BwBTC Bird Trustom Pond NWR

Howdee all,

After birding the mudflats and fun lunch stop at the Corner Deli in town,

we went to Trustom Pond NWR just a few miles south.

Which way do we go?

We followed the pathway to the left thru a large field.Jane showed us the caterpillar of the Monarch butterfly and the eggs.. Oh fun!

Thanks Jane! Isn't it beautiful?

Monarch Caterpillar on Milkweed

We stopped at the freshwater pond and checked out the wildlife, frogs, turtles, dragonflies and other critters.

Time to take the group photo…

hee hee..two second timer so it took a few tries before we got it right!

View Full Album

We birded the grasses…  We birded the Salt water pond.. We birded the woodlands…

We saw a decent amount of birds..most of which I didn't capture on camera..

We caught a great burst of activity in the forest with warblers and vireos all over the place..it was very exciting and we didn't know which way to look first.

 

Here are a few birdie photos I did get..

Juvenile Ring-necked Pheasant

A juvenile Black-billed Cuckoo

    I had a terrific time birding, bugging, and enjoying nature with everyone.

Speaking of bugs…

Check out this funky bug that landed on Katie..  I forgot what Jane said it was…Jane?

I think its a weevil of some sort…

Thanks everyone for coming and making this a terrific day!

Check out these other accounts of our day!

Dans

Larrys

Johns

Cindys

 

Birds of the Afternoon

Canada Goose  
Mute Swan 
Wood Duck 
Mallard 
Ring-necked Pheasant 
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron 
Great Egret 
Snowy Egret       
Green Heron
Turkey Vulture 
Osprey 
Northern Harrier   
Caspian Tern
Black-billed Cuckoo 
Belted Kingfisher 
Downy Woodpecker
Eastern Phoebe 
Eastern Kingbird 
White-eyed Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo 
Blue Jay 
American Crow 
Fish Crow
Tree Swallow 
Barn Swallow 
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
American Robin
Gray Catbird 
Northern Mockingbird 
European Starling 
Blue-winged Warbler 
Pine Warbler 
Black-and-white Warbler
American Redstart 
Common Yellowthroat
Eastern Towhee 
Song Sparrow 
Northern Cardinal 
Baltimore Oriole
American Goldfinch 

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BwBTC bird the Charlestown Breachway

Howdee all,

This past Saturday a group of Birders who Blog, Tweet and Chirp

got together to bird two areas in Charlestown, RI.

First on our list was Charlestown Breachway.

We all knew there would be a wet crossing to the mud flats, so we prepared our gear so that it would stay dry.

We walked thru the RV campground to the boat ramp and followed the shoreline to the crossing area.

Stopping on the way to view a distant rookery

Dan and Cindy at the crossing..

A second small crossing..

Almost there Least SandpiperWe met a few other groups out birding the flats. It wasn't as birdie as the week before.

But..

We had great views of a Buff-breasted Sandpiper (A life bird for Jeff and I and a few others on the trip)  

Other highlight birds Black bellied, Semipalmated,and Piping Plovers.

Western,White rumped,Spotted, Least and Semipalmated Sandpipers and a questionable Bairds. I have to say, I really wish these little peeps were easier to ID.

  I am a lazy birder and try to soak in a little information each outing,I don't do home study very well.   

         Western Sandpiper A few White rumped sandpipers  We birded the flats all morning… It was time to have lunch..  So we followed local birders across the flats to a shallow crossingIt was lovely, the water warm and refreshing on a hot day. The grasses were full of mosquitoes..Ouch!

I really enjoy birding with my Blogger and Twitter friends, its great being with people that share similar interests.

People that enjoy being in Nature.

Who don't complain about getting wet..muddy...hot.or a few bug bites.

