Greatly encouraged by the many recent successful
forays conducted by central Massachusetts birders
searching for winter finches visiting Worcester
County, I devoted a morning to canvassing every stand
of mixed mature forest within my local haunts.  Dawn
along North Road in Hardwick yielded strong
vocalizations from Great-horned and Barred Owls, but
nothing more.  Early morning at the intersection of
Hardwick and Ravine Roads immediately adjacent to the
Winimusset Wildlife Management Area in New Braintree
produced inconsistent yet gratifying results.  A
Cooper’s Hawk patrolled the distant snags filling the
island at the center of the marsh easily scoped from
the parking lot, driving substantial numbers of
agitated passerines into view.  Pockets of American
Goldfinches, Dark-eyed Juncos, American Crows, and
Tufted Titmice flitted steadily out of the thick
underbrush and into the shrubbery and branches on the
north side of Hardwick Road.

Picking my way cautiously along the icy curves of
Mackay Road after exchanging sighting information with
local EQLT Restoration Biologist Chris Buelow produced
stellar views of seven Evening Grosbeaks, the first
I’ve EVER seen on this road!  A routine examination of
a flock of Rock Pigeons bolting across the drab,
featureless skyline proved an introduction to a
riveting spectacle.  As the pigeons dropped towards
the roofs of the outbuildings below, their plump
shapes were quickly replaced by a rough-and-tumble
collection of comparatively tiny, undulating shapes. 
The birds danced erratically towards me over the bleak
tree line, at first appearing uniformly dark.  As
viewing conditions improved, I discerned upper wing
surfaces of an electrifying white mated to
unmistakable ebony wingtips.  Crisp black stripes
neatly partitioned hordes of notched, bobbing tails. 
The flock grew steadily in size, soon filling an
appreciable expanse of horizon.  This huge
concentration of Snow Buntings remained aloft for some
ten minutes despite the gusty conditions as their
brightly colored shapes pulsed and flickered like some
exquisitely fashioned collection of Christmas tree
lights.  Relenting at last, the birds disappeared in a
graceful spiral beyond the distant trees visible from
behind the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and
Wildlife barn at the bottom of the steep hill marking
the beginning of Mackay Road.

As my boots crackled through the frozen weeds lining
the perimeter of the fallow field across from the
Ruffed Grouse Society property, I stirred up a large
animated flock of Common Redpolls, a mere handful of
Pine Siskins, and a pocket of Pine Grosbeaks peering
timidly from the confines of a magnificent White Pine.
 Returning to the car, I was rewarded with a glimpse
of a male Northern Harrier investigating the jagged
border of the vegetation pressing against the broad
alfalfa field stretching west along Hardwick Road. 
The enchanting raptor dipped briefly into the depths
of the sere weeds, swooped aloft with bare talons, and
disappeared over the bare fields along Winimusset’s
western boundary.

American Crow        15
American Goldfinch        15
American Robin        31
American Tree Sparrow        11
Barred Owl        1
Black-capped Chickadee        18
Blue Jay        14
Brown Creeper        1
Canada Goose        11
Cedar Waxwing        28
Common Redpoll        38
Cooper's Hawk        1
Dark-eyed Junco        48
Downy Woodpecker        2
Evening Grosbeak        7
Golden-crowned Kinglet        7
Great Horned Owl        1
Hairy Woodpecker        1
Northern Cardinal        4
Northern Flicker        2
Northern Harrier        1
Pine Grosbeak        16
Pine Siskin        7
Red-bellied Woodpecker        1
Red-breasted Nuthatch        3
Red-tailed Hawk        2 
Ring-billed Gull        9
Rock Pigeon        49
Snow Bunting        170 (AMAZING!!)
Swamp Sparrow        1
Tufted Titmouse        19
White-breasted Nuthatch        4
White-throated Sparrow        4

An agitated black speck streaks towards me, whirring
high above the open field, flapping mightily as if it
were tugging the great quantity of light rapidly
accumulating behind it.  A rusty hue floats above the
distant trees, diminishing gradually as the piercing
white orb of the sun climbs slowly above the marsh. As
daylight strengthens, the Sugar Maples behind me are
set alight with fiery orange color.  The insistent
staccato whistling of flailing wings intensifies.  The
lone duck is now at eye level, bearing down upon my
car with such speed and on such a ramrod-straight
course I am temporarily convinced it will streak over
my shoulder and barrel out the open window behind me. 
I squint as light fills the car, glancing off the
windshield.  Alerted to its bulky presence, the duck
swerves abruptly to my right, brilliant white belly
and wing linings complemented by silvery trailing wing
edges.  Course corrected, the female Blue-winged Teal
vanishes into a cloudless morning sky.  The head of a
Downy Woodpecker sprouts from a tree trunk, uttering a
bright alarm note, perhaps relieved it has been spared
a collision with the agile, robust duck.  

Vehicles filled with eager birders ease into place
around me, and I quickly join them, our ears soon
sifting through the abundant song tumbling out of the
head-high marsh grass some sixty yards away.  With
White-throated Sparrows much in evidence, our eyes
strain in the dim light, yearning to match the
confidence of our ears.  We are quickly rewarded by a
wave of their darting gray shapes.  As we take in the
open water filling the horizon, prodigious wings mated
to a bright white rump plummet towards matted grass. 
A female Northern Harrier skims the vegetation, bright
eyes peering down in hopes of snatching an easy meal. 
Unrewarded, it drifts towards a stand of dead trees,
the stark black and white silhouette of an Osprey
looming out of its midst.  A tense encounter ensues. 
The harrier expresses its displeasure at the sudden
appearance of the more substantial raptor by rapidly
closing with it, swooping upward mere inches from its
face.  The Osprey flinches noticeably.  Satisfied, the
harrier dips over the water, quickly engulfed by a
dense stand of Broad-leaved Cattails.

