Cattle Egrets and a Cool Front

The past few days I've seen Cattle Egrets on my front yard. There must be enough insects around to support them.

Saturday morning could be a good time to get out and see some migrants. A cool front is forecast to move offshore which will cause the northbound migrants to fly into a headwind. They will tire more quickly and land in the first trees they see. They are likely to stay in the area until a south wind returns to help them on their journey northward.

Looking More Like Spring

Today was the day for birds with brownish backs and spots on the breast. Brown Thrashers and Hermit Thrushes were absolutely everywhere today! The Hermit Thrushes were calling with their flute-like call. I don't think I've ever seen that many of them at a time! I saw several Golden-crowned Kinglets today too. I haven't seen one all winter, but they were out in good numbers today.

Springtime migrants are increasing. There were at least two Northern Parulas calling this morning. Hooded Warblers are singing their territorial song. Tree Swallows and Northern Rough-winged Swallows (FOS) are flying over in large groups. I had an FOS Black-and-white Warbler hopping around in the thickets of tri-foliate orange trees. Cardinals, White-eyed Vireos, Inca Doves, and Tufted Titmice were filling the woods with their songs. At one point, I heard so many birds calling that it was hard to distinguish between them all. Pileated Woodpeckers were calling back and forth. On my way back in, an Upland Sandpiper called as it flew overhead.

Later in the afternoon while riding the four-wheeler through some standing water, a Spotted Sandpiper flew away from me. He makes property bird #174.

Birds Seen (33 species): Great Egret, Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Red-shouldered Hawk, Spotted Sandpiper, Upland Sandpiper, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Mourning Dove, Inca Dove, Pileated Woodpecker, White-eyed Vireo, Blue Jay, Purple Martin, Tree Swallow, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Wren, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Hermit Thrush, American Robin, Gray Catbird, Brown Thrasher, Northern Parula, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, Hooded Warbler, Song Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Northern Cardinal, Red-winged Blackbird, Common Grackle

Other Wildlife Seen:
Mammals: Eastern Gray Squirrel

Reptiles: Eastern Three-toed Box Turtle

Butterflies: Giant Swallowtail

Swallows!

As I went out to get the mail, twenty to thirty Tree Swallows and five or six Purple Martins were flying overhead. I love watching swallows! They seem like they fly just for the fun of it.

I've still got a couple of Song Sparrows hanging out around my feeders.

New Bird & Butterflies

Today was a great day out in the woods. Not only was the weather absolutely beautiful, the birds and butterflies were active. The Northern Parula is singing in the first tree covered with Spanish moss. A Hooded Warbler was foraging along a trail that has been cut into the woods. There are thick blackberry vines and a fallen tree there providing him ample cover. A Common Yellowthroat sang his witchity-witchity-witchity song. I watched a Carolina Chickadee flying around with a large caterpillar in his beak. He wouldn't go to the nest wherever it is with me standing there. The Inca Dove was calling again. Cardinals were singing everywhere.

Among the winter birds that are still here, Yellow-rumped Warblers are most prevalent. White-throated Sparrows are not far behind. The Field Sparrows are still along the fence in the backyard. The most exciting wintertime bird that I saw today was an Eastern Towhee. The reason it is so exciting is that it is the first time I've seen one on the property. That makes 173 species I've seen since we moved here in September 2003.

The butterflies were actively flying around today. The Question Marks were the most common. I also saw several Pearl Crescent and Falcate Orangetip. It seems they were flying all over.

Total Bird List (32 species): Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Red-shouldered Hawk, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Mourning Dove, Inca Dove, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Eastern Phoebe, White-eyed Vireo, Blue Jay, American Crow, Purple Martin, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Eastern Bluebird, Hermit Thrush, American Robin, Gray Catbird, Northern Mockingbird, Brown Thrasher, Northern Parula, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Hooded Warbler, Eastern Towhee, Field Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Northern Cardinal

Other wildlife seen:

Butterflies (10 species): Black Swallowtail, Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Falcate Orangetip, Cloudless Sulpher, Red-banded Hairstreak, American Snout, Gulf Fritillary, Pearl Crescent, Question Mark, Hackberry Emporer

Reptiles (2 species): Green Anole, Three-toed Box Turtle

Mammals (1 species): Eastern Gray Squirrel

Wet! Wet! Wet!

