And Now For Something Completely Different

"Amusement" While I got a lot of successful images of the ferris wheel lit up with a variety of color patterns, this long exposure was my favorite combination of pattern in the ferris wheel and color/pattern in the foreground ride. Canon 7D, Rokinon 14mm f/2.8, 2.5 seconds, f/16, ISO 100.

All right, this might be a little "off-brand" for Whimbrel Nature (emphasis on the nature) and quite a contrast to my two recent wilderness posts, but I also enjoy and specialize in night photography. While I particularly like to do more nature-related night photography, including astrophotography, the genre also frequently involves human structures and activities. Recently I had a chance to photograph with my friend and fellow night photographer Peter Nagy at Rye Playland, a Westchester County Art Deco style amusement park on the Long Island Sound that opened in 1928. How could I pass up a chance to play around photographing at night, developing my skills, and hanging out with a great guy? In today's post, I thought I'd share some of my favorite images from the evening.

"It Don't Mean A Thing..." Although I got some great spinning images from this ride, my favorite two images were taken before the ride began to rotate. In this image, riders wait impatiently for the ride to start and swing back and forth as much as they are able. The movement of the riders gave just enough blur to mask most individual features and clothing, giving the image a timeless feel, heightened by the black and white treatment. Canon 7D, Rokinon 14mm f/2.8, 2.5 seconds, f/16, ISO 100.

Some of my favorite images from the evening came from the Playland Yo-Yo, a classic swing ride. This ride was tucked away in a corner facing the Sound, so it was darker than other rides. The lights on the ride itself, as well as one overhead light produced a circular spotlight effect on the ride that heightened the drama. The nearing-full moon added a nice additional compositional element.

"It Don't Mean A Thing..." shows the riders swinging impatiently back and forth, waiting for the ride to begin. The motion blur helps mask individual features and clothing, making this image feel like it could just as easily be from the 50's or 60's as from 2017. Converting to black and white added to the timeless effect and heightened the drama of the image. I enhanced the spotlight effect on the ride from the ambient lighting by using a very strong vignette. The symmetry and balance in this image works; with the structure on the right balancing out the background ride on the left, and the moon and clouds balanced by the barely lit tree limb. The symmetry in this case helps emphasize the dynamism (and restlessness) in the riders.

"I've Got No Strings" The Playland Yo-Yo classic swing ride as the ride starts and raises the riders up in the air a bit before it starts rotating. Canon 7D, Rokinon 14mm f/2.8, 2.5 seconds, f/16, ISO 100.

"I've Got No Strings" is another image from the the Yo-Yo. Normally I'd edit down to one, but I really like both these images and think they communicate different ideas. While I really like the black and white treatment of the image above, in this case I had to leave the color, otherwise the riders are too blurred and blend into the rest of the image. Thus losing an important aspect of this image for me. The bouncing up and down and then raising into the air at the beginning of the ride really made the riders look like puppets. While complimentary in content to the previous image, that image made me think more of impatience to be entertained; this image made me think more of our need for artificial stimulation to induce happiness. I don't know if it was the fact that it was nighttime, or the huge crowds of people, but it tended to bring out the darker interpretations of amusement park subjects in me this particular evening. I also really like how the front shadows are pretty normal, while the riders are blurred and abstract.

"Painting The Sky" For this image of several fireworks bursts, I slowly zoomed my lens in and out during part of some of the bursts, giving a very interesting effect. Canon 7D, Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 DG APO lens, 10 seconds, f/16, ISO 100.

Finally, I'll leave you with a couple of firework abstracts from the evening's fireworks display. I started out shooting wide, but the foreground wasn't really working for me and the fireworks ended up being shot basically straight up, rather than out over the Sound. So, I quickly switched to my telephoto to shoot isolations instead. Enjoy!

"All That Glitters" This was a more standard image. I don't think I did any zooming during this exposure. But the sparkling trailers from the shells, combined with a slight breeze created some interest. Canon 7D, Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 DG APO lens, 10 seconds, f/16, ISO 100.

"Painting The Sky 2" I think I did a bit more subtle zooming during part of this one. Canon 7D, Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 DG APO lens, 10 seconds, f/16, ISO 100.

Behind The Images- Skimming The Light And Ravenel Bridge Twilight

This image, "Skimming The Light" was taken in late February while I was on a trip to photograph some Wilderness Areas just north of Charleston, SC for my "Smallest Wilderness" project. I went into the northern part of Mount Pleasant to grab a bite to eat and thought I'd head over near sunset to the Ravenel Bridge for a little fun sunset/night photography. When I got there and started setting up on the end of the fishing pier under the bridge, I noticed the small groups of brown pelicans were flying very low to the river under the bridge on their way down the Cooper River. Just inches off the surface of the river. As the sun started setting, the groups of pelicans came at a fairly regular pace. So while my rented Canon 6D was on the tripod for the bridge shots, I popped my rented EF 100-400 f/4.5-5.6L IS II lens on my Canon 7D body and started tracking the pelicans (hand-held) as they flew near the end of the pier. Despite the relatively low light, it was easy to maintain focus on the birds as they were flying exactly parallel to the end of the pier and I could usually roughly preset the focus to approximately the right distance out on the water before the birds arrived.

This image was taken at the beginning of twilight, just after the sun sunk below the horizon. There was still plenty of light and color in the sky which reflected beautifully in the ripples on the river. Given the brightness of the water and the relatively low light levels, it made sense to capture the image as a silhouette, rather than trying to capture detail in the pelican. The zoom was racked out to 400mm (640mm equivalent on the 1.6 crop factor of the 7D). So I was trying to keep the shutter speed as high as possible (even with the internal stabilization) while maintaining a decent ISO to reduce noise. I ended up shooting this image at ISO 400 and 1/200th of a second at f/5.6. On some frames the birds were blurry due to unsteady tracking or panning faster or slower than the bird, but on this particular frame I panned with this bird's motion perfectly and the shutter speed was just high enough to keep the bird and water relatively sharp. Most birds were gliding with their wings open quite a bit, like this bird, but it was still a matter of catching the right angle and posture where the outline of the pelican was clearly recognizable.

