recent arrivals

Recent Arrivals:

Hairy Woodpecker: does not seem to nest on the property but appeared here a couple of days ago with its signature loud EEEK! as a giveaway. It joins our woodpeckers-in-residence: the smaller Downy Woodpecker, the common Red-bellied Woodpecker and the Northern Flicker. The only other woodpecker likely to be seen here is the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, a winter resident that arrives in the fall.

Belted Kingfisher: Although this bird has been a regular on Weesuck Creek over the years, it has been noticeably absent this summer until this morning when one turned up on the creek. Its signature call, a loud rattle, is always a giveaway.

Spicebush Swallowtail: Not a bird but a summer butterfly and one of the biggest and most attractive of its kind. I think our insects feed on Sassafras which is a fairly common local tree.

I recently discovered a web site for "Skippers of the Northeast" with a lot of videos of different species. Skippers are butterflies but they are far and away the most difficult to ID>

Eric Salzman