Video 4/25: Gray Catbird has migrated back!
Cleon took this video out our kitchen window. The Gray Catbird is back – we hope to see a few more. For the past 3 years, we have had 2 pairs in our garden and both nest in our long shrub border which is along our driveway. This is the first one we have seen this year. And he came immediately to the big birdbath you see on the Birdbath Cam – I am saying ‘he’ because most often the males arrive first and the females several days to a week later. But this is a guess as males and females look alike. When he finished his short bath, he went to the Baltimore Oriole feeder and enjoyed some grape jelly. As the days and weeks go by, you should be able to see the catbirds fairly regularly at both this birdbath and that feeder – they love grape jelly as much as the orioles do! And the orioles and catbirds seem to be able to share the feeder without a lot of aggression and posturing – not too much fighting or jockeying for position. It probably helps that Cleon keeps the 2 cups in that feeder filled with grape jelly.
Video 4/25: Pied-billed Grebe
My husband Cleon shot this video of a lone Pied-billed Grebe in the inlet of our small lake. These grebes are fairly common here in central Illinois in migration this time of year and can be alone or in loose groups of 3 to about 7 or so. These are diving water fowl – remember grebes, cormorants, mergansers, and coots are not ducks. The ID traits I always look for when identifying this bird are first, the ring around its bill. Then its small size – about 12-13 inches from head to tail. And notice, no tail at all – just a nicely rounded, little rear end.
The sound on this video is decidedly odd – and is not on Cleon’s original video which he took with his phone. When I post a video, it goes through two steps – first it is ‘created’ on YouTube, and from there is is posted onto this website. And this went through a third step – he emailed it to me. Somewhere along the way a ghostly voice was added! It is not Cleon. It is not me. Cleon was alone inside the house when he shot it – it is through a window. He had no radio, TV, or computer on. So????? My advice is to watch with your volume turned off, but if you like a mystery, turn the volume on and if you have any ideas as to how this ‘soundtrack’ was added – use the Public Forum or email me at lindahendricksspence@birdingbeyondthefieldguide.com. I have no idea!
Video 4/25: American Coots
I shot this video on the large lake about 30 miles north of where we live. We are on the northern edge of where their migration ends and the southern edge where their nesting begins. Hundreds come through here each spring and can be found in large flocks on all 3 of our area’s large lakes – and then they disappear. Like the Hooded Merganser and Double-crested Cormorants in previous videos, these Coots are not ducks. But like ducks, they spend a lot of time on the water. Like Mergansers and Cormorants, they dive for food.
And check out those feet in the photo! Not the webbed feet of ducks, but great big chicken feet! Lobed toes. Regardless of the fact their feet are not webbed, Coots are excellent swimmers – both on the surface of the water and underwater.
At the end of this video, a male Mallard will swim by and you will be able to compare his size to the size of the Coots.
Video 4/25: Roadside Tree Cutting – Video 3
Janelle Cornell of Illinois sent this video to me after watching the 2 videos I posted called Roadside Tree Cutting. To see these previous videos, scroll down this list of videos. Both were posted in 2/25. This method of tree management just sickens me. There are alternatives to this type of tree cutting and pruning – probably more time consuming and more expensive, but does anyone really want a result that looks like this? Another row of full-grown trees – places for birds perch, rest, preen, forage, and nest – not just gone, but savagely butchered.
Video 4/25: Wild Turkey
I suggest turning your volume down low – road noise. Such a shame since this is such a bucolic scene. But we all know our world is filled with noise that we humans make and the sound on this video certainly confirms that. But what a majestic bird! And if you keep your volume low, you will hear quacking of Mallard ducks – over the road noise. This is the same pair that is seen with the female Hooded Merganser in the previous video.
Video 4/25: Female Hooded Merganser
Like cormorants, grebes, and coots, mergansers are not ducks. However, like ducks, they are birds who spend almost all their time on water. Mergansers dive for their food – as you can see in this video. Interestingly, this female Hooded Merganser is with a pair of Mallards – she will always to be to the right of them in the video. If you compare their sizes, you will see both Mallards are much larger. It is hard to see in this video, but her crest – her hood – is a bit small and ragged. This could mean she is either molting or was born last year and is only now coming into her adult plumage. Cleon and I watched her for a long time and she never left those two Mallards. As we were leaving, all 3 were huddled together at the far shore of this flooded stream. Other than close proximity, we could see no communication amongst the 3 but they were obviously together and comfortable being together. It was a very peaceful scene.