After catching some close-ups of the bridge silhouetted against the sunset sky and tracking pelicans with the telephoto for a while, the twilight sky finally darkened enough for the lit bridge to stand out against it. I liked the deep blue color of twilight above the bridge, while the band of sunset orange at the horizon added complimentary color interest. I shot "Ravenel Bridge Twilight" with a rented Canon 6D body, which is a full-frame sensor and has great low-light performance.

In order to get the perspective and framing that I wanted for the bridge, I had to shoot with my Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 DG APO lens at 70mm. However, that meant I couldn't fit the whole bridge in one image. So to create this vertical image I shot 7 horizontal images on top of each other, each overlapped by approximately 50%, and stitched them together vertically using the panoramic stitching software in Lightroom and Photoshop. Each image was exposed at 6 seconds at f/16 and ISO 100. Since the camera was full frame, and the panorama is composed from 7 images, the file size and quality on this panorama are huge.

Despite the extensive overlap in the frames, all the stitching software and all the different stitching algorithms had difficulty stitching the images together vertically properly and there was an area between the first and second supports where some of the details, including the wires and the upper part of the second support structure, did not quite match up properly. To fix this, I brought the panorama and the appropriate overlapping horizontal frame from the original series into Photoshop as layers. I auto-aligned the layers, which didn't do a perfect job, but enough that the problem areas matched up between the original image and the panorama. I then put a black layer mask on the original image and used a relatively small brush at 50% hardness to paint with white on the mask just over the problem areas in the panorama. This brought in the details from the original image in just those areas and "fixed" the mismatched wires and other details.

I hope you enjoyed the "Behind The Images" and feel free to post any questions in the comments section. In the next post, I'll include some more images from my "Smallest Wilderness" trips down South this late winter and early spring.

Hawley Bog And Carnivorous Plants

Wide view of the dew-covered Hawley Bog with pitcher plants, bog rosemary, and grass pink (or Calopogon) orchid visible.

While attending the NECCC at UMass and doing some night photography, I was also able to sneak away for a morning of nature photography at Hawley Bog. Hawley Bog is a unique well-preserved New England bog complex, jointly owned and managed by the Nature Conservancy and the Five College Consortium. Bogs are one of my all-time favorite habitats; full of exotic plants and often a somewhat exotic northern-type avifauna. Plus, how cool is it to feel the ground shake beneath your feet like jello?

A round-leaved sundew leaf emerges from the mat of Sphagnum moss. The glistening drops of fluid attract and trap insects which are then digested through enzymes.

Acidic bogs are poor in nitrogen and other nutrients, thus you find many carnivorous species of plants which trap insects to provide necessary nutrients they can't extract from the soil. Hawley bog is host to round-leaved sundew (Drosera rotundifolia), purple pitcher plants (Sarracenia purpurea), and horned bladderwort (Utricularia cornuta), all carnivorous species.

The flowers of purple pitcher plants rise above the surface of the bog like funky umbrellas. This flower playing host to a fly.

The flowers of horned bladderwort are quite striking in their own right. The leaves of this plant contain tiny bladders which trap very small invertebrates.

In addition to the carnivorous plants, Hawley Bog also hosts several species of bog orchids. Another group of plants that are just as fascinating and beautiful in my mind.

Grass pink orchids (Calopogon tuberosus) are perhaps my favorite species of orchid. Beautiful and associated with the fairly rare bog habitat.

Rose pogonia (Pogonia ophioglossoides) is another beautiful pink orchid commonly found in bogs and fens.

Rose pogonia (or snakemouth orchid) from the side.

Although I don't associate it as much with bogs as the previous two species, white-fringed orchis (Platanthera blephariglottis) grows out on the Hawley Bog and blooms slightly later in the summer than the other two species. Luckily this plant was farther along than most of the other specimens.

Finally, around the edges of the bog grows yellow loosestrife or swamp candles (Lysimachia terrestris), a wetland indicator plant. As a young birder, I used to love yellow loosestrife because of its beautiful yellow spike of flowers, making it easy to identify, and its apt and poetic alternate name, swamp candle.

Swamp candles add their bright flame to the wetland complex. Yellow loosestrife is the only local yellow-colored loosestrife species that doesn't have leaves obscuring the yellow flowers.

U-Mass, It's Educational

"Campus Pond, Night, 2017" looking towards the Fine Art Center. The fountains are a nice touch to the campus pond, however they still aren't producing enough movement to combat the algae build-up, which has filled in the entire back section of the pond. This is a panorama stitched from 5 vertical images taken with a Tamron 150-600mm (at 150mm) zoom I borrowed at the conference.

The title of this blog post comes from the Pixies song "U-Mass", which incidentally, I was first introduced to when I was a freshman at UMass on a spring break caving trip to WV. I just returned from the annual New England Camera Club Conference (NECCC) which is held at my alma mater. It was interesting to see all the changes that have occurred to the campus in the last ten years (I returned for grad school and defended my PhD in 2007).

"Water You Doing?" This wall near the Central Residential Area is open for "free expression" by the campus community, which I thought was a neat idea. They just repaint the wall periodically and start fresh. The jumble of graffiti suggested to me the sometimes overwhelming nature and emotions of this time and the transition to "the real world" after college, hence the pose.

While attending talks on various photography subjects and attending a workshop on fine art printing, I was able to spend two nights doing some night photography with my friend Peter Nagy from the Color Camera Club of Westchester (where I live now in NY).

"Obelisk Transmitting" I've been told this sculpture in Durfee Garden is an Andrew Goldsworthy, but I'm not so sure and I've been unable to confirm online. If anyone knows for sure the artist, please comment below. This setting provided an excuse to do some more "hard-core" light painting using a string of LEDs on stretched out copper wire. Many thanks to Peter with the execution. It would have been impossible without his help. This one brings out the sci-fi geek in me.

"Screened" The rice paper-like screens in Durfee Garden are even more beautiful at night when they pick up subtle colors from the different light sources around campus and contain the projections of shadow vegetation.

"The Egg And The Greenhouse" I can't decide if I like the over-splash of blue light on the greenhouse in this one, or if I want to mask it out using a separate frame I got without the blue light. I really like the texture and color on the old conservatory though.

