Photo of the Week

This week is National Moth Week. The vast majority of moths fly at night and have special adaptations for a nocturnal lifestyle. They navigate using the stars and moon, find each other with pheromones rather than visual displays, have cryptic patterns for hiding during the day, and can shiver to warm themselves on cooler nights. Some moths even have the ability to hear and jam bat sonar.

However, a select few moths fly during daylight hours. Such moths are often brightly colored and might be mistaken for butterflies, bees, or other insects that we are used to seeing during the day. Among these diurnal moths are the hummingbird sphinx moths in genus Hemaris, family Sphingidae, such as the Snowberry Clearwing pictured above. Like the Hummingbird Clearwing, also in genus Hemaris, its flight is reminiscent of a hummingbird's. Aided by its long proboscis, it feeds on deeply tubular flowers such as the wild bergamot in the photo above. The strongly contrasting yellow and black markings visually suggest those of a bumblebee. When I was photographing this Snowberry Clearwing, I had some trouble keeping track of which yellow-and-black insects were clearwings and which were bumblebees. Snowberry Clearwing moths use snowberry, honeysuckle, and dogbane as larval hosts.

I photographed this Snowberry Clearwing yesterday at Negri-Nepote Grassland Preserve during a Birds and Butterflies walk led by Chris and Paula Williams of NJ Audubon. As of my writing this, thunderstorms are predicted for every night this week, so I am not sure whether I will be able to put out my blacklight.

Spring Birds at Negri-Nepote

Unlike like my last trip to Negri-Nepote, when it was extremely foggy, yesterday was clear and sunny and a bit warm, though not unpleasantly so. A lot of birds were singing near the entrance, including Chipping Sparrow, Common Yellowthroat, and House Wren. Many Tree Swallows were zipping around, but I did not see any other swallow species. At the small pond, there were Killdeer plus three sandpiper species (Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs and Least Sandpiper). I heard at least five singing male Grasshopper Sparrows along the paths cutting through the center of the preserve. I was glad to hear these birds again, though unfortunately I did not get a look at any of them. A few Eastern Bluebirds perched on the telephone lines in the middle of the field. Continuing across the fields, I made my way to the woods, where there were some Field and Song Sparrows singing around the edges, as well as an Eastern Phoebe. In the woods were was a lot of activity, mostly from Eastern Towhees and White-throated Sparrows. Near the other side, there was a small flock of warblers that included Palm Warbler , Yellow-rumped Warbler, and my first Northern Parula of the year. As I crossed under the power lines on my way back, I spotted one of the preserve's American Kestrels flying past.

There were a lot of Spring Beauties in and around the woods, especially along the banks of a small stream that flows through the woods.

Early Spring at Negri-Nepote

When I got to Negri-Nepote Grasslands Preserve yesterday morning, the place was so foggy that I was not able to see across the field. The murky fog made it difficult to identify birds by sight. Fortunately, most species have begun singing by now, so birding by ear was possible. In fact, for the first half of the walk, that was the main way I was picking birds out. The first species I heard was American Robin; by the end of the walk, I had recorded an estimate of about 70 in the reserve. Surely the number was even higher than that given the volume of robin songs and chuckles.

Sparrows were plentiful and very vocal. I quickly located Song Sparrows, White-throated Sparrows, and Dark-eyed Juncos in the brush along the side of the path. There were a lot of each species, all around the refuge. I thought I could hear a Field Sparrow, but I did not confirm that until later, after the fog started to lift, when I found one singing. At about the same spot, I found a Fox Sparrow and later heard a second one sing a few times on the other side of the field.

The pond contained mostly Canada Geese but also a pair of Ring-necked Ducks. Some spring migrants are already arriving. I heard one Eastern Phoebe and saw several Tree Swallows. Many of the latter were checking out the nesting boxes.

Dickcissel at Negri-Nepote

Yesterday morning I went over to Negri-Nepote Grasslands Preserve to look for a Dickcissel that had been reported there the weekend before, and then reported sporadically through the week. On the way out, I heard and then saw Grasshopper Sparrows pretty quickly. My route went through at least three distinct breeding territories. Chipping Sparrows, Field Sparrows, and a House Wren were also singing along the way. I had some nice looks at Field Sparrows close to the path. The pond had the usual summer grouping of swallows, an Eastern Kingbird, and a Killdeer. I think I also saw a Cedar Waxwing flying over the pond as well.