I shot this video close to where I shot the previous video of the singing frogs. And you can hear the frogs in this one. But at least in this video, you can hear the birds. In the previous video, the frogs are so loud, all bird song and calls are drowned out. If you listen closely, you will hear American Robins singing and giving their alarm calls, Red-bellied Woodpeckers calling and drumming, and Red-wing Blackbirds. I did not want to get closer to this merganser as they can be skittish and fly off if they sense any disturbance whatsoever. She was so comfortable with the Mallards and is obviously foraging – although with not nearly as much success as the cormorants in the previous video (the video before the singing frogs). I did not want her to know we were there so we kept our distance. We were no threat to her, but she would not know that.
Video 4/25: Relax…… and smile while listening to frogs!
This is a photo of a Spring Peeper – one of the species in the group called Chorus Frogs. Cleon and I are from southeastern Pennsylvania and this tiny frog – dozens to hundreds of them – occupies places of shallow water and every spring bursts into ‘song’. Just a wonderful way to know spring is here! In my observations, they only ‘sing’ on sunny days and only when they think they are safe. If they sense your presence – either you walk too close or you try to get out of your car – they stop ‘singing’ immediately. All at once. And when they think it is safe, they all start up again – all at the same time. If any of you have ever sung in a group or chorus, you know beginning and ending all together at the exact same moment is not the easiest thing to do. This video was shot here in central Illinois and I believe what you will hear are also Spring Peepers. However, I am as far from being an expert on frogs as you can get so if any of you are, and these are not Spring Peepers, please use the Public Forum to tell us what they are. This photo of a Spring Peeper was taken by Ashlee Marie on Unsplash.
The area you see in this video is a flooded area – nearby is a nice-sized stream which has overflowed its banks as it does almost every spring. You will see more of this area in the video of the female Hooded Merganser.
Video 4/25: Double-crested Cormorants – just arrived!
Cleon took this video of a group of Double-crested Cormorants who are migrating and have just arrived on our small lake. They could rest here and continue north or they might stay here – not on our lake, but on one of the larger lakes close-by. And as you can see – there are fish in our lake!
Videos 4/25: Pileated Woodpecker 1
Pileated Woodpecker 2
Pileated Woodpecker 3
All 3 videos were shot by Hope Rupp through a window in the office building where she works near Harrisburg, PA. All 3 are of the same female Pileated Woodpecker who has been at this window each spring for the last 3 years. She does peck from time to time. Hope says her boss – whose office this is – is startled each time but also is glad the bird is saying hello. My guess is with that thick sturdy beak, she could take some BIG whacks! The first 2 videos show how alive this bird truly is – it is all in her eyes. And I can’t help but wonder – What is she seeing through that window? What is going through her mind? She is obviously observing and processing what she sees. She is there quite often so must feel safe? Why? What is it about that particular window on that particular side of the building that she continues to hang from that same spot day after day? In the third video, it was time for the bird to move on and to stop pecking. That is Hope’s finger you see gently signalling to the bird to move on and you will see the lovely black and white pattern of this bird as it moves its wings. The Pileated Woodpecker is a magnificent bird in every way!
Video 3/25: Turkey Vultures
What do Turkey Vultures do on a cold spring morning when the sky is overcast? Maybe we should take a page from their book – take time to look to the horizon. Be with your friends. Contemplate the meaning of life.
Video 3/25: Killdeer
This is the same wet spot where the Video: Sandhill Crane was shot – only 3 weeks later. Notice the field behind the wet spot looks a bit different. The farmer has worked the ground and it is now ready to plant. But also notice the farmer left the wet spot untouched. You can see by the photo to your left this is a huge field. It runs from the grassy berm at the bottom of the photo to the horizon. This wet spot would be less than 1% of the field so money earned by the farmer by plowing this wet spot would be negligible. Regardless, this farmer should be applauded because there are farmers who would have plowed it up – destroying it for this year. We have been there twice in 3 weeks – about 15 minutes each time We have seen Mallards, a pair of Green-winged Teals, a lone Sandhill Crane, over a dozen Killdeer, over a dozen Red-winged blackbirds, several Solitary Sandpipers, and a Short-billed Dowitcher. If we could have sat there all the daylight hours of the last 3 weeks, imagine what we would have seen!