One area we spent a bunch of time in on the first night was Durfee Gardens near the Durfee Conservatory. During my undergrad, time managing a lab, and my graduate degree, Durfee was a welcome refuge and stress-relief for me. If you get a chance, it is well worth a visit. The conservatory has a fabulous orchid room and a tropical room complete with water features and benches.

"Occulus" The new stairway and landscaping between the two Morrill Science Center buildings is gorgeous and includes this great sculpture which is further enhanced by the shadows and sodium vapor lighting present at night.

I have to admit, I was pretty pleased with the changes to the infrastructure I saw while I was there. The new buildings are beautiful and environmentally friendly. The landscaping has improved by leaps and bounds. Other environmental and artistic initiatives are in evidence everywhere. The food services are also incredible! I've been very critical of the UMass administration in the past, but it seems like they've been getting a lot of things right in past few years. I don't have enough info to judge how the academic program is going, although I like what I hear about the new honors college as well.

"Design At Rest" This abstract comes courtesy of the new benches between the Learning Center and the Student Union.

"History And Technology" Metawampe sculpture juxtaposed against the large flat screen displays in the new Learning Center.

"Campus Pond Reflections" Lights reflect in the disturbed surface of the campus pond.

"Campus Center Steps Number One" The steps of the Campus Center terrace provide ample opportunities for geometric abstracts.

"Cold And Warm" The Fine Arts Center did my light painting for me with this juxtaposition of the blue lit alcove and the warm sodium vapor lights. I was packed up and on my way to the car, but I just had to photograph this scene with my new Rokinon 14mm lens.

"Shadow Play" The interplay of light, shadow, and color attracted me to this composition of the back of the Student Union building.

"Campus Center Steps Number Two" I have a soft spot for the texture and geometry of stone work.

The second night we photographed, the wide-angle view just wasn't doing it for me. So I switched to a Tamron 150-600mm zoom that I borrowed at the conference and shot mostly isolations for the remainder of the evening. That change of perspective got the sleep-deprived creative juices flowing again and I made some compositions I was really happy with. Particularly, this next photograph is I think possibly my favorite image of the trip.

"Bi-Cycle" This bike was parked outside the entrance to the Campus Center. Possibly my most favorite image of the trip. I love the almost, but not quite, symmetry of this image and the nostalgic effect of the warm sodium vapor lighting. Even the weeds coming through the crack at the junction of the wheel and it's shadow are perfect. Although the bike is modern, the isolation and lighting make this image somewhat timeless.

Finally, I'll leave you with one more image from Durfee Gardens. My next post will be back to nature with some images I took at Hawley Bog during the conference. Orchids and carnivorous plants, oh my!

"Zen" A different light painting interpretation of the egg sculpture outside of Durfee Conservatory.

Westchester Birdathon 2017- Post-Birdathon Analysis

Sorry for the lousy digiscoped iPhone image, but I wanted to feature the fact that we saw three Red-throated Loons during the Birdathon. One each at Marshlands Conservancy, Edith G. Read Sanctuary, and Aiello Park. These birds should have moved on by now.

Well, it sure was an interesting Birdathon this year. The big news items were probably the weather and the almost complete lack of landbird migrants. The decision was made to actually move the Birdathon start time up from 7pm to 3pm on Friday, because of the absolutely dismal weather forecast for Saturday. While wet and at times miserable, the weather wasn't as bad as we thought and we actually managed a fairly birdy day on Saturday. Almost worse, was how quiet it was on Friday afternoon; all the migrants seemed to have moved on and even the resident species were being uncharacteristically quiet (perhaps anticipating the storm?). We only managed 37 species at our first stop despite spending more time at Rockefeller than we probably should have. We initially dipped on a lot of species that we hoped to get early on.

But enough about the more negative news, there were lots of positives. First, the statistics:

Teammates: Eric Reubel and David Miller

Official Species Total: 109

eBird Checklists Submitted: 9 (full), and 6 (partial)--but that doesn't include all our stops

Miles Driven: Approx. 150

Hours Actually Birded: ~ 20 hours

First Species Counted: Cooper's Hawk (on a nest at Rockefeller)

Last Species Counted: Monk Parakeet (at Aiello Park, a life bird for me!)

Birds Of Note: Red-throated Loon, Barred Owl, Monk Parakeet, Virginia Rail, Brant, Red-breasted Merganser, Black-crowned Night Heron, White-eyed Vireo, Yellow-crowned Night Heron, Hooded Warbler, Worm-eating Warbler, adult Bald Eagle, displaying American Woodcock, nesting Brown Creeper, two Rose-breasted Grosbeak nests, nesting Cooper's Hawk, nesting Cliff Swallows, and a decent selection of shorebird species.

So, first I should mention, for those that weren't aware, I tabled the Rockefeller Big Day for this year and expanded out to all of Westchester County. I felt like I needed a change, and I thought it unlikely that I would repeat the spectacular warbler numbers from last year (boy was I right!). It also gave me a chance to experience a lot of fabulous birding areas (such as Ward Pound Ridge Reservation and Muscoot Farm) that I've heard about, but haven't been able to get away from my Rockefeller research to visit. Second, I joined a team this year with David Miller and Eric Reubel. Two top-notch birders that had scouted and planned out an incredible route that was responsible for our success despite the weather.

Our first stop was at Swan Lake at Rockefeller State Park Preserve. We began the Birdathon with our scope trained on the Cooper's Hawk nest and got to watch an adult launch off the nest and into the trees. We dipped on the White-eyed Vireo this round, but we had spectacular looks at Orchard Oriole. In addition to the Cooper's Hawk, we also picked up Rose-breasted Grosbeak (x2), American Redstart, Yellow Warbler, and Eastern Bluebird nests.

Next was Eagle Hill at Rockefeller, and things were quiet and disappointing. We gained very little, aside from Eastern Pheobe and Wood Thrush nests. The Louisiana Waterthrush singing here at 2:40pm remained completely silent and hidden.

