Today was a little better. It was cool this morning and quite a few birds came in. Two cardinals, two Eurasian Collared-Doves, six Chipping Sparrows, one Mourning Dove, eight House Sparrows and one Common Grackle visited the feeders. I kept hoping one of the Yellow-rumped Warblers would visit the water so we could count them.
I think I'm going to get up early in the morning and go birding in the woods for a little bit. I'm curious to see how many more winter migrants have come in. I also want to check the pond to see if any ducks are hanging out down there. There are several more plants around the edges, so they may feel a little more comfortable.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Feeders Are A Little More Active
It seems that the birds are slowly coming back to the feeders. This morning as the sun was just coming up, three Chipping Sparrows were on my ground feeder eating millet. As I watched more, the Yellow-rumped Warblers really got active in the trees behind the house. Several of them came to the bird bath and got a drink. A couple of Eastern Bluebirds came to the bird bath as well. I'm hoping the Yellow-rumped Warblers find the suet I put out. That would be fun to have them coming to a feeder. Two Carolina Chickadees were enjoying the new oil sunflower I put out for them. I'm ready for them to all be back at the feeders all the time!
As I was going to my car to leave for work, a flock of about 10 American Robins flew overhead. Those were the first ones I've seen this fall. I need to get down in the woods and see what has shown up. Maybe on Monday.
As I was going to my car to leave for work, a flock of about 10 American Robins flew overhead. Those were the first ones I've seen this fall. I need to get down in the woods and see what has shown up. Maybe on Monday.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Raptors! Raptors! Raptors!
Our second day of Project FeederWatch was a little more productive, but not much. We added Northern Cardinal and Eurasian Collared-Dove to our list. It was nice to see the cardinal out there because I haven't seen one regularly in weeks. Hopefully they'll start coming back a little more.
I did watch the rest of the birds around the house today and it was the day of the raptors! I saw six species of raptors flying around or over the house this afternoon. Osprey, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk and Merlin. The Merlin was perched on a utility pole. He stayed long enough to allow me to get my scope and get some good close-ups. The Sharp-shinned Hawk snagged a House Sparrow at the feeder this morning.
Overall, I saw fifteen species of birds today. It was fun even though I didn't get to get out and go birdwatching.
Birds Seen 11/16/09 (15 species): Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk. Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Merlin, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Eastern Phoebe, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Northern Cardinal, Red-winged Blackbird, House Sparrow
I did watch the rest of the birds around the house today and it was the day of the raptors! I saw six species of raptors flying around or over the house this afternoon. Osprey, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk and Merlin. The Merlin was perched on a utility pole. He stayed long enough to allow me to get my scope and get some good close-ups. The Sharp-shinned Hawk snagged a House Sparrow at the feeder this morning.
Overall, I saw fifteen species of birds today. It was fun even though I didn't get to get out and go birdwatching.
Birds Seen 11/16/09 (15 species): Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk. Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Merlin, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Eastern Phoebe, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Northern Cardinal, Red-winged Blackbird, House Sparrow
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Project FeederWatch Day 1
Our Project FeederWatch started off pretty slowly today. A male Sharp-shinned Hawk chased the House Sparrows for a little while. He hung around the feeders for a while, so they were pretty quiet. He must have left because the House Sparrows came back along with a couple of Chipping Sparrows. That was it. Maybe things will pick up a little more tomorrow.
Project FeederWatch
Project FeederWatch began this weekend. It's a six-month long survey of birds that visit feeders, water and other things provided by people for them. Our count starts today. This year, instead of just seeing what birds come, we're going to keep a record of which feeders they visit. It's an added piece of information for us to see which of our feeders are most commonly used and which aren't used very much. I think it's going to be a lot of fun for us.
I have seen most of the winter migrants in the area now. An Eastern Phoebe hangs out around the house quite a bit. Yellow-rumped Warblers are in the tops of the trees along with Ruby-crowned Kinglets. Occasionally I'll hear a Northern Flicker calling from in the woods. I sure wish one of them would find my feeders! That would be cool! I'm hoping the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker finds me again this year. It won't be long before the American Goldfinches begin coming to the feeders. They're in the area and a few people have them at their feeders already. That's a little earlier than usual. It will be interesting to see if the National Weather Service's prediction of a cooler, wetter winter comes true and how that influences the birds.
I have seen between ten and twelve Eastern Bluebirds around and in my yard over the past couple of weeks. I'm really hoping for two pairs of them to nest this spring. It's so fun to listen to their call as they're flying overhead.
It's daylight now, so I'm going to start watching the feeders!
I have seen most of the winter migrants in the area now. An Eastern Phoebe hangs out around the house quite a bit. Yellow-rumped Warblers are in the tops of the trees along with Ruby-crowned Kinglets. Occasionally I'll hear a Northern Flicker calling from in the woods. I sure wish one of them would find my feeders! That would be cool! I'm hoping the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker finds me again this year. It won't be long before the American Goldfinches begin coming to the feeders. They're in the area and a few people have them at their feeders already. That's a little earlier than usual. It will be interesting to see if the National Weather Service's prediction of a cooler, wetter winter comes true and how that influences the birds.