Stay tuned for the Part 2 BwBTC Trustum pond NWR

For other accounts of our Birding day Day read

Dans

Larrys 

Johns

 

            Birds of the Morning              

Double-crested Cormorant

Great Blue Heron 

Great Egret 

Snowy Egret 
Green Heron

Turkey Vulture 
Osprey 

Cooper's Hawk 

Red-tailed Hawk

Black-bellied Plover

Semipalmated Plover

Piping Plover 

    Spotted Sandpiper

Greater Yellowlegs

Lesser Yellowlegs

  Ruddy Turnstone

Sanderling
Semipalmated Sandpiper 

Western Sandpiper

  Least Sandpiper 

White-rumped Sandpiper

Buff-breasted Sandpiper 

Laughing Gull 
 
Ring-billed Gull 

Herring Gull

Great Black-backed Gull

Forster's Tern

Common Tern

Caspian Tern

BwBTC Charlestown, RI

Howdee all,

How many photos do you take before you get it right?

I have a two second timer on my Canon camera…I forgot to bring my wireless remote.

I knew I would never be able to make it back and pose for the photo in 2 seconds.

So my hubby Jeff volunteered.

The one below is one of about four that he didn't quite make it back in time.

    Finally a group photo.

From top left to right

Cindy from Living in Brooklyn and Longing for Maine

Cindy @gemswinc on twitter

Larry from the Brownstone Birding blog

Jane (waiting for her blog name)

John(Tucker)  from The Birdman of Bridgewater

Bottom left to right

Yours truly

Cathleen Ellis from Birdingirl blog

Dan @Docforestal on twitter/ Nature Observances by Forestal

Hubby Jeff

…………………………………………

Missing from the photo were

Susan from The Nature of Framingham her husband Tom and her son Pete who met us later in the day.

…………………………….

I will do another blog post about our outing…until then

Read Dan’s account of the Day

Attention BwBTC attendees (UPDATE)

Howdee all,

Just a few quick adds to tomorrows meet up.

Jeff and I went to the Breachway today to check out the crossing and see what birdies are around.

First of all The Meeting place is still in the parking lot of Flip Flops

The address is not 1 Charlestown Breachway road it is 1 Charlestown Beach Road.

If you are using GPS you can put the intersection of Charlestown Beach Road and Matunuck Schoolhouse Road.

Jeff and I did the crossing with no issues today….we also left the breachway after 12pm with no issues.

We met other birders who do the crossing all the time..they never check tides as they feel it is not an issue.

If some of our group do not want to do the crossing you can also see many birds from the area right before the crossing.

We both were wet to about our waist in the afternoon crossing. So best not to have anything in pockets..I had a gear bag and Jeff had a back pack and scope. We lifted our gear above our waists and crossed.

No swift currents. The water was beautiful. Not too muddy..mostly sandy bottom.

Some mosquitoes in the AM…bring bug spray. We had no bug spray and we were fine..just a few bites.

We both wore long quick dry pants. The other birders we met had quick dry shorts or bathing shorts.

I suggest a change of shorts for later in the day..and of course don't forget your water shoes.

We saw Bairds, White rumped, Semi-palmated and Least Sandpipers.

Piping,Semi-palmated and Black Bellied plovers.

Willets, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs.

Green, Great-blue Herons

Great and Snowy Egrets

Black Backed, Laughing and Herring Gulls

Common Terns

Peregrine falcon, Coopers Hawk, Osprey

and more..

The peeps let us get very close.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Looking forward to seeing you all tomorrow.

Jeff and I will arrive around 7:30 for coffee and muffin at the Bakery across the street from Flip Flops.

----------------------------------

If anyone is joining us for dinner..Flip Flops is a BYOB establishment.

So don't forget your favorite bottle!

BwBTC Birding Charlestown, RI

Howdee all,

There's still time to join us for a fun filled day of Birding…just comment below or send me an email to Nobbiecat@gmail.com

 Birders who Blog, Tweet and Chirp Charlestown, RI

Come Bird with us, let's bird, let's bird away
If you can use some exotic Birds
There's a bird in Charlestown Bay
Come Bird with us, let's bird, let's bird away

BwBTC Charlestown, Rhode Island~Saturday August 28th.

Click on the map below to see details of the meeting area.

View Charlestown Breachway BwBTC in a larger map

Meet at the Flip Flops restaurant parking lot, 1 Charlestown

Beach Rd.

I thought we should be ready to go at 8am sharp.

Let me know if the time doesn't work for you..or if you prefer to start earlier..majority rules here…If I don't hear from any of you we will be ready to rock and roll at 8am.

