Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Beach Day


Map of Our Adventure

Me and my daddy and grammy and Nick went to Bolton Flats and we walked down the path and then we heard a Wilson's Snipe calling and we didn't know what it was. We finally saw it in the air. My dad said it was winnowing. We also 3 Rusty Blackbirds flying and landing. i spotted them and my dad heard them. My dad found a Northern Shoveler in his scope when i looked it was gone. And then a few minutes later it came back and I finally saw it. A Great Egret and Great Blue Heron were staring at each other like they were at a staring contest. We also saw a Merlin it was there for the first time I ever saw it there. The Northern Harrier came out of nowhere flying.

Then we went to Bolton Orchards and I had a red velvet whoopie pie.Then we went to try and see a Yellow-throated Warbler. Then my dad found the Yellow-throated Warbler and grammy and me were running to him to see it. We yelled to lots of birders to come and none of them said thank you but one person did.

Then we went to see a Hooded Warbler in Boston. My dad had to drop me and my grammy off because there was no more parking spots. Everyone was yelling Hooded Warbler over here. He had a yellow body and had like black on his head like a hood and his chin and thats why they call it the Hooded Warbler. Then we switched and daddy came in with me and grammy stayed at the car. We found it again and we saw a squirrel and it was coming so close to me and i almost petted I was afraid it was gonna bite me. Then I went to a birthday party and after the birthday party we went birding again!!!! We went to the beach when it was still raining anyways and the sun was out too and then we saw a rainbow. We were looking for a Manx Shearwater but first we saw a Piping Plover. The shearwater had flown into daddys scope and then were on the water way out by a pink building. On the way home we saw some egrets and one was a Snowy Egret!

And we found a Spotted Turtle and another lifer a Chimney Swift!

Checklists (Letters Correspond to Map)
B-Bolton Flats, Worcester County, Massachusetts, US
C-Nahanton Park , Middlesex County, Massachusetts, US
D-Boston Public Garden, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, US
E- Birthday Party In Oxford
F-Revere Beach--pink apartments, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, US
G-(not visible) Rumney Marsh--South, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, US


Hooded Warbler Range Map


Yellow-throated Warbler Range Map

Manx Shearwater Range Map


Virginia Rail

Nick, Owen and Grammy at Bolton Flats



 Photo after Owen's lifer Rusty Blackbird and Virginia Rail @ Bolton Flats


Great Egret



Yellow-throated Warbler


Hooded Warbler



Piping Plover

Photo after Owen's lifer Hooded Warbler


Make Way for Ducklings Statues in Boston Public Garden

His Squirrel Friend


Photo after Owen's lifer Yellow-throated Warbler @ Nahanton Park

Photo after Owen's lifer Piping Plover @ Revere Beach

 Photo after Owen's lifer Manx Shearwater @ Revere Beach



Spotted Turtle


Owen after his lifer Chimney Swift!


Brotherly Love while Birding!


Monday, April 28, 2014

Owen Got a Message from Greg Miller, One of The Big Year Guys!



Dad Note-

Owen loves The Big Year movie. That movie I believe has had the biggest influence besides myself in his young birding life. He has watched this movie I'd say over 20x. It used to be his "fall asleep" movie. Having Greg take time to write Owen put the HUGEST smile on his face. I want to thank Greg publicly. A new blog will be up tomorrow that he's been working on. Yesterday he got 7 lifers and 9 year birds! Thank you to everyone for all the kind word's and going out of the way to say hi to Owen when they see him in the field! See you out there!

Good Birding!

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Sparrow Day


Today's Adventure


Zoomed in of area

We went to the military air force base today and we saw jets and an Upland Sandpiper.  We saw a Snowy Owl in the scope and it was cool and it was far away and we saw a Field Sparrow and a Savannah Sparrow and Eastern Meadowlarks. It had yellow on its belly. And we saw a Northern Mockingbird and it was crazy with all its songs.


Checklist-Westover Grasslands Complex, Hampden County, Massachusetts, US

New Year Birds!
139Upland SandpiperWestover Grasslands ComplexUS-MA22 Apr 2014
140Savannah SparrowWestover Grasslands ComplexUS-MA22 Apr 2014

New Life Birds
168Upland SandpiperWestover Grasslands ComplexUS-MA22 Apr 2014

Field Sparrow

Snowy Owl! alerted to us by a USDA Wildlife Official, what a late date!