The stars of this video are the Killdeer. You will hear them call, but watch them mirror each other in their movements. In Cleon’s and my opinion, their mirror movements – parallel to each other – are part of the mating ritual and also defining territories and borders. Regardless of the exact reason behind the
movements, these birds are very much in tune with each other. I have always thought Cleon and I are in tune with each other, but there is no way we could instinctively move across a room with our movements perfectly synchronized – not unless we took many, many dance lessons. We found this very interesting.
Towards the end of the video you will see 2 Solitary Sandpipers and 1 will take a bath. When the bath is over, a Short-billed Dowitcher will step into view. The second Solitary Sandpiper will take a bath – followed by the Short-billed Dowitcher. You can see, they have discovered a natural ‘bathtub’. Migrating must be dusty work! Remember, these birds still have a long way to go – both nest in central Canada. This is a longer video, so get comfortable, grab something soothing to drink, and enjoy!
Video 3/25: Northern Shovelers
Northern Shovelers! Just arrived on our small lake today – 3/12. I just wish they would stay longer, but we love seeing them for the 3-4 days they will be with us before moving on. You will be seeing 2 males and 1 female. Notice the bright white on the males which contrasts so beautifully with the darker, richer colors. She resembles a female Mallard. But one thing that always sets these ducks apart is their large bills. Notice that in proportion to their body and head size, the bills are long and look a bit heavy. Out of all the dabbling ducks their size, these shovellers have the largest bills. I recommend you turn the volume off as there are no bird – or duck – songs or calls, but there is some annoying background noise. With your volume turned off you can just enjoy the serenity of their effortless swimming.
Video 3/25: Sandhill Crane
Cleon and I were driving east from our house towards the Indiana state line. We come this way quite often. On this stretch of rural road are several low areas within good binocular range of the road and in spring, these low areas are flooded with several inches of water. These are havens for migrating sandpipers and plovers, and there are often Mallards. Today we had an uncommon sighting for us here in central Illinois – a Sandhill Crane. We were thrilled for us, but worried about it. These are birds that are almost always in flocks which can be small to very large. They are rarely/never alone. But this bird was. This is a good place for it to rest – water and plenty for it to eat. You will hear road noise, but it is some distance away so as long as the bird stays in the vicinity of this wet area, it will be safe from traffic. You will hear it call repeatedly – especially from the middle of the video to the end. There are no answers to its calls. This bird is truly alone. Where we were is on the very western edge of its migrating range. You will also hear Red-winged Blackbirds and Killdeer calling and the pair of ducks that appears during the second part of the video are male and female Green-winged Teals. Talk about us being at the right place at the right time!
Video 3/25: Snow Geese in a Harvested Corn Field 2
In this video, you will see groups of birds interacting with each other. What I find interesting – besides the fact they never shut up! – is it does not seem to matter if the bird is a white morph or a blue morph. You will see both morphs freely interacting with each other and from a human point of view, it generally seems like friendly interaction. One morph is not doimant over the other, but are all foraging and resting together. Geese can be aggressive towards each other and this would be easily seen on their nesting grounds on the tundra in northern Canada. But here in central Illinois, in migration, they are all working together for the same goal – to make the long trip safely and in a good time frame. I think there is a lesson there for us. There is a time for us to defend our homes, our families, our territories from interlopers and predators, but there is also a time when we should be able to put aggressions aside and cooperate with each other over shared goals
Video 3/25: Snow Geese in a Harvested Corn Field 1
This is quite a large flock of Snow Geese. However, as flock size goes for these geese, this is probably about average. They can be much larger than this. Notice you can see both color morphs – the white morph and the blue morph which does not look blue but dark. To actually see the blue shades, you need to view this morph through your binouclars or a scope. Turn your volume up as you will want to hear these birds – they are chatty. They communicate with each other as they are resting and foraging as they are here, when they are flying, when they are in water, and all might long. 24/7 when they are migrating. That is a whole lot to say!
Video 2/25: The Greater White-fronted Geese Have Landed!