Our stop at the fields in front of Buttermilk Hill yielded the desired singing Bobolinks, but we dipped on the Brown Thrasher and Savannah Sparrow we hoped to get there. The entrance fields to Ferguson's Loop provided the needed Solitary Sandpiper and, surprise, the Savannah Sparrow we had just dipped on. We hopped into the car and headed for the Long Island Sound, a bit more confident, but still with great trepidation about our low numbers and missed species.

Marshlands Conservancy was gray, cold, and relatively silent on land (we got our feeder Wild Turkeys though). But our luck and confidence changed out on the marshes. We had great luck with shorebirds; getting more diversity than expected. We had American Oystercatcher, Greater Yellowlegs, Lesser Yellowlegs, Willet, Least Sandpiper, Semipalmated Sandpiper, and Semipalmated Plover. We also picked up both Forster's and Common Terns. We also picked up our first Red-throated Loon and a big flyover flock of Brant.

An after-dark stop at Aiello Park failed to pick up any Night Herons out on the mud flats, so we headed north. Several stops for owls produced no joy. We wound up the night after midnight at a beautiful freshwater marsh complex near Goldens Bridge, NY. While waiting for our Virginia Rail to call, we also finally picked up a calling Barred Owl. Exhausted (and hungry) I drove back down to Tarrytown to grab less than two hours sleep and replenish supplies.

We were supposed to meet at Ward Pound Ridge Reservation at 4:45am, but I was late (body not moving fast on 2 hours sleep). As soon as I rolled into the parking lot, we picked up displaying American Woodcock. More stops in the Reservation produced singing Pine, Worm-eating, and Prairie Warblers, as well as the nesting Brown Creeper and our missing Louisiana Waterthrush. 

Muscoot Farm provided our missing Hooded Warbler and Chestnut-sided Warbler. While stops along the Cross River Reservoir provided a surprise adult Bald Eagle, our Common Loon, our only true migrant warbler in the form of a Blackpoll, and nesting Cliff Swallow.

A stop for Green Heron didn't provide the heron, but did provide our missing Northern Waterthrush. Another stop at David's house did not provide the hoped for Red-shouldered Hawk or Ruby-throated Hummingbird, but did provide needed coffee and a nice bathroom. We dipped at our Bank Swallow spot, before heading south again.

A second stop at Swan Lake in Rockefeller proved the charm for White-eyed Vireo, but not for any migrant warblers or the cuckoos we had hoped to pick up here. A quick stop at Devries Park in Sleepy Hollow provided our missing Belted Kingfisher like magic.

Returning to the Long Island Sound, Edith G. Read Sanctuary provided little besides our second Red-throated Loon of the Birdathon, but it was in nice and close. The winds greatly increased on the coast and the rain continued to become heavier and more steady. A second visit to Marshlands provided Red-breasted Merganser and face-fulls of wind-driven rain.

With 103 species and flagging hopes for more with decreasing time and increasing weather, we arrived back at Aiello Park in New Rochelle at around 2pm. Immediately upon exiting the car we picked up our missing Yellow-crowned Night Heron, Black-crowned Night Heron, and Great Blue Heron (I know, I can't believe we were still missing GBHE at this point). Moments later, our missing American Black Duck was found associating with a couple of mallards in the middle of the inlet. Across the street our missing Ring-billed Gull looped lazily around the playground in the gale winds. At this point, the weather temporarily broke our brave friend David (and he's from England), but rain-soaked persistence underneath the Monk Parakeet nests on the light towers produced a few distinctive squawks for our last new species of the Birdathon.

In our last half-hour a visit to Glen Island Park at the southwestern-most tip of Westchester County provided a surprising number of good birds for the weather, but alas no Laughing Gull or anything else new for that matter. Soaked to the bone, yet pleased with our performance, we made the long drive back to where we dropped the cars at Ward Pound Ridge Reservation.

Rockefeller Big Day 2016- Post-Birdathon Analysis

Well, what a day of birding it was! First, I'll start with some stats and facts.

Official Species Total: 93

Individual Birds Counted: ~930

eBird Checklists Submitted: 11

Miles Walked: ~18.65

Hours Actually Birded: ~16 hours and 27 minutes

First Species Counted: American Robin (but really a tie with about 5 other species)

Last Species Counted: Ring-billed Gull (flock scoped across the river from Rockwood Hall)

Warbler Species Counted: 21(Wow!)

Rockefeller Trails Covered: 

Rockwood Hall-Foundation Loop, Middle Trail, Upper Trail, Lower Trail

Eagle Hill-Eagle Hill Trail, Gory Brook Road Trail, Pocantico River Trail

13 Bridges-13 Bridges Trail

Swan Lake-Brother's Path, Overlook Trail, Ash Tree Loop, Farm Meadow Trail, Old Sleepy Hollow Road Trail, Nature's Way, Glacial Erratic Trail

Buttermilk Hill-Buttermilk Hill Trail, Lucy's Loop, 117 Lucy's Loop Access Nature Trail, Laurence's Ridge Trail, Ferguson's Loop Trail

Stone Barns-Unnamed Farm Trail (closest to Rt. 448)

Birds I Missed From My "Must Get" List (see my previous blog post):

Wood Duck- I just continue to have bad luck with the Swan Lake wood ducks, but it wasn't for lack of trying. I came back in the evening right before the end in hopes of catching them, but no joy.

Rock Pigeon- I couldn't believe that I couldn't locate one of these buggers, either at Rockwood Hall or Stone Barns, but it was not to be. I fear I probably missed some flying over earlier in the day while I was focused on all the great warblers.

Fish Crow- These can be hit or miss around here, particularly on Rockefeller property and unfortunately, this was one of the miss days.

Brown Thrasher- I came up empty at both my known locations for this species, some times they just seem to disappear for a while and then they are back.

Pine Warbler- Unfortunately, the migration gods giveth and the migration gods taketh away. The weather that ushered in all the great warblers, seems to have carried the last of these straggling early warblers with it.

White-throated Sparrow- As with the pine warbler, the migratory push seems to have caused a mass exodus of this species (there were tons two days previous). I'm sure there are probably a few stragglers around, but I couldn't find them.

House Finch- Like the pigeon, this one hurt. I should have picked it up. My usual location came up empty and I didn't have a reliable back-up.

