Sweet Birding on Sugar Creek

A vista along Sugar Creek Road, Fayette County, WV.

Among the many trips I've lead over the past ten springs at The New River Birding and Nature Festival, the one we call Sugar Creek is right at the top of the list. There are three warbler species that are the most sought-after birds at this annual West Virginia birding event: cerulean warbler, Swainson's warbler, and golden-winged warbler. Sugar Creek has many breeding pairs of the first two species, which makes it a sell-out trip most every year.

In this post I'm going to take you along on our Sugar Creek field trip from this spring.

 Sugar Creek Road has some big timber. The road itself is about 1.5 car-widths wide and gravel. It is cut into a steep mountainside and at places the road is so narrow that the school bus driver and the folks who drive the vans and buses during the white-water rafting season call out their positions and progress on CB radios to reduce the chance of a head-on collision on a blind curve—of which there are many.

The severity of the landscape is what makes this road special for cerulean warblers. And it's one of the few places where you can see tree-top-loving warblers (like the cerulean) in the tops of the trees BELOW you on the mountain.

Looking down on a flitting warbler.

My strategy for Sugar Creek is to walk the roadway as much as possible. Birds we are seeking are often heard before they are seen, so we ask our bus driver (usually Hank, a veteran driver on this road) to drop us at the top and meet us at various spots as we walk down the mountain toward the bottom where the Gauley River rages.

 

 

This past spring I got to guide the Sugar Creek trip with New River Birding Festival co-founder Geoff Heeter. Guiding with Geoff is always fun and rewarding for a number of reasons:

1. He speaks the native tongue.

2. He knows where the birds are each year.

3. He's mighty handy in a pinch.

4. He cracks a good joke.

5. He always dresses for birding success:

Fresh off the runway from the birding fashion show: Geoff "Hotlegs" Heeter.

This year my Sugar Creek trip also had Katie Fallon along. Katie is the world's most passionate fan of cerulean warblers. In fact, she wrote a really great book about them called Cerulean Blues. You should buy and read this book immediately—especially if you love warblers and appreciate good writing.

Geoff Heeter (in plaid Bermuda shorts) points out a treetop cerulean warbler for Katie Fallon.

Male cerulean warbler.

 

 One of our two primary target birds on the Sugar Creek trip: the singing male cerulean warbler. We found at least a dozen territorial male ceruleans along the route.

Female American redstart nest building.

We also saw lots of nest-building activity during the field trip from a variety of species including American robin, American redstart (above), blue-headed vireo, wood thrush, and worm-eating warbler.

There are other glorious things to see along the way. Hooded warblers are thick in the roadside woods.

We found some morels right along the road as we neared the bottom, but we left them in place for the local folks to harvest if they wanted to...

Ernesto Carman (in the orange hat above) was super fast at finding birds in his scope. He's had years of practice birding in the rainforest of Costa Rica and it shows. He generated a LOT of smiles with his scope-wielding talent.

  Down at the bottom of the mountain, Sugar Creek Road goes through a scattering of small houses and takes a sharp bend to the left when it reaches the Gauley River. This area is owned by one of the rafting companies, so it's not normally open to the public. And this is where we get our very best looks at the Swainson's warbler!

As I got off the bus along the river trail, I heard a Swainson's singing and, after getting everyone else off the bus and ready, I slowly walked forward to see if I could spot where the male was perched. It's always best to find birds doing their thing naturally, without having to resort to song playback, pishing, or bushwhacking to find them.

And there he was, left of the trail, about 35 feet up in a tree. Singing. Preening. Oblivious to the 35 gasping bird watchers who were focusing about $20,000 worth of optics on him.

Male Swainson's warbler.

After a session with the Swainson's, we headed to the end of the trail and had a picnic lunch, followed by a stroll back out to a spot in the river where a collection of giant boulders makes a perfect setting for a photo.

 

The Sugar Creek Birders along the Gauley River.

A big thank you to my expert fellow guides! I'm already counting down the days until next year!

L to R: Ernesto Carman, BT3, Katie Fallon, Geoff Heeter.

Berkshire Birds Of Hawley Bog & High Ledges

Before visiting the Berkshires I asked some western Massachusetts birders if they knew of any good places to check out near the Mowhawk Trail. One of the locations I chose to visit was Hawley Bog. There were numerous Black-throated Blue and Black-throated Green Warblers along the wooded trail leading to the bog. It might just be my imagination but the BT-blues seemed to have a Massachusetts accent.