This flock will stay here afour 3-4 days and then move on. they are migrating north to their nesting grounds which are on the tundra of northern Canada at the Arctic Ocean.
Video 2/25: Roadside Tree Cutting Video 2
This is a continuation of the previous video.
Video 2/25: Roadside Tree Cutting Video #1
I shot this video on the road we use every time we drive to town. Someone made the decision not only to trim these trees, but also as to the method used. And the irreparable damage is simply heartbreaking. More to follow in the next video.
Video 1/25: White-throated Sparrows and Juncos
You will see the brown and tan morphs of the White-throated Sparrow and male Juncos. These shrubs are deciduous azaleas – the ‘waiting room’ when the feeders get too crowded or for rest after eating a big meal. Underneath these shrubs is a thick layer of leaves and shredded bark mulch – White-throated Sparrows love this sort of ground cover. Turn up your volume and you will hear these birds softly calling to each other. And if you listen closely, you will hear the whistle of a Mourning Dove’s wings as it takes off from the feeders that are close-by. You will also here a male and female cardinal calling to each other. The muffled noise you will hear – which almost sounds like a dog barking from within a barrel full of water – is a Barred Owl from across the lake and deep within the vast riparian woodland. This owl and its mate called back and forth to each other from the time I shot the video – about 3:30PM – until dusk. And then they stopped. The Barred Owl is one of the few owls that can be active in daylight. These two were – and it is mating and nest building season for them.
Video 12/24: Relax and Breathe
Cape Hatteras National Seashore, NC. A quiet, rhythmic Atlantic Ocean on a beautiful day.
Video 12/24: Boat-tailed Grackles
This video was taken on the pier at Kure Beach, NC. It was late afternoon, a lovely sunny day, a light breeze, and with temperatures in the mid-fifties. The pier was full of people – walking, watching the waves, and fishing. And right with them was a flock of Boat-tailed Grackles. You will only find these grackles along the Atlantic or Gulf Coasts. They are larger than our more common Common Grackles. Notice the birds in this video have yellow eyes. Almost all Boat-tailed Grackles on the Atlantic Coast have yellow eyes and those on along the Gulf Coast have dark eyes. Interesting, don’t you think? And notice how different the females are – not black at all but a gorgeous shade of russet. Turn your volume up so you can hear their ‘song’.
Video 12/24: Relax and Breathe
In the town of Manteo, NC, is a lovely park along a waterway. There is a boardwalk. It was just so peaceful and serene – I wanted to share that with you.
Video 12/24: Bears!
Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, eastern North Carolina. Do you think this is a mother and her cub from last winter? If you have an opinion or your own bear story to tell, please use the Public Forum to share with all of us.
Video 12/24: Brown Pelicans in Flight
I shot this video standing on the beach at Cape Hatteras National Seashore, on The Outer Banks, off the shore of North Carolina. I am looking out over the Atlantic Ocean. In my experience, pelicans often fly in a straight line or in a slanted line – with fairly even spacing between birds. In this, they resemble, squadrons of planes, squads of soldiers and marching bands – groups I normally do not associate with each other. The gulls you see flying in the background are Great Black-backed, Herring, and Laughing Gulls. There are 3 fishing boats out there attracting these gulls.
Video 12/24: Canada Geese on Our Lake
We have cold winters here in central Illinois, but January and February are our coldest months. Our lake is often frozen solid. We do have two intrepid ice fishermen who make me cold as I stand at the window inside my warm house watching them all bundled up and sitting on upturned buckets with their lines down the holes they drilled. Hi Mike and Andy! But as you can see in this video, our lake is starting to freeze now, and I just cannot imagine being a goose and not only swimming in that frigid water but curling up and sleeping on the ice. You probably know that there is now a new species of ‘Canada Goose’ which is not a Canada Goose – information from The National Audubon Society states this happened in 2004. This new species is called Cackling Goose and it was formed from 4 of the smaller subspecies of Canada Goose which showed enough differences from the other subspecies of Canada Goose that they were combined and then declared a separate species. And we do have them in the winter on our lake but I am not sure these are Cackling Geese. I have to use the scope and compare sizes of beaks, length of necks, and also some behavior. It is easiest for me if the two species are side by side. I took this video standing at the back door of our garage – my scope was inside the house and I was short on time. I will discuss this more in my blog as the winter proceeds and hopefully include some photos of both Canada Geese and Cackling Geese. You will easily see the similarities and I will try to show the differences. My guess is all the geese in this video are Canada Geese. If any of you disagree, please use the Public Forum and tell all of us why. If you want to research this further, a good place to begin is allaboutbirds.org. And look during the first few seconds of the video – Mallards!
