Visit from Forester and Audubon Scientist

Yesterday, we were visited by Eric (Forester) and Corrie (Audubon scientist) to do a bird identification and count in our forest that consists of approximately 25 acres located to the east side of our vineyard. We put in an application for the Connecticut Audubon Habitat Assessment program last year and were selected to participate in it. Eric and Corrie and our friend, Frost, whom we invited to join us, gathered on the property at 9 a.m. yesterday. For a day in May, it was unseasonably cold and threatening to rain.

Walking the forest with Eric and Corrie was like having our own personal tree and bird expert to whom we could ask all kinds of questions. Korrie would listen and say, "Did, you hear that, that was the sound of a bluewinged warbler". According to Corrie, it makes a "bee buzz" call that she picked up, as soon as we approached the forest.

Bluewinged Warbler Vermivora cyanoptera Call: bee-buzz
Field Sparrow Spizella pusilla Call: Like a bouncing ball coming to rest
Eastern Towhee Pipilo erythrophthalmus Call: drink-your-tea
Downy Woodpecker Picoides pubescens Call: Pik,whinny and drum
Black-capped Chickadee Poecile atricapillus Call: fee-bee
American Goldfinch Spinus tristis Call: po-ta-to chippppp
Ovenbird Seiurus aurocapilla Call: teacher teacher
Woodthrush Hylocichla mustelina Call: ee-oo-lay
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Sphyrapicus varius Call:
Tufted titmouse Baeolophus bicolor Call: peter-peter (I hear it as Jeeter Jeeter, and I am not a Yankee fan)

Frost and I thought that it was a very interesting and educational day which we really enjoyed. More details on what we saw in the forest will follow in a future blog.
References:
All of the photos and information in the bird table were retrieved from:
1. Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Bird Sightings in the Vineyard

One of the things that we like about the vineyard is the diversity of life on this land. In May 2016, we had a person from the Audubon Society give us an assessment of the bird life on our property. Since that time, we have been watching and listening to the various birds that inhabit this land.
In June 2016, we were delighted to see a pair of mating Baltimore Orioles. Since that time, the Orioles have returned annually to set up their nest.

Also in 2016, we caught a glimpse of an Indigo bunting, but we were never able to get a good enough photo. My husband is now borrowing our friend's Panasonic Lumix camera and he was finally able to get pictures of the Indigo bunting. Apparently, this is the bird's favorite perch.

We have also seen these birds. We know the Eastern Towhee is around when we hear the call "Drink your tea":

Here are some of the common birds that are not afraid of being near us:

And then there are these birds that can be found in the vineyard, except during turkey hunting season, much to the dismay of our hunter and us because wild turkey is good eats!

Cool Discovery While Working in the Vineyard

My husband and I were working on either side of a row of Chenin Blanc vines. I was a little ahead of him and noticed this leaf covered with poop. I did stop for a moment and thought about why just one leaf would have so much poop. It did flash through my mind that it was bird poop, but I continued working.
My husband came along and said, "Did you see this?"
I answered, "What?"
He said "This leaf with all this bird poop."
I said,"Yes, I did."
He said "I wonder why this leaf is covered with poop."
He looked up and there he saw it, a little nest. In my defense, he is a little taller than I am so he was able to see it. But if I am being really honest, he is just more curious than I am and he went looking for the causitive agent. The nest was empty so clearly, whatever made it, had their young and left. We took some pictures and then he said, "I see some goldfinches flying nearby, it might be a goldfinch nest."

So, when we went home, I looked it up on the Internet, and there it was, a nest that looked just like the photo and indeed it was a goldfinch nest. In the past, we have seen bluebird nests but this was the first time seeing a goldfinch nest.
At the Madison Audubon Site this is what was written about the goldfinch nest:
They like to nest in a variety of habitats from rural to urban areas, especially where there are low shrubs to place their nest. According to researchers the nest is an open cup of rootlets and plant fibers lined with plant down, often woven so tightly that it can hold water. The female lashes the foundation to supporting branches using spider silk, and makes a downy lining often using the fluffy “pappus” material taken from the same types of seed heads that goldfinches so commonly feed on. It takes the female about 6 days to build the nest. The female usually has a clutch of 2-7 eggs, an incubation period of 14 days, and 17 days to fledging.
Here is a closeup of the inside of the nest:

I think our mommy goldfinch found the perfect place with the Chenin Blanc shoots and trellis wire for support!