Spring 2011 Report

With spring migration winding down, I start looking at the birds that I missed during spring migration. This year featured particularly lower warbler numbers (18 species). I'm not sure the reason, but the howling south winds throughout the spring may have had something to do with it. They just didn't stop, and if they did, they didn't stop long. The warblers I missed on the property this spring are:

Nashville Warbler
Yellow-throated Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Cerulean Warbler
Ovenbird
Northern Waterthrush
Louisiana Waterthrush
Kentucky Warbler
Canada Warbler

Non-warbler species that I missed on the property this spring are:
Black-billed Cuckoo
Acadian Flycatcher
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
Yellow-throated Vireo
Philadelphia Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Veery
Gray-cheeked Thrush
Orchard Oriole

It's still possible for me to see Kentucky Warbler and Acadian Flycatcher since they nest around here. Of course, I can see nearly all of them in the fall except Blackpoll Warbler when they come south.

As I began looking at the birds I missed, I started wondering what the percentage of years I've seen each species. I've been keeping spring migration records since the spring of 2004, so this makes the eighth year. Here is a list of the warblers and the percentage of years I've seen them:

Blue-winged Warbler - 88%
Golden-winged Warbler - 38%
Tennessee Warbler - 100%
Nashville Warbler - 25%
Northern Parula - 100%
Yellow Warbler - 63%
Chestnut-sided Warbler - 88%
Magnolia Warbler - 88%
Black-throated Green Warbler - 100%
Blackburnian Warbler - 88%
Yellow-throated Warbler - 63%
Bay-breasted Warbler - 75%
Blackpoll Warbler - 50%
Cerulean Warbler - 50%
Black-and-white Warbler - 100%
American Redstart - 88%
Prothonotary Warbler - 13%
Worm-eating Warbler - 88%
Ovenbird - 75%
Northern Waterthrush - 25%
Louisiana Waterthrush - 38%
Kentucky Warbler - 50%
Hooded Warbler - 100%
Canada Warbler - 50%
Yellow-breasted Chat - 88%

That's one thing that makes birdwatching so fun - it's never the same. One year to the next is completely different and you never really know what to expect. One day to the next is different. It's constantly changing, even within the normal patterns of migration.

So far the Eastern Bluebirds haven't begun building a second nest. It's only been a week since the babies fledged, so it will probably be a least another week before they start thinking of brood number two.

I got a couple more good pictures with the BirdCam on Sunday, May 8.

A Chestnut-sided Warbler


A variety of birds including a Yellow Warbler, Indigo Bunting and Northern Cardinal

May 2, 2011

This morning I walked outside and was greeted by north winds, cool temperatures and lower humidity. The birds were very active today just about everywhere! A flock of Cedar Waxwings flew in to check if there were any ripe mulberries on the tree. Carolina Chickadees and Carolina Wrens attended to begging youngsters. It was the best species total of the spring - 51. There were no FOS (first of season) birds today, but quite a variety. I'm looking forward to walking down in the morning with these stronger north winds and see what all stayed overnight!

Some of the more interesting sightings today were large flocks of swallows flying low over the trees feeding. I couldn't see what kind of insect they were preying on, but they were going after something. I kept expecting two of them to run into each other as fast as they were flying, but never saw a collision. A lone Anhinga flew overhead. There were three female and one male Rose-breasted Grosbeak at the feeders in the woods. They seem to like peanuts. While walking along the gully, a Belted Kingfisher flew in and announced his presence with his rattle call.

My BirdCam was quite active today. I put an empty card in around 4:00 on Sunday. At 6:00 pm tonight, it had 370 pictures on it! Here are a couple of my favorites:

American Redstart (female), Red-eyed Vireo (on fence), Baltimore Oriole, Tufted Titmouse, Black-and-white Warbler (right)

American Redstart (male)

And one from yesterday:

Golden-winged Warbler - a near-threatened warbler species

I have been very pleased with my BirdCam this spring! I'm glad I was able to provide some water for the birds. It's the best way to get photos of the widest variety of birds, but it also provides water that is hard to find with the drought conditions.

