Thursday, Friday, and Saturday I spent a few hours photographing birds in each of the Kearsarge area towns of New London, Sunapee, and Newport. There are photos of 19 species taken these three days on this blog, but the prize and surprise for me was finding a Canada Warbler in New London.
It was at a site I had been to many times, but I had never seen or heard a Canada Warbler there. Strange thing was, as I was walking in I thought for the first time that this could be good habitat for this species — low, dense, wet vegetation. I was thinking about Canada Warblers and then the bird appeared like magic.
Just before I found the Canada Warbler there was a White-throated Sparrow …
… and a female Black-and-White Warbler.
A bit earlier that morning there were a pair of Common Loons on Pleasant Lake.
Surprisingly, all of the above photos were taken within a span of 52 minutes.
Here are some of the other photos I got of the cooperative Canada Warbler.
In Newport, I hiked along a rail trail near the Sugar River. I got a brief look at an Eastern Phoebe.
And an even briefer view of a Hairy Woodpecker.
An Ovenbird sang, and I managed to find it.
A Chestnut-sided Warbler was singing loudly and came quite close to the trail.
Sunapee was my most productive location. I visited several sites with a variety of habitat.
The large fields along Trask Road had been mowed displacing the Bobolinks. I found several in a field across Route 103.
Along Trask Road I found Cedar Waxwings and a Yellow Warbler.
I moved into a wooded location. I caught a quick glimpse of two turkeys with a group of young.
Up very high a Scarlet Tanager sang with its “sore throat”. I just got a quick shot before it was gone.
Warblers were represented by a Pine, Black-throated Green, and an Ovenbird.
In a small opening in the woods, a Broad-winged Hawk caught a rodent and flew off only to return 20 minutes later and perch for a short time giving me an over-shoulder glance.
All the while I was in the woods I was listening to the loud and boring “song” of a Red-eyed Vireo, and the much more pleasant flute of a Hermit Thrush.
A Great Blue Heron flew along the shore of the lake.
I stumbled across a Kingbird on a nest that was actually overhanging the water.
Its mate stood guard nearby.
Also nearby an Eastern Phoebe posed for my camera.
Here are a few other photos I took during three days in mid-June.