I was told that Hawley is known more for rare plants than it is for birds but there is something about wild natural places that fascinate me. It has a 30 foot thick condensed layer of peat floating on water. 

 As I walked along the boardwalk trail, unseen warblers and flycatchers were singing in the surrounding vegetation. The first warbler to reveal itself was Chestnut-sided Warbler, quickly followed by a Northern Waterthrush. I recorded the sound of one secretive warbler that I later determined to be a Canada Warbler.

If I had just walked out to the end of the boardwalk and came back then I would have only seen a limited number of species but a special habitat like this requires time and patience before it reveals its secrets. Instead of walking around I chose a couple of select places to sit, watch, and listen. It payed off with some sightings of birds that landed near me instead of flying away from me (Yellow-bellied Sapsucker photo).

A Common Yellowthroat may be common but watching a brilliant colored male singing from a branch above your head is a rewarding experience in my book.

Another place suggested to me was High Ledges Wildlife Sanctuary. I only wish  I was able to spend more time there because there were a lot of trails left to be explored. One of the trails led to this scenic farm.

I wasn't sure if the farm was open to the public so I turned around and out popped a Chestnut-sided Warbler singing pleased-pleased-pleased-to-meet-you! 

I also had a surprise encounter with a Lincoln's Sparrow which is an uncommon sighting in Connecticut. I'm not sure what their numbers are in Massachusetts. 

Here's a short video of a proud Common Yellowthroat singing his famous song. A Chestnut-sided Warbler can also be heard in the background.

Thanks to the birders in western Massachusetts who suggested these great places!
For anyone interested in birding Western Massachusetts there is an excellent book called : Bird finding Guide To Western Massachusetts available at amazon. Both of the places I visited are included in this book.

How Many Species Of Birds Are In Your Town?

 This year I'm taking part in what is called a Spring Census. The object is to make a list of all the bird species you see in your own town over the next 3 weeks. In this case it is April 26-May 19. This wasn't on my radar until last week when I was asked if I would like to participate.This is right up my alley because I already do most of my birding right here in Portland and you don't have to use as much gas that way either. I started my search at the Portland Reservoir which is now open to the public and has a marked walking trail.

 I was able to find some Pine Warblers, some of which were feeding around White Pine trees that had fallen during a storm last year.

 I found Louisiana Waterthrush near this stream but no luck getting a photo.

 It looks like this Black and White Warbler picked up a little fast food to go. 

 We had great weather this weekend and the birding action was excellent. I was off to a good start with 70 species recorded for the weekend. Highlights included: 10 species of warbler, Bald Eagles and great Horned owls on the nest, Black Vulture, Wilson's Snipe, Blue-winged Teal, Green Heron, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Brown Thrasher, and American kestrel. It said that a reasonable goal is to try to exceed 100 species in the 3 week period. We are not near the shoreline but should be able to pick up a few shorebirds. 

 I always thought the birding in Portland was pretty good for an inland town. This year, many birders have been visiting here due to reported sighting and then finding new birds to report as well. One of the things that makes an area a hotspot is not just the area itself. It also depends on how many birders are in that area reporting their sightings. 

Do you have a similar event in your area this Spring? If you don't, I encourage you to give it a try. Just Keep track of the bird species you see in your own town over a 3 week period during Spring Migration. At the end of the 3 weeks add up your total number of species. 

The EBCA Offers Use Of Best Bird Blinds In USA

Getting a close up view of birds can make a big difference when your birding. It makes for more exciting observation and makes it a lot easier to photograph them.

 Using a bird blind is one way of increasing your odds of getting a better view.  I have been disappointed with the permanent blinds that I've come across at various locations in Connecticut. Some are set up facing in the wrong direction so that the sun is shining in your eyes instead of on the birds. Others have obstructed views and most of the time I don't see birds anywhere near them anyway. Maybe there's some good blinds out there but I haven't found one yet.

 Recently I was taking a walk in a secluded wooded area when I came across a group of people who were constructing what looked like a 50 foot tall artificial tree. I asked them what they were doing and they told me they were making a specialized type of blind that allows birders to climb up to the top to give them a view of certain birds at eye level!The height of the tree is adjustable and can be moved to a location near any of the trees in the surrounding area. It is completely concealed by realistic looking branches and foliage. They were building it in an area that is known to have Cerulean Warblers during spring migration. This is a species that is difficult to find in Connecticut and also tough to get a good view of when you're on the ground looking up into the treetops. I've been invited to test this new blind out in the spring and I'm  excited about it!