You can see all of my BirdCam images here.

Birds Seen 5/2/11 (51 species): Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Anhinga, Great Egret, White Ibis, Turkey Vulture, Mississippi Kite, Cooper's Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, White-winged Dove, Mourning Dove, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Common Nighthawk, Chimney Swift, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Belted Kingfisher, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, White-eyed Vireo, Red-eyed Vireo, Blue Jay, American Crow, Purple Martin, Tree Swallow, Cliff Swallow, Barn Swallow, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Wren, Eastern Bluebird, Swainson's Thrush, Gray Catbird, Northern Mockingbird, European Starling, Cedar Waxwing, Golden-winged Warbler, Northern Parula, Yellow Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, American Redstart, Common Yellowthroat, Hooded Warbler, Summer Tanager, Northern Cardinal, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Indigo Bunting, Red-winged Blackbird, Brown-headed Cowbird, Baltimore Oriole, House Sparrow

Spring Migration Peaks

The peak of spring migration began with a flurry of activity on the property! On Sunday afternoon, the variety of birds was really good. I saw 39 species with 10 FOS (first of season) birds. On Monday, the activity seemed to slow down, but I still saw 42 species with three FOS birds. Over the two days, I saw 54 species. The birdbath in the woods is really attracting a lot of attention. Here are a couple of male Baltimore Orioles that were photographed with my BirdCam. And an Indigo Bunting.


I have been watching a Barred Owl on a nest all spring. On the 15th, we could see movement in the nest, so we knew there was at least one baby in there. On Sunday, I walked along the trail and one of the babies was sitting on the edge of the nest, and I could see another in the nest. Here is what the baby Barred Owl looked like as he posed for his photo!


The Eastern Bluebirds had five babies and all five fledged on Tuesday, April 26. I'll be watching for the babies at my birdbath. In a couple of weeks, I should see nesting activity again as the adults start their second brood.

One of the most surprising finds on the property this spring didn't involve birds at all. While out birding on April 15, my friend and I went down to the old pond. We saw a Yellow-crowned Night-heron sitting on a branch low over the water. After he flew away, we walked to the edge of the water hoping to see some Wood Ducks. What we found were nine baby alligators with a six foot mama alligator! After locating the mother, we enjoyed looking at them!

Birds seen April 24 & 25, 2011 (54 species):
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Little Blue Heron, White Ibis, Black Vulture, Red-shouldered Hawk, White-winged Dove, Mourning Dove, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Barred Owl, Common Nighthawk, Chimney Swift, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Eastern Kingbird, White-eyed Vireo, Blue-headed Vireo, Red-eyed Vireo, Blue Jay, American Crow, Purple Martin, Tree Swallow, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Barn Swallow, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Wren, Eastern Bluebird, Swainson's Thrush, Gray Catbird, Northern Mockingbird, European Starling, Blue-winged Warbler, Tennessee Warbler, Northern Parula, Yellow Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, American Redstart, Worm-eating Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Hooded Warbler, Summer Tanager, Northern Cardinal, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Indigo Bunting, Painted Bunting, Red-winged Blackbird, Brown-headed Cowbird, Baltimore Oriole, House Sparrow

Project FeederWatch Week 16 and Other Stuff

Project FeederWatch numbers are down this week and last week. This is the time of year that I would rather be out in the woods seeing what spring migrants are coming through rather than watching my feeders. The American Goldfinch numbers have decreased significantly over the past two weeks. They went from 57 over the weekend of 2/13 to 24 over the weekend of 2/20 to six over the weekend of 2/27. I still have a good number of Song Sparrows and Dark-eyed Juncos at my feeders. Pine Warblers are still coming to the suet, but it won't be long before they abandon the feeders. The Red-winged Blackbird numbers dwindled some, but there are still quite a few Brown-headed Cowbirds that visit my ground feeder. There was nothing out of the ordinary captured by my BirdCam in the woods last week. I walked down yesterday to fill the feeders and watch them for a little bit. An Orange-crowned Warbler is still coming to the Bark Butter. There were still several American Goldfinches on the feeders. White-throated Sparrows are cleaning up what was spilled on the ground.

