Two ducks are standing on ice in a small pond. These are Wood Ducks. They pair up in January, so most birds arriving at the breeding grounds in the spring are already paired. This photograph was taken in late March on a small pond in Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York.

“Wasn’t there supposed to be water here?”
For the alt #BirdOfTheDay theme #CaptionThis: a Wood Duck pair, not happy with the previous night’s freeze.

#woodduck #ducks #AdirondackDucks #eastcoastkin #Adirondacks #ADK #AdirondackBirds #birding #birds #wildlife #AdirondackMountains #ECK #NewYorkBirds

A brown bird with a white breast streaked in dark brown in perched on a branch. This is a Brown Thrasher. I photographed this bird on the John Brown Farm Trails near Lake Placid, in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York. Brown Thrashers have impossibly long tails, so I frequently cut off the tail when I photograph them.

The #BirdOfTheDay theme is #ABCD. Here’s a handsome Brown Thrasher, which is well-named because thrashes about in the bushes. wildadirondacks.org/adirondack-b...

#BrownThrasher #eastcoastkin #Adirondacks #ADK #AdirondackBirds #birding #birds #wildlife #AdirondackMountains #ECK #NewYorkBirds

A tiny bird with blue-gray upper parts, yellow breast, and bright white eye crescents is perched on a branch. This is a Northern Parula. The Northern Parula is one of the smallest of the Wood Warblers. It is 4.4 inches long, with an 8.3 inch wing span, weighing in at only 0.31 ounces. The Northern Parula is only marginally larger than the tiny Ruby-crowned Kinglet. Northern Parulas are long-distance migrants. They winter in Mexico, Central American, and the Caribbean. Their spring migration begins relatively early, but is prolonged. They begin leaving the Caribbean in February, returning to the southern part of their breeding grounds as early as March and to northern areas in May. Northern Parulas reportedly move mainly up the Atlantic coast during the spring migration. Most Northern Parulas arrive here in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York in mid- to late May.

For Jane’s @javajanegallery.co.uk #smallbirdsaturday, here’s a Northern Parula. wildadirondacks.org/adirondack-b...

#northernParula #warblers #AdirondackWarblers #eastcoastkin #Adirondacks #ADK #AdirondackBirds #birding #birds #wildlife #AdirondackMountains #ECK #NewYorkBirds #thelittlethings

A yellowish bird with a conical bill is perched on some vegetation with a seed in its mouth. This is an American Goldfinch. The American Goldfinch is a short-distance migrant that is seen year-round in the Adirondack Park. This bird’s diet is dominated by seeds, including those from thistle, sunflowers, asters, grasses, and trees. It generally forages while perched on the plant, as this bird is doing, and will hang upside down from branches or thistle heads to reach seeds.

For the alt #BirdOfTheDay theme #Finches, I offer this American Goldfinch. wildadirondacks.org/adirondack-w...

#goldfinch #AmericanGoldfinch #finch #eastcoastkin #Adirondacks #ADK #AdirondackBirds #birding #AdirondackBirding #birds #wildlife #AdirondackMountains #ECK #NewYorkBirds #nature

A brown duck is sitting on a log in a wetland. This is a juvenile Hooded Merganser. The Hooded Merganser is a petite diving duck, notable for its slender bill and striking, collapsible fan-shaped crest. Hooded Mergansers are native to North America, breeding in forested wetlands throughout the Great Lakes region, the Pacific Northwest, and southern Canada. In New York State, they are widely distributed and are common breeders in the Adirondacks, where they occupy secluded wetlands, beaver ponds, and wooded streams from spring through summer.

Today's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #DucksOutOfWater. Here’s a Hooded Merganser on a log. wildadirondacks.org/adirondack-s...