Birds I Got From My "Pick-Up or Occasional" List:

Great Blue Heron, Green Heron, Great Egret, Osprey, Killdeer, Solitary Sandpiper, Ring-billed Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Blue-headed Vireo, White-eyed Vireo, Common Raven, Swainson's Thrush, Chesnut-sided Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler, Northern Waterthrush, Bay-breasted Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler, Hooded Warbler, Canada Warbler, Cape May Warbler

Summary

I have to admit that the Rockefeller Big Day/Birdathon this year ranks up there with some of my favorite birding experiences of all time. This is a big admission for me. I'm not a lister and I generally enjoy a slower pace of birding where I can take my time and observe each species as much as I want. I'm honestly more of a scientist than a birder. However, the birding was so excellent this weekend, there was just so much to see and enjoy, and though it slowed in the afternoon, it never really slowed enough to get boring or fail to counteract the creeping exhaustion that seeps in after so many hours birding and hiking. 

The big story and highlight was the warbler migration. I saw 21 species of warbler on just Rockefeller lands, in a pretty short amount of time. The quantity and diversity of warblers was truly astounding. And they almost weren't in discrete knots, they were just everywhere. This made the warbling more relaxed as I wasn't frantically trying to sort out a handful of different species in a large and rapidly moving flock of yellow-rumped warblers. In particular, I've never seen so many magnolia, Canada, and Tennessee warblers at one time. Highlights included great looks at a blackburnian warbler at the base of Overlook Hill at Swan Lake; great looks at Canada warblers along the Pocantico River below Eagle Hill and along the edge of Swan Lake; great looks at magnolia warblers, just about everywhere; great looks at a singing chestnut-sided warbler and a bay-breasted warbler along the Ferguson's Loop trail; a singing early morning Tennessee warbler at the base of Eagle Hill (really my first indication that Saturday was going to be a great day); and the return of a singing hooded warbler in the Buttermilk Hill area (which I got great looks at this morning).

Other highlights include: great looks at a pair of Swainson's thrushes on Ferguson's Loop trail; a low osprey flyover on the Old Sleepy Hollow Road trail; a fledgling great horned owl clambering from limb to limb in the early morning at the base of its nest tree; an extremely close solitary sandpiper on the flotsam at the end of Swan Lake; a lone barn swallow gliding over the foggy Hudson during a truly spectacular sunset; and a flock of 18 bobolinks with males singing and displaying their hearts out, right next to the cows at Stone Barns. I also enjoyed sharing a joy for birds with an ultrasound technician taking an evening stroll around Rockwood Hall Friday night, and my daughter's friend, Charlotte, and her mom, Connie, coming out to participate in the Birdathon and accompanying me on a warbler-filled trip over Overlook Hill.

Thanks so much to all who have donated on behalf of my Birdathon effort. It means a lot to me and your donations will help bird conservation in this area, and beyond, through the education and outreach efforts of both Saw Mill River Audubon and Rockefeller State Park Preserve. If you'd still like to make a donation, it's not too late. Here is the link: http://www.sawmillriveraudubon.org/birdathon/birdathon-payment.html. Donations of any amount are very welcome.

Happy spring! There are still a few more weeks of migration left. Get out and enjoy!

Rockefeller Big Day 2016!

The big event is almost here. International Migratory Bird Day, Global Big Day, the 1st annual Westchester Birdathon, and my 2nd annual Rockefeller Big Day all coincide this weekend. From 7pm May 13th to 7pm May 14th, I'll be trying to find as many bird species as I can within the Rockefeller complex. My efforts will be raising money for both Rockefeller State Park Preserve and Saw Mill River Audubon. Saw Mill will be using their portion of the proceeds to support their youth birding education programs and Rockefeller will be using the funds to help support my research on wood thrush and other interior forest species on the preserve and their conservation. It is not too late to donate towards this fundraising effort. You can support my Birdathon effort with a flat donation of any amount ($5, $10, $20, or more) or you can decide to donate a certain amount per species recorded (for example, $0.25, $0.50, or $1 per species). If you decide to donate a flat amount, you can donate right now. Don't forget to indicate that you are donating towards my birding effort. If you decide to donate per species, just let me know how much you wish to donate per species and how to contact you. I'll give you an update once the Birdathon is over. Thanks so much to those generous souls who have already donated!

Once again, my goal is to see at least 100 species within the Rockefeller Preserve complex (includes Stone Barns and Rockefeller Family property). This is a tall order, but I know it can be done. The weather is looking a bit iffy (it could be worse), but who doesn't like a challenge right?

For the rest of this blog, for those who are interested, I'm going to work out my strategy for finding 100+ species in the Preserve complex. This is as much for my own planning, as for those who might find it interesting and those who have already donated to my effort.

Must Get Species (common species on the preserve that I must get to have a chance)