I am anxiously awaiting the spring migrants. So far the only ones I've seen are Purple Martins flying overhead. "My" martins haven't returned yet. These are the earliest dates I've seen for the following wood warblers: Northern Parula, March 9; Hooded Warbler, March 16; and Black-and-white Warbler, March 13. Those are typically the first wood warbler migrants on the Upper Texas Coast. The rest come through during April and into the first couple of weeks of May. I am trying a new position for my BirdCam to capture images from three feeders at one time. I should be able to get some good shots of Indigo Buntings, Painted Buntings, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, and Blue Grosbeaks as they visit the feeders. It's possible Summer Tanagers, Baltimore Orioles and warblers will visit the suet. This is the first year I've had the feeders in the woods during spring migration, so I really don't know what to expect to see.

After discovering the two bluebird bodies in the nest that the House Sparrow killed, I removed the sparrow nest and opened the box to encourage the sparrow to move on. I left it open for a week and think the sparrow decided to move to my martin house. He's been singing out there for a while. I closed the bluebird box and on my way to work yesterday saw a male bluebird sitting on the top of the box. There has been a pair checking out the box in our yard. I haven't gone over to Mom's to see if there is any activity at the box in her yard. It's still a little early for bluebirds to actually nest, but they're checking out their options.

Excellent Day in the Woods

On Sunday, I walked in the woods with Amberlyn to see what migrants might be there. It was raining on us nearly the entire time, at some times pretty heavily! We came across a few birds, but for the most part it was pretty slow. I figured Monday would be a better day with the rain all night and front moving through. I was right! I ended up with 60 species today. Some of them were at my feeders and in my yard, but the majority were in the woods. I added fourteen birds to my year list today. I saw fourteen species of warblers, three thrushes, both tanagers, both buntings and one grosbeak. There were several places in the woods where there were just too many birds to look at. It was a lot of fun. Before I knew it, I had been down there for four hours. The time just flew by! Yellow-breasted Chats sang from the thick understory. It seemed everywhere I went a Kentucky Warbler was singing. Hooded Warblers sang from several locations too. Red-eyed Vireos have begun singing from high in the canopy. A Blue-winged Warbler sang from thick tree. I almost gave up seeing him, but he finally came out and gave me some really good looks at him. Another Prothonotary Warbler caught my attention. After six years of not seeing them, I've seen one the last two times I've been in the woods. A Scarlet Tanager almost took my breath away with his neon red and striking black wings. Scores of Indigo Buntings called from the understory and looked on the cleared land for seeds. A Painted Bunting perched on a tree limb that had fallen and allowed me about 30 seconds of viewing pleasure! A Cooper's Hawk flew across my yard carrying a bird. The male Eastern Bluebird was chasing him. I hope he didn't get one of the juveniles that just fledged on Saturday. I sure wish I had tomorrow off because it will be a good day as well.

Our Bird-a-thon day was rescheduled to the 25th because of the rain and a stomach bug. Apparently Sunday was an excellent day at High Island. If we can see 200 species, we'll raise over $400 for the Houston Audubon Society.

I mentioned before that the Eastern Bluebird chicks fledged on Saturday. I cleaned the old nest out today. Hopefully they'll start a second nest within the next couple of weeks.

Birds seen April 19, 2010 (60 species): Neotropic Cormorant, Double-crested Cormorant, Little Blue Heron, Cattle Egret, White Ibis, Black Vulture, Cooper's Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, Laughing Gull, Eurasian Collared-Dove, White-winged Dove, Mourning Dove, Barred Owl, Chimney Swift, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker, Great Crested Flycatcher, White-eyed Vireo, Red-eyed Vireo, Blue Jay, American Crow, Purple Martin, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Cliff Swallow*, Barn Swallow, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Eastern Bluebird, Gray-cheeked Thrush*, Swainson's Thrush*, Hermit Thrush, Gray Catbird, Blue-winged Warbler*, Tennessee Warbler*, Nashville Warbler*, Northern Parula, Black-throated Green Warbler*, Blackburnian Warbler*, Blackpoll Warbler*, Cerulean Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, Prothonotary Warbler, Worm-eating Warbler, Kentucky Warbler*, Hooded Warbler, Yellow-breasted Chat*, Summer Tanager, Scarlet Tanager*, White-throated Sparrow, Northern Cardinal, Blue Grosbeak*, Indigo Bunting, Painted Bunting*, Red-winged Blackbird, American Goldfinch, House Sparrow

