Shenandoah National Park, Virginia, IAD, August 2014

A ribbon of mist followed the serpentine course of the Shenandoah River in the valley below the ridge of mountains that make up the Shenandoah National Park. It was a beautiful start to the day. The sun had risen to the east, but was still low enough to cast the shadow of the mountains across the valley. The many pull-outs allow motorists to stop and enjoy the tremendous views as farmland rolls away to the west and hills disappear into the distance on the other side.

My main focus for this drive was to find Black Bears. I had started early from Tyson’s Corner and arrived at the park gate just before six (this was the northern gate at Front Royal, Google Earth ref; 38 54 10.800N 78 11 33.20W ). 

White-tailed Deer are common around the entrance and were seen for much of the morning close to the road. I stopped at Dickey Ridge Visitor Center to take a look around the area and found Eastern Towhee, American Goldfinch and Chipping Sparrow.

The pull-outs gave good opportunity to find birds and brought Dark-eyed Junco, Cedar Waxwing, Ruby-throated Hummingbird and Red-headed Vireo. But mainly, I stopped hoping that a bear might be feeding in a meadow cut into the hillside below the pull-out.

The sound track for the day was provided by the Eastern Towhees and Eastern Wood-Peewees. There seemed to be one or both singing every time I stopped.

An Indigo Bunting stopped me with a flash of blue and I pulled in to a trailhead parking lot. A Hooded Warbler popped up and gave me my first look at a fully hooded bird. Short walks onto the Appalachian Trail brought Blackpoll Warbler, American Redstart and Worm-eating Warbler.

My plan was to stop at Elk Wallow and count up my tally of bears over a breakfast burrito, but Elk Wallow came and went with no sightings yet (and the breakfast burrito did nothing to enhance my bear-spotting capabilities).

I stopped in at the next picnic spot (Pinnacles) and took a walk down the trail for a short way and found myself in a bird storm. This was a feeding party that had picked up a full head of steam and was ploughing through the forest. Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Red-bellied Nuthatch, White-bellied Nuthatch and Black-and-white Warbler made up the bark pickers, while American Redstart, Red-eyed Vireo and Carolina Chickadee flicked about in the leaves.

Blue-headed Vireo kept low in the undergrowth with Northern Cardinal while Scarlet Tanager and Tufted Titmouse held the high points. All the time, American Robin and Grey Catbird kept  a-squeaking and a-mewing. It was hard to keep up.

At last, as I approached Skyland, I found my first bear. Even for one who was beginning to wonder if he would find a bear today, it was an unsatisfactory sighting. A small cub looking frightened had been separated from its mother and dashed anxiously through the roadside bushes and disappeared. I am sure his mother must have been close by and that they were reunited shortly afterwards, but it was not the wild experience that I had hoped for.

The bear in Big Meadow was far more interesting. It was a long way off across a very large meadow, but as a result, it was completely unconcerned and fed happily, head down. A family was walking in the meadow and didn’t appear to have seen the bear. Watching from a distance of over quarter of a mile, I was able to see the bear’s reaction as the family came closer. It was aware of their approach and looked up occasionally, but seemed unmoved until they came within about 70-80m. At this point the bear began to move away from them, continuing to feed as it went, but looking up more regularly to check that its flight distance was being maintained. The family took a left turn and moved away from the bear which settled down again to feeding in earnest.

This experience allowed me to judge what the bear would tolerate and I walked out onto the meadow to get a bit closer. At about 100m or so, the bear looked up to check on my progress and I decided that I was close enough to allow him to continue feeding without disturbing him.

It was now well into the afternoon and I decided to start for home. I had about 60 miles to cover along Skyline Drive to get back to the gate and I wanted to do it while there was still some light in the sky.

The verges that run along the roadsides were all filled with an array of wild flowers and these attracted the butterflies. I couldn’t resist a few moments spent on my backside watching them.

A third and then a fourth bear were seen on the way out, but I had changed my exposure settings for the bright, well-lit butterflies and forgot to change them for dark bears in the shade.

An exciting moment came as the sun dropped below the ridge and a large owl flew across the road in the half light. I pulled up and checked the roadside trees, but the owl saw me first and flew again. I saw just enough of it to say that it was a Barred Owl.

