Barred Owl DOR 12/17

Barred Owl Rte Gardner

While traveling east bound on Rte, in Gardner, today I noticed a dead bird on the side of the road. Upon stopping I discovered it was a Barred Owl. I recall the winter of 2007/2008 was a bad year for road kill Barred Owls. Birders were finding dead birds with a great deal of frequency. I recall in a few days time, during early March 2008, finding 3 along Rte 2 between Westminster and Gardner and seeing another further east, where it was not safe to stop.

a "head on " view
My three ended up with Natural Heritage and were eventually forwarded to Tufts U. for further study. It seemed likely that winter, there was a major influx of northern birds. My understanding, from speaking with Natural Heritage during a followup conversation, the birds had not staved to dead but likely were hunting near the roads and highways and were struck by traffic. Hopefully this coming season will not be a repeat!

Needle sharp talons!

Feeder Birds.....

While Pine Siskins continue to dominate the numbers of birds visiting the feeders on the deck, some of the year in year out "staple" birds have provided some nice photo opportunities. Here are a few recent photos of Black-capped Chickadee and Tufted Titmouse.

Black-capped Chickadee near the back deck.

Working over a black oil sunflower seed.

Tufted Titmouse with handsome "posture".

Buffeted by a stiff wind. Working a seed and hanging on.

Another cold gust of wind from behind made for a unique "pose" while exposing it's ear hole!

Below is a graph of Black-capped Chickadee and Tufted Titmouse per party hour from Massachusetts over the past 50 years. Its hard to believe the Tufted Titmouse was nearly non-existant in Massachuetts 50 years ago.

Retrived December 9, 2010 from http://web4.audubon.org/bird/cbc/hr/index.html

Pine Siskins 12/2

Pine Siskins continue to "show" strong at the feeding stations in my neighborhood, this morning a total of 30 decended on the deck. Thus far, the highest count I have seen this fall. Hopefully Common redpolls will soon follow. I have seen reports of redpolls from further north, and have read of a poor birch seed crop in parts of Canada...maybe by the first Christmas Bird Counts?

A recent backyard siskin.

Another nice surprise was a Northern Flicker that passed through the wood lot out back, generally an uncommon species this late in the fall.

Northern Cardinal (Female) and Gr. W-F Goose

An illuminated bill!

A few days ago I snapped a few shots of a female cardinal on the back deck. It was windy and her crest was being blown about, which made for one particular comical "pose".

Full "portrait".
a cropped "head shot".

There has been a Greater White-fronted Goose in Milbury for the past few weeks, yesterday I traveled down that way and was fortunate to have some nice views before it and its associates (Canada Geese) took flight.
" floating" with Canadas....
..."on the run"...

...nearly airborn".

Also, was an "oddball" goose, I thought perhaps a hybrid but others have thought a leucistic Canada. After viewing another birder's photo I am inclined to agree. It is a free flying bird that comes and goes with the flock of 175+ Canadas to roost each evening and leave in the morning for feeding grounds.

"My" shot is below.

Any other opinions of the above goose are always welcomed

MWCC Wind Turbine hits the sky in Gardner 11/23

Taken from Crystal Lake Cemetery.
I stopped by Mount Wachusett Community College, to pick some transcripts today, and saw one of the wind turbines being erected. A total of 2 turbines will be erected near the college, they are very similar in size to the pair just west of Mount Wachuestt and the single turbine at Narragansett Regional High School, in Templeton, Ma.

Here is link to a little more of this MWCC initiative.

Its nice to see efforts utilizing non petroleum based energy and I realize the effort isn't just about dollars and cents. However, I do wonder how fiscally viable these types of projects will be in the long run. Of course us bird people often are concerned about bird strike mortality, but there are certainly considerations of wildlife mortality from petro based energy. One such being the high concentration of methylmercury in the Common Loon population in the northeast USA.

Here are a few digiscope shots of the "head" of turbine #1 being lifted, taken from across Crystal Lake.


While looking through the scope I could make out a persons head in between the head and stanchion (the dark blob in middle of the space).

I understand Ashburnham is planning to install a similar sized wind turbine on Blood Hill, 2 miles south east of Mount Watatic in the near future.