September 2

On Saturday, August 26, three of us observed about 10 Cedar Waxwings feeding
on whole blackberries, plucking them one at a time from the bushes near
North Pond in Marlboro. ---Anne Wheelock, West Brattleboro

Sightings at Chipmunk Crossing
Last Thursday we heard the repeated call notes of a Veery coming from the
wooded hillside in our backyard. Upon closer scrutiny we found it sitting in
an elderberry bush gorging itself on the luscious fruit that was hanging in
clusters like mini-grapes.

8/27-9/2 Highlights:
Wilson's Warbler
Rose-breasted Grosbeak(3)
Catbird(2)
Redstart(m&f)
Pileated Woodpecker
Ruby-throated Hummingbird(m&2f)



More Juvenile Antics

If you wish to get in on the clowning around of the immature winged
creatures in your neighborhood, you must keep your bird feeders active all
year around.
Except for the Cardinals and Blue Jays the other parent birds have
dropped off their youngsters at the avian kindergarten in our backyard. The
young Rose-breasted Grosbeaks have been feeding themselves for about a week
now and have just recently discovered our ground-level bird bath. The male
was checking it out this morning, took a drink, then still gripping the edge
tipped over to get his belly into the water and flipped its wings a few
times. It didn't get much of a bath but flew away and preened itself,
satisfied with the little shower it did manage. The young female sat
watching this and flew onto the lip of the bath, took a drink and then did a
belly flop into the water with wings flapping. Water sprayed everywhere as
she continued in the shallow spa. Finally soaked, she jumped out and flew to
a nearby pine bow, shook off the excess water and fluffed her feathers. Now
that was a bath.
We have watched several other species enjoy the water in this
improvised bath tub made from an old tractor hub cap. The three other bird
baths that we have scattered around our property are store-bought and not
nearly as popular.

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


BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER C Chris
Petrak

Buff-breasted Sandpiper had been at the sod farm in Northfield, MA, for
several days. It was at a distance, and my photos were crummy. But,
Wednesday we went to Plum island where there were at least five buffies.
At high tide on Sandy Point on Plum Island, there were many shorebirds
roosting. Managed some good photos, see www.tailsofbirding.net . Seventeen
species of shore birds is a pretty decent day of shore birding.
---Chris Petrak, S. Newfane


West River from Marina Road
(8/28)Tons of Canada Geese of course, many Tree Swallows, Catbird, Phoebe,
Yellow Warbler and a dozen or more Cedar Waxwings shagging insects and
feeding on berries from a tree that we were unfamiliar with.


More from the sod farm
(8/29)In checking the sod farms in Northfield, MA for shorebird migrants, we
found 45 Killdeer, 8 Black-bellied Plover and a single Semi-palmated Plover.


(8/31) we found several Semi-palmated Plovers and the usual 40+ Killdeer.
But, across the road in an adjoining cornfield we watched 3 Kestrels flying
around the dead cornstalks, sometimes landing on them and sometimes landing
out of sight on the ground. In a dead elm tree nearby sat a Merlin taking it
all in. It soon joined them and the aerial acrobatics began. It was Merlin
chasing Kestrel, right side up, upside down and sideways. This went on for
several minutes until they all tired of the sport and disbanded.

Al Merritt