The organization that was building this blind is the soon to be launched Elite Birders Club Of America (EBCA). They have been quietly purchasing land with prime habitat for the past 4 years in 38 states across the nation,  including Connecticut. Their plan is to combine innovative designs with the latest technology to create the world's best bird blinds. They then set these blinds up in areas that are all but guaranteed to give you a great view of certain desired species. They even alter the habitat as necessary to attract the species they are looking for. Here is an example of a few of the projects that are already underway:

• They have one design for a blind that looks like a beaver lodge. It has tunnel that leads to the lodge which looks like a strip of land with small trees growing on it. This way you are able to get out to the blind without scaring off all the ducks.
• The EBCA has purchased 2,000 feet of prime shoreline property in Connecticut. They plan to construct artificial sand dunes and jettys each with built in blinds.
• They have already built a rail car which allows birders to travel along an old rail line through a marsh.The car keeps the birders totally concealed and is operated by remote control.

Right now I rely mostly on luck to get close-up views of birds and that doesn't seem to happen enough. Being someone who has a point and shoot without much knowledge of photography, I can use all the help I can get.  

When the EBCA officially opens some time in May I plan to become a member. In order to qualify for a membership you must first pass a 6 week course which looks to be difficult. I know that you have to memorize all the parts of a bird like you see in the field guides. One of the exercises requires you to pick out the songs of various bird species against a noisy background such as city traffic or loud music. There is another part of the training in which you play a jeopardy type of game in which you compete against top birders in the area. It sounds a little intimidating to me but being a member allows you free entry  into any of their exclusive sanctuaries after paying your yearly dues of $400. Non-members will have to pay a  $40 entry fee for each visit to any of the preserves.
Their all will be secured so that no one but members or those paying the entry fee will be allowed in. It is set up in a way so that there will be minimal disturbance to birds and wildlife as you enter the area where the blinds are set up. Most of the preserves are currently in the United States but the EBC is already in the process of expanding to other parts of the world. If it sounds to good to be true please don't take my word for all this.

If something seems a little fishy about this post I suggest you   
click on this link for the real story behind the EBCA.
(-and don't forget what day it is Monday).

photos from top to bottom: Northern Waterthrush, Worm-eating Warbler, Red-shouldered Hawk, Eastern Screech Owl, and 1 hungry moose.

Worm-eating Warbler: Subtle Beauty

  

 I've always thought that the worm-eating warbler is our most subtly beautiful wood warbler. There's something earthy and attractive about those warm tans and browns set off by an olive back. And the pink legs and feet hardly seem out of place—perhaps they are just a way of accessorizing with a bit of bright color.

 It's the head stripes, though, that really strike me as lovely: black against ochre—simple yet so refined. Look in any color-chip book for a fancy-pants line of interior paint and you'll see the colors of the worm-eating warbler. Probably all on the same page, listed as suggestions by the taste masters for the would-be home decorator. I'd like to decorate a room in these tones. But it would have to be a room that had an aura of the deep woods, for that is where this creature lives.

 

 On our farm the worm-eating warblers spend spring and summer in the deep shady darkness of our two wooded valleys, rarely coming to the top of the ridge where our house is. No, if we hope to see them we must go to them. Finding them is not easy. They lead lives as subtle as their plumage.

If their colors do not impress with bright hues, the song of the male is even less attention-grabbing. It is a long, dry trill that could be passed off as a cicada or a tree cricket. More commonly it is passed off as one of the sound-alike members of the avian tribe for it is confusingly similar to the chipping sparrow, the pine warbler, and even the dark-eyed junco.

I saw what I suspect will be my last worm-eating warbler of the year two weeks ago, passing through the Aunt Lolly lilac along the north wall of our house. Fall is when the woodland birds come up to the ridge top to forage, and perhaps to squint at the sun that they've hidden from during the nesting months. We call it hill topping. They call it trying to live their lives—if they call it anything at all.

And speaking of words we use to describe things, the name worm-eating is quite a misnomer. The worm-eating warbler eats caterpillars, spiders, and other small arthropods. Perhaps an early ornithologist saw a worm-eating warbler eating a slug (which they do) and thought it was a worm, and yet another warbler was inaccurately named (see palm, magnolia, Cape May, Connecticut, Nashville, and Tennessee warblers).

No matter. The worm-eating warbler, to my eye, is our most subtly beautiful warbler in North America. I'll happily take retorts and rejoinders to this statement in the comments section.