Chirps and Cheeps

After work today, I took leisurely walk through Chestnut Ridge into an area of the park that I was unfamiliar with. I enjoyed the different habitats my path took me on: deep coniferous woods, open meadows, and a wet creek bed.

I heard (and saw) several Red-eyed Vireos, some nesting House Wrens, a very vocal Scarlet Tanager (although I couldn't spot him for the life of me!), a Red-tailed Hawk, a few Common Yellowthroats, several Wood Thrushes (at least 4!), and my most enjoyable bird of the day, several Ovenbirds.  It took me close to a full minute to place their song, but I recognized it!  And then I got excited.  I love this bird so I decided to stalk one - and I found it!  I haven't had much luck finding them before, so it was pretty exciting for me. And wow,  they are QUICK!  But I did manage a few photos, in spite of their challenging disposition...

Did you know the Ovenbird is named for the covered nest it builds? Apparently it resembles a Dutch oven because of the dome and the side entrance on the nest. Another interesting fact is that the female pretends to be crippled when a predator flushes it from its nest. It sounds similar to the way a Killdeer behaves.  I didn't get to observe this, I think

It felt like this week was Red-eyed Vireo week. I was birding in the southerntier on Sunday and found a very cute pair of vireos who must have had a nest nearby - then today, back in our woods, I found another pair that were very sociable - and then today, at the Ridge, another pair was giving me some nice views.  Coincidence?  I wonder.