You can arrive a bit earlier and grab a coffee and breakfast treat at The Bakery across the street from Flip Flops…I checked it out.they open at 5:30 for early birds...they have nice Organic coffee and awesome looking pastries and muffins. Click on the link above to see a sample of what might be there.

We will start the morning by Birding the Breachway. We will carpool from Flip Flops parking lot. Parking at the Breachway is 14 dollars a car.

Expect to get wet knee deep..I spoke to a local birder/photographer..all gear can be carried safely above the waist. If you are worried about your gear bring waterproof bags.

Wear water shoes…and bring a change of clothes,just in case.

There are restrooms in the campsite area that we can use to change in.

Click the Map below to read about the Breachway and the Birds we may see there.

After the breachway, we can stop for lunch at The Corner Deli, which is next to The Bakery.

Then onto birding Trustom Pond NWR

View Trustom Pond in a larger map

 

After Trustom, if time, we can bird other places in the area.

We plan on having dinner at Flip Flops, around 7:30 or so….Check out the link to look at the menu.

If you want to join us for dinner,let me know. I need to make reservations, if we have a large group.

Also let me know what time you prefer for dinner.

The menu looks good…Jeff and I had dinner there a few weeks ago and had a nice meal…though, portions are on the small side.

 

That's all for now…If anyone has anything to add you can comment below or email me at

Nobbiecat@gmail.com

 

Some links

Birding on the net..area birds being seen.

Bird Checklist you might want to print this out.

RI Birding link

 

  Cast of Characters 

Jeff and Dawn @DawnFine on twitter/Dawns Bloggy Blog

Christopher @Picusblog on twitter/ Picus Blog

Dan @Docforestal on twitter/ Nature Observances by Forestal

Larry from the Brownstone Birding blog

Cindy Cage from Living in Brooklyn and Longing for Maine

Cathleen Ellis from Birdingirl blog

John(Tucker)  from The Birdman of Bridgewater

and his sister who knows the area well.

Lowie @lakras on twitter/ A Worn Field Guide

Susan from The Nature of Framingham and Cathleen's cousin

Cindy @gemswinc on twitter

Checking out the area for the BwBTC ..JOIN US

Howdee all,

Just a quick hello..been busy getting a garden ready for Nephews wedding celebration tomorrow.

I have been squeezing in my blog reading with my Byline app on the Itouch..It downloads the blogs while onlinw. When offline, I can read all my fav blogs, in between the busy times of the day. The only issue is that I cant comment…Oh well..hopefully someday they can link it to the comment section of blogs.

Anyway…

I wanted to confirm the location for the BwBTC outing..

We decided to still bird the Charleston Breachway.

Birders do the breachway everyday. The water could be waist deep…Bring a change of clothes. I was told by a local birder/photgrapher that he holds his gear above his waist. He says we must do the breachway. Put your gear in Waterproof bags if you are concerned.

Unless I get alot of objections to doing it..we will go..If the majority wishes not to do the Breachway to the flats we will concentrate on other places in the area.

I will have more info as far as meeting time and place, what to bring etc…Stay tuned.

…………………………………………………………………..

Jeff and I checked out Trustom Pond NWR we think this will be a great place to bird before or after the Breachway.

Freshwater ponds

   Grassy areas..

           And a few Birds..

we really enjoyed birding there.

     If we have time we will go to

Ninigret NWR/East Beach 

Ninigret can be very buggy in places ..bring lots of bug spray.

Cast of Characters thus far

Jeff and Dawn @DawnFine on twitter/Dawns Bloggy Blog

Christopher @Picusblog on twitter/ Picus Blog

Dan @Docforestal on twitter/ Nature Observances by Forestal

Larry from the Brownstone Birding blog

Cindy Cage from Living in Brooklyn and Longing for Maine

Cathleen Ellis from Birdingirl blog

John(Tucker) from The Birdman of Bridgewater

Lowie @lakras on twitter/ A Worn Field Guide

Susan from The Nature of Framingham

Cindy @gemswinc on twitter

Possibly

Chris from Tails of Birding

Catherine @birdspot / Birdspot blog

Andrew @birdingdude / Birding Dude blog

John @Mainebirder/ Birding in Maine

Luke from Under Clear Skies

Janet @hammerchick on twitter and Plover Warden Diaries

 

If you want to join us ..just comment in the area below of shoot me an email

Nobbiecat@gmail.com

BwBTC ♥ The Charlestown Breachway and Ninigret Tidal Flats, Rhode Island

Howdee all,

We have decided on a date and location for the Birders who Blog,Tweet and Chirp outing.