*= First of Season

More and More Migrants

More and more migrants are coming in. My day began with three Indigo Buntings on my feeders. Walking in the woods was very productive. A male Summer Tanager busily ate insects in the tops of the trees. A little further down the trail, I ran into a mixed flock of birds. The majority of them were Red-eyed Vireos. I don't think I have ever seen so many at one time. A Yellow-throated Vireo showed up and gave me some good looks at him. A Blue-headed Vireo was just below him. White-eyed Vireos and Carolina Wrens called from the thickets. A male Cerulean Warbler was looking for insects in the top of an oak tree. The Cerulean Warbler is a little early. That's what I love about migration. You just never know what you'll see!

The bluebird chicks in my nest box will fledge sometime around April 17. Hopefully they'll have a second brood this year. Last year they just had the one. They started late with the first one, so hopefully we'll have more than one this year.

Birds seen April 11 & 12 (44 species): Neotropic Cormorant, Tricolored Heron, Cattle Egret, Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Killdeer, Upland Sandpiper, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Mourning Dove, Barn Owl, Chimney Swift, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Belted Kingfisher, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker, Great Crested Flycatcher, White-eyed Vireo, Yellow-throated Vireo, Blue-headed Vireo, Red-eyed Vireo, Blue Jay, American Crow, Purple Martin, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Barn Swallow, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Wren, House Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Eastern Bluebird, Northern Mockingbird, Northern Parula, Cerulean Warbler, Summer Tanager, Chipping Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Northern Cardinal, Indigo Bunting, Red-winged Blackbird, American Goldfinch, House Sparrow

New Property Bird - #194

I spent about three hours walking in the woods this morning. There was a lot of activity, but not a lot of migrants just yet. Just to the east of the new pond, several warblers and other birds were flying around. Most of them were Yellow-rumped Warblers, many in their breeding plumage. A Northern Parula called incessantly and came out several times to show off his brilliant plumage. Then my new property bird showed up. A Prothonotary Warbler was in the same tree as the parula. He gave me some great looks! I never would have thought I'd see a Black-throated Blue Warbler and Cape May Warbler on the property before a Prothonotary, but that's just the way it worked out. He is property bird #194. In a clump of yaupon trees just below the Prothonotary, a Worm-eating Warbler looked for insects. A female Hooded Warbler came in and out of the thicket. A Red-eyed Vireo and Black-and-white Warbler flew from tree to tree in search of breakfast. Swallows, martins and swifts flew overhead. On the way back in, an Osprey flew overhead.

The Eastern Bluebird chicks hatched on 3/30. I checked the box yesterday (4/4) and this is what they look like.
They're starting to get feathers in on their wings. They should fledge around April 17. I'll post more pictures over the next couple of weeks.

Here's a picture of Mr. Bluebird I took a while back.


Birds seen 4/5/10 (43 species): Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Cooper's Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, Mourning Dove, Barred Owl, Chimney Swift, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, White-eyed Vireo, Red-eyed Vireo (FOS), Blue Jay, American Crow, Purple Martin, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Barn Swallow, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Wren, House Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Eastern Bluebird, Hermit Thrush, American Robin, Gray Catbird, European Starling, Cedar Waxwing, Northern Parula, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, Prothonotary Warbler (FOS & new property bird), Worm-eating Warbler (FOS), Hooded Warbler, White-throated Sparrow, Northern Cardinal, Indigo Bunting (FOS), Red-winged Blackbird, House Sparrow

First Outing of the Spring

This morning I went birding in the woods for the first time this spring. I still can't get over how different things look since Hurricane Ike. I was hoping to see some early migrants. I did see four - Great Crested Flycatcher, Barn Swallow, Black-and-white Warbler and Northern Parula. It was nice to see them. I look forward to spring migration so much and it is very exciting when I start seeing the migrants come in. The birds are certainly anticipating spring's arrival. The woods were filled with songs of Carolina Wrens, Northern Cardinals, White-eyed Vireos and Hermit Thrushes.