Drama concluded, we move on, hugging the grasses’ lush
border.  Strident two-syllable phrases pelt us from
high overhead.  Craning our necks, a compact flock of
American Pipits bobs crazily past, flitting over the
deciduous trees, filling our ears with the
unmistakable cadence of PIP-it PIP-it PIP-it.  As Wood
Ducks streak by, we study the hordes of American
Robins traveling along the western horizon.  A flock
of Song Sparrows rises to the tips of the nearest
grass stalks, and we pick out a lone Yellow-rumped
Warbler mixed in among them.  The din of a raucous
band of crows demands our attention.  Binoculars are
soon glued to the north side of the nearby roadway in
hopes of finding the source of their distress.  We
briefly shift our eyes away from binoculars to glance
overhead, just in time to view two perfectly
illuminated female Northern Harriers flying southwest.
 Eastern Bluebirds begin calling steadily, dropping
into view and streaking towards a distant hedgerow
abutting the water.  We walk towards it, a mixed flock
of sparrows appearing on our left.  Song and Savannah
Sparrows obligingly perch next to one another,
providing worthwhile visual and auditory comparisons
of the two species.  A pocket of gleaming white
bellies proves to be a more ample concentration of
Savannah Sparrows.  Giving us a cursory examination of
their own, they slowly disband.  Tiny, darker heads
pepper the weeds.  An extended chatter of notes on a
single pitch betrays the presence of several Swamp
Sparrows.  Open water comes into view, and tripods and
scopes snap smartly to attention.  A Canada Goose
loafs upon a hummock of dying grass, a diminutive
shape bobbing to the water’s surface far to its right.
 A quick glimpse of a short, stout, yellowish bill
bordered by whitish throat feathers turns out to be a
Pied-billed Grebe.  Feeding eagerly, it dives and
surfaces repeatedly, making for a maddeningly elusive
subject.  Persistent glassing eventually produces fine
views of this bird and reveals the presence of a
second individual.  The piercing alarm note of a Hairy
Woodpecker arcs overhead, its plump black and white
profile soon materializing above us, briefly landing
on a snag before taking wing once more, dropping
behind the hedgerow in front of the group.  Eastern
Bluebirds neatly arrange themselves amongst the tips
of the tree branches trailing away from the water’s
edge, the calls of a Northern Flicker echoing from the
distant eastern border of the vast swamp.  The
bluebirds are soon joined by a noisy contingent of
Red-winged Blackbirds, their jet-black shapes swirling
around the most suitable nearby perches.  Rudely
displaced, the bluebirds beat a hasty retreat, quickly
settling into three withered dead branches to the far
right of our group.  The blackbirds’ tumult gradually
subsides, and scrutinizing their stationary shapes
produces exemplary views of a female Rusty Blackbird,
its yellow iris, tawny throat, and bold eye stripe
easily discerned by all.  As we take turns viewing it
through our scopes, the vocalizations of both Eastern
Phoebe and White-breasted Nuthatch are faint but
recognizable challenges for our ears.  As we traipse
to the edge of a vast tract of cultivated land,
Mourning Doves sprint over a distant silo, a
Brown-headed Cowbird’s call twinkling from the
roadside.  Studying an undulating flock of American
Goldfinches reveals no other species among their
number, and we decide to investigate the stream on the
opposite side of the highway.  As our trip draws to a
close, we are rewarded with a fine snatch of Field
Sparrow song, and views of two extremely accommodating
juvenile White-crowned Sparrows.  


American Crow        79
American Goldfinch        31
American Pipit        17
American Robin        192
Black-capped Chickadee        2
Blue Jay        11
Blue-winged Teal        1
Brown-headed Cowbird        1
Common Grackle        3
Downy Woodpecker        1
Eastern Bluebird        11
Eastern Phoebe        1
Field Sparrow        1
Hairy Woodpecker        1
Mourning Dove        1
Northern Cardinal        1
Northern Flicker        4
Northern Harrier        3
Red-bellied Woodpecker        1
Red-winged Blackbird        27
Ruby-crowned Kinglet        1
Rusty Blackbird        1
Song Sparrow        26
Swamp Sparrow        13
White-breasted Nuthatch        1
White-crowned Sparrow        2
White-throated Sparrow        9
Wood Duck        7
Yellow-rumped Warbler        1


Leader:  Chris Ellison


Participants:

Ginna Thoma
Patti & Jack Kelly
Jeff Smith
Chris Buelow

Invigoratingly cool, sunny and glass-clear viewing
conditions provided a picturesque backdrop for a
uniquely stimulating and challenging evening of Common
Nighthawk observation.  Methodical canvassing of the
cloudless blue skies revealed a modest number of birds
pushing steadily westward, creasing the tree line and
often plunging below it, making sustained viewing of
many birds extremely difficult.  Dipping past the
jagged outline of the distant, sharply demarcated
greenery, their dark shapes temporarily vanished
against the verdant expanse, gleaming in the sun's
last rays when they returned to a higher altitude.
Disembodied white wing patches eerily reappeared as
they skimmed the leaves of the canopy, ravaging the
emerging hordes of Carpenter Ants.  Seventy-three
birds gorged with an astonishing voraciousness,
repeatedly doubling back over the same prodigious
stretch of tree line for some twenty-five minutes.
Satiated, they made a leisurely exit to the west,
standing out in stark relief against the disturbingly
dense tapestry of Tent Caterpillar and Fall Webworm
nests stretched over the highest tree branches.  Stray
birds traveling north provided exceptional views,
darting over the summit at such a low altitude that
they were sexed easily.