1.   Canada Goose (Swan Lake and most other parts of the Preserve)
2.   Wood Duck (Swan Lake, but I haven't had good luck seeing them so far this year)
3.   Mallard (Swan Lake, and many other parts of the Preserve)
4.   Wild Turkey (Buttermilk Hill or Eagle Hill, possibly Swan Lake)
5.   Double Crested Cormorant (Swan Lake, or possibly Rockwood Hall out on the Hudson)
6.   Black Vulture (Eagle Hill or flying over other parts of Preserve)
7.   Turkey Vulture (Eagle Hill or flying over other parts of Preserve)
8.   Red-tailed Hawk (nest in Eagle Hill area)
9.   Herring Gull (hopefully on the Hudson at Rockwood Hall)
10. Rock Pigeon (Stone Barns or Rockwood Hall)
11. Mourning Dove (Buttermilk Hill and other areas)
12. Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Pair on Nature's Way near Swan Lake)
13. Great Horned Owl (nest in Eagle Hill area)
14. Chimney Swift (Eagle Hill and flying over other parts of Preserve)
15. Red-bellied Woodpecker (Everywhere)
16. Downy Woodpecker (Everywhere)
17. Hairy Woodpecker (Eagle Hill and Buttermilk Hill best bets)
18. Northern Flicker (Everywhere)
19. Pileated Woodpecker (Buttermilk Hill and other areas, less luck with them this year...)
20. Eastern Wood-Pewee (Buttermilk Hill, Eagle Hill, 13 Bridges)
21. Eastern Pheobe (13 Bridges, Eagle Hill)
22. Great Crested Flycatcher (Swan Lake, Buttermilk Hill)
23. Eastern Kingbird (Swan Lake, Buttermilk Hill)
24. Yellow-throated Vireo (Swan Lake area best bet)
25. Warbling Vireo (Everywhere, particularly Swan Lake)
26. Red-eyed Vireo (Everywhere, particularly Eagle Hill and Swan Lake areas)
27. Blue Jay (Everywhere)
28. American Crow (Everywhere)
29. Fish Crow (hopefully at Rockwood Hall, but can show up elsewhere)
30. Tree Swallow (Swan Lake, Eagle Hill, and other areas)
31. Northern Rough-winged Swallow (Eagle Hill area and Swan Lake)
32. Barn Swallow (Swan Lake and Buttermilk Hill, maybe Stone Barns)
33. Black-capped Chickadee (Everywhere)
34. Tufted Titmouse (Everywhere)
35. White-breasted Nuthatch (Everywhere)
36. Carolina Wren (Buttermilk Hill and Swan Lake)
37. House Wren (Buttermilk Hill and Swan Lake)
38. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (nests at Eagle Hill and Swan Lake)
39. Eastern Bluebird (Buttermilk Hill and Swan Lake)
40. Veery (Buttermilk Hill, Eagle Hill, and 13 Bridges)
41. Wood Thrush (Everywhere)
42. American Robin (Everywhere)
43. Gray Catbird (Everywhere, particularly anywhere swampy or scrubby)
44. Northern Mockingbird (Buttermilk Hill and others)
45. Brown Thrasher (Buttermilk Hill, Ferguson's Loop)
46. European Starling (Everywhere)
47. Cedar Waxwing (most reliable near Nature's Way)
48. Blue-winged Warbler (Buttermilk Hill, Eagle Hill, Swan Lake)
49. Northern Parula (Swan Lake, Buttermilk Hill, Eagle Hill)
50. Yellow Warbler (Everywhere)
51. Black-throated Blue Warbler (Buttermilk Hill, Eagle Hill)
52. Yellow-rumped Warbler (Buttermilk Hill, Eagle Hill, Swan Lake)
53. Black-throated Green Warbler (Buttermilk Hill, Eagle Hill)
54. Pine Warbler (OCA, Peggy's Way interchange)
55. Black-and-white Warbler (Buttermilk Hill, Eagle Hill, Swan Lake)
56. American Redstart (Everywhere)
57. Ovenbird (Buttermilk Hill and Eagle Hill best bets)
58. Louisiana Waterthrush (Buttermilk Hill, Eagle Hill, 13 Bridges)
59. Common Yellowthroat (Eagle Hill, Buttermilk Hill, Swan Lake)
60. Scarlet Tanager (Buttermilk Hill, Eagle Hill, Swan Lake)
61. Eastern Towhee (Everywhere)
62. Chipping Sparrow (Rockwood Hall and others)
63. Savannah Sparrow (Buttermilk Hill and others)
64. Song Sparrow (Everywhere)
65. Swamp Sparrow (Buttermilk Hill and Swan Lake area)
66. White-throated Sparrow (Buttermilk Hill, Eagle Hill, Swan Lake)
67. Northern Cardinal (Buttermilk Hill, Eagle Hill, Swan Lake)
68. Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Swan Lake and Buttermilk Hill particularly)
69. Indigo Bunting (Eagle Hill and Buttermilk Hill)
70. Bobolink (Buttermilk Hill)
71. Red-winged Blackbird (Buttermilk Hill and Swan Lake)
72. Common Grackle (Rockwood Hall and Swan Lake in particular)
73. Brown-headed Cowbird (Everywhere)
74. Orchard Oriole (Swan Lake and Eagle Hill)
75. Baltimore Oriole (Everywhere)
76. House Finch (Buttermilk Hill and Eagle Hill)
77. American Goldfinch (Everywhere)
78. House Sparrow (Buttermilk Hill and Swan Lake)

Pick-up or Occasional Species (must get at least 22)

-Great Blue Heron (Swan Lake, Eagle Hill, Ferguson's Loop, they are around just finding them)
-Green Heron (sighted at Swan Lake, but can be hit or miss)
-Great Egret (has been one at Swan Lake this week)
-Osprey (possible flying over or over Hudson at Rockwood Hall)
-Bald Eagle (possible flying over or over Hudson at Rockwood Hall or from Eagle Hill)
-Sharp-shinned Hawk (around, just hit or miss)
-Cooper's Hawk (around, just hit or miss)
-Broad-winged Hawk (around, possible at Buttermilk Hill or Eagle Hill)
-Killdeer (hopefully pick up in Stone Barns area)
-Spotted Sandpiper (has been seen at Swan Lake)
-Solitary Sandpiper (has been seen at Swan Lake)
-Ring-billed Gull (hopefully on Hudson at Rockwood Hall, possible elsewhere)
-Great Black-backed Gull (hopefully on Hudson at Rockwood Hall)
-Black-billed Cuckoo (possible, but don't think it has been seen yet this year)
-Eastern Screech-Owl (they are around, would be a great evening pick-up)
-Ruby-throated Hummingbird (around, just not always seen)
-Belted Kingfisher (used to be fairly reliable on Pocantico near Eagle Hill, not seen this year)
-Least Flycatcher (around, would be a good pick up species)
-Blue-headed Vireo (around, Eagle Hill and Buttermilk Hill most likely candidates)
-White-eyed Vireo (likely in Swan Lake area, but can be hit or miss)
-Common Raven (around, not seen much lately)
-Winter Wren (has been around this spring, likely moved on)
-Ruby-crowned Kinglet (around, not as common as it was a few weeks ago)
-Gray-cheeked Thrush (around but occassional, Eagle Hill and 13 Bridges seem to be good)
-Swainson's Thrush (around, one seen at top of Eagle Hill recently)
-Hermit Thrush (still possible, but likely moved on)
-Nashville Warbler (around, hit or miss, but seen/heard at Swan Lake and Eagle Hill recently)
-Chestnut-sided Warbler (around, possible)
-Magnolia Warbler (lots around lately, good possibility, but can be hit or miss)
-Blackburnian Warbler (likely, just not as frequent as last year)
-Northern Waterthrush (still possible near Swan Lake and other places, not as evident as a week ago)
-Prairie Warbler (northern end of Lucy's Loop trail, can be hit or miss)
-Palm Warbler (most seem to have moved on, but possible)
-Bay-breasted Warbler (around, possible)
-Blackpoll Warbler (around, possible)
-Worm-eating Warbler (possible, but rare, one sighting near Eagle Hill recently)
-Hooded Warbler (possible, frequent last year in Buttermilk Hill area, but not so far this year)
-Wilson's Warbler (around, possible)
-Canada Warlber (around, possible)
-Field Sparrow (possible, seem to have moved on)
-White-crowned Sparrow (possible, moving through general area, but unlikely)
-Dark-eyed Junco (seem to have moved on this year, but late one is possible)
-American Kestrel (possible, but unlikely)
-Merlin (possible, but unlikely)
-Peregrine (possible from Rockwood Hall, but unlikely)
-American Woodcock (one displaying earlier near Buttermilk Hill, but unlikely)
-Cape May Warbler (around, possible)
-Lincoln's Sparrow (around, possible)