#HoodedMerganser #Merganser #ducks #AdirondackDucks #eastcoastkin #Adirondacks #ADK #AdirondackBirds #birding #AdirondackBirding #birds #AdirondackMountains #ECK #NewYorkBirds

A brown bird with long legs is wading in the shallow edge of a pond. This is an American Bittern. This bird spends its winters on coastal plains in the southern US and further south in Mexico and Bermuda. It leaves for its breeding grounds in the northern US and southern Canada in early spring. It usually arrives in the Adirondack region by late April or early May.

For the alt #BirdOfTheDay theme #Waders, I offer this American Bittern. wildadirondacks.org/adirondack-b...

#AmericanBittern #wetlands #AdirondackWetlands #wetland #eastcoastkin #Adirondacks #ADK #AdirondackBirds #birding #AdirondackBirding #birds #wildlife #AdirondackMountains #ECK #NewYorkBirds

A small bird with a blue-gray body and cinnamon-brown breast is perched on a peanut feeder. This is a Red-breasted Nuthatch, photographed in our backyard near Lake Placid, in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York. The Red-breasted Nuthatch is one of two nuthatch species found in the Adirondack Park. It is most frequently seen in conifer forests or mixed woodland with a strong coniferous component, in contrast to our other nuthatch – the slightly larger White-breasted Nuthatch, which prefers deciduous forests.

The #BirdOfTheDay theme today is #FeederFriends. Here’s a Red-breasted Nuthatch on a peanut feeder. wildadirondacks.org/adirondack-w...

#redbreastednuthatch #eastcoastkin #Adirondacks #ADK #AdirondackBirds #birding #AdirondackBirding #birds #wildlife #AdirondackMountains #ECK #NewYorkBirds

For the alt #BirdOfTheDay theme #Gulls, I offer this Ring-billed Gull, perched on a rock. wildadirondacks.org/adirondack-w...

#ringbilledgull #eastcoastkin #Adirondacks #ADK #AdirondackBirds #birding #AdirondackBirding #birds #wildlife #AdirondackMountains #ECK #NewYorkBirds

The image is a head shot of a bird with a lovely blue crest. This is a Blue Jay, one of our year-round residents and a frequent visitor to our feeding stations in winter. The Blue Jay is a small jay, larger than an American Robin, but smaller than an American Crow. A member of the Covid family, the Blue Jay is easily recognizable, with striking blue, white, and black plumage and a perky crest that is often lowered when the bird is among family and flock members. The bird’s upperparts are various shade of blue; its underparts are grayish white. Males and females are similar, with males about 3% larger. Blue Jays have an extensive array of vocalizations. The jay’s whisper song is a quiet mixture of clicks, chucks, and whines sometimes lasting over two minutes. The most familiar of the jay’s vocalizations is its loud “jeer” call, used as a contact call, for mobbing, and when potentially threatened. Blue Jays are also frequently heard making “pump handle calls.”

Today’s #BirdOfTheDay theme is #HeadShots. Here’s a thoughtful Blue Jay, wondering when I am going to throw out some more peanuts. wildadirondacks.org/adirondack-w...

#BlueJay #eastcoastkin #Adirondacks #ADK #AdirondackBirds #birding #birds #wildlife #AdirondackMountains #ECK #NewYorkBirds

Two large gray birds are perched on a nest of twigs in the top of a tall tree. These are Great Blue Herons. Great Blue Herons are mostly monogamous during a single breeding season. Once a pair forms through courtship, they generally remain together to build the nest, incubate eggs, and raise young, with both parents sharing duties. However, they do not form lifelong bonds; most individuals choose new mates each year. This photo was taken in Essex County in the Adirondack Park in upstate New York.

For the alt #BirdOfTheDay theme #CourtshiporConflict, I submit this Great Blue Heron pair, cementing their relationship. wildadirondacks.org/adirondack-b...