We welcome you to join us….

August 28th

The Charlestown Breachway and Ninigret Tidal Flats

click above link to see

~~

other places in the area to bird

Ninigret NWR/East Beach and Trustom Pond NWR

click in the above links to read more

~~

The event is open ended, for those who are traveling a longer distance, you may want to stay somewhere local for the weekend.

We are still flexible on the schedule and welcome anyone who knows the area well to help with planning and/or to guide us.

This is a preliminary post of what we will be doing…stay tuned for further posts on this event.

………………………………………………..

Jeff and I may stay at the RV park at The Breachway or stay nearby in CT.

Below is the link for the Breachway RV park, and a map with hotel links.

Located on east side of "the Breachway" is a camping area for self contained RV's, a state beach, some of the best salt water fishing in South County, a salt water beach,  and a panoramic view of Block Island Sound. This location also has boat launch with limited parking.

Charlestown Breachway at the bottom.

The Red labels are hotels in the area. 

View Larger Map

 

Here is the Charlestown Breachway park Website.

It will cost to park and parking is limited. Carpooling might be a good idea.

Jeff and I have never been to this area and plan to check it out as soon as possible.

………………………………..

This area was highly recommended by our fellow birder and blogger @Birdspot

Thanks Catherine!

…………………………………………………………

After reading information here we realized we need to be aware of the high tide.

There will be some wading but water will not be deep unless we stay out past high tide at the point it could be up to 5 feet.

Here is the tide data for the day
Weekapaug Point, Block Island Sound, Rhode Island

04:55 A.M. EDT
  0.14 feet  
Low Tide

11:16 A.M. EDT
  2.77 feet  
High Tide

05:24 P.M. EDT
  0.42 feet  
Low Tide

11:37 P.M. EDT
  2.48 feet  
High Tide

After looking at the chart, it looks like we can start birding early and avoid the high tide or arrive later before the next high tide.

We plan on eating lunch at one of the local dining spots…any suggestions are welcome.

Bring snacks and water for the Am.

Water shoes or shoes you don't mind getting wet are recommended. From what I have read the area is not muddy.

~~

Some links

Birding on the net..area birds being seen.

Bird Checklist you might want to print this out.

RI Birding link

***********************************************

Preliminary Cast of Characters

Jeff and Dawn @DawnFine on twitter/Dawns Bloggy Blog

Christopher @Picusblog on twitter/ Picus Blog

Dan @Docforestal on twitter/ Nature Observances by Forestal

Larry from the Brownstone Birding blog

Cindy Cage from Living in Brooklyn and Longing for Maine

Cathleen Ellis from Birdingirl blog

John(Tucker) from The Birdman of Bridgewater

Lowie @lakras on twitter/ A Worn Field Guide

Susan from The Nature of Framingham

 

Possibly

Chris from Tails of Birding

Catherine @birdspot / Birdspot blog

Andrew @birdingdude / Birding Dude blog

John @Mainebirder/ Birding in Maine

Cindy @gemswinc on twitter

Janet @hammerchick on twitter and Plover Warden Diaries

 

Please add your name to this blog post if you plan to attend, or not..and the number of people and names of those attending so I can add everyone to the list.

♥

Hope to see you there!

BwBTC meets Birds and Beers

Howdee all,

Another Birders who Blog, Tweet and Chirp outing!

Saturday, August 15th at 8am until.??? Victoria, MN

Lynne from Hasty Brook Blog has been working hard organizing the day for us all.

Read the Details here on her blog.

All are welcome to join us!

Here is the List of Cast and Characters attending at this point.