The Dickcissel had been reported in the area between the pond and the house in the middle of the preserve, so I waited along the main path there to see if it would appear. While I waited, I got to listen to Grasshopper Sparrows, Field Sparrows, and Indigo Buntings singing around me. A pair of Orchard Orioles flew pastin tandem. Tree Swallows darted back and forth, while one Tree Swallow seemed content to sit on top of a nestbox. After a while I decided to try my luck from a different position, so I followed the trail between the house and the pond. I searched around a bit more without spotting it, so I asked another birder named Doug if he had seen it. Sure enough, he had, and he pointed it out to me – both the perch where it was sitting and its song. Once he did point it out, the song suddenly sounded a lot more noticeable to me – I must have missed it among the ambient bird sounds that I had been hearing to that point. Doug was nice enough to let me look at it through his scope for a closer view. A spotting scope definitely helps for this bird since the viewing distance can be quite long for such a small bird.

The viewing distance was too far for me to attempt photographing the Dickcissel. (Here is a photo of one of the Negri-Nepote birds from another birder.) However, I did photograph some butterflies while I was there. Above is a Cabbage White, one of the most common butterflies in the area. This individual is a bit more yellow than most. The one below is an Eastern Tailed-blue, puddling on some mud.

Robins and a Snipe

Yesterday I visited the Negri-Nepote grasslands for the second time in two weeks. This time the fields were a lot quieter, without the small flock of Tree Swallows that I had noted last time. What was notable was the number of American Robins, which were present in several large flocks. In the photo below, you can see 20 robins, and that was only a portion of their number.

Besides the robins, there were three American Kestrels, two Northern Harriers, and a Red-tailed Hawk patrolling the fields. A few Eastern Bluebirds seem to be setting up breeding territories in the fields. Beyond that, the preserve is still waiting for the influx of spring migrants and summer residents.

On Thursday, another birder found a Wilson's Snipe in Johnson Park, with further reports of the bird on Friday. So yesterday I went over to follow up since it would be a county bird for me. Sure enough, the snipe turned out to be easy to find, as it was hanging around the same drainage ditch where it was reported for the previous two days.

A couple of Mallards hanging around nearby provided a nice size comparison for the snipe.

Butterflies and Birds at Negri-Nepote

It is unusual for me to see and record more butterflies than birds during a walk, but exactly that happened yesterday at Negri-Nepote. I recorded 14 bird species and 15 butterfly species during a short walk around the first meadow. In addition, there were at least 7 species of dragonflies, though there were probably more that I missed. Most of the dragonflies and butterflies, such as the Black Swallowtail above, were active around the preserve's pond, which is now barely a mudhole thanks to the lack of rain. Each time I have visited the preserve this summer, the water level has been smaller; now there is hardly any.

Even though I was more focused on the plentiful insects, I still saw some interesting bird activity. One of the highlights was when this flock of Mourning Doves had a sudden and unexpected visit from an American Kestrel. The kestrel flew straight through where the doves were perched, doves scattered in all directions, and the kestrel perched on a snag nearby (below). The doves probably did not have much to fear from the kestrel, which is about the same size as a Mourning Dove and usually hunts large insects and small rodents, but they acted from instinct anyway.

Speaking of raptor activity, a young Red-tailed Hawk was hunting in the meadow. There is a Red-tailed Hawk nest in the preserve, so if the pair nested successfully this spring, this may be one of their offspring.  This young hawk seemed uncertain in its movements. In one case, it hovered, then dropped a little, hesitated, then dropped a little more, hesitated again, and then finally dropped to the ground and out of sight. When it emerged again, it did so with empty talons. Red-tails often hover hunt but usually strike more decisively than this bird to preserve some element of surprise. Young raptors usually have the instinct to hunt but not the skills to do it successfully, which they learn through trial and error. (It may be mostly error since 70% of raptors die within their first year.) They need to learn both what types of prey are appropriate and the best techniques for catching them. This young hawk is probably still learning.