I have seen between ten and twelve Eastern Bluebirds around and in my yard over the past couple of weeks. I'm really hoping for two pairs of them to nest this spring. It's so fun to listen to their call as they're flying overhead.
It's daylight now, so I'm going to start watching the feeders!
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Inside Birdwatching
Between the insanely high numbers of mosquitoes and the all-day rain even we had yesterday, I didn't get out to do any birding on the property. I did take some time to pull up a chair and watch through the back door as much as I could.
I finally had a pair of cardinals at my feeders again! It has been at least a couple of months since I have seen cardinals out there. My other feeder birds included Carolina Chickadee, Eurasian Collared-Dove, White-winged Dove and Blue Jay. An Eastern Phoebe came to check out my bird bath and got a drink out of it. I'm not sure why he chose my bird bath over all the water on the ground! I still have one Ruby-throated Hummingbird hanging around my feeder. It's a female or juvenile. I am glad to see my feeders becoming more active since it's just three more weeks until Project FeederWatch begins. It would be embarrassing to send in reports of no birds at my feeders! One of the more interesting sightings from yesterday was the hundreds of Northern Rough-winged Swallows that were passing through. They were all moving from northeast to southwest.
It's been nice to see the American Crow population rebounding. When West Nile Virus hit several years ago, it really took a toll on the crow population around here. There were years when I didn't record a crow on the property list (2004 and 2005.) Now I see or hear them almost daily.
I got kind of excited yesterday when I realized it is just about three months until the Purple Martins return! I'm looking forward to seeing the pair that nested with me this past year return. The male should be in his adult plumage and looking great! I'm hoping they attract lots of their friends!
I finally had a pair of cardinals at my feeders again! It has been at least a couple of months since I have seen cardinals out there. My other feeder birds included Carolina Chickadee, Eurasian Collared-Dove, White-winged Dove and Blue Jay. An Eastern Phoebe came to check out my bird bath and got a drink out of it. I'm not sure why he chose my bird bath over all the water on the ground! I still have one Ruby-throated Hummingbird hanging around my feeder. It's a female or juvenile. I am glad to see my feeders becoming more active since it's just three more weeks until Project FeederWatch begins. It would be embarrassing to send in reports of no birds at my feeders! One of the more interesting sightings from yesterday was the hundreds of Northern Rough-winged Swallows that were passing through. They were all moving from northeast to southwest.
It's been nice to see the American Crow population rebounding. When West Nile Virus hit several years ago, it really took a toll on the crow population around here. There were years when I didn't record a crow on the property list (2004 and 2005.) Now I see or hear them almost daily.
I got kind of excited yesterday when I realized it is just about three months until the Purple Martins return! I'm looking forward to seeing the pair that nested with me this past year return. The male should be in his adult plumage and looking great! I'm hoping they attract lots of their friends!
Monday, October 19, 2009
Birding On A Cool Fall Morning
Even with the cooler temperatures, there are still at least three hummingbirds hanging around my feeder. I took all but one feeder down for the winter. I'll keep a feeder going throughout the winter with the hope that a Rufous Hummingbird or other western hummingbird will find me.
I went walking in the woods for a little bit this morning. The mosquitoes weren't nearly as bad today. That was a welcome relief! I did find four FOS birds today. A Chipping Sparrow was in my backyard. I haven't seen him down at the feeder yet, but he'll be there at some point. Down in the woods, we found a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. A Sharp-shinned Hawk was in a tree in the pasture. He flew right above us giving us some great looks at him. A Belted Kingfisher alerted us to his presence with his rattle call and we watched him fly overhead. As far as neotropical migrants, they were non-existent down there. This is the worst year for fall migration that I can remember since we've been here.
Birds Seen 10/19/09 (23 species): Cattle Egret, Sharp-shinned Hawk (FOS), Killdeer, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Belted Kingfisher (FOS), Red-bellied Woodpecker, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (FOS), Downy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Blue Jay, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Carolina Chickadee, Carolina Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Eastern Bluebird, Northern Mockingbird, Brown Thrasher, Chipping Sparrow (FOS), Northern Cardinal, Red-winged Blackbird, House Sparrow
I went walking in the woods for a little bit this morning. The mosquitoes weren't nearly as bad today. That was a welcome relief! I did find four FOS birds today. A Chipping Sparrow was in my backyard. I haven't seen him down at the feeder yet, but he'll be there at some point. Down in the woods, we found a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. A Sharp-shinned Hawk was in a tree in the pasture. He flew right above us giving us some great looks at him. A Belted Kingfisher alerted us to his presence with his rattle call and we watched him fly overhead. As far as neotropical migrants, they were non-existent down there. This is the worst year for fall migration that I can remember since we've been here.
Birds Seen 10/19/09 (23 species): Cattle Egret, Sharp-shinned Hawk (FOS), Killdeer, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Belted Kingfisher (FOS), Red-bellied Woodpecker, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (FOS), Downy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Blue Jay, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Carolina Chickadee, Carolina Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Eastern Bluebird, Northern Mockingbird, Brown Thrasher, Chipping Sparrow (FOS), Northern Cardinal, Red-winged Blackbird, House Sparrow
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