Lynne from Hasty Brook

Ruthie Johnson the Nature Knitter
Ray from Troutbirder
Roger Everhart from Minnesota Birdnerd

Hap in New Hope is Lynne's birding mentor

Virginia from Bees in the City

Mike and Lizette from Mike and Lizette's Travels and Thoughts

Penelope from Penelopedia: Nature and Garden in Northfield Minnesota

and me, Dawn and hubby Jeff..the better birder in the family

Elizabeth BudgiesRuleHere on twitter

S.Snyder Hellziggy on twitter her livejournal

Birdchick will not be able to attend as previously planned as she will be filming in Las Vegas.

Thanks Lynne for all the effort you have put into planning this event!

Thanks also to Birdchick for all her helpful info on where to bird the area.

Cant wait to meet you all!

If you are in the area and want to join us..Please comment here or on Lynne's Blog.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Birders who Blog, Tweet and Chirp has a great new website

76 members and growing,

Please join and check it out

We are having a photo contest open to all members!

Birders who Blog, Tweet and Chirp outing, CT

Howdee all,

Just a little over a week before our Milford, Ct outing!

Saturday July 11th Milford Ct.

Luke from Under Clear Skies volunteered to show us around the area.

Thanks Luke for planning this!

This is an excerpt from Luke's Blog Post about the event.

Please refer to Luke's Blog post as well.

Excited to see some old friends and meet some local bloggers as well as the ever-wandering Dawn and Jeff. Anyway details as follows: I suggest that we meet at Milford Point and start our days activities there at 10am (directions below) – which will let everyone who’s traveling get a reasonable start in the morning (and arrive a little after low tide). Plenty to look out for at arguably CT’s finest shorebird hotspot – hopefully Nick from ’shorebirder’ will be available to find us another Red-necked Stint or something (was it really 3 years ago now?) amongst the likely throngs of peeps. After that I’d suggest a look at a few spots in Stratford for coastal sparrows, herons, clapper rail, shorebirds, terns, and the US’s most northerly breeding Boat-tailed Grackle population, a stop at Marnick’s for Lobster Rolls for lunch and then on to my local shorebird hotspot Grace Salmon Park post high tide and perhaps an early evening stroll on the rather spectacular Penfield Reef.

For directions to Milford Point by car check the CAS website here. If anyone wants to try make the trip up via public transport you can get a train from Grand Central NYC to Milford (New Haven Line). Drop me an email luke.tiller@gmail.com and I’m more than happy to pick people up at the station.

Bring yourself, some serious DEET infused insect repellent, beach shoes, water, bins, scope and sense of humor. Look forward to seeing people then.

Luke

We have a great cast of characters

You can click on the links below to take you to blog etc.

Luke from Under Clear Skies

Bev from Behind the Bins and Murmuring Trees

(Twitter: BirdingBev Chirptracker Bevson )

Christopher from Picus blog

(Twitter Picusblog Chirptracker Picusblog Facebook Christopher Cissone)

Dan from Nature Observances by Forestal

(Twitter docforestal Chirptracker docforestal)

Larry from The Brownstone Birding Blog

Cindy from Living in Brooklyn, Longing for Maine

(Facebook Cynthia Cage)

Laura from Interstitial Spaces (Twitter beeebuzzz )

& Mark from Strack16 on (Twitter Strack16)

Catherine from Birdspot blog

(Twitter Birdspot)

Jeff and myself Dawns Bloggy Blog

(Twitter DawnFine Chirptracker Dawn Facebook Dawn Simmons Fine)

Nick from Shorebirder the birding journal

Chris from Tails of Birding

Dee J Brown from Oak in the Seed

(Twitter deejbrown )

..let me know if there are additions/spouses etc. or if I need to add your Twitter or Chirptracker, or Facebook ID

And as always

Please Join us!

Should be an Excellent time!

Please comment below whether or not you will be attending..so that I know you have read the details .

Birders who Blog, Tweet and Chirp meets Birds and Beers ..August 15th With Birdchick in MN.

leave comment or email me if interested..the cast is growing!

outings in MT, OR, northern CA , AZ, TX in the future.

Stay tuned for a big announcement..Hope to post that tomorrow!!!!!

Birders who Blog, Tweet and Chirp outings

Howdee all,

A Ct. outing in the works for Saturday July 11th.
Looks like starting point is Milford, Ct.

Luke from Under Clear Skies has volunteered to be our guide for the day.
This is what he suggests for the day.

