I give you the Golden-crowned Kinglet. This, along with my tagline that birds and birding have continued to save us during this pandemic!
Marching in brightness, color, and warmth
Oh, and BIRDS of course.
Somehow I began writing this post at the end of March, and now, almost two months later, I’m finally publishing! A LOT to catch up on, so I’ll begin here….
March began the cusp of migration, both with birds coming and going. And, there’s nest building too, where even some early chicks bring in the brighter, warmer more colorful month of March. And, we didn’t have snow! A first ever, at least in my lifetime.
Mama Great Horned Owl sitting on her nest. And such began March. 
A freshly hatched egg at the base of the Sycamore tree! Owlets – 2 of them! 
The Sycamore tree Owl nest 
A Carolina Wren busy busy nest-building 
Out from it’s kinda sorta hibernation, the Eastern Chipmunk 
Spring morning 
Bird houses hung, what will they bring for nests?? 
Forsythia in bloom 
Male Goldfinsh in bloom too! His plumage will go all bright bright yellow 
Eastern Bluebird pretty pair 
Mom owl on the nest, the owlets still elusive (but, soon!) 
The great Great horned Owl. 
More spring color 
Who complements who here? White-throated Sparrow, a migratory bird who will head north to breed this summer 
Red Fox – this one a Vixen, I think!
Exploring with a guide by your side… Anguilla, Vol. 3
Two years ago, I was fortunate to discover Nature Explorers Anguilla, the lone – and wonderfully so – ecotour company on this fabulous little island. Here are more highlights to the three days we went out together on my recent trip down, which included a wonderfual array of birds, and most any wild life and sea life that crossed our path….
We started our first day early with a sunrise view from Sandy Hill Bay, which seemed to set the tone for all the beauty we’d continue to see during the week!
Snowy Egret with breeding plumage 
How different birds can look in flight, with their fancy feathers! 
Brown Pelican: Strike the pose! 
Goats! 
Semipalmated Sandpiper, here for the winter before it heads back to the Tundra to breed – wow! 
Tricolored Heron – fancy! 
American Kestrel 
Chillin’ birds: White-cheeked Pintails and Lesser Yellowlegs 
Gray Kingbird – yup, he really is King! 
Semipalmated Plover giving a little hop and show. This cutie is also a summer Tundra bird! 
Lesser Antillean Bullfinch. Handsome! 
A rare treat on Anguilla, the American Flamingo. I’m told this is the returning male, named Martin. Hello, Martin! 
Brown Pelican taking flight. The blue on its belly is the reflection of that beautiful turquoise Caribbean water! 
The critically endangered Hawksbill sea Turtle – beautiful, and humbling to see!
Back to Anguilla, Vol. 2
This my fourth trip to my all time favorite island of Anguilla, with new places to explore around and on the remote islands of Dog Island and Prickly Pear Cays! Both gave us several species of nesting birds!
An early start as we to head out from Sandy Ground, Anguilla, for the day on (and off!) our boat!
Gorgeous Prickly Pear Cays
First up is the unique-looking Brown Booby. I love the pastel colors of their beak and eyes, and the chocolate brown plumage. We came across a pair actively nesting, with one egg thus far. This was a first for me, and it was spectacular to witness.
Hard to say who is the female! 
Perhaps both pretty and goofy? 
The wait begins – Booby eggs take about 45 days to hatch. 
Both Boobies will share in incubation and chick-rearing duties. 
Sitting on the egg!
To be so close to a nesting pair of Red-billed Tropicbirds – without infringing on the nest of course – was another amazing first!
Red-billed Tropicbirds 
The egg! And, the bird closest is banded (a tiny band placed around the leg for tracking) 
See the wispy tail on the bird on the right? 
A priceless photograph! 
In flight.
While we were able to dock our boat at the beach of Prickly Pear and take our short hike to see these beautiful nesting birds, we viewed the nesting Masked Boobies and Magnificent Frigatebirds from the boat, as it was a bit too rough to dock there. It wasn’t until after our trip when I was looking at the photos on my laptop that I realized there were chicks!!
Masked Booby chick with parents. 
Another little fluffball Masked Booby chick. 
Would love to see them up close! Next time perhaps. 
The Magnificent Frigatebird colony too was on Dog Island, with many flying high in the sky above it. While I couldn’t see any chicks, the Frigatebirds were clearly sitting on nests. As to the ones in flight, during breeding season males will puff out their red throat sac to attract females! I was fortunate to see a male in flight doing just this!
Male Magnificent Frigatebird looking to attract the ladies! 
Soaring high above the colony 
Juvenile Magnificent Frigatebirds 
A colony, with nests and a couple male’s throat sacs puffed out!
We saw many other birds and wildlife that day, both on land and at sea, as we finished the day at Little Bay and Crocus Bay on Anguilla. I’ll save those beauties for my next post!
Back to Anguilla, Vol. 1
Revisiting this delightful island of birds and beauty in nature.
Green Heron 
White-crowned Pigeon 
White-winged Dove 
Ruddy Turnstone 
Black necked Stilt
Antillian crested Hummingbird 
Green throated Carib 
Bananaquit (Sugar bird) 
White-cheeked Pintail 
Killdeer 
Lesser Yellowlegs 
Cattle Egret (breeding plumage) 
Tree Lizard
Snowy Day Birds
Our first snowy day of winter, the best backdrop for birds (and, a squirrel).
Female Northern Cardinal 
Mourning Dove 
Male House Finch 
Goldfinch 
Dark-Eyed Junco 
Male Northern Cardinal 
Goldfinch 
White-breasted Nuithatch 
Female Red-bellied Woodpecker 
Male Red-bellied Woodpecker 
Eastern Gray Squirrel 
Male Northern Cardinal 
Goldfinch 
Female Northern Cardinal 
Dark-Eyed Junco 
Female Northern Cardinal
October Flies By
October is a time for change – in the weather, and in our surroundings both flora and fauna… and as usual, plenty of birds, some just passing through.
Northern Flicker 
Yellow-rumped Warbler 
Carolina Chickadee 
Belted Kingfisher 
White-throated Sparrow 
Chickaree (American Red Squirrel) 
Yellow-rumped Warbler 
Great Blue Heron 
Bald Eagle 
Yellow-rumped Warbler 
Wood Ducks 
Red Maple leaf 
Indigo Bunting (female) 
Mixed flock
Migration Splendor
Fall is an exciting times to be a bird lover, as many species pass thru on their migration trek south, while some have been here all summer during the breeding season. Conversely, we’ll begin to see our wintering birds arrive within the next couple of months too. It’s never a dull moment to enjoy our feathered friends!
American Redstart (female) 
Solitary Sandpiper 
American Redstart (female) with a breakfast moth. 
American Redstart (male) 
Eastern wood-Pewee 
Yellow-billed Cuckoo 
Black-and-white Warbler 
American Redstart (female) 
Common Yellowthroat (female) 
American Redstart (female) 
American Redstart (male) 
Yellow-billed Cuckoo 
American Redstart (female)
Fetching the World 