it looks like the weight of the bill should topple them over.




When I got home and began to look at the pictures, I realized that not all the males looked alike. One was clearly a fully mature Northern Shoveler in breeding plumage and the other two were not. Three observations (taken from the field guide) led me to this conclusion: The mature, male Northern Shoveler has a clear white breast, yellow eye and green head. So, I wondered if the other two might be immature. I began reading about this species. Sifting through the online info, I found information that led me to think that among this group there was one mature, one immature (first cycle), and one mature male coming out of its eclipse plumage. This conclusion is not definitive, mind you, but here is why I think this might be so:

 Among the three males I observed, one had no streaking (i.e. mature male), one has some streaking and a yellow eye (i.e. an eclipse male) as the one pictured above and the other had lots of streaking, a brown eye, and a brownish head (i.e. immature male). From my reading, I concluded the above picture shows a mature male with a hint of its eclipse plumage remaining while the picture below shows an immature male.

Based on the online description, I think the bird pictured here with its head immersed is an immature bird. The amount of chevron-shaped streaking on the breast and front sides of the white area is quite prominent.

A first cycle Northern Shoveler is reported to have a brown eye, brownish tint to its head and quite a bit of streaking on the front.  That describes this bird to a tee.  With the head up, the eye is clearly brown. Also noted, the rufous side is not yet fully developed.

This picture better illustrates the differences with the immature shown side-by-side with the mature bird. 

Here is yet another side-by-side shot for comparison.

This shot shows a fully mature pair of Northern Shovelers, both male and female. This experience with four Northern Shovelers in one locations with different plumage provided a great learning experience to better understand the plumage transitions. Since we don't get to see this species everyday, I was quite happy they all didn't look the same which motivated me to attempt to learn why.

Also showing on this mature male shoveler is the pale blue wing patch. This patch is not prominent on the other two males. 

Of course, the most distinguishing feature of the Northern Shoveler is its long spoon-shaped bill. Plumage differences aside, there is no mistaking this bird for anything else.  

Three Species of Sparrows

With only five species (White-throated, Fox, Song, Swamp and Savannah) of sparrows frequently found on the Avalon, I was thinking I should know these few birds anywhere, anytime. I am working on that. Their appearances are quite different and their songs are are also unique.

The above image of a Savannah Sparrow clearly shows the yellow supercilliary stripe. With the sun's rays bouncing off of it, this bird was stunning. Even at quite a distance, there was no mistaking the yellow.  The Savannah and the Song Sparrow both have streaked breasts along with the Fox Sparrow (not pictured here).
 Much like the White-throated and Fox Sparrows, the Song Sparrow may frequently be seen sitting high in a tree where at this time of the year, it fills its days with singing.

This particular Song Sparrow looked more  reddish than most.  These pictures, taken from about 40 yards or more away, clearly show its long tail and its central spot. Even when looking through the binoculars, it was not possible to identify this bird at that distance. Shooting with manual settings, I was able to get a much more defined image to review later.  Note: My experience with the AV setting at this distance, shooting into the back light tells me I would only have gotten a dark blob and would never have been sure which sparrow this was.

Nearby, this clear-breasted Swamp Sparrow was flitting around with at least four others.  The Swamp Sparrow has a dull gray breast, reddish cap and a bold black line behind the eye. For me, it is the gray breast and black line that help me with a quick ID.

Finally, a Swamp Sparrow came within twenty feet of me and I was able to get a better shot.  In this image the black markings on the back are very obvious and the gray face is quite prominent.
Surroundings are also helpful when identifying this bird. As the name implies, this species of sparrow is often found in areas of shallow water with plenty of low vegetation.

The more I see and listen to these birds, as well as study my pictures, I am gaining confidence in identifying them quickly.  The other advantage to having that skill is to be able to recognize an uncommon sparrow by eliminating the regulars.

Black and White Warbler - May 2012

What a difference a week makes! With this beautiful bout of spring weather we have been having, I focused on my garden that badly needed some attention.  All the while, I have been thinking about the birds returning to us.  Finally, yesterday I put aside all else to enjoy a very hot day in the woods.

I was not disappointed. While the birds are not all back, there were certainly enough to heighten my senses. The Black and While Warblers were everywhere, when there were none to be seen last week. Just like that! They are back!

I decided to photograph the birds with manual settings yesterday.  It is a real challenge but adds another interesting dimension to the process. It really made me more aware of the available lighting.

Most of the time I found my images either over exposed or under exposed but, then again, this is only my first try at this. Birds do not stay in one spot very long and every time they move, there is the need for a different setting.

Back light requires one setting, dark undercover requires another setting and so on. Amidst all of the setting changes, the birds just keep moving.  I have been shooting with aperture priority to this point and the next time I am out, I will alternate between the manual and AV to see which yields the best results.

The joy of seeing the first wave of warblers return to us was priceless. The thrill of seeing the little familiar birds trumped all of the juggling with the camera.

Now, it is going to be harder to work away at the garden just knowing that the woods are filling up again. However, there are other things that must be done, unfortunately.

This will just sweeten the experience when I do get an opportunity to take my watch off and experience the freedom of the birds.