After nearly 4 inches of rain since Monday, I put on my rubber boots and went out into the woods this morning. As I was walking toward the woods, two Barn Swallows made their first appearance on my list this spring. I made my way to one of the trees where the Northern Parulas nested in the past. As I walked through the standing water, mosquitoes were flying low over the surface. I sure hope it dries before the eggs have a chance to hatch! I got to the tree and stood around for quite a while listening for the Northern Parula to call. I finally decided that there wasn't one around and began to walk off. I had taken no more than five steps when I heard that rising buzz! I was not able to visually locate him, though. I walked on and came to the second tree where the Northern Parulas usually are. I heard a warbler-like call that I wasn't completely familiar with. I finally found the caller - another Northern Parula! As I was walking out of the woods, I heard another warbler-like call, which ended up being another Northern Parula. While I was searching for that parula, a male Hooded Warbler popped up in front of me! After I lost visual contact with the Hooded Warbler, a Gray Catbird began hopping around in the tangle of tri-foliate orange trees. He is probably a winter resident here rather than a spring migrant. Spring is definitely coming!

Winter birds still rule the day. Along with all the regulars, I had a pair of Field Sparrows along the fence in the backyard. An Orange-crowned Warbler was quite active around my favorite yaupon holly thicket. His feathers around his face must still be coming in because his head was bald! There were literally hundreds of Yellow-rumped Warblers on a feeding frenzy. They were flitting through the tops of the trees very quickly. I looked at as many as I could hoping to see something different. I suppose they are getting ready for their northward migration.

I added a new bird to my property list this morning! A Caspian Tern flew over and will forever be property bird #172. I tallied 31 species this morning in a couple of hours of birding.

FOS Species: Barn Swallow, Northern Parula, Hooded Warbler, Gray Catbird

Other wildlife seen:

Reptiles: Common Garter Snake

Mammals: Gray Squirrel

Butterflies: Buckeye

An Abundance of Brown Thrashers

Today was the day for the brown thrashers! If I didn't see them, they saw me and sounded their sharp alarm call from deep in cover of tri-foliate orange thickets or yaupon holly bushes. I saw and/or heard at least six in the hour I walked around in the woods today. There is nothing new to report with the spring migrants. I looked at dozens of yellow-rumped warblers hoping they'd be something different. I keep going to the two trees laden with Spanish moss where the northern parula nests each year and listen for him singing. Nothing yet. He'll be here this week announcing to possible rivals that he's claimed this territory.

Other wildlife seen today:
Butterflies - giant swallowtail, eastern tiger swallowtail, falcate orangetip, cloudless sulpher, gulf fritillary, question mark and red admiral
Reptiles - chicken turtle, five-lined skink

Spring Is In The Air

Spring is definitely in the air around the property this morning! Several species were singing announcing their territory. Cardinals with their pretty-pretty-pretty call, tufted titmice saying peter-peter-peter, white-eyed vireos with their jumbled song, Carolina chickadees saying feed me-feed me, and Carolina wrens calling tea kettle-tea kettle-tea kettle-tea were the loudest. The Inca doves were calling with their incessent coo-coo call that seems to go on for hours. Even the pileated woodpeckers were getting into the act as if to say, "We may not be the largest woodpecker in North America anymore, but we're the biggest in these woods!" The red-shouldered hawk is sitting on eggs. Eastern bluebirds are in the very beginning stages of nest-building in the nest box in Aunt Nona's yard. Purple martins are flying around. An ASY (after second year) male and female checked out my house as they were flying around this morning. The chances they'll nest in my house is low. Late in the afternoon, two tree swallows flew over for the first of season (FOS) this year.

Even with all the signs of spring, winter is still in evidence. The yellow-bellied sapsucker that has been visiting my suet log did not disappoint this morning. Northern flickers were calling back and forth. Ruby-crowned kinglets and yellow-rumped warblers flitted through the treetops. White-throated sparrows and two brown thrashers were in the heavy cover of the tri-foliate orange trees with their 2" thorns. Cedar waxwings announced their presence with their high-pitched calls as they fly around looking for a yaupon or deciduous holly still holding onto its berries.

I will be birding as much as possible through the second week of May. My records over the past three years indicate northern parulas and black-and-white warblers will show up this week. Hooded warblers will begin showing up in the last week of March. There are some spring migrants that are surprisingly absent on my property list. Kentucky warbler, cerulean warbler, prothonotary warbler, golden-winged warbler, mourning warbler are the ones I would expect to find at some point. Maybe this year . . . With the early start of Daylight Saving Time and getting off at 4:00 in the afternoons, I should have quite a bit of time for birding this spring.

Other wildlife viewed this morning were gray squirrels and fox squirrels.