Bird list for Shenandoah NP; 37

Turkey Vulture 2, Mourning Dove 1, Barred Owl 1, Chimney Swift 6, Ruby-throated Hummingbird 1, Downy Woodpecker 6, Hairy Woodpecker 1, Pileated Woodpecker 2, Eastern Wood-Peewee 15, Blue-headed Vireo 1, Red-headed Vireo 10, American Crow 4, Common Raven 2, Tree Swallow 6, Barn Swallow 20, Carolina Chickadee 2, Tufted Titmouse 2, Red-breasted Nuthatch 1, White-breasted Nuthatch 1, Blue-grey Gnatcatcher 1, American Robin 8, Grey Catbird 2, European Starling 8, Cedar Waxwing 40, Worm-eating Warbler 12, Black-and-white Warbler 2, Hooded Warbler 1, American Redstart 3, Blackpoll Warbler 1, Eastern Towhee 8, Chipping Sparrow 18, Field Sparrow 4, Dark-eyed Junco 1, Scarlet Tanager 5, Northern Cardinal 5, Indigo Bunting 2, American Goldfinch 20.

Mammals seen;

Black Bear 4, Chipmunk 8, Gray Squirrel 10, White-tailed Deer 30.

Shenandoah NP is a little over an hour from Washington DC. It can be accessed at the north end through Front Royal on Route 66.
There are plenty of picnic sites, rest rooms and lay-bys. There are a few stops with food available at various points along the 105 mile Skyline Drive that passes through the park.
Park regulations require that you pull completely off the road if stopped. Maps, details of facilities and charges can be found at the National Parks Service website for Shenandoah.
If the weather has been bad, the park authorities may close the road. Check the website above before you travel.
The road is open as a public route so you may pass at any time provided that the gates are open. A $15 fee applies and is valid for 7 days.

Please also bring plenty of insect repellent if you visit during the summer months.

For a previous post from Shenandoah NP, see the link below;

http://redgannet.blogspot.co.uk/2011/07/shenandoah-national-park-virginia-iad.html

Visit the dedicated USA and Canadapage for more posts.

Birding, Birdwatching, Shenandoah NP, Virginia.

Belle Isle Marsh, Boston, August 2014

The Boston transport system tried to thwart my attempts to reach Belle Isle Marsh by digging up my transfer station at Government Center and then truncating the Blue Line so that trains only reached as far as the airport transfer station. Shuttle buses took punters the rest of the way to Wonderland, stopping at the Blue line stations along the way. I am given to understand that planned work to Government Center will last for 2 years as of March 2014.

Anyway, I eventually reached the marsh which was very quiet for a Saturday afternoon. A few dog-walkers and a couple of joggers were the only other visitors for most of my time there. This morning, the birds had been very quiet at Boston Back Bay Fens and this continued into the afternoon at Belle Isle Marsh.

The path describes a circle around a slightly raised mound which was bursting with wildflowers on this early August weekend and the buzz of insects drowned out any bird noise. The insects in turn were over-powered by aircraft that passed over as they took off from Boston’s Logan airport very close by.

The tide was high and I hoped that a few waders might have been pushed up into the marsh. A few patches of water with muddy edges could be seen from the tower, but the only waders that were in evidence were spooked by a boat speeding along the distant channel. I would hazard a guess at Semi-palmated Sandpiper.

A Merlin flew over with a small bird clutched tightly and an Osprey was seen in the distance.

Back in the car park, a Cooper’s Hawk flew into a dead tree and stopped long enough for a photo.

Opposite the Blue Line’s Suffolk Downs Station is Leverett Ave. At the bottom is a small path that runs back into the marsh. It cuts through the reeds and a small patch of woodland until it reaches a platform that overlooks Rosie’s Pond at Google Earth ref; 42 23 18.94N 70 59 35.84W. This proved to be the most productive area of the visit with Warbling Vireo, Cedar Waxwing, Yellow Warbler and Eastern Kingbird seen here. A Grey Catbird followed me for nearly half the length of the path, scolding all the way.

Bird list for Belle Isle Marsh; 25

American Black Duck 1, Double-crested Cormorant 3, Great Blue Heron 4, Great Egret 7, Osprey 1, Cooper’s Hawk 1, Merlin 1, Herring Gull 35, Mourning Dove 25, Chimney Swift 6, Downy Woodpecker 2, Eastern Kingbird 3, Warbling Vireo 1, American Crow 1, Barn Swallow 5, American Robin 15, Grey Catbird 4, Northern Mockingbird 2, European Starling 80, Cedar Waxwing 8, Yellow Warbler 1, Song Sparrow 4, House Finch 1, American Goldfinch 6, House Sparrow 15.

Belle Isle Marsh is very close to the Boston Metro’s Suffolk Downs Station on the Blue Line. It only takes about 10 minutes from downtown Boston and costs around $2.25 one way.