Another sign of spring is nesting. I checked the Eastern Bluebird nest to find one egg in the nest! This is two weeks earlier than they laid eggs in 2008 and a month earlier than last year. If they lay five eggs, the last one will be laid on March 17.

Birds seen 3/13/10 (31 species): White Ibis, Turkey Vulture, Red-shouldered Hawk, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Mourning Dove, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Downy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Pileated Woodpecker, Great Crested Flycatcher, White-eyed Vireo, Blue-headed Vireo, Blue Jay, Barn Swallow, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Eastern Bluebird, Hermit Thrush, American Robin, Gray Catbird, Cedar Waxwing, Northern Parula, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, White-throated Sparrow, Northern Cardinal, Red-winged Blackbird, Brown-headed Cowbird

Saturday, April 25

Saturday was windy still, but there were several migrants still around. I guess the deluge we had Friday night was enough to keep them grounded into Saturday morning. The gully that runs through our property was as high as I've ever seen it. It was way out of its banks in several places.

I entered the woods in one of the most productive spots and it was the most productive again. I added three FOS birds there - Magnolia Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler and Canada Warbler. There were a couple of Ovenbirds around. A Kentucky Warbler and a Hooded Warbler were singing on territory. A Chestnut-sided Warbler chattered as he looked in the leaves for some caterpillars. When I got down to the new pond, a Dickcissel flew in and called from some of the trees that were knocked down during the hurricane. That's only the second time I've ever seen a Dickcissel on the property, although I know they migrate through here. I've got good breeding habitat for them.

Speaking of breeding, the bluebird eggs haven't hatched yet. I checked them today and they are still unhatched. They should hatch in the next couple of days. The Purple Martins have begun putting nesting material in the gourd. Hopefully it won't be long they lay eggs. I observed the female plucking feathers from her brooding patch on Saturday.

Bird species seen 4/25/09 (39 species): Cattle Egret, Turkey Vulture, Red-shouldered Hawk, Laughing Gull, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Mourning Dove, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Barred Owl, Chimney Swift, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Red-bellied Woodpecker, White-eyed Vireo, Red-eyed Vireo, Blue Jay, Purple Martin, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Eastern Bluebird, Northern Mockingbird, European Starling, Tennessee Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Magnolia Warbler (FOS), Blackpoll Warbler (FOS), Black-and-white Warbler, Ovenbird, Kentucky Warbler, Hooded Warbler, Canada Warbler (FOS), Yellow-breasted Chat, Scarlet Tanager, Northern Cardinal, Blue Grosbeak, Indigo Bunting, Dickcissel (FOS), Red-winged Blackbird, Brown-headed Cowbird

More Spring Migrants Showing Up

This morning I went birding on the property and had a few more FOS birds show up. Northern Rough-winged Swallows, Tree Swallows and Barn Swallows flew overhead. A Hooded Warbler called several times. The highlight of my day were the two Swallow-tailed Kites that were circling with a couple of Black Vultures. I was able to watch them for a quite a while. There are still lots of Ruby-crowned Kinglets and Yellow-rumped Warblers around. I even heard a few White-throated Sparrows. Cardinals are singing everywhere. White-eyed Vireos sound their calls from the dense blackberry vine tangles.

I put up the Barred Owl box I built over a year ago. I'm not sure why I waited until now to put it up. It's too late for them to use it this year, but maybe next year. I still have no Purple Martins in my house or gourds. The Eastern Bluebirds haven't started building their nest yet. I hope they get started soon.

Yesterday as I was working on my four-wheeler, I could hear a couple of American Goldfinches calling from the hackberry tree in my backyard. I finally found them and the male was nearly in complete breeding plumage. It's been a long time since I've seen a male goldfinch in breeding plumage. That was fun.