Several other bird species filled the gaps between
periods of nighthawk activity.  A lone male Indigo
Bunting caroled steadily, calmly taking in the hordes
of Cedar Waxwings streaming past its perch directly
overlooking the beaver pond.  Substantial numbers of
juvenile birds filled the waxwings' ranks, vocalizing
continuously.  A pair of Killdeer deposited themselves
upon the scant patches of open mudflat, running after
the insects alighting at the edges of the glistening
dimples of moisture.  Competing with a compact flock
of Rough-winged Swallows swooping over the shared
feeding ground, they scampered comically about, neatly
avoiding colliding with their more maneuverable
companions.  A trio of demure Common Yellowthroats
flitted amongst the profusion of Orange Jewelweed
Blossoms, joined briefly by an inquisitive House Wren.



American Crow   17
American Goldfinch      38
American Robin  22
Baltimore Oriole        1
Barn Swallow    8
Belted Kingfisher       1
Black-capped Chickadee  3
Blue Jay        13
Brown-headed Cowbird    1
Cedar Waxwing   84
Chimney Swift   21
Chipping Sparrow        4
Common Grackle  7
Common Nighthawk        149
Common Yellowthroat     3
Cooper's Hawk  1
Eastern Bluebird        1
Eastern Kingbird        2
Eastern Phoebe  3
European Starling       14
Gray Catbird    1
Great Blue Heron        2
Hairy Woodpecker        1
House Wren      1
Indigo Bunting  1
Killdeer        2
Mourning Dove   4
Northern Cardinal       1
Northern Flicker        5
Red-eyed Vireo  4
Red-winged Blackbird    11
Rough-winged Swallow    7
Rufous-sided Towhee     1
Sharp-shinned Hawk      1
Song Sparrow    2
Swamp Sparrow   1
Tree Swallow    32
Turkey Vulture  4
White-breasted Nuthatch 2
Wood Duck       1

Navigating the periphery of the vast meadow containing the Frisbee golf course produced many dragonflies and butterflies, with Eastern Amberwings and Halloween Pennant offering especially fine viewing. The greatest number of nighthawks appeared at roughly 5:45 P.M., lazily drifting east, feeding with a languid ease. Four birds flitted over the portion of the dirt access road directly below the parking lot, feeding actively while pushing north behind the tree line.

American Crow        7
American Goldfinch        18
American Robin        15
Barn Swallow        11
Belted Kingfisher        1
Black Duck        1
Blue Jay        7
Cedar Waxwing        39
Chimney Swift        8
Common Nighthawk        19
Gray Catbird        1
Mallard        1
Mourning Dove        3
Northern Flicker        2
Rough-winged Swallow        8
Tree Swallow        28
White-breasted Nuthatch        1

ODONATA:
Eastern Amberwing
Green Darner
Halloween Pennant
Wandering Glider
Widow Skimmer

LEPIDOPTERA:
American Lady
Common Ringlet
Monarch

Other gregarious resident breeders were much in evidence. Freewheeling pockets of Cedar Waxwings and American Goldfinches percolated through the gloaming, expanding and contracting along the base of an intimidating array of cumulonimbus and towering cumulus clouds. A disquieting, noiseless flash of lightning eerily illuminated a substantial flock of Rock Pigeons, their color scheme shifting instantaneously from a profusion of soft grays and black to phosphorous white. The birds, failing to materialize within the stray patch of empty sky beyond them, disappeared as if snatched by some divine caprice. Seconds later, a Gray Catbird began mewling inquisitively from the shrubs directly across from the access road, as if equally puzzled by the sudden vanishing of the robust fliers. The bird’s puzzled cries slowly receded, replaced by utter stillness.

Mother Nature, deciding to mute her pyrotechnics, unveiled a sedate palette of dogwood-pink, gauzy cirrus clouds propelled along an increasingly cloudless northeastern horizon. Tiny, fitful bursts of Common Nighthawks began to appear at roughly 6:15 P.M. Three birds traversed the tree line behind the weather station, providing superbly detailed scope views as they executed languid, interlocking figure eights over the apparatus. Quickly exhausting the meadow’s supply of insects, they struck out on a south-southeast compass heading, absorbed by the amethyst band of light swelling along the horizon heralding the arrival of nightfall.