Video 12/24: Relax and Breathe …..
Pamlico Sound, the Outer Banks. Sit, watch, relax, and just breathe …….
Video 12/24: Great Black-backed Gull in Flight
As we crossed The Virginia Dare Bridge from the mainland of North Carolina to Roanoke Island, dozens of these gulls were sitting on the railing. This is the largest and most dominant gull on the east coast. You will get an idea of the size of this gull in the video – most especially toward the end when you will see the big wingspan. And such strong, agile and graceful fliers. and watch the fishing boat – this gull is really moving!
Video 12/24: Look Who’s Back!
The American Crow is back at our birdbath and now what is it doing? Because this is a heated birdbath – we call it the birdy hot tub – Cleon took the rocks out for the winter so there is nothing for this crow to move around. Or so you might think …….
After standing at the window and watching, Cleon added some rocks back to the birdbath – this bird is a devoted re-arranger! So keep your eye on it – the crow should be back. And maybe bring its friend?
Video 12/24: Tundra Swans 2
More Tundra Swans at Alligator River NWR. Notice the five smaller, darker, swimming birds in the left center of the opening frames of this video. These are Greater White-fronted Geese – and getting along very well with all these swans. Turn up your volume and listen. The white swans are adults and the swans that are more gray or just look darker are juveniles.
Video 12/24: Tundra Swans 1
These hundreds of Tundra Swans started coming into The Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge about November 25th. Turn up your volume so you can hear them.
Video 12/24: WV Relax and Breathe
Wild, wonderful, West Virginia. I stood here to relax and wanted to share it with you. Just enjoy the snow and the water. The peaceful scene. Keep your volume low. And as is everywhere throughout the state, you do not have to travel far to be alone and with nature. This is .5 miles off I-64.
Video 11/24: American Crows Rearranging Rocks
A Crow and Crow Friend are busy at the birdbaths. The crows are more in silhouette since of course they would do this when the birdbaths are in full shade and I have lightened the video as much as I can. Even though the crows are dark you can still clearly see what they are doing. This is a 10 minute video, but watch it all if you have the time. The last minute or so is interesting – watch closely! And keep your volume turned up. In the middle, the crow will have its back turned toward the camera so you cannot see what he is doing, but you can hear the rocks being moved – and dropped. Sit back, relax, and enjoy! A Slice of Life as a Crow!
Video 10/24: Last Winter at the Feeders
I took this video in February 2024, and as you can see, there is a lot of action to look forward to this winter on our livestream. You’ll spot Mourning Doves, Eurasian Tree Sparrows, and feisty American Goldfinches.
Video 10/24: White Pelicans and Double-crested Cormorants in Migration
These American White Pelicans and Double-crested Cormorants spent their spring and summer in central Canada or northern U.S. states. They are now migrating to the southern U.S., Mexico, Central America’s coasts, or the Caribbean islands. Note: In this video, I mistakenly referred to the cormorant as a ‘diving duck.’ It is not a duck; I should have simply said ‘diver.’
Video 10/24: The Three Friends – American White Pelicans
These three American White Pelicans are having such a leisurely time in the water. And synchronized ……. I wonder if they are related?
Video 10/24: Ring-billed Gulls
This video replaces the one that was here. Same place but a much prettier day! And with a very different ending ……..
Video 10/24: Ring-billed Gulls – second video
A different view of this flock of gulls.
Video 10/24: Double-crested Cormorants
These cormorants are sitting in a shallow part of the lake enjoying the sunshine. It was a beautiful day!
Video 10/24: American White Pelicans
A bit longer video of these pelicans simply enjoying their afternoon floating ….. swimming ………. What must it be like to simply float and watch the trees move in the breeze and the clouds float across the sky ………….
Video 10/24: American White Pelicans 2
Sometimes the world of birds fills me with awe – and this is one of those times. A quiet wow ………