Fledgling Song Sparrow

One of the Song Sparrows banded in my yard last November has stayed around to nest. Connor discovered where the nest recently, and today I saw a young bird sitting just outside of it. I suspect it was just leaving the nest, and both the (banded) father and mother were in nearby trees keeping an … Read more

Great Horned Owl

I heard about a Great Horned Owl that had been being harassed by crows since early this morning. It was located in a dense patch of trees in a residential area, but I was able to get a bit of a look at it through the branches. The crows were fairly relentless in calling at … Read more

Banded Yard Birds

Connor recently figured out where the Song Sparrows were nesting (the male in the pair was banded last fall in my yard), and I got a poor picture of one of them headed into the brush pile where the nest is. While watching the yard, I was surprised to see a banded Dark-eyed Junco visit. … Read more

Turnaround Shorebirds

Attendance at ultimate was sparse this afternoon, so after playing catch for a bit in the wind, I drove out to Starrigavan to see if there was much going on out there. The estuary and beach seemed fairly quiet, and I noticed a text from Connor that he had seen a Semipalmated Sandpiper at the … Read more

Rare Gulls

Connor texted me from his paper route to let me know he had found a Ring-billed Gull on the beach near Eagle Way. My only prior experience with this species was an immature bird I photographed back in 2007 or so, but didn’t figure out the ID for until several years later. I was able … Read more