Bird Species Seen 3/21/09 (32 species): Little Blue Heron, Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Swallow-tailed Kite (FOS), Red-shouldered Hawk, Killdeer, Eurasian Collared-Dove, White-winged Dove, Mourning Dove, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, White-eyed Vireo, Blue Jay, Purple Martin, Tree Swallow (FOS), Northern Rough-winged Swallow (FOS), Barn Swallow (FOS), Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Eastern Bluebird, Hermit Thrush, Gray Catbird, Northern Mockingbird, Northern Parula, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Hooded Warbler, White-throated Sparrow, Northern Cardinal, Red-winged Blackbird, Brewer's Blackbird

The First Spring Migrants

This afternoon after getting home from a trip to Columbus, I decided to go out in the woods and see what was moving around out there. Spring migrants are beginning to show up. Northern Parula, Yellow-throated Vireo and a Black-throated Green Warbler. Birds are singing territorial songs everywhere.

I'm a little surprised at the bluebirds. Last year they had their nest completed on March 20. This year they haven't even started. I hope they nest with us again this year!

Bird Species Seen 3/17/09 (25 species): Turkey Vulture, Red-shouldered Hawk, Killdeer, Barred Owl, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Downy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Pileated Woodpecker, White-eyed Vireo, Yellow-throated Vireo (FOS), American Crow, Purple Martin, Carolina Chickadee, Carolina Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Eastern Bluebird, Hermit Thrush, Northern Parula (FOS), Yellow-rumped Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler (FOS), Field Sparrow, Northern Cardinal, Red-winged Blackbird

A Couple of Hours on May 4

I had hoped the north winds last night would have kept some of the migrants down and they would leave tonight. That wasn't the case. The woods were pretty quiet today. I did pick up three new birds for the year on the property - Gray-cheeked Thrush, Common Nighthawk and, the most surprising, Bald Eagle. I saw the eagle twice. The first time he was low enough where I could make out the white tail against the blue sky without my binoculars. The second time, he was really high and I could just make out his features with my binoculars. The Checklist of the Upper Texas Coast lists Bald Eagles as rare this time of year. That was published in 1998, and the eagle population has increased since then. It was a very exciting sight for me! Another really fun thing today was watching two sets of Carolina Wren parents feeding their fledged young and a pair of White-eyed Vireos feeding their fledged young. The vireos sure weren't trying to keep their location secret! They were being very noisy and the young birds were begging loudly. I haven't seen any activity at the Spanish moss where I thought the Northern Parulas were nesting. Either they didn't nest there or she's sitting on eggs still. I'll keep watching it and see if there is any activity around it in the next week or so.

I discovered my list from Apr. 25 that I didn't input into my record keeping program. I wrote them down in a different book and forgot I put them there. Anyway, I entered them and realized that the Blue-winged Teal I saw was the first one for my property ever! Actually it was a flock of two drakes and two hens. They make property bird #185 for me. So, my yearly counts are actually higher than I thought.

Birds Seen 4/25 (26 species): Great Egret, Cattle Egret, White Ibis, Turkey Vulture, Bald Eagle, Red-shouldered Hawk, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Mourning Dove, Common Nighthawk, Chimney Swift, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Great Crested Flycatcher, White-eyed Vireo, Blue Jay, Purple Martin, Carolina Chickadee, Carolina Wren, Eastern Bluebird, Gray-cheeked Thrush, Magnolia Warbler, Summer Tanager, Northern Cardinal, Indigo Bunting, Red-winged Blackbird

'08 Birds Seen as of 5/4: 117
'04 Birds Seen as of 5/4: 103

A Pleasant Surprise This Morning

I got out around 9:00 this morning not expecting to see much. A strong south wind blew all night, and I figured the warblers and other migrants would all be gone. Boy was I wrong! The first bird I saw was a Yellow-breasted Chat in the thickets of yaupon holly and southern bayberry. Later down in the woods, I saw my first Bay-breasted Warbler of the season. There were quite a few birds out today. If this north wind continues tomorrow, I'm going birding right after church for a couple of hours.