#greatblueheron #herons #eastcoastkin #Adirondacks #ADK #AdirondackBirds #birding #birds #wildlife #AdirondackMountains #ECK #NewYorkBirds

A black and white bird is perched on a branch on a sunny day against a background of leaves. This is a Black-and-white Warbler. The Black-and-white Warbler (Mniotilta varia), as the name implies, sports a black and white striped crown and back. Its song is a lengthy series of thin, squeaky high-pitched notes, sometimes described as the sound of a squeaky wheel. This warbler is usually seen creeping along branches and trucks, often upside down, like a nuthatch. In the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York, this warbler is a summer resident, which usually arrives (like most of our other warblers) in May.

The #BirdOfTheDay theme today is #LeafandLight. Here’s a lovely Black-and-white Warbler. wildadirondacks.org/adirondack-w...

#BlackandWhiteWarbler #warblers #Adirondackwarblers
#eastcoastkin #Adirondacks #ADK #AdirondackBirds #birding #birds #wildlife #AdirondackMountains #ECK #NewYorkBirds

A gray bird with an orange breast is foraging on the grass. This is an American Robin. They are a year-round resident in the Adirondacks, but we see very few of them in the winter months in the interior of the Adirondack Park. In March and April, they return in large numbers, heralding the end of what is almost always a cold and lengthy winter.

The alt #BirdOfTheDay Theme is #Robins. Here’s a nice American Robin foraging in the grass. wildadirondacks.org/adirondack-b...

#Americanrobin #eastcoastkin #Adirondacks #ADK #AdirondackBirds #birding #AdirondackBirding #birds #wildlife #AdirondackMountains #ECK #NewYorkBirds

Two large black and white birds with black-and-white striped collars and checkerboard backs are floating in a slow-moving stream. These are Common Loons, photographed on the Black Pond Trail at the Paul Smith’s College VIC in the Adirondack Mountains. These birds are powerful, agile divers that catch small fish in fast underwater chases, often disappearing under the surface for what seems like hours and popping up on the other side of the lake. They are medium-distance migrants, that usually arrive in the Adirondacks in April.

For today's #BirdOfTheDay theme #Reflections, I offer these two Common Loons. wildadirondacks.org/adirondack-b...

#loons #commonloon #commonloons #eastcoastkin #Adirondacks #ADK #AdirondackBirds #birding #AdirondackBirding #birds #wildlife #nature #AdirondackMountains #ECK #NewYorkBirds

A brown bird with olive-brown upper parts, white underparts with bold, blackish-streaked spots, and a prominent white eye ring is perched on a branch. This is an Ovenbird, the largest of our Adirondack warblers. Ovenbirds are more often heard than seen. Male Ovenbirds belt out a loud, repetitive series of about 8-12 two-parted notes from a mid-level perch: “tea-Cher, tea-Cher, tea-CHER, Tea-CHER, TEA-CHER.” The song generally rises in both volume and pitch.

The #BirdOfTheDay theme today is #JKLMNOP. Here’s an Ovenbird, making a lot of noise. wildadirondacks.org/adirondack-w...

#Warblers #AdirondackWarblers #eastcoastkin #Adirondacks #ADK #AdirondackBirds #birding #AdirondackBirding #birds #wildlife #AdirondackMountains #ECK #NewYorkBirds

A gray and white bird is walking along a sandy beach. This is a Ring-billed Gull. I took this photograph in early November on the beach at Mirror Lake in Lake Placid, New York, before the lake froze over. The Ring-billed Gull is the most common gull regularly seen in New York State. It is one of two gulls that breed in the Adirondack Park, the other being the Herring Gull. The Ring-billed Gull is a partial, mid- to long-distance migrant. Most individuals depart their breeding regions in late summer and early fall to winter in warmer areas. As lakes freeze over in the Adirondack interior, these gulls (which are frequently seen throughout the Adirondacks during the warmer months) gradually disappear in search of open water. Winter birders in the Adirondacks can find Ring-billed Gulls, along with a host of other gulls and waterfowl, along the Lake Champlain coast.

The alt #BirdOfTheDay theme is #Gulls. Here’s a nice Ring-billed Gull by Mirror Lake in Lake Placid, New York. wildadirondacks.org/adirondack-w...