Tentative Plan

7pm May 13th: Start at Rockwood Hall where I can hopefully scan something interesting moving on the Hudson, plus pick up some of the common species. Next before darkness falls, I'll move to the Eagle Hill and 13 Bridges areas to listen for late singing thrushes. As it gets dark I'll be listening for woodcock and eastern screech-owl as I move out of Eagle Hill area and back to the car. From their I'll probably drive the roads the go through the Preserve complex and listen for owls, turkeys, and possible woodcock. Then I'll head home for some rest.

2-3am May 14th. I'll head out for a few more hours owling etc... I'll hit Eagle Hill for civil twilight and the dawn chorus, then plan to move to Swan Lake as soon as the parking lot opens to get early morning birds there and possible to herons or sandpipers before they get disturbed by the crowds. After a thorough tour of the Swan Lake area, I'll head over to do Buttermilk Hill, Ferguson's Loop, and Stone Barns. During the mid-afternoon doldrums, I'll head over to Rockwood Hall to scan the river etc... Late afternoon I will head back for a thorough tour of Eagle Hill and 13 Bridges.

Of course, I will adjust this plan as the day progresses and I see what "Must Get" species I'm still missing or what "Pick-up and Occasional" species I still might need to get or seem most likely.

Peeking Screech Owl

Peeking eastern screech owl (Megascops asio) at Croton Point Park, Croton-on-Hudson, NY. Canon 7D, Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 lens, ISO 100, f/11, 0.3 seconds. 

Just a quick post to share this image of a peeking eastern screech owl (Megascops asio) I visited on a recent overcast morning. I hope to return soon at a time when the light is more interesting and this little guy is more awake (and hopefully the nearby great horned owl nest is more active as well).

Happy April Fools!

Avian Harbingers

The true avian harbingers of spring, a mixed flock of common grackles, red-winged blackbirds, and brown-headed cowbirds (plus some background blue jays) recorded at Rockefeller State Park Preserve, Sleepy Hollow, NY on February 23, 2016.

You can keep your Canada geese. Sure the sound of a flock of musically honking geese flying overhead can bring joy and hope to the hardest heart. But is that a migratory flock headed north for spring, or just the year-round resident flock headed north to the golf course again? What about those flocks heading east, west, and south? So many geese have become untethered from their migratory impulses. How do you tell the harbingers from the "hangers about?"

American robin!!? Don't get me started on the American robin. There was a mid-winter roost containing thousands of birds not far from my college in Massachusetts! That robin on your lawn heralds the start of spring? What about the flock of robins in your mulberry tree last month? There is no doubt that the proliferation of ornamental fruit trees (and perhaps global warming) is increasing the numbers of overwintering robins, but even in the olden days, robins were more likely missed by poets, and the general populace, than they were truly absent during the winter.

Bluebirds? There are always some of them around during the winter. See robin.

The spring song (hey-sweetie) of the black-capped chickadee you say? Well, you might have an argument there. But the chickadee begins to voice its spring song as soon as the light begins to return around the solstice. It is still the dead of winter. Some of the coldest and snowiest days are still ahead of us. That's jumping the gun a bit as far as harbingers go. The fact that spring will return eventually, is not really in dispute.

Eastern meadowlarks or some species of flycatcher or another? Sure, sure, if you like coming late to the table. That's like the weatherperson sticking their hand out of the window to tell you its raining. At this point, all your other senses have already told you what you needed to know. The prophet is delivering yesterday's news.

Nope. As a resident of both the inland Northeast and inland Mid-Atlantic, I know in my heart that the true harbingers of spring are the flocks of blackbirds that suddenly appear in my neighborhood tree tops. Sometimes they are common grackles, sometimes red-winged blackbirds, and often a mixture of both. Some may find their songs harsh and grating, a cacophony of rusty hinges (though it's always been music to my ears). But you won't find a truer and more prophetic symphony about spring's imminent arrival. The waves of blackbirds move northward at the first sign of winter's grip weakening and the vast machinery of northward migration always begins, perhaps slowly at first, to chug to life behind them.

Singing red-winged blackbird perched atop an early spring cattail at Huntley Meadows, Alexandria, VA.
Canon Rebel XTi, Sigma 70-300 f/4-5.6 lens, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/400th of a second.

An Overreaction to "Overreacting"

So, I was perusing my Facebook feed this morning and this caption of a post on Facebook Birders caught my eye, "An Ontario oriole, and how science can ruin birding." Many times I cruise past Facebook Birders posts, occasionally offering ID advice or enjoying the photos, but mostly just glancing. However, this summary statement certainly demanded my attention. Science can ruin birding...