American Goldfinch        54
American Robin        24
Barn Swallow        11
Cedar Waxwing        71
Chimney Swift        5
Common Grackle        7
Common Nighthawk        63
Eastern Kingbird        1
Eastern Phoebe        2
European Starling        1
Gray Catbird        1
Merlin        1
Mourning Dove        4
Northern Cardinal        1
Northern Flicker        1
Rough-winged Swallow        5
Rufous-sided Towhee        1
Song Sparrow        2
Tree Swallow        22


ODONATA:

Twelve-spotted Skimmer
Green Darner


LEPIDOPTERA:

Cabbage White
Clouded Sulphur


INSECTAE:

Carpenter Ant

I awaken enveloped by a cold, dry wind, sky in
faultless symmetry, filled with rail-thin cirrus
clouds as neatly arrayed as the slats of a Venetian
blind.  Drifting eastward, they blush orange,
colliding with the dawn’s first rays.  They swell with
color, the spaces between them widening, gently
repositioned by the oncoming wall of bracing Canadian
high pressure.  The landscape brightens amidst a
flurry of clucks and gobbles, and I realize I should
take advantage of a prime opportunity to view the
first feeding flock of Wild Turkeys of the day.
Upright at last, I scamper groggily along the jagged
wall, ducking out of sight behind the nearest tree
trunk.  A glowing red head bobs gently into view,
vigilant black eyes peering over the tumble of stones
closest to it.  A procession of gleaming chestnut and
orange feathers makes its way over somber gray rock,
trickling into the clearing. His chest and flank
feathers already rippling with virility, a spectacular
male fills my field of view, body quivering.  The
burnished, metallic sheen of his feathers is soon
directly under my gaze and that of the accompanying
females.  A perfectly proportioned fanned tail snaps
smartly to attention as three sharp volleys of
concussive gobbles fill the air for some ten minutes,
rebounding off the slope and the surrounding trees,
his fleshy head a quaking dot of vermillion and azure.
  Two female turkeys demurely crane their necks,
acknowledging the maleÂ’s efforts with nothing more
than mild interest.  Perhaps drawn by the sonic
impact, a flock of American Goldfinches dips over the
trees.  Their plump, dapper lemony shapes soon bedizen
the branches of a Shagbark Hickory, complementing its
elegant array of translucent young green leaves.
Having positioned themselves and reduced their
fidgeting to a minimum, they await patiently the next
fusillade of impassioned cries, only to have their
rapt attention go unrewarded.  The female turkeys
slowly disperse and begin to feed. Some of the
goldfinches follow suit, taking to the air in twos and
threes.  The nonplussed male is left to his own
devices in the broad expanse of young, vibrant green
grass.

As I turn to take in the glow of the eastern horizon,
a riveting speck of crimson undulates along its
expanse, alighting on the trunk of an oak, immediately
wresting enormous shards of rotted bark from its
surface.  The blinding red head of a Red-bellied
Woodpecker soon spirals out of sight, eagerly
exploring the opposite side of the tree.  Guttural
calls of CHURR-CHURR-CHURR sail out of the shadows as
an astonishing quantity of bark showers the landscape
below.  Finding the feeding efforts of the doughty
woodpecker more entertaining than the presently
lackluster turkey, the remaining goldfinches soon
provide spirited encouragement, their boisterous,
scratchy bubbles of inquisitive song accompanying the
chunks of bark cascading to the forest floor.  The
woodland border is now filled with engrossing sound,
and I stroll along the length of the stone wall
stretching away from the woodpecker, enticed by the
variety of breathy notes emanating from the recesses
of the forest just beyond its edge.  Gripping a
pointy, lichen-covered rock firmly, I spring over its
height.  Pausing to recover my footing upon landing,
my ears are soon deluged by sheets of crystalline
notes.  Soft introductory triplets push clusters of
pliant, glistening bell-like phrases upward, spiraling
beyond audibility.  Utterly transfixed, I am
astonished by the song’s beauty and duration, and am
unable to identify the magnificent songster.
Captivated and perplexed by its ventriloquil quality,
I turn in a slow circle, my ears gaining a firmer
grasp of the immediate soundscape.  My wonder deepens
as I realize multiple singers of different species
surround me.  My ears work feverishly to decipher
their identity.  The poised triplets marking the
songÂ’s beginning emerge more clearly in my mind as my
eyes pore over the forest floor, seeking a visual
confirmation of my suspicions.  A cotton-white breast
sprinkled with perfectly round black dots jumps onto a
rotting log.

EE-O-LAAAY.

Bubble-gum pink legs hop along the length of the pulpy
timber.  Asphalt-black eyes stare intently at me, soon
darting away to the lower reaches of a Sugar Maple.
The Wood Thrush continues to sing, companions on
nearby hillsides engaging it in an elaborate call and
response.  I focus my attention upon the thick
sequences of airy notes comprising the lengthy
remainder of the arresting vocalization.  I glass the
shrubbery.  Nut-brown wings twitch. A whitish throat
pulses with life, a cluster of fine brown specks
adorning its length.  Two rich, loosely grouped
sequences of notes magically condense out of the
ether, trailing away into gossamer layers of sound as
a dark tail nonchalantly drifts up and down.  A Hermit
Thrush emerges into the sunlight, briefly ceasing
singing to dip its bill into the shining pool of water
at the trailÂ’s edge.  A neighbor launches into a
similar repertoire, the landscape swelling with a
rising tide of thrush song.

I return to the road, finding the horizon filled with
misshapen towering cumulus clouds riding in upon the
cool jets of air.  Their jagged edges quickly flush
black, gray, and then lustrous, cottony white, buttery
beams of sunlight saturating the periphery of the
meadow. I take in the countless saplings and hedgerows
coming into focus as I glass the huge pleasantly
overgrown pasture, and I realize my morning schedule
contains a galling omission.   A particularly colorful
harbinger of spring has returned for four consecutive
years to a similar patch of identical habitat, located
a scant fifteen minutes away by car.