There are no facilities apart from a bulletin board at the car park.

A tower and a jetty give good views out across the marsh.

For a previous post from Belle Isle Marsh, see the link below;

http://redgannet.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/belle-isle-marsh-boston-feb-2014.html

Visit the dedicated USA and Canada page for more posts from Boston, including Mount Auburn, Back Bay Fens and Pleasure Bay.

Birding, Birdwatching, Boston, Massachusetts.

Victory Gardens and Back Bay Fens, Boston, August 2014

The delightful Victory Gardens at Bostons Back Bay brought most of the birds from the list below. A sudden hotspot made up most of the balance with just the ducks, kingbird and the vireo not accounted for between them.

My beautiful colleague, LK, accompanied me on a mid-morning walk that was notable for being very quiet. There was very little bird noise and remarkably few people on a Saturday morning. I am guessing that most of the park visitors would usually be students and summer break probably accounted for the empty lawns and sports pitches.

Even the Blue Jays were subdued and hardly called at all. This was LK’s first overseas birding outing and she was thrilled to see some common and easy birds on a feeder in the gardens at Google Earth ref; American Robins, American Goldfinches and Northern Cardinals become rather samey to us hardened birders so it was a real pleasure to see them through a first-timer’s eyes again.

We meandered down through the formal part of the park past the Vietnam Memorial and the Rose Garden noting Red-shouldered Blackbird and American Robins whilst trying to avoid the Canada Goose droppings that littered any grassed area.

The path along the waterside below the sports field brought Warbling Vireo and Eastern Kingbird before we headed back up and crossed the bridge by the Rose Garden.

Just here we were stopped by a small party of feeding birds that included Downy Woodpecker and Yellow Warbler with a stringy Blackburnian Warbler.

I haven’t included it in the list below as we were sharing binoculars and I passed them over quickly without taking a real good look. Only as I came to make the submission to eBird did I realise that this would be a bird of interest, but I cannot claim it as I didn’t take a close enough look to confirm such a significant bird.

Bird list for Boston Back Bay Fens; 21

Canada Goose 80, Mallard 8, Herring Gull 4, Mourning Dove 4, Chimney Swift 8, Downy Woodpecker 6, Eastern Kingbird 1, Warbling Vireo 2, Blue Jay 4, Black-capped Chickadee 1, American Robin 45, Gray Catbird 12, Northern Mockingbird 3, European Starling 35, Yellow Warbler 4, Song Sparrow 1, Northern Cardinal 2, Red-winged Blackbird 4, Common Grackle 6, American Goldfinch 1, House Sparrow 150.

Previous visits to Back Bay Fens (some even have photos), can be seen at the links below;
http://redgannet.blogspot.co.uk/2010/09/boston-back-bay-fens-and-mount-auburn.html
http://redgannet.blogspot.co.uk/2011/05/back-bay-fens-in-boston-april-2011.html
http://redgannet.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/bye-bye-boston.html
http://www.redgannet.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/back-bay-fens-boston-october-2013.html

Visit the dedicated USA and Canadapage for more posts from Boston, including Mount Auburn, Whale watching and Belle Isle Marsh.

Birding, Birdwatching, Boston, Massachusetts.

Millenium Park, Abuja, Nigeria, July 2014

My airline employer likes to keep me on the back foot and to make me work hard for my time in the woods. This week in Abuja, Nigeria, I found myself at another unfamiliar location and had to find my way out past the vigilant desk clerk who had refused to allow me to leave the hotel.

Apparently, my company have made it a condition of the accommodation contract that all crew are to remain in the compound, locked behind big, guarded gates.

Since other guests have to come and go, the gates were opened from time to time. Short of wrestling me to the ground, the guards could not actually stop me leaving the premises, so I took a quick wander around the neighbourhood, picking up some common species such as African Thrush, Village Weaver and Western Plantain Eater.

The desk clerk eventually relented and called a car that took me to Millennium Park and we agreed a pick-up time for some 2 hours hence at the guarded gate (Google Earth ref; 9 4 17.96N 7 29 49.84E). For future reference, 2 hours was not quite enough and I found myself hurrying back to the gate. 3 would be about right.

The park has lawns, trees and 2 small rivers which converge at the bottom of the slope. I headed down the path, noting Yellow-billed Shrike, African Thrush and Common Bulbul. At the bottom of the slope it is possible to see across the river into some waste ground beyond. A Grey Kestrel perched on a pylon here with a Black-winged Bishop teed up on a tall slender reed. A Senegal Coucal stood out boldly on the grass. A bridge crosses the upper river at Google Earth ref; 9 4 12.99N 7 29 50.97E. The southern lawns were quite open and dotted with trees which held Superb Sunbird, Green-headed Sunbird and Scarlet-chested Sunbird. I followed the river upstream until I came to the eastern side of the park which was marked by a tiny African Pygmy Kingfisher.

