Also saw this which appears to be a veery, another kind of thrush! And I saw my first catbird of the year. I’ll soon be seeing and hearing countless catbirds all the time but first catbird of the year is still a thing.
From now until the 20th of May I will probably give up all pretense of being a responsible person and just go out birding whenever I can. At some point at the end of it I’ll post a list of migrating birds I saw. You can see anything anywhere now. I had an ovenbird in my back garden the other day. Keep your eyes (and ears) open if you’re in the eastern US!
My Veery painting is ready to become part of a larger project. #veery #thrush #watercolourpainting #sundayinthestudio #birdart #wildlifeart #natureart https://www.instagram.com/p/Cec06vFAfru/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
I guess it's time I share my list of birds from this past Jewish year (I've been keeping two Big Year lists, Jewish year and secular year). All are from the US, except the last few which are indicated.
And here’s an ovenbird I saw this morning. The little orange cap outlined in black sets it apart from the thrushes.
Do these last 3 birds look a lot alike? Well, yes. As a matter of fact last time I checked, one of the pictures on the hermit thrush Wikipedia page was actually an ovenbird. But they do have distinguishing marks. The ovenbird (not a thrush) has this outlined cap. The hermit thrush is dull brown with a spotted breast and reddish tail. The veery has fewer, fainter spots and it is redder all over than the hermit. The wood thrushes which I haven’t seen yet this year, have the spots on the breast and a reddish head. If you get to hear them sing though, that makes it all easier. Their songs are distinct and beautiful except for the ovenbird who just kind of yells. But then ovenbirds are also cute as heck to watch.
Our final bird post! At least until I inevitably find some Maine birding guide that introduces a new species, haha. Today’s the second half of the biyaw* list, birds that are common and easily hunted.
Below are translations for sparrows, vireos, and a whole lot more.
Northern waterthrush (Parkesia noveboracensis) - Chochocho
Streaky brown-and-cream bird. Present in summer and fall. Feed on insects, snails, fish, and salamanders. Known for foraging along watersides in the bog.
Wood thrush (Hylocichla mustelina) - Wupwiurr
Brown-and-white thrush with a spotted chest and belly. Present in summer. Feed on insects and berries.
Veery (Catharus fuscescens) - Veerr
Brown-and-white thrush, similar to a wood thrush but unspotted. Present in summer. Feed on insects and berries.
Song sparrow (Melospiza melodia) - Hipchee
Brownish sparrow with heavy streaking and red stripes on the head. Present year-round. Feed mostly on insects and seeds.
Swamp sparrow (Melospiza georgiana) - Sees
Brown sparrow with an unpatterned belly. Present year-round but most abundant in spring, summer, and fall. Feed mostly on insects.
White-eyed vireo (Vireo griseus) - Pikchikawee
Gray-and-yellow vireo with white eyes. Present sparingly in summer and fall. Feed on insects and berries. The word pikchikawee is derived from a mnemonic I saw for white-eyed vireo calls!
Yellow-throated vireo (Vireo flavifrons) - Ee’earp
Mostly gray bird with a yellow-olive head and white underparts. Present sparingly in summer. Feed on insects, fruit, and seeds.
Warbling vireo (Vireo gilvus) - Wiuwiu
Dull gray bird with a slightly lighter belly. Present in summer and early fall. Feed mostly on insects, but eat berries as well.
Blue-headed vireo (Vireo solitarius) - Wee’rip
White-and-olive bird with a blue-gray head and white eye rings. Present in summer and fall. Feed on insects and small fruit.
Marsh wren (Cistothorus palustris) - Pich
Little chocolate-brown bird with a distinct body shape, often seen perched while bobbing its tail. Present year-round but most abundant in summer. Feed mostly on insects.
Alder flycatcher (Empidonax alnorum) - Rebeer
Grayish-brown and white flycatcher with a small head crest. Present in summer. Feed on insects - can be seen flycatching, darting off a branch to catch bugs mid-air!
Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe) - Weebee
Small flycatcher with a dark brownish-gray back and white underparts. Present year-round but most abundant in summer and fall. Feed on insects and berries.
Bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus) - Wikbwip
Small heron with brown-and-cream streaking and a long striped beak. Present in spring and summer, sometimes seen in fall. Feed on fish, frogs, insects, and other aquatic life. Bitterns have some unique nicknames - my favorite is “mire-drum”.
Had a pretty good day yesterday at Rosetta McClain gardens. I am particularly happy with the wood thrush sighting as they are fairly uncommon in these parts {below the rose-breasted grosbeak on the left}. Other birds are: Northern Parula, Blue Jay, Grey Catbird, Veery (thrush), Yellow Warbler, Great-crested Flycatcher, Black-throated Blue Warbler