On the Road is a weekday feature spotlighting reader photo submissions.
From the exotic to the familiar, whether you’re traveling or in your own backyard, we would love to see the world through your eyes.
Happy Monday, everybody! We start off with Albatrossity, then have barn photos from JanieM, and then we’re on with BillinGlendale because it’s Wednesday. On Thursday tom takes us to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and on Friday TomV takes us to Budapest!
Albatrossity
The first week of September, when many of these shots were taken, is typically the transition between summer and autumn here in my patch of Flyover Country. This year was no exception; we have local birds leaving, northern migrants passing through, and some of our winter residents bulking up during the fat season.

Fresh fall plumage for this Warbling Vireo (Vireo gilvus) means that it is time to leave Kansas and head to the western parts of Mexico. This normally exceedingly dull-colored bird looks its very best right after this fall molt.

Mississippi Kites (Ictinia mississippiensis) were my “spark bird”, aka the bird that got me interested in bird-watching. They were abundant summer residents in my home town of Garden City KS, and my brother and I even “rehabbed” one that had struck a window in the church building across the street. That means we kept it in a box for a day, fed it cicadas, and watched it fly off the next day. All of which is illegal unless you are a licensed rehabber, of course. This one, however, seems to be telling me to back off…

This is a 2021 model-year Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula), as judged by the spiffy unworn feathers and the fleshy gape at the corners of its mouth. Its first trip south is just a couple of weeks away; a winter in Central America is hopefully a prelude to seeing it again next May here.

Common Nighthawks (Chordeiles minor) can sometimes allow very close approach, since they are pretty convinced that you don’t see them hunkered down and imitating a bump on a tree branch. So this one allowed me to approach ridiculously close for this portrait, close enough that you can see its weird tiny bill and huge nostril. Here’s a lovely essay on all things nighthawk by my friend Laura Erickson.

That completely fresh-feathered Warbling Vireo above is ahead in the molting game compared to this still-molting Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus), because the vireo is a migrant leaving soon, and the chickadee will be here all winter. So it can molt a bit later and will have fresher feathers for the winter ahead. Chickadees are damn cute, but that masks a bad-ass attitude that would put a rat terrier to shame. Pugnacious and aggressive, they will fight you every second while you are trying to band them. After a few of those experiences I decided that the world would be a very dangerous place if chickadees attained the size of humans.

A bird waiting to go through its first winter in Flyover Country, this young Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus) has only a hint of red on its otherwise grey head. It was learning to fend for itself, exploring this dead snag for any tasty snacks its parents might have overlooked.

Here’s another youngster, foraging on its own and hopefully fattening up enough to make it through the upcoming winter. Young Northern Cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis) are distinguished by their dusky bills, rather than the fully lipstick-red versions found on the adults. This one still has some dusky hints on the bill, but it will be fully red soon.

Bald Eagles (Haliæetus leucocephalus) are found year-round pretty much everywhere in North America these days, thanks to those pesky government regulations in the Endangered Species Act. This bird is probably in its fifth year on the planet; you can see some faint brown feathering still in the head and tail, which will be pure white in older birds.

Migrant warbler season peaks here in late September/early October, but some will arrive in early September, like this Nashville Warbler (Leiothlypis ruficapilla). Despite the name, this warbler is only seen in Tennessee during migration, and spends summers in second-growth shrubby forests in the northern US and southern Canada. Although this is thought of as a typical eastern warbler, there are disjunct populations (originally called the Calaveras Warbler) in the northwestern US and adjacent Canada.

Another early migrant through these parts is the Least Flycatcher (Empidonax minimus). Many Empidonax Flycatchers are difficult to ID away from the breeding range; unless they vocalize, they are best left identified only at the genus level. Fortunately the Least Flycatcher lives up to its name; it is quite diminutive and relatively easy to ID based on its tiny size. The fact that it is the most common of the Empidonax flycatchers is helpful as well!
SiubhanDuinne
OTR is among my favourite BJ features, and I’m always especially happy when I see Albatrossity’s name. I know I’m in for some gorgeous photos and fascinating information on birds. Today’s instalment did not disappoint. Thank you.
Mary G
Albatrossity (that nym always makes me smile) always lightens the usually dreaded week ahead for me. It seems unfair that I had to learn that a bird I’ve always imagined as chirpy and cute, the chickadee, is actually murderously angry. Of course, that’s been said of me, too.
swiftfox
Long shot, but I was wondering if Art was still teaching biology at one of the GC high schools. His wife was a reservation clinic doctor. We were field grunts for a USFS aspen avian/small mammal study in 1988.
Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes
Just checking – did you get my submission on my recent Crete trip?
Albatrossity
@swiftfox: if the Art you refer to is Art Nonhof, he is retired, but still lives in the GC area (Holcomb).
Laura Too
All are lovely, but the blue feet on Warbling Vireo? Adorable! Thanks!
MazeDancer
That Mississippi Kite shot is amazing!
Betty Cracker
Great photos as always! I’ve never seen a Nighthawk; they’ve always succeeded in imitating bumps on a tree when I’m around. What an odd looking nostril and teeny-tiny bill! ;)
WaterGirl
@Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: I did! You are tentatively scheduled for the week of Oct 25.
OzarkHillbilly
Por que no los dos?
stinger
Must be something innate to the human psyche, trying to pick a favorite photo of any one day’s submission, but I never can when it’s Albatrossity! Each one has something special about it.
mvr
@Mary G:
Badassery is actually becoming in a small bird.
Wonderful photos here, as usual.
Thanks!
JanieM
Thanks as always, Albatrossity. The pictures are beautiful and the level of detail is priceless, as is the information you offer in the descriptions. I especially enjoy the notion that birds have very strong opinions, and your photos indicate that they are not shy about sharing them!
Major Major Major Major
Saw a blue-headed vireo in central park yesterday. I’m sure I’d seen them before but this time I actually noticed! Pretty little thing.
A woman from anywhere (formerly Mohagan)
Wonderful pics and info as always. Thanks. That closeup of the Nighthawk is amazing! I am in awe of your bird-finding and photography skills. Thank you for making my Monday much better.
StringOnAStick
I did not realize how different birds can look based on how old their feathers are until you shared your deep knowledge with us, thank you! Should I assume that most bird books show a fully adult bird with spiffy feathers?
Albatrossity
@StringOnAStick: It is almost impossible to show all the molt-dependent variations of most birds, so yes, field guides show you the young birds and the adult birds but rarely very many birds in those in-between stages. Some birds (e.g. tanagers, some orioles, some herons) have an easily-recognized stage where molting gives them a unique look, but most are more subtle.