Cattle Egrets stalked the lawns to the north of this section as I found the other river and followed it back to the bridge. Here I crossed and followed the other river back upstream. This area was slightly more closed. Larger, denser trees lined the far bank, but the light was much better from this side in the evening. Violet Turacos, African Paradise Flycatcher and Yellow-throated Greenbuls were seen along the riparian woodland line with Fork-tailed Drongos, Woodland Kingfishers and Brown-throated Wattle-eyes seen on the wooded slopes on the other side of the trim trail.

Yellow-throated Greenbul

As the sun dimmed towards the end of the evening, an entrancing sunbird caught my attention. In the low-angled light the breast shimmered red and the head lit up gold. I had to thumb through the Nectariniidae section a couple of times before I found Copper Sunbird and I have to say that the illustration does not do it justice.

Bird list for Millennium Park; 38

Double-spurred Francolin 7, Long-tailed Cormorant 3, Cattle Egret 5, Shikra 1, Eurasian Kestrel 2, Grey Kestrel 1, Red-eyed Dove 15, Laughing Dove 1, Violet Turaco 2, Western Plantain-eater 4, Levaillant’s Cuckoo 1, Senegal Coucal 3, Little Swift 4, African Pygmy Kingfisher 2, Woodland Kingfisher 1, Brown-throated Wattle-eye 1, Northern Puffback 2, Red-shouldered Cuckooo-Shrike 1, Yellow-billed Shrike 5, Fork-tailed Drongo 1, African Paradise Flycatcher 5, Pied Crow 2, Lesser-striped Swallow 3, Yellow-throated Greenbul 3, Common Bulbul 25, Green-backed Camaroptera 1, African Thrush 15, Collared Sunbird 1, Green-headed Sunbird 1, Scarlet-chested Sunbird 5, Superb Sunbird 1, Variable Sunbird 2, Copper Sunbird 1, Northern Grey-headed Sparrow 2, Village Weaver 12, Black-winged Bishop 1, Red-cheeked Cordonbleu 8, Bronze Mannikin12.

Millennium Park is a public park that is enclosed by heavy fencing with guards at each gate. A bag search is conducted by security, but there is no charge for entrance.

On this Sunday afternoon, there were a few families with children using the playground and a few couples flirting in the shade of trees.  I should guess that it is very quiet during the week.

There are no facilities except hawkers selling refreshments at the gate.

The private taxi from the hotel cost 4,000 Naira (@ 277 Naira = £1) to drop at the park and pick up again 2 hours later.

For a previous post from Millennium Park, follow the link below;

http://redgannet.blogspot.co.uk/2010/05/millenium-park-abuja-nigeria.html

Visit the dedicated Africa Page for more posts from Nigeria.
Birding, birdwatching, Abuja, Nigeria

Walter Sisulu Botanic Gardens, Johannesburg, South Africa, July 2014

Walter Sisulu Botanic Gardens nestle beneath a rocky bluff in a well-heeled, well-guarded neighbourhood in the western suburbs of Johannesburg. Its finest feature is a beautiful waterfall that cascades down the face of the cliff, providing protection on one side for the nest of a resident pair of Black Eagles.

Being a Sunday morning, I expected the gardens to be busy, but the early morning chill of July kept the gardens quiet for the first couple of hours until the sun had time to warm the air.

A small flock of Speckled Mousebirds were perched in a leafless bush soaking up the warmth from the early morning sun. I noticed that they were all perched legs apart, exposing their bellies and breasts to the sun. Is this simply a more efficient way to warm up that the mousebirds have found? Answers on a postcard please.

I arrived a few minutes before the opening time of 08.00 and had to wait on the street outside until the gates were opened. The car park is worth exploring before venturing into the gardens and brought Southern Boubou, Fairy Flycatcher and Karoo Thrush before I handed over RSA 35 (@RSA 16 = £1) to enter.

I was greeted by an African Wattled Lapwing on the lawns just inside the gate. Further up the slope a Spotted Dikkop skulked like a petulant teenager with his hands in his pockets.

The main body of the gardens are to the south of the gate and I followed the path towards the waterfall which could be seen as I walked along.  Little side excursions brought Helmeted Guineafowl, Cape Robin Chat and Grosbeak Weaver. A Bokmakerie slowed my progress as it posed on a small patch of lawn.

