On The Road – Albatrossity – April, ave atque vale

Our local over-wintering Yellow-rumped Warblers (Setophaga coronata coronata) get quite colorful before they head back north for the summer. This handsome male is even showing off the yellow “crown” that is the source of the specific epithet in his Linnean name. Click here for larger image.

I never tire of photographing Cedar Waxwings (Bombycilla cedrorum), and lots of folks never tire of seeing the pictures, as they are a favorite bird for many. We are barely on the edge of their breeding range here, and we have seen recently fledged waxwings in the cedar-rich woods behind the house. Hopefully we can see some this summer! Click here for larger image.

Chipping Sparrows (Spizella passerina) arrive here just as the last Dark-eyed Juncos are leaving, and both of these species can be quite vocal in April. It is a challenge to ID the vocalizations. Check these out; Chipping Sparrow and Dark-eyed Junco songs. Your ears are probably better than mine, but I am usually flummoxed by these two songs. Click here for larger image.

Streaky and skulky might be the best descriptor for lots of sparrows, but it really fits the Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis). This species overwinters here rarely, but is one of the first migrants to appear each spring, and is truly abundant throughout the fall here. Despite its name, it does not prefer savannah habitats; the name was given by Alexander Wilson because he collected a specimen in Savannah GA in 1811.  And the “sandwichensis” specific epithet has an odd geographical history as well, which you can read about in the linked article above. Click here for larger image.

Shorebirds are also one of the highlights of April migration. This Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularia) is one of the few shorebird species that spends the summers here. In fact, it is the most common breeding sandpiper on the continent, nesting near ponds and streams coast-to-coast in the lower 48 and up into arctic Canada and Alaska. Click here for larger image.

Willets (Tringa semipalmata) are another bird with a vast breeding range, and the only North American shorebird that breeds south of the north-temperate zone, with breeding populations as far south as Venezuela. Fortunately, they are not tattooed gang members anywhere that they are found. Interestingly, his species has two disjunct breeding populations. The Eastern Willet (T. s. semipalmata) breeds on the Atlantic coast, while birds like this Western Willet (T. s. inornata) breed in the interior of the continent; we may see them in Montana on our upcoming road trip. And maybe someday the taxonomic deities will split this species and add a tick to lots of life lists. Click here for larger image.

One of our largest shorebirds, the American Avocet (Recurvirostra americana) is not abundant in spring in my part of Flyover Country, but a few show up every April at one of the local lakes. Usually they migrate in flocks, but this guy was a loner. Hopefully it was reunited with the flock later on its way north. Click here for larger image.

Another welcome shorebird sight in April, but Upland Sandpipers (Bartramia longicauda) don’t generally hang out on shores. They are prairie birds in the South American pampas in winter, and prairie birds on the North American prairies in the summer. And they have one of the most distinctive and most welcoming calls of any of our returning summer residents. Click here for larger image.

Smallish white terns can be tricky to identify, and even JJ Audubon screwed up on this one. But, fortunately or unfortunately, my part of the country regularly sees only this one, Forster’s Tern (Sterna forsteri). Elegant and graceful, terns of any species are one of my favorite photographic subjects. Click here for larger image.

The final image is of a species that is not regularly seen by me around here, the White-faced Ibis (Plegadis chihi). A small flock visited one of my favorite birding spots, however, so I took advantage of that opportunity to get some shots. It was an overcast day, but that soft light really brought out the subtle iridescent hues on the plumage. I put this shot on my Facebook page the next day, and I sold a print to someone who saw it there and thought that they needed to have it! Click here for larger image.