#ringbilledgull #eastcoastkin #Adirondacks #ADK #AdirondackBirds #birding #AdirondackBirding #birds #wildlife #AdirondackMountains #ECK #NewYorkBirds

The image shows a long-distance shot of two Canada Geese swimming on an oxbow of the Ausable River in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York. This photograph was taken two days ago. Yesterday, the female was on her nest in a small vegetation island in the oxbow, and the male was nearby keeping watch. I have been monitoring this site for several years, and every year a pair of Canada Geese nests here in the same small vegetation island in the oxbow. Canada Geese mate for life, so this is very likely the same pair I have been following in previous years.

For today's #BirdOfTheDay theme #LongNecks: a pair of Canada Geese. wildadirondacks.org/adirondack-s...

#CanadaGoose #CanadaGeese #eastcoastkin #Adirondacks #ADK #AdirondackBirds #birding #AdirondackBirding #birds #wildlife #AdirondackMountains #ECK #NewYorkBirds

A plump, brown bird is perched on a branch, belting out a very loud, long song. The bird has a short, stubby tail that he is holding up. His plumage is rather nondescript; he’s basically a brown bird with some barring on his belly, wings, and tail. He has his beak opened in loud, jubilant song, showing off his bright yellow and orange mouth. This is a Winter Wren, a tiny bird with a big voice. This one is making a home in our backyard near Lake Placid, in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York.

For Jane’s @javajanegallery.co.uk #smallbirdsaturday theme: a Winter Wren, a little bird making a lot of noise. wildadirondacks.org/adirondack-b...

#WinterWren #eastcoastkin #Adirondacks #ADK #AdirondackBirds #birding #AdirondackBirding #birds #wildlife #AdirondackMountains #ECK #NewYorkBirds

A handsome warbler with a white belly and chestnut streak on its sides is perched on a branch in a second-growth deciduous forest. This is a male Chestnut-sided Warbler. Chestnut-sided Warblers are one of the more common warblers. Partners in Flight estimates a global breeding population of 19 million, with 70% in Canada and 30% in the US. The main breeding range for this warbler includes southern Canada and the northeastern region of the United States, southward through the Appalachian Mountains to northern Georgia. The Chestnut-sided Warbler is an early successional species, nesting in second-growth deciduous forests.

The #BirdOfTheDay theme today is #Woodland. Here’s a #Chestnut-sidedWarbler in a deciduous forest. wildadirondacks.org/adirondack-b...

#Warblers #AdirondackWarblers #eastcoastkin #Adirondacks #ADK #AdirondackBirds #birding #forests #birds #AdirondackForests #AdirondackMountains #ECK #NewYorkBirds

The image shows a slightly disheveled fledgling perched on a branch. This is a young Mourning Warbler. It was being attended by an adult male Mourning Warbler. This photo was taken on the John Brown Farm Trails, near Lake Placid in upstate New York.

For the alt #BirdOfTheDay theme #juveniles, I offer this adorable fledgling Mourning Warbler. wildadirondacks.org/adirondack-b...

#MourningWarbler #Warblers #AdirondackWarblers #eastcoastkin #Adirondacks #ADK #AdirondackBirds #birding #birds #wildlife #AdirondackMountains #ECK #NewYorkBirds

A large brown bird is walking on the grass in a meadow in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York. This is a Wild Turkey, a bird that doesn’t get enough appreciation. Wild Turkeys can fly, but they spend most of their time on the ground, so they are very wary. When you see a bunch of Wild Turkeys in a field, they are usually hustling away from you, so you don’t get to appreciate how handsome they really are, with bronze-green iridescent plumage.

For the alt #BirdOfTheDay theme #Grass, I offer this proud Wild Turkey. wildadirondacks.org/adirondack-b...

