BS: Birdwatching

Subject: BS: Birdwatching
From: EBarnacle
Date: 06 Apr 21 - 11:51 AM

Yesterday, Lady Hillary and I were scouting launch points along the Passaic River in Chatham, NJ. We heard an unusual bird call and, using herself's SmartPhone, we were able to identify the call as a red bellied woodpecker. The environment was right, with a lot of dead trees but we were well North of its usual range.
We never did eyeball the bird but the call was loud and distinctive.
I was able to verify it on line.
Do you think this is simply a bird that got off course or a function of global warming?

Subject: RE: BS: Birdwatching
From: EBarnacle
Date: 06 Apr 21 - 07:35 PM

Lady Hillary and I stopped of at the local Audubon center and chatted with a couple of staff. It seems they are resident throughout the Northeast, especially since Hurricane Sandy killed a lot of the trees. They are resident year 'round. I guess I just never noticed them before. Surprising, considering how loud the call is.

Subject: RE: BS: Birdwatching
From: leeneia
Date: 07 Apr 21 - 11:37 AM

Congratulations on your first siting of this bird. Like a lot of birds, it is increasing its range.

A few days ago, the DH got a fine photograph of a flicker calling at the top of a tall, bare tree. We had been hearing it for at least a couple of years, suspected it was a woodpecker of some sort, but didn't know which one. Now we know.

Its cry is a raucous rattle that sounds like something out of an old jungle movie. So out of place in my neighborhood of songbirds.

Subject: RE: BS: Birdwatching
From: Charmion
Date: 07 Apr 21 - 12:37 PM

A Facebook friend of mine resident in the Ottawa area recently posted a photo she took of a Carolina wren at her back-yard bird table.

Carolina wrens are not supposed to hang out in sub-boreal climes like the Ottawa Valley.

Subject: RE: BS: Birdwatching
From: EBarnacle
Date: 07 Apr 21 - 09:30 PM

We have several copies of Peterson's Eastern birds. They describe the range of the red belly as barely North of New Jersey. When I shared this with a friend in Maine, she said they are comman in her area [Freeport}. As I posited above, in the time since Peterson's was published,we may see this as an effect of climate change.