I would suggest (depending on how long people want to go for) to start at the Connecticut Audubon Center in Milford and work our way from there. I'll do some work on the tide times for the day which will help work out when is best to hit that spot and others. Milford is great for migrant peeps (what a joy I hear you thinking). Also good for other shorebirds, terns etc though and local spots should produce a nice array of birds such as YC Night-heron, Boat-tailed Grackles etc etc.

The list of attending Bloggers so far

Bev from Behind the Bins and Murmuring Trees
Christopher from Picus blog
Dan from Nature Observances by Forestal
Larry from The Brownstone Birding Blog
Steve from lightshedder.com and
Ingraham's Pic of the Day
Jeff and myself

may be attending
Nick from Shorebirder the birding journal

Birding Dude from Birding Dude

Please spread the word.
Spouses and significant others welcome.
Children..up to you.

Dont know if people will want to bird on Sunday as well...Jeff and I wont be able to...but feel free to make plans for Sunday...I will post them when I know if there is interest.

In the works..is a Birders who Blog, Tweet and Chirp meets Birds and Beers.

Birds and Beers is Birdchicks get together In MN. So if you will be in the Minneapolis,St. Paul area the weekend of August 14th we will do some birding and some beering!

Lynne from Hasty Brook

Ruthie J from Nature Knitter

attending and the list will grow..

If you would like to attend either event..add a comment and I will add you to the list.

stay tuned to my blog for further details.

Birders who Blog, Tweet and Chirp outing part 3, New Hampshire

Howdee all,

We had a great time birding and chatting our way through Plum Island, but we were way off schedule and needed to get to NH.

After yummy Roast beef sandwiches at the Courtyard restaurant in Newburyport we left for New Hampshire.

Lowie from the Worn Field Guide is doing a big year in NH and was our guide for part of this trip.

She took us to Newmarket to see the nesting Mississippi Kites.(read about the 2008 sightings and history of these birds At Picus blog) We saw mom on the nest….her head and tail..

Waited a bit hoping dad would fly in..but he didn't..

I didn't take a photo of the Kite on the nest but John from Birding in Maine did!

Ok..use your imagination the nest is in the one of those trees to the left of the telephone pole…or go to Johns blog for the real thing!

After seeing the nesting Kite. We went on to Chapmans landing to see the Saltmarsh and the Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrows.

We walked thru these amazing grasses which aren't the grasses that you see in the above photo..but ones that blended in with the grasses in the photo below..as we walked on the grass it emitted a wonderful fragrant odor reminiscent of cilantro! I wanted to bottle it. I forget what type of grass Lowie said they were…Lowie??? Lowie was determined to get both Sparrows for us! Thanks Lowie, You rock! We saw many Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrows and a few quick and not so cooperative looks at Nelsons.

Christopher or Steve will probably know what type of Dragon fly this is.Red-winged blackbird ….the black box upper right..is used in Green fly control, according to Sharon, from A New England Life.. Lowie left us to go farther north in NH…to add more birds to her big year.

Christopher our fearless leader took over and we listened to a Virginia Rail about ten feet from us..but it never showed itself.

Nice hat Steve!

it was in the shrubs and grasses to the left of our shadows. Do you see me taking the photo?Christopher then took us to Pease air force base to look for Upland Sandpipers. We saw Upland dots…small far away looks. So I didn't count it as a life bird..bummer..

Great looks of a Raven Mom and her young on tall dirt piles..

It was a long day and the sun was setting! We went to another area of Pease to see if we could get better looks of the Uplands. But officer…I am not taking photos for anti government espionage!… Never did get good looks of the Uplands..will save that until our next visit..

We had a wonderful time with some great people!

I would love to continue these outings for Birders who Blog, Tweet and Chirp..and encourage all of you to have outings as well.

You may purchase buttons for your BwBTC outings at Zazzle..or just wait until I come to your area and set up a get together…

I give them as a gift because…

I like to.

Thanks again To Christopher who did a marvelous job planning and Leading us.

Thanks Lowie for staying longer that you should have…

Thanks to my Birders who Blog, Tweet and Chirp friends for coming..It was so nice to meet all of you from blogs that I already know and love..and to meet others who's blogs are new to me.

See you all in Cyberspace…until we meet again!