#WIldTurkey #turkeys #eastcoastkin #Adirondacks #ADK #AdirondackBirds #birding #AdirondackBirding #birds #wildlife #AdirondackMountains #ECK #NewYorkBirds #nature #AdirondackNature

A blue-gray bird with bright yellow markings on its rump is sitting on a branch. This is the Yellow-rumped Warbler. It’s a short to long-distance migrant that arrives in the Adirondack Mountains in April. Birders affectionately call it Butterbutt. This photo was taken at the Paul Smith’s College VIC – a nature preserve in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York. The VIC has a 25-mile trail system, including six miles of interpretive trails that wind through a variety of habitats. It’s a great place to go to learn about and experience nature in the Adirondacks.

Today's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #BirdButt. Here's a Yellow-rumped Warbler, nicknamed “ButterButt.” wildadirondacks.org/adirondack-b...

#YellowRumpedWarbler #eastcoastkin #Adirondacks #ADK #AdirondackBirds #birding #Adirondackbirding #birds #wildlife #AdirondackMountains #ECK #NewYorkBirds #nature

An attractive brown a white throat is sitting on a branch. This is a White-throated Sparrow, photographed in our backyard near Lake Placid, in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York. A short-distance migrant, a few White-throated Sparrows are seen throughout the winter inside the Adirondack Park Blue Line. However, most of the White-throated Sparrows we see in spring and summer in the Adirondack Park winter in the southern parts of the US and return to their breeding ranges in northern New York, New England, and Canada when snow melt exposes portions of the forest floor.

For the alt #birdoftheday theme #naturalperch, I submit this dapper White-throated Sparrow. wildadirondacks.org/adirondack-b...

#whitethroatedsparrow #sparrows #eastcoastkin #Adirondacks #ADK #AdirondackBirds #birding #AdirondackBirding #birds #wildlife #AdirondackMountains #ECK #NewYorkBirds

A bird with raspberry red coloration on his upperparts, neck, head, and sides is perched on a pole, waiting for his turn at the sunflower seeds. This is a Purple Finch. The Purple Finch is a year-round resident for us, breeding mainly in conifer or mixed forests, the edges of bogs, and riparian corridors.

Today’s #birdoftheday theme is #manmadeperch. So here’s a male Purple Finch on a pole. wildadirondacks.org/adirondack-w...

#PurpleFinch #Finch #eastcoastkin #Adirondacks #ADK #AdirondackBirds #birding #AdirondackBirding #birds #wildlife #AdirondackMountains #ECK #NewYorkBirds

A gray bird with a dark gray cap is perched on a branch. This is a Gray Catbird. Gray Catbirds are gray birds with a neat black cap and rusty feathers under its tail. These medium-sized, slender songbirds have a long, rounded, black tail and a narrow, straight bill. Catbirds are fairly long legged and have broad, rounded wings. Their name captures both their color (gray) and the fact they make a nasal mew that sounds like a cat.

The Alt #BirdOfTheDay Theme is #Grey. Here’s a Gray Catbird, a bird which is both well-named and undeniably gray. wildadirondacks.org/adirondack-b...

#GrayCatbird #eastcoastkin #Adirondacks #ADK #AdirondackBirds #birding #AdirondackBirding #birds #wildlife #AdirondackMountains #ECK #NewYorkBirds

A black bird with light yellow on the back of his head is sitting on top of a shrub. This is a male Bobolink, photographed at Heaven Hill in Lake Placid. Heaven Hill is owned and managed by the Uihlein Foundation. The Foundation has been working with the Adirondack Watershed Institute at Paul Smith’s College to study how grassland and other bird species respond to hayfield management. I am a volunteer “Bobolink Counter. I visit the hay meadow nearly every day in the breeding season to document behavior.

For today's #BirdOfTheDay theme #BlackHeads, I submit this fine-looking male Bobolink on the hay meadow at Heaven Hill. wildadirondacks.org/heaven-hill-...

