Possibly a Rusty Blackbird (but not in fall plumage?) or Common Grackle (but that tail is too short?)
Can you help with this bird? It has features of a Rusty Blackbird and of a Common Grackle according to our research in Sibley’s and the National Geographic field guides, and our experienced birders Bob Spear and Gale Lawrence.
The photos were taken on a rainy day (October 29) through our viewing window, so they are a bit low-light and there are occasional water drops.
You can click on the images in the slideshow below to see five different pictures (including a bigger version of the one to the left).
If you’ve been to see us, you know that we record these birds on a whiteboard by the viewing window. The handwriting on the board is varied, as staff, volunteers, and even visitors will jot down the common name of birds they see. This month, against the final changes in foliage, we noted:
Brown Creeper, wood carving by Robert N. Spear, Jr.
The weather on October 24th was rain, rain, and then some more rain. And chilly! But 9 intrepid birders traveled the Champlain Valley Basin, checking the skies, fields, and puddles for birds (migrating and otherwise). It was lots of fun and there was a lot of laughter. Thank you, Shirley, for providing us this list! Birds are listed in the order seen.
American Crow
European Starling
House Sparrow
Canada Goose
American Kestrel
Mourning Dove
Rock Pigeons
Northern Harrier
Song Sparrow
Blue Jay
American Robin
Snow Goose
White-crowned Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
White-breasted nuthatch
Black-capped Chickadee
Dark-eyed Junco
Ring-billed Gull
Black-crowned night heron
Wood Duck
American Goldfinch
Red-winged Blackbird
Mallard
American Black Duck
Green-winged Teal
Northern Pintail
White-throated Sparrow
Blue-winged Teal
Red-tailed Hawk
Surf Scoter
Horned Grevbe
Common Loon
Cooper’s Hawk
Great Black-backed Gull (not a Black Duck as I’d earlier mis-read the note –Kir)
Downy Woodpecker
Wild Turkey
Great Blue Heron
Northern Flicker
If you are on FaceBook, and you have photos, feel free to post them on the event Wall (Facebook event page: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=148202475222276 ). We’re also happy to link any online photos to this post if you send us the link.
On Sunday, October 10, the Museum hosted the Loonatics and their Big Sit! circle. Thanks to Jim O. for coordinating the event and to all the volunteers who joined in. It was a beautiful day, and several people contributed excellent food to keep us warm.
Enjoy our Fall Festival with Woodcarvers — Live birds — Used Books/Garage Sale — Nature Journal Workshop — Insect Info — Birds!
Woodcarvers will be demonstrating their art in the workshop.
Carol Winfield returns with live birds at 11:00.
Find something wonderful at our Used Books/Garage Sale.
Heather Fitzgerald offers a Nature Journal Workshop.
Rhonda Mace from the Vermont Agency of Agriculture will answer questions about Invasive Insects.
Kids activities and games, nature walks.
Against the shifting foliage, we’ve seen many birds (some the last of the year, as they migrate southwards). Nearby, we also observed a mammal of some note!
Birds:
Blue Jay
Grackle
Hairy Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Ruby-throated Hummingbird (last male on 9/7/2010; last female on 9/14/2010)
Purple Finch
Red-breasted Nuthatch
White-breasted Nuthatch
American Goldfinch
Mourning Dove
Tufted Titmouse
Dark-eyed Junco
Rose-breasted Grosbeak (still here 9/11/2010)
Northern Cardinal
Black-capped chickadee
White-throated Sparrow (9/17/2010, 9/29/2010)
Easter Phoebe
Pileated Woodpecker — swooping over and museum
Song Sparrow
Bluebird (9/28, 11:30 a.m.)
Mammal:
Bobcat sighted by a cyclist on 9/20/2010 at 1:33 p.m., just north of museum parking lot on Sherman Hollow Road
And something you can’t actually see from the window, but must get up and walk to:
Autumn Flowers at the Birds of Vermont Museum. Photo taken in September 2005 in the field between the road and the pond.
I received a call today from a woman wondering what to do about hummingbirds. Two juvenile birds still come to her feeder, but she hasn’t seen the parents in some time. Should she take in the feeder? Is the food she provides keeping those young birds from migrating? Will they migrate without the parents? Are the parents still around, just not coming to her feeder?
Ruby-Throated Hummingbird Female (carved by Bob Spear)
I asked Bob Spear, since he’s got considerably more experience as a naturalist than I do–decades more.
“Leave it up,” he says. In fact, our hummingbird feeders are still up at the Museum and we saw a female ruby-throated hummingbird on Tuesday the 14th of September. He tells us the males head south earlier than females and young ones, and he suspects that the female parent of the two juveniles is still nearby. Furthermore, migrating individuals from further north may stop at feeders on their way south (and in this week’s chilly rain, every bit helps). “It’s a myth,” he says, “that our feeders will keep them from migrating when it’s time for them to go.”
So enjoy your last glimpses of these little birds, glinting against the autumn leaves.