Savannah Sparrow


Never have any luck with photos of Upland Sandpipers...can you find it? lol

Owen excited after we watched and heard the Uplands for about 30 min!


Eastern Meadowlarks

Eastern Meadowlarks




Monday, April 21, 2014

Osprey Day

Google map of our day



At the cemetery we did see the baby owl again and my Daddy was looking for Green Herons but we did not find them. Then we saw 3 Northern  Flickers and they were fighting and we saw 2 Killdeer. Then we went to see the Brown Thrasher and we found it and it had a yellow eye and it was so cool and we found a Cardinal.  It was a male and then we went to Bolton Flats and Pine Hill Grasslands and we did not find the Ruffed Grouse but we found a Chipping Sparrow and a Osprey and it had a fish and it was the second one of the day. there were 2 people at Bolton Flats that were nice that knew about my blog and talked to my daddy (John Hoye and Audrey). Also another birder was there that never had a Ruffed Grouse before!!! (David Bernstein) and at the next spot we found 3 Yellow-Belled Sapsuckers and they were fighting and I fed sheep at the barn at the Audubon place. We also went to my favorite store!


Checklists
                                                           
New Year Birds
137Brown ThrasherWestboro--A1 SiteUS-MA21 Apr 2014
138Yellow-bellied SapsuckerWachusett Meadow Wildlife SanctuaryUS-MA21 Apr 2014

New Lifers!
167Yellow-bellied SapsuckerWachusett Meadow Wildlife SanctuaryUS-MA21 Apr 2014


Killdeer


Brown Thrasher


Owen after getting his Brown Thrasher!



 Osprey w/ Golden Shiner

 Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers

Owen after getting his lifer Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers


Chipping Sparrow

 Owen , Liam and Grammy at Pine Hill Grasslands

Owen and David Bernstein birding at Pine Hill Rd Grasslands trying to find a Ruffed Grouse (negative) Go see David's photos at his Flickr account! David's Flickr (clickable link)



Owen looking at his bird books after a long day of birding! Thanks Dorian Anderson for some of his birding books! You can check out Dorian's Blog on his Big Year at Biking For Birds (clickable link)


Owen's favorite local store to stop in when we are around the Bolton area


and this is why....large homemade Whoopie Pies...and fresh apple cider!


Thrush Day


Map of our Trip

First we went to place in Millbury I heard a growling sound and it was a Great Blue Heron  Then we saw a Ruby-crowned Kinglet singing and we saw red on top of its head. I was so happy to see that because its one of my favorite birds. Then we went to the cemetery to see the Great Horned Owl again and she was there with her baby and we also found the Barn Swallow it had orange on its belly not like a Tree Swallow that has white on its belly. Then we found a Blue-headed Vireo and it was following us and we found two Hermit Thrushes. then we went to see a Louisiana Waterthrush. We tried to find Savvanah Sparrows but there were lots of people there and they were talking loud. When we were just about to leave we had a new yard bird and a lifer Cooper's Hawk in our yard. We saw 3 Coopers Hawks that day!



Our Checklists




 right after he got his lifer Hermit Thrush

 after he got his lifer Blue-headed Vireo

 after getting his Louisiana Waterthrush



Ruby-crowned Kinglet


Hermit Thrush


Blue-headed Vireo

Louisiana Waterthrush

Great Horned Owl with fledgling


New Year Birds
133Cooper's HawkBrierly PondUS-MA19 Apr 2014
134Ruby-crowned KingletBrierly PondUS-MA19 Apr 2014
135Louisiana WaterthrushUpton State ForestUS-MA19 Apr 2014
136Barn SwallowSt. Philips CemeteryUS-MA19 Apr 2014

New Lifers
164Ruby-crowned KingletBrierly PondUS-MA19 Apr 2014
165Louisiana WaterthrushUpton State ForestUS-MA19 Apr 2014
166Barn SwallowSt. Philips CemeteryUS-MA19 Apr 2014