The steady crunching of my rubber boots along the dirt
road has flushed my subject from its nocturnal roost,
propelling it further into the savage thorns lashing
my legs from knee to ankle.  Tempering my excitement
with a more measured pace, my pulse rate subsides, the
warm blob of yellow settling into clear, stable view
in my binoculars.  With the sun now at my back, I
stare intently at the squat shrub containing it.  I
canvas its prickly interior, finding it devoid of
other activity.  I inch forward, carefully bringing
the scope to bear upon the gaily-colored silhouette.
Wind tousles tiny pinpoints of yellow wedged against
spidery fronds of Multiflora Rose.  Butterscotch
streaks adorn a vibrant yellow breast, glowing as they
rotate sleepily into the sun.  A pert black bill juts
out from the sphere of bright bulging feathers dancing
in my optics.  Eyes narrowed to black slits open
slowly, gleaming softly as they take in the hordes of
insects hurtling through the air around it.  Suddenly
shivering itself awake into a more upright posture at
the sight of such plentiful food, it instantly takes
to the air.  A narrow bill snaps shut upon gossamer
wings, twitching legs vanishing into an eager gullet.
Lilting, slippery notes triumphantly fill the air,
merrily tripping to a halt.  Pleased to witness the
return of the Yellow Warbler to the same waterlogged
hill for the fifth consecutive year, I shift my gaze
to the adjacent countryside, a svelte American Kestrel
neatly skimming the thickening grass.  Coasting upward
with empty talons, it alights upon a battered fence
post, reexamining the swath of weeds it traversed
seconds ago, rusty head and striking black sideburns
bobbing animatedly to the left and right.  Launching
another foray, it snatches an unsuspecting Virginia
Ctenuchid Moth sunning itself upon another fence post
some twenty yards away.  Crisp, trapezoidal black
wings struggle in vain, soon obliterated by the
scissor-like action of the raptor’s beak.  Thoroughly
enjoying my success observing birds making their
initial feeding efforts of the day, my mind races
through several habitats likely to produce similar
results, and I am soon underway to the choicest
destination.

Marble–smooth, motionless water blazes with the
intensity of ore freshly transferred from some
primitive furnace to the awakening landscape below.
Pleased to have temporarily avoided detection by the
wary beavers busily adding to the squat conical
dimensions of their lodge two hundred yards away, I
adjust my scope to a point perfectly level with the
prolific Tussock Sedge.  The undulating flight
patterns of resident cavity nesters turn the air into
a dizzy carousel.  White-breasted Nuthatches and Downy
and Hairy Woodpeckers course to and fro, filling the
air with plump, oval shapes sporting elegant shades of
blue, gray, black, and white.  Nearly a dozen birds
briefly fill the air, conjuring up some hastily
constructed childÂ’s mobile playing crazily upon the
breeze.  Their squat bodies recede into the distance,
and I realize my having craned my head, neck, and
optics upward to take in their aerobatics has betrayed
my presence.  Four Killdeer take to the air, whinnying
cries dissolving a tight cluster of feeding Swamp and
Song Sparrows.  Darting away, they fill the low
branches of a Hickory sapling dotted with kelly-green
buds.  As I canvas their agitated shapes, a percussive
chatter rapidly approaches, filling my ears.  A taut
white belly carried upon slate blue wings rockets
overhead.  It coasts jauntily to a perch upon the
uppermost branch of a nearly submerged snag shadowed
by a towering stand of mature oaks and maples.
Cottony flanks and belly glow against the black
recesses of the shrubbery behind it, a svelte Belted
Kingfisher exploiting the rising sunÂ’s rays piercing
the water’s depths.   Head twitching, it peers
intently at the shifting ripples.  Quickly spying a
potential meal, it plunges headlong through the pondÂ’s
glassy surface, sweeping upward through a hail of
twinkling droplets and returns to its perch.  Stout
bill clenched firmly around wriggling prey, its body
blurs with a quick shudder, shedding excess water.
Having wrung itself dry, it methodically turns about,
surveying the adjacent cluster of empty branches with
an air of puzzlement.  Its eyes are soon locked upon a
distant but unseen target, and it swiftly arcs into
the air, sweeping the pondÂ’s perimeter and alighting
upon the outermost branch of a maple sapling cloaked
in shadow.  A second figure quivers near it, and the
supple branch gives way.  The two identical shapes bob
and weave over the water, now puckering with fitful
pools of inky wavelets under a stiffening breeze.  I
pan my scope quickly over the pond’s surface, catching
both silhouettes as they secure firmer footing in the
upper reaches of a gaunt snag, my attention fixed upon
the more active of the two birds.  Clean contours
emerge, free of overhanging branches.  I glimpse an
unblemished bulge of pure white, now fully illuminated
in the morning sun.  Its unmarked belly glowing, the
male Belted Kingfisher inches closer to its
prospective mate, the female birdÂ’s dramatic rusty
belly band coming into view.  The two birds now face
each other, the male engaging in a bout of delicate
head bobbing, its shiny offering still clasped in its
beak.  The heads of the two birds soon lock in comical
elliptical orbit, the female abruptly lunging forward
and snatching the fish, swallowing it in a single
gulp.  Courtship ritual concluded, the pair climbs
aloft, quickly disappearing in tandem over the top of
a willow while chattering noisily, fragmenting a loose
flock of Tree and Rough-winged Swallows.