#eastcoastkin #Adirondacks #ADK #AdirondackBirds #birding #AdirondackBirding #birds #wildlife #AdirondackMountains #ECK #NewYorkBirds

A bluish-green bird with a chestnut chest is seated on a branch at a Great Blue Heron rookery near Elizabethtown in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York. This is a Green Heron (although it doesn’t look very green to me). Apparently, these birds are fairly common outside the Adirondack Park, according to data from the New York State Breeding Bird Atlas III. But we rarely see them here in the Adirondacks; there was only one confirmed breeding pair sighted during the five-year period of the atlas. Green Herons are said to sometimes nest near Great Blue Heron colonies, which is what this bird was doing.

For the alt #BirdOfTheDay theme #RareEncounters, I offer this #GreenHeron, seen for the first and only time at a Great Blue Heron rookery. wildadirondacks.org/adirondack-b...

#Herons #eastcoastkin #Adirondacks #ADK #AdirondackBirds #AdirondackBirding #birds #wildlife #AdirondackMountains #ECK

A small and rather chunky, short-tailed warbler with extensively streaked underparts is perched on the branch of a conifer. This is a Cape May Warbler. Cape May Warblers breed in the Adirondack Mountains and other northern habitats in spring and summer and migrate south to warmer areas in the winter. Cape May Warblers appear to spend most of their time, at least in their breeding grounds, in the upper most branches of tall evergreens, particularly spruces, which is where I usually find them. This photo was taken on the John Brown Farm Trails near Lake Placid, in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York. I don’t get to see Cape Mays very often, so when I do, it’s a real treat.

The #BirdOfTheDay theme today is #Warblers. How about this lovely Cape May Warbler? wildadirondacks.org/adirondack-b...

#capemaywarbler #eastcoastkin #Adirondacks #ADK #AdirondackBirds #birding #AdirondackBirding #birds #nature #wildlife #AdirondackMountains #ECK #AdirondackWarblers

A stocky bird with glossy black feathers and vivid red shoulder patches edged in yellow is perched on some marsh vegetation near a heron rookery in the Adirondack Mountains for upstate New York. The Red-winged Blackbirds that breed in the Adirondacks are short distance migrants who winter south of us and return to our wetlands in the spring. Red-winged Blackbirds migrate in flocks during the day, with males migrating before females.

For today's #BirdOfTheDay theme #Black&Red, I submit this attractive Red-winged Blackbird. wildadirondacks.org/adirondack-s...

#redwingedblackbird #eastcoastkin #Adirondacks #ADK #AdirondackBirds #birding #AdirondackBirding #birds #wildlife #AdirondackMountains #ECK #wetlands #AdirondackWetlands

Two gray and brown birds are perched on a branch in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York. These birds are year-round residents of our region, but I see them most often during the winter months, when they sometimes come to our feeders. In summer, I rarely see them, but I often hear their lovely coo around our property, which makes me hope that perhaps a pair are nesting nearby.

The Alt #BirdOfTheDay Theme is #Pigeons&Doves. Here’s a Mourning Dove pair outside my window. wildadirondacks.org/adirondack-b...

#mourningdove #doves #eastcoastkin #Adirondacks #ADK #AdirondackBirds #birding #AdirondackBirding #birds #nature #wildlife #AdirondackMountains #ECK

A medium-sized bird with brown and gray feathers is huddled on a branch on a winter day in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York. Mourning Soves are famous for their sad-sounding, mournful "coo-AHH, cooo, coo, coo" call. Mourning Doves are year-round residents in the Adirondacks, frequently spotted at bird feeders during the colder months. Mourning Doves are actually quite slender birds. This one appears plump because it is fluffed up against the cold as it waits for its chance at the feeding station.

For today’s #BirdOfTheDay theme #Feathers, I offer this Mourning Dove, showing off its intricate, soft-toned breast feathers on a wintry day. wildadirondacks.org/adirondack-w...

#MourningDove #eastcoastkin #Adirondacks #ADK #AdirondackBirds #birding #birds #wildlife #AdirondackMountains #ECK