Clicking through brings me to a blog post by Rick Wright entitled "Overreacting" about a recent controversy involving the ID of an Ontario oriole. The bird was visually identified as a female Bullock's oriole but genetic testing after later rescuing the bird revealed Baltimore oriole mitochondrial DNA (meaning the bird was some level of hybrid). While I don't disagree with his general point; that we often think of "species" as inviolate when there can actually be quite a bit of genetic mixing in many cases, another general pronouncement about birding and science also demanded my attention.

"For the past century and a quarter, birding in North America has been intentionally cast as an exercise in identification of species. If we want to keep understanding birding in that way — and many of us do — we have to both acknowledge and insist on the difference between what we do and what the scientists do. Our tools are our eyes and our minds, not blenders and litmus paper."

Yes, these mallard drakes may very well have black duck DNA running through their veins. Does it diminish my appreciation of their beauty? Does it diminish my joy in watching their late winter and early spring breeding displays and antics? Not a bit. And maybe that's the problem with "listing". If scientists decided tomorrow that those two species have interbred enough to become one, would I bemoan the loss of a check mark on my "life list?" No, I would be honored to witness ongoing evolution, or scientific progress, or both. I would still cherish all the memories of watching their behavior. I would value this new information I had about their biology. All way better experiences than check marks on a piece of paper.

First off, mirroring Rick's honesty at the beginning of his post, I must disclose that I am a scientist, and I actually even, very briefly, played one on TV (Episode 8). However, I was a "birder" first, and back then, when I was in high school, we were only just becoming uncomfortable calling ourselves "bird watchers." These days if you look at my use of time, I'd consider myself a photographer first, a scientist second, a science educator third, and a birder fourth (but maybe not in the sense that Mr. Wright considers a birder).

I think encouraging distance between "science" and "birding" is the wrong thing to do. Even to suggest that science and modern birding are incompatible is dangerous. Particularly at a time when tools like eBird mean that birders are poised to make greater contributions to science and bird conservation than ever before. Historically birding has been intimately intertwined with science and it is on the cusp of being even more connected. I take exception with two aspects Mr. Wright's argument. First that science can ruin or be a detriment to birding, and second that birding is primarily "an exercise in identification of species".

In the first case, I'm reminded of a quote by Richard Feynman, the famous physicist. He is discussing an argument he frequently has with his artist friend, who regarding a flower says, "I as an artist can see how beautiful this is but you as a scientist take this all apart and it becomes a dull thing." Feynman goes on to argue that while it may be less aesthetically refined, that outer beauty is accessible and appreciated by him too, but that he is not limited to that dimension, that through science he can also picture the beauty of the flower at smaller dimensions; the cells and associated processes. He then goes on to envision evolutionary processes, which leads to questions about the aesthetic senses of other animals. He concludes by saying the following. "All kinds of interesting questions which the science knowledge only adds to the excitement, the mystery and the awe of a flower. It only adds. I don’t understand how it subtracts." This is how I feel about science; it only adds to birding, never detracts. Ultimately our goal in birding should be getting to know birds better, both individually and in general. Science only adds to this process.

Let's take the oriole in question. The genetic test that revealed Baltimore oriole DNA gives us new information regarding that individual. We now understand her a bit better. Even if we only care about identification, the science has added more accurate information, which should be our goal in identification. We now know that she is some form of hybrid. But it also adds questions. How much of a genetic hybrid is she? What is her lineage? Did she come from the hybrid zone or is she a genetically mixed individual that was living further east, or further west? How much of a vagrant is she? Perhaps we should read up on the hybridization of Bullock's and Baltimore orioles and understand why they are still considered two species. The mystery and beauty surrounding this bird has increased. We've learned more about this individual and have been motivated to seek out more information about these species and their biology. Science has added value to this bird and the experience of seeing her.

My second objection is to the statement that birding is primarily focused on identification and listing. While these days I'm not exactly in the constant company of the birding elite, I know lots and lots of birders and bird enthusiasts that would object to this characterization. Many birders devote much of their birding time to citizen science initiatives such as the Christmas Bird Count and Breeding Bird Surveys. Legions of bird enthusiasts are perfectly happy to enjoy mostly the birds that occur on their feeders or in their own backyard. Many birders refuse to chase vagrants and rarities for both ethical, biological, and more practical reasons. Most birders are anxious to go beyond just identification and eagerly devour information on behavior, conservation, habitat associations, and history.

In fact the most interesting question about the Ontario Bullock's vs. Baltimore oriole, is not whether folks should count it on their life list or not. It's why that even matters in this day and age of birding. By seeing a bird once, how much do we really know about it? What is so gosh darned important about seeing it, particularly when it is somewhere it doesn't usually occur. How much value is added to the world? How much value is added to our own personal knowledge and experience?

A late friend and mentor, owl bander Patrick Matheny, was fond of telling me that listing was child's play and that he kept a "F**K list". Species that he had seen copulating. While obviously somewhat tongue-in-cheek, still species-based, and meant to mock "listers," he had a point. What's so impressive about seeing (and hopefully correctly identifying) a bird? Observing a species copulating would at the minimum take a lot more luck. And if you really wanted to build your list, you'd have to go to the birds' native ranges, you'd have to spend a lot more time with them, you would have to learn the timing of their breeding season, and you'd have understand a lot more about their biology and behavior. Now that would be impressive!

Don't get me wrong. I don't see anything wrong with keeping your own personal life list. I don't see anything wrong with doing a big day or even a big year, like Noah Strycker. There's just so much more to birding. Take the figure below. For lack of a better name (and/or modesty) let's call it Goodwin's Taxonomy Of Birding Objectives (loosely based on Bloom's Taxonomy Of Educational Objectives). Across the top of the table you'll find general categories of involvement in birding. In general as you move from left to right, there is an increase in the depth of involvement. As you move down the table you'll find tasks within that general category of involvement. As you move down the table the tasks increase in complexity and therefore depth of involvement. Obviously, I could make this more complex and add more levels, but you get the general idea.

If you are spending all your time in the left-hand corner of this chart, or even the first row or first column, you aren't getting much depth. It's not necessarily wrong, but I just feel bad for you because you are missing out on all the depth, beauty, and wonder that the hobby of birding has to offer.