I dodge a half-buried branch, one of my boots plunging
into the muck. Swearing at the sudden unwanted noise,
I wrest it noisily from the stubborn grip of the
depthless small quagmire, eliciting a nasal,
three-syllable rebuke from the tree canopy.  My ears
filter through the steady serenade of Wood and Hermit
Thrushes, attempting to lock on to the fitful, wheezy
refrain once again.  The insistent cadence repeats,
stumbling into the interval separating the clear notes
of the thrushes.  A narrow tail jumps to a sunlit
perch, frantically working its way back down the
length of an exposed branch, eagerly studying the
irregular folds of the lichen dotting its length.  A
minute bill dances into the sunlight, only to recede
abruptly at the arrival of a dazzling yellow belly
boldly streaked with black.

WHEE-wheet-it.

SEE-ME SEE-ME SEE-ME GO!

WHEE-wheet-it.

SEE-ME SEE-ME SEE-ME GO!

As the sonic jousting continues, two shapes shift into
view, a robust blue-gray upper body followed by a
slender, light blue set of secondaries, complemented
by an alert white eye ring crisply bordered in black.
A hungry Gray Squirrel scampers along the corrugated
bark of the huge White Oak, startling the two
combatants and forcing their skirmish into the treeÂ’s
lower branches.  I bring a scope to bear upon the
clashing Magnolia Warbler and Blue-gray Gnatcatcher,
colors sharply differentiating themselves as the two
birds take to the air, frenziedly circling one another
against a backdrop of burgeoning catkins and teeming
insects.  The scuffle soon subsides, each bird finding
well-separated, highly suitable perches from which to
feed amidst the swirl of shimmering insect wings.

I canvas the leaves for further evidence of passerine
territorial brawls.  Finding none, I traipse further
up the haphazard outcropping of rock peppering the
rough-hewn roadbed, picking my way carefully along the
roadÂ’s soggy margins, studying the abundant patches of
Tree Clubmoss, Water Horsetail, and Spinulose
Woodfern.  A coarse, two-note phrase drops from the
canopy, and I glance up from the dank folds of the
rotted leaves surrounding my feet.  Poring over the
endless array of thin branches comprising the upper
story of the grove of White Oaks, a searing crimson
dot breaks sharply to my left, skirting a peculiar,
mountainous blob of thin branches sporting green but
faintly withered leaves.  A male Scarlet Tanager clad
in immaculate breeding plumage peers at the
substantial mound of vegetation, quickly losing
interest and taking up a perch nearby, its casual
utterances of chip-BANG plummeting through the
dripping leaves below.  A rising breeze fans the
foliage, enveloping my head and shoulders.  I remove
my hat, the cool air partially dissipating the
tributaries of sweat blossoming upon my face and neck.
  Having daubed my eyes with a fresh bandana, I study
the contours of the leafy mound.  As persistent gusts
part the leaves, further scrutiny reveals the clear
outlines of a compact, robust nest, irregularly dotted
with fresh green leaves.  A passing shadow darkens the
nestÂ’s upper borders, and I opt to take in the whole
of the canopy with unaided eyesight. I shift my
binoculars away from my face, hoping my eyes will fix
upon and identify the rapidly moving shape before it
vanishes completely into the forest interior.  With a
flourish of wings, a crow–sized bird secures a grip
upon an adjacent branch, bold black and white stripes
accentuating a fanned tail.  I immediately reduce my
silhouette, squatting into a low crouch, shifting into
position behind a tree trunk on the opposite side of
the road.  Clutching newly acquired greenery in its
sharply curved beak, a Broad-winged Hawk eyes me
warily, keeping me in its gaze as it drops to the edge
of the nest.  Convinced I am no danger, it neatly lops
the ungainly twig in two with a floristÂ’s precision,
further festooning the outer edge of the bulky nest
with the lush leafy end and buttressing the nestÂ’s
growing foundation with the more robust bare half.
Heartened to see this species constructing a nest once
again in this exemplary habitat, I rise and make a
leisurely exit, plodding quietly over the remnants of
a stone wall in an effort to diminish my unwanted
intrusion.

I step onto a steep, moist incline, sidestepping
carefully down the gradientÂ’s muddy flanks.  I enter a
patchwork of oak saplings bordering the sun-dappled
roadway and stoop at the base of a lone White Pine,
scanning the open canopy overhead, soon locking onto a
torrent of fluttering wings.  One of its graceful,
tapered boughs is alive with twisting, writhing
shapes.  Sleek, animated contours of soft green and
dull yellow shuffle out of the shadows, tiny feet
securing a better grasp upon the lengthy branch.
Needle-thin black bills point downward, peering at me
inquisitively.  Swarming insects glow in the light,
the birds executing enthusiastic feeding forays into
their midst.  Skillfully coordinating their movements,
the birds avoid unnecessary pitching and rolling of
their communal perch.  The air now a slurry of Pine
Warbler song, I make quick progress over the
hard-packed dirt road, eager to investigate a sharp,
insistent call emanating from the nearby streambed.

CHEED-IT!

