Shorebirder

Well, I finally took the plunge. I've just recently purchased a lightly used Canon 7D. Lots can be found on the internet about the 7D's specs, particularly in regard to bird photography. A while back I had decided on a Canon DSLR system, but it took me a while to decide which body to purchase. I narrowed things down to a used 40D, a new 60D, or a used 7D. I had ruled out a used 50D because reviews from birders seem to find little upgrade from 40D, and they are going for $200+ more than used 40Ds. I also ruled out a new 7D because, with the camera already being over 18 months old, it will be due for a successor sometime in the next 18 months. I thought the 'lightly used' option would be the way to go if I wanted to upgrade to the eventual successor, because I won't end up losing as much in depreciation over a short period of time. The more I read about the 7D and spoke to other birders about it, the more I wanted it. Its reportedly very good high ISO perform...

Spent most of the day yesterday birding the CT coast (and one inland pond) in search of shorebirds, terns, waders etc. Shorebird numbers were decent but not great. Notable observations were many Lesser Yellowlegs at multiple spots, and building numbers of Semipalmated Sandpipers. The only rarity/scarcity of the day was a ROYAL TERN at Griswold Pt in Old Lyme, my second of the year and continuing a nice little run of southern terns along the CT coast. very distant Royal Tern digiscoped from Griswold Pt Least Tern and chick Piping Plover the first Sanderling of the summer always makes my heart skip a beat... adult Common Tern that has lost pretty much all of the black from its bill, as they're prone to do at this time of year adult Bald Eagle was a surprise at Hanover Pond in Meriden - Nick

Yesterday the Brookline Bird Club ran their first of two deep-water (i.e. canyons) pelagics of the summer. This trip was a one-day event (4am-9pm), while next month's is an overnighter. Expectations were quite high for this one due to a multitude of Herald Petrel and White-tailed Tropicbird reports up and down the Gulf Stream over the past few weeks. Unfortunately we did not connect with one of these megas (or anything else significant bird-wise). These one-day trips are a real crapshoot since you really only get about 6 hours of birding at the edge of the continental shelf (over 90 miles offshore). In mid-July, when there's not much in the way of migration going on, you're highly dependent on rarities. In July of 2009 we were all thrilled by a Black-capped Petrel on this one-day trip. You can't win 'em all. But while the birds were generally lacking, the other marine life was just amazing. We started at 4am under beautiful clear skies and a light breeze, conditions...

As the summer pelagic season off the eastern US coast kicks into full gear, the early returns from NOAA research vessels are promising. This seems to be a good year for tropicbirds and Herald (Trindade) Petrels thus far. While most reports have come from the more expected southern portions of the Gulf Stream (i.e. off the Carolinas and Virginia), species seen as far north as New York/New Jersey have included White-tailed Tropicbirds, Herald (Trindade) Petrels, Black-capped Petrel, Fea's Petrel, and White-faced Storm-petrel. Early tomorrow morning the first of two deep-water pelagics by the Brookline Bird Club departs from Hyannis, MA. Tomorrow's trip is one-day only, while their August trip is an overnighter. I was a last-minute signup for tomorrow's trip, encouraged by the reports noted above. The key for me will be to avoid seasickness. I am rarely, if ever, seasick...but sleep deprivation is generally considered the #1 risk factor for sea sickness...even for those who, l...

[Disclosure: Princeton University Press provided a free copy of this book for review.] Jerry Liguori follows-up his successful “Hawks from Every Angle” with “Hawks at a Distance: Identification of Migrant Raptors.” Someone unfamiliar with raptor migration may wonder why anyone would want to make a book full of only far-away photos rather than nice close-up shots. But any birder who has spent time at a hawk watch would immediately appreciate the effort Jerry Liguori puts forth in this specialty field guide. Only a small fraction of migrant hawks are seen from close range. Most birds are hundreds of feet in the air or wayyy out over the horizon. Some are so high that they seemingly vanish into a bright blue sky. There’s a reason why so many hawk-watchers prefer 10x binoculars (and often spotting scopes) over 7-8x bins. Ever been to a hawkwatch where the official counter is identifying hawks that literally look like dots that are miles away? That is what makes the objective of thi...

The tern show at the mouth of the Housatonic River continues. For the past couple weeks, a flock of Common Terns has been congregating here thanks to an abundance of Sand Lance (AKA Sand Eels). Recent rarities here have included Royal and Caspian Tern in addition to a handful of Roseates, a few Leasts, and a couple of Forster's. Today an adult SANDWICH TERN was present, first on the Stratford side of the river mouth, later moving with the bulk of the flock to the Milford side as the tide rose. I was on the phone with Mark Szantyr talking about rarities when it first flew by (yes, he still needs it for the state :). Mark was not pleased. The bird is an adult beginning to transition to basic plumage, with a fair amount of white speckling coming into the forehead. Easily picked out at a distance by larger size (compared to Commons), pale upperparts (like Roseate), rather slim-bodied (compared to, say, Royal) and long-winged with long black legs. The small yellow tip to the black bill ...

A few friends and I did some birding by boat this morning out of Norwalk, CT into Long Island Sound. The weather was great early on, with calm seas and MC skies providing a soft light over the water. At first, there were more balloons on the water than birds. Throughout the morning we collected well over a dozen of these, which were scattered throughout the sound. Bird activity was very low in the middle of the sound, with few feeding or even commuting birds out there. The notable exception was a single basic-plumaged adult ROYAL TERN seen flying solo from offshore Westport then crossing over to the NY side of the sound and continuing in a westward direction. The tern was flying steadily and directly without any feeding, but we were able to follow it with the boat for a few minutes, topping out over 40mph at times to catch up with the bird between stops. Nice looks! I had borrowed my parents' Nikon D5000 with 200mm zoom lens for the morning, but unfortunately I was too busy driving...