Weekend Birding: Northern Waterthrush
Friday morning I grabbed my camera and binoculars and went for what I intended to be a quick walk before the rain started. When I got to the park, only a few blocks from my house, I was greeted by a virtual buffet of birds. Migration is in full swing and birds are heading south for the winter. In less than two hours I counted 22 species, and those were the ones I was able to positively identify; there were a lot more.
One of the migrants I was able to get a photo of was the Northern Waterthrush. It’s a common bird with a huge range, but is only seen in the US during migration. In the summer they breed in Alaska and much of Canada south to the northern U.S. They spend winters in the tropics.
To the right I’ve included a picture of the range map for the waterthrush to give an idea of how far they travel. Blue is the breeding range and orange the winter range.
Habitat was another clue to identifying the bird. During migration the waterthrush can often be found in the grasses along streams, marshes, and stagnant pools of water. Because of the drought, many of the ponds in the park have dried up. In a normal year the area where this bird was hopping around would have been filled with water, now it’s a marshy area.
Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Alyce at At Home With Books. Visit her blog to see more great photos or add your own.
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Very stately.
Something very Winston Churchill-ish about this waterthrush.
He is about to say something dreadfully significant!
That bird would not remain still. I caught him in a rare moment of thought before he began poking in the mud again.
I enjoy seeing your birds every week too. We get to see such different birds in our daily life. Bird migration is just extraordinary when you think about it. Those distances are tremendous.
I’m amazed at the distance some birds travel every year. Their populations remain steady, so enough of them must be surviving the trip. But still, I think of what it takes me just to travel a few hours in the car and their journey becomes even more impressive.
You’re so smart – I never think to take my camera when I walk. That Waterthrush is a beauty!
I always take the camera so I can get a photo of anything I can’t ID on the spot. Sometimes I’m lucky and the bird poses and I get a keeper. Often they are blurred because birds just hate to pose for photos!
I find the most interesting information on your blog. Thanks for sharing the photo and the map. Here’s Mine
Cute
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I really plan to walk with a camera someday! Love the shot…and the expression “buffet of birds.”
Here’s MY SATURDAY SNAPSHOT POST
There was one area with berry trees where all the birds were concentrated. I didn’t know which bird to look at first… like choosing food from the buffet!
It was fun to read all about that little guy! And so cool that you got to see that many birds!
Poor birds. I hope they all can adapt to the unfortunate changes in the planet’s climate.
22 species sounds very cool! Love this little guy with his striped chest.
Love your blog….always find a new bird…Happy Fall♫♪
What a great photo. I bet photographing birds takes a lot of patience.
Birds are not the most cooperative subjects so it usually does take a lot of patience. If they see or hear you they fly away.
I thought they looked familiar and I see on the map they do actually spend some time here around the Great Lakes. Lovely little birds!
He’s a handsome one:)
There’s another bird I’ve never heard of! He is a very fine fellow isn’t he. http://goo.gl/W9O2Z
Until I started going on bird walk field trips I’d never seen this bird either.
Loved the picture!
Here is my Saturday Snapshot post!
What a pretty little bird! I thought it was a sparrow of some sort! Love that puffed up mottled breast …
That is so fascinating!! I can’t believe how far that little bird can travel! And 22 different birds identified in one walk – wow! I’ve noticed the skies are full of birds flying in V formation lately. They really are interesting creatures. Great photo!
Pretty photo! This weekend, I saw some gangs of wild turkeys, and I took a few photos of them.