Day 19.083: Phoebe and the turkeys

This morning I had a visitor just outside my office window. The first eastern phoebe of the year pumping its tail in classic fashion. I did my best to document it with my phone. 

And then, at lunchtime, we had turkeys getting in the springtime mood - at least the male was, the two females were either unimpressed or playing it cool. 

Day 19.082: Wisconsin birding

As I mentioned, I managed two short pre-breakfast walks with my camera half a mile down the road to some water and marsh habitat. The morning light was still a bit murky, but this is some of what I (and my camera) saw

Canada goose

European starlings

Muskrat (not a bird) (I saw at least two, maybe three)

I believe these are American wigeon

Red-breasted mergansers

There were hundreds of passing songbirds. Some were grackles, some red-winged blackbirds

This odd couple includes a greylag goose (feral). Afterwards I found that hybrids of these species exist, so they could be an actual couple

More passing passerines

American white pelican (near the eastern edge of their migration according to the map I found)

Great blue heron

American white pelicans

Common merganser loon*

I assume this is a low-rise Canada goose

Coming down near the “Caution Shallow Water” sign 

Nice size comparison with the Canada geese. These pelicans are big birds. 

At the nearby apartment building the house sparrows were building nests under the balconies. 

Both the American white pelicans and the American wigeons go on my life list unless I misidentified the latter. 

* Thank you to Josh for this correction in the comments!

Day 19.081: Flying home

I had window seats on both the flights today (Madison WI to Newark NJ and on to Portland ME). This is some of what I saw:

Pushing back in Madison before dawn (I left the hotel at 4 am)

Above the clouds somewhere in the Midwest

The Delaware Water Gap - the ridge is the Appalachian Mountains. This is near the Pennsylvania/New Jersey state line

Lake Hopatcong

Splitrock Reservoir

Midtown Manhattan

The Statue of Liberty (L) and the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge

Downtown Manhattan

Another view as we took off for Portland

Hudson River and Tappan Zee Bridge

 

We came in to Portland from the west and didn't get many views, but it was interesting to see this large shallow excavation next to our gate at the Portland Jetport.

And, of course, it's good to be home.

Day 19.080: Birdwatching location

Tomorrow morning I need to head to the airport well before first light but the last two mornings I’ve had the time to walk half a mile down the street for a few minutes of birdwatching at this vantage on the Yahara River before breakfast. 

Here’s another view. This photo actually contains a new life-list bird for me that I saw this morning but I will report on it when I have access to the photos from my camera. 

Day 19.079: It’s all this way…

Greetings from Wisconsin! I managed a short walk with my camera before work today but whatever I captured is stuck in techno-purgatory until I get home a can transfer the photos from my camera. In the meantime, here is a sign at Portland Jetport. So much awaits through this door…

Day 19.078: Flying again

This afternoon, I was back to the airport (just in Portland this time) to make my way to Wisconsin for a few work meetings. I had a window seat for the first leg - as far as Chicago.

View down the coast to Portland Head Light

Frozen lakes just inland

The islands of Casco Bay

The east coast of Lake Michigan - it always amazes me how big these lakes are

Day 19.077: Grackles' return

On Friday, when I got home from work, I spotted some common grackles at our neighbor's feeders. As the first sighting of the year, I made sure to document it.

Later in the day, we had a few at our feeders but they were too skittish for photographs. This morning, however, we had another few:

And then, as Exile #2 and I were walking down the street to join the anti-monarchists. we saw many of these birds in the tops of the trees. I first estimated 50, then 100, then saw another large group in the trees across the road and guessed 200.

However, on closer inspection, this photo alone probably has at least 200 birds, so the real total must have been 400 or more.

Either way, it's safe to say the grackles are back in numbers. It's also interesting that my first life record of this bird was from almost exactly this time of year (March 31st 2007).