I saw eight species of warblers today: Blue-winged, Northern Parula, Chestnut-sided, Magnolia, Bay-breasted, American Redstart, Hooded and Yellow-breasted Chat. Other migrants included Red-eyed Vireo, Eastern Wood Pewee, Great Crested Flycatcher, Veery and Ruby-throated Hummingbird.

Birds seen today 5/3/08 (38 species): Little Blue Heron, Cattle Egret, White Ibis, Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Red-shouldered Hawk, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Barred Owl, Chimney Swift ,Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Great Crested Flycatcher, White-eyed Vireo, Red-eyed Vireo, Blue Jay, Purple Martin, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Barn Swallow, Carolina Chickadee, Carolina Wren, Eastern Bluebird, Veery, Northern Mockingbird, European Starling, Blue-winged Warbler, Northern Parula, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Bay-breasted Warbler, American Redstart, Hooded Warbler, Yellow-breasted Chat, Northern Cardinal, Indigo Bunting, Red-winged Blackbird, House Sparrow

'08 Property Birds as of 5/3/08: 113

'04 Property Birds as of 5/3/04: 103

Saturday, April 12 - Hatching Day!!!

The bluebird eggs began hatching today! One egg hatched today. Now comes the tough job for the parents. Here's a picture of the newest bluebird. I put some Tanglefoot on the pole to keep the ants from getting to them. They should be pretty well protected with the Tanglefoot and the raccoon/snake baffle on the pole.

I was pretty excited about birding Saturday morning. A front moved through on Friday. Humidity was low. There were light north winds blowing. I was hoping some of the birds that might have headed north during the night decided to stay put until more favorable breezes began blowing. I wasn't disappointed. Swallows were everywhere! Barn, Bank, Cliff, Northern Rough-winged and Tree Swallows flew over in large numbers while I was down at the new pond. Vireos were out in good numbers too. Blue-headed, White-eyed and Red-eyed were singing quite a bit. Philadelphia were foraging in the trees. Warblers also made a good showing. Black-and-white were out in good numbers. A couple of Black-throated Green showed up in the tops of the trees. A Golden-winged was singing from the top of a tree. It took me about 15 minutes to finally locate him! The Northern Parula was singing at his tree. A male Hooded popped out of some tri-foliate orange trees and posed for me for a couple of minutes. Yellow-rumped are changing into their breeding plumage. Every year I have to stop and wonder what I'm looking at when I seem them changing. They really are pretty warblers in breeding plumage. A Summer Tanager became my friend while I was searching for the Black-throated Green Warbler. He got in some low branches and just watched me as I scanned the treetops and looked at him occasionally. He would sing a low song and just look at me. That was pretty cool. Maybe he was people watching. With the cooler temperatures and lower humidity, the mosquitoes weren't as bad, which was nice.

Twice I was scolded by adult birds because I got too close to their fledglings. Just as I entered the woods, a Carolina Wren began scolding me and I found two of their fledglings with the yellow still around the edge of their beak. Later in the woods, a Tufted Titmouse began scolding me and I quickly found the juveniles, also with yellow still around their beak. They look so cute with their short tails!

Here's a picture of an Eastern Kingbird that showed up in our front yard a week ago. I just got it off the camera yesterday.

Species seen on April 12 (47 species): Carolina Chickadee, Neotropic Cormorant, Eurasian Collared Dove, Mourning Dove, Cattle Egret, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Broad-winged Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Great Blue Heron, Little Blue Heron, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Blue Jay, Killdeer, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Purple Martin, Northern Parula, Spotted Sandpiper, House Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Bank Swallow, Barn Swallow, Cliff Swallow, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Tree Swallow, Summer Tanager, Tufted Titmouse, Blue-headed Vireo, Philadelphia Vireo, Red-eyed Vireo, White-eyed Vireo, Black Vulture, Black-and-white Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, Golden-winged Warbler, Hooded Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Pileated Woodpecker, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Carolina Wren