A thick, shiny black bill pokes out from the
Honeysuckle.  A bright yellow chest and bold white
wing bars quickly follow, darting into the lowest
branches of a prodigious Gray Birch, nimbly scaling
its heights.  Arriving at its uppermost reaches, it
alternates between repeating the robust two-note
phrase and dashing frantically after insects.
Although extraordinarily similar in size to the vocal
Pine Warblers now some distance behind me, its more
bulky shape, luminous white belly, and vibrant yellow
throat and breast quickly distinguish it from their
somber number.  Appetite momentarily satiated, it
turns its back to me, launching into full-throated
song.  The unhurried, rough-hewn two syllable phrases
now the only sound making its way through the canopy,
I pore over the bird's bluish gray rump and back for
some minutes.  Sure of its identity at last, I add the
Yellow-throated Vireo to the morning's list, relieved
to extract myself from the growing cloud of Black
Flies circling my head and shoulders.

I conclude my hike up the shadowy slope, arriving at
an overgrown hedgerow bordering a freshly plowed
cornfield.  Now free from the torment of ravenous
insects, I am happy to slow my pace and allow the wind
to dispel them completely.  Positioning myself at its
edge, I erect a scope and tripod, soon engrossed by a
clump of black and white feathers.  A portly belly
comes into view, situating itself comfortably at the
angled intersection of a hickory's most prominent
branch and its trunk.  Vigorous caroling commences, a
compressed, melodic jumble progressing easily from
husky low notes to an elongated midsection, ending
with three stuttered, high-pitched phrases.  Rotund
contours take to the air, blood-red wing linings
flickering against the foliage, pulsing in a straight
line for some twenty feet, assuming a new perch in a
nearby Sugar Maple.  Spirited singing continues, a
chalk-white bill and tar-black throat pouring out
subtle variations of the first vocalization.  Once
again, the singing concludes abruptly, jagged notes
veering upwards before stumbling to a close.  I study
the leaves with my unaided eyes, taking in two
identically-colored birds locked in combat, a ball of
black, white, and red feathers careening through the
hickory's upper reaches, ricocheting away from its
trunk towards the perch held by the first bird that
drew my interest.  The pair disengages, one of the
birds coasting over the open field, stopping to snatch
a Tent Caterpillar from an apple tree.  It flaps to
the edge of a statuesque Weeping Willow, where it
begins to sing.  The Rose-breasted Grosbeaks launch
into song from their respective perches, territorial
boundaries now firmly established.

I venture further along the periphery of the field,
meandering carefully through myriad thickets of
Multiflora Rose, stopping to marvel at an especially
robust patch of yellow blossoms surrounded by waxy,
gleaming leaves.  My eyes are quickly drawn to a stand
of Marsh Marigolds gaily disrupting the monotony of
green.  I situate myself nearby, hoping to discover
other colorful wildflowers along the shady access
path.  I glass the featureless weeds, my eyes
reversing course at the sight of a patch of arresting
white sepals delicately suffused with pink.  Three
diamond-shaped emerald leaves frame the most prominent
blossom, and I fix the plant in my scope, poring over
the minute creases contained within each flower, the
sun overhead now completely illuminating them,
transforming the thin lines into lavender-hued veins.
A blurry shadow flits over the patch of Rue Anemone,
and I glance up, eyes locking on to a patch of soft
gray.  A cinnamon tail accented with stark white lines
twitches.  My gaze continues along its length,
arriving at a saffron-yellow belly and breast.  A
subdued, rounded crest snaps to full attention,
feathers bristling with sudden interest.  The Great
Crested Flycatcher becomes airborne, soon returning to
its perch, black and white insect wings fluttering in
its beak.  Not finding the Eight-spotted Forester moth
to its liking, it flings it away with an explosive
PREEEEP, its eyes soon locked upon the landscape in
search of more palatable prey.  Quickly surveying the
bubble of open air surrounding it and finding nothing
to its liking, the flycatcher abandons its perch,
streaking away towards a distant stand of oak.  A
welcome breeze stirs the branches of the compact glen
of birch and aspen, the air swelling with the agitated
undersides of their silvery leaves.  Sunshine
penetrates their canopy, the thick grass around my
feet transformed into a rich quilt of irregular,
dancing pools of light.  Fluttering wings bolt over my
head, bolting into the recesses of a nearby Paper
Birch.  A color scheme of gray, yellow and green
presents itself once more, and I am happy to witness
the return of the Great Crested Flycatcher.  Dark legs
swing maddeningly in and out of sight.  I position a
tree trunk in front of me, eliminating the sunÂ’s glare
and allowing me to peer into the shadows.  A crisp
white eye ring appears, followed by a laughably small
bill.  Realizing I have completely misidentified the
bird, I creep forward, eager to correct my error.

ZINK!

As my ears soak up the penetrating call note, a watery
gray auricular patch appears, radiating away from the
eye ringÂ’s clear margins.  The bird crouches, sizes up
an enticing insect within easy reach, and darts
forward, gulping it down.  A minute russet smudge
materializes on its crown, and the Nashville Warbler
dashes to a neighboring birch, alighting only
momentarily before leaping into the air and adroitly
securing another meal.