The eagles were tending to a chick during this third week of July and the eagle-watchers had set up a stand with a scope, information on the pair, their history and breeding success of previous years. They kept notes on the comings and goings and were able to update anyone who was interested, on the birds’ breeding progress so far this year.

My attempts to capture decent photos were not very successful despite many, many shots fired. The intent at the back of my mind for a 10,000 Birds post featuring the eagles may have to wait until I have mastered this photographic lark. Nevertheless, a couple of useable ones came out as the male (I was reliably informed) glided across the face of the cliff, harried by Pied Crows that leapt into flight every time the eagles took to the air.

If you prefer better picture quality, try the live eagle cam mounted on the cliff, close to the eagles' nest.

The female (again I am relying on local knowledge) remained on the nest and the chick could be seen over the edge of the structure when it sat up.

The male caught a Rock Hyrax as we watched, but I was surprised that he didn’t take it to the nest. Instead, he found a cliff perch and appeared to eat the dassie without any thought given to his partner or their offspring.

A trail leads up the slope to the right of the waterfall and a good vantage point can be found a little way up. It gives a better angle to view the nest and brings the watcher closer to the eagles’ early morning flight level as they cross the cliff before the thermals give them lift for soaring.

The trail leads to the top of the waterfall where signs advise people who need advising, that they should not throw stones at the eagles’ nest. The birds have actually moved nest sites to a position just beyond normal stone-throwing distance and with a ledge above to protect from the stronger arm. The new site for the nest is just out of view from the top of the cliff, but Rock Martins, Black-collared Barbet and Red-winged Starlings were seen while I was up there.

The trail then drops back down through acacia scrub towards the northern part of the garden. The acacia bushes are popular with Common Fiscal Shrike, Tawny-flanked Prinia, Bar-throated Apalis and Common Bulbul.

A hide overlooks a small dam at Google Earth ref;26 5 5.57S 27 50 36.85E. A Green-backed Heron hid amongst the grass at the edge of a small island in front of the hide. A Long-tailed Cormorant flew in and despite hauling up right in front of the heron, neither bird even acknowledged the other.

The peace was ruined by the arrival of a small flock of Hadeda Ibis. They flew into the tree beside the dam with a loud squawking and flapping. One dropped down to a dead snag in the water and gave a beautiful view of the sheen that can be seen on its plumage in good light.

Bird list for Walter Sisulu Botanic Gardens; 40

Egyptian Goose 2, African Black Duck 1, Helmeted Guineafowl 4, Lon-tailed Cormorant 1, Cattle Egret 1, Striated Heron 1, Hadada Ibis 7, Verreaux’s Eagle 3, Peregrine Falcon 1, Blacksmith Plover 8, Crowned Lapwing 2, Speckled Pigeon 6, Red-eyed Dove 15, Ring-necked Dove 4, Laughing Dove 2, Grey Go-away-bird 4, White-browed Coucal 1, Speckled Mousebird 15, African Grey Hornbill 1, Black-collared Barbet 2, Southern Boubou 3, Bokmakerie 2, Common Fiscal 2, Pied Crow 15, Rock Martin 5, Fairy Flycatcher 1, Common Bulbul 20, Bar-throated Apalis 2, Tawny-flanked Prinia 3, Cape Robin-Chat 2, Cape Rock-Thrush 2, Karoo Thrush 2, Cape Glossy Starling 2, Red-winged Starling 5, White-breasted Sunbird 1, Yellow-fronted Canary 6, Cape Sparrow 20, Yellow-throated Petronia 10, Village Weaver 3, Grosbeak Weaver 1.

Walter Sisulu Botanic Gardens is open every day from 08.00 until 17.00 and costs RSA 35 to enter. Secure parking is offered in the marshalled, gated car park.

Facilities include toilets, restaurant and gift shop.

An open air stage at the lower end of the first lawn is the venue for musical evenings as the audience picnic on the grass. Event information can be seen at this link;

http://www.sanbi.org/events/walter-sisulu

Previous visits to Walter Sisulu Botanic Gardens can be seen at the links below;

http://redgannet.blogspot.co.uk/2011/02/walter-sisulu-botanical-gardens.html

http://www.redgannet.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/walter-sisulu-botanic-gardens.html

http://www.redgannet.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/the-lions-of-krugersdorp.html

Visit the dedicated Africa page for more posts from Johannesburg and South Africa.

Birding, Birdwatching, Safari, South Africa.