My boots ease into still water, and I slog forward
slowly, attempting to minimize my wake spreading
through the mosquito-infested eddy.  Luxuriating in
the shade offered by a thick pocket of maple saplings,
I pick over the distant shore fringed with head-high
grass, hoping to single out a heron moving furtively
along its length.  Several sets of elegant legs appear
as I pan the scope slowly across the border of water
and vegetation, and I switch to binoculars, taking in
the entirety of the shoreline.  A quartet of Great
Blue Herons snaps into view, each holding its generous
expanse of water in an unflinching gaze.  Bills
intermittently stab the surface, easily snatching prey
from the productive shallows.  I shift my attention to
nearby birds.  A flock of Mallards noisily announce
their arrival, coursing overhead on motionless wings,
settling upon the water with a flurry of purple
speculae.  As I examine the flock, a peculiar blob
twitches at the extreme lower left of my field of
view, and my head snaps back involuntarily, startled
at the sudden motion.  Perplexed, I take in the
expanse of water closest to me, suspecting the
presence of an indignant beaver nearby, ready to flail
the pond surface with a resounding blow from its
massive tail.  I study the cluster of saplings five
feet from my boot tops, scrutinizing branches in hopes
of finding a substantial insect shifting position
while feeding.  My eyes fall upon a curiously shaped
gall, and I pore over the delicate coloration, a
mixture of thin black lines and bulging gray contours.
  A putty-colored smear accents a round, black dot.
Generously padded splayed toes anchor robust
hindquarters.  A glistening, amorphous tongue spills
past a gently rounded nose, engulfing a Black
Carpenter Ant.  The insectÂ’s eyelash-thin legs soon
disappear, no match for the magnificently camouflaged
Gray Treefrog.  I admire the amphibianÂ’s temerity,
having made quick work of quarry nearly one-third its
own body length.  Wan, yellowish streaks loom out of
the shadows, a carpet of Peat Moss covering the rotted
log from which the ant most likely exited.  Astonished
to have enjoyed such superb views of the frog during
daylight hours, I collapse my scope and move away, the
damp earth muffling my footsteps.  I turn to view the
frog once more, finding it still motionless upon the
trunk of the sapling, happy to leave it to thin the
ranks of the fearsome ants.


BOTANICA:
Bloodroot
Bluets
Common Chickweed
Common Wintercress
Daisy Fleabane
Dwarf Dandelion
Marsh Marigold
Orange Hawkweed
Rue Anemone
Spinulose Woodfern
Tree Clubmoss
Water Horsetail


INVERTEBRATES:
Brown Tiger Beetle
Eight-spotted Forester
Northeastern Sawfly
Six-spotted Green Tiger Beetle
Virginia Ctenuchid Moth


LEPIDOPTERA:
Cabbage White
Eastern Pine Elfin
Mourning Cloak
Spring Azure


ODONATES:
Green Darner


AMPHIBIANS:
Gray Tree Frog


Alder Flycatcher    4
American Crow    92
American Goldfinch    23
American Kestrel    1
American Robin    78
American Woodcock    1
Bald Eagle    2
Baltimore Oriole    3
Barn Swallow    11
Barred Owl    1
Belted Kingfisher    3
Black Duck    14
Black-and-white Warbler    8
Blackburnian Warbler    4
Black-capped Chickadee    12
Black-throated Green Warbler    15
Blue Jay    13
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher    4
Blue-headed Vireo    3
Bobolink    5
Broad-winged Hawk    2
Brown Creeper    2
Brown Thrasher    2
Brown-headed Cowbird    22
Canada Goose    25
Carolina Wren    2
Cedar Waxwing    5
Chestnut-sided Warbler    9
Chipping Sparrow    17
Common Grackle    36
Common Merganser    13
Common Snipe    2
Common Yellowthroat    1
Cooper's Hawk    1
Double-crested Cormorant    42
Downy Woodpecker    5
Eastern Bluebird    3
Eastern Kingbird    1
Eastern Meadowlark    2
Eastern Phoebe    3
Eastern Towhee    2
European Starling    17
Field Sparrow    1
Gadwall    2
Gray Catbird    5
Great Blue Heron    4
Great Crested Flycatcher    2
Great Horned Owl    1
Green Heron    1
Green-winged Teal    8
Hairy Woodpecker    6
Hermit Thrush    6
House Finch    1
House Wren    1
Indigo Bunting*    1
Killdeer    4
Least Flycatcher    5
Louisiana Waterthrush    3
Magnolia Warbler    1
Mallard    18
Merlin    1
Mourning Dove    16
Nashville Warbler    3
Northern Cardinal    4
Northern Flicker    5
Northern Rough-winged Swallow    12
Osprey    2
Ovenbird    7
Parula Warbler    3
Philadelphia Vireo    1
Pileated Woodpecker    1
Pine Warbler    17
Prairie Warbler    1
Purple Finch    1
Red-bellied Woodpecker    2
Red-breasted Nuthatch    6
Red-shouldered Hawk    1
Red-tailed Hawk    2
Red-winged Blackbird    35
Ring-billed Gull    11
Rock Pigeon    62
Rose-breasted Grosbeak    5
Ruby-crowned Kinglet    5
Ruffed Grouse    5
Savannah Sparrow    1
Scarlet Tanager    1
Sharp-shinned Hawk    1
Solitary Sandpiper    1
Song Sparrow    4
Swamp Sparrow    6
Tree Swallow    64
Tufted Titmouse    8
Turkey Vulture    12
Warbling Vireo    4
White-breasted Nuthatch    6
White-crowned Sparrow    2
White-throated Sparrow    2
Wild Turkey    17
Wood Duck    7
Wood Thrush    6
Yellow Warbler    1
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker    2
Yellow-billed Cuckoo    1
Yellow-rumped Warbler    23
Yellow-throated Vireo    6
Yellow-throated Warbler    4


* - female