We counted 47 species, which is our highest count ever for the first weekend in
November. This was the first time in several months that we’ve been even close
to past-year counts.
Today was a windy washout, but yesterday was a perfect birding day. We’ve had
precious little good weather, on the weekends, this fall and the lovely weather
made all the difference yesterday. We counted 45 species just on Saturday. It
was so calm in the morning. Thank goodness the screaming agricultural grain
driers were not running, for a change, so I could hear a Great Horned Owl
booming from the roof of the tobacco barn, across the SE fields. The scope
revealed it, through the frosty fog, at about 1 ¼ miles.
We counted FOS Pine Siskins, yesterday. Five of them were eating sunflower
seed, under our bottle feeder, for much of the afternoon. I was amazed at how
difficult it was to see them, in the grass under the feeder, when they were not
moving – photo link follows. The Shrike was another highlight. I had a chance
to pick through the dozens of photos that I took while it loitered nearby, and
posted an additional one that I think was the best. Its bill looks,
proportionally, twice as long as Sibley’s paintings. I saw a Shrike again,
later in the afternoon, sitting on the snag, ~300 yards NW of the house, where
I saw the one last week. It was probably the same one as in the morning…but
maybe there’s more!
We counted 9 Sparrow species, including really good looks at a Vesper, which
was here earlier in the week. We missed a Red-headed again, but still counted
five Woodpecker species.
The Bluebirds were accompanied this weekend by at least 20 Chipping Sparrows
and several Palm Warblers.
There are large flocks of Robins here now…probably 100 or more. There were
8-10 Cedar Waxwings here yesterday and, this morning, they were mixed in with
the Robins. Waxwing photo follows.
Disappearing Siskins
Cedar Waxwing
Loggerhead Shrike
Stephen Tyson, Schochoh, Logan Co.
Species Name:
Canada Goose
Turkey Vulture
Black Vulture
Cooper's Hawk
Northern Harrier
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
Killdeer
Rock Pigeon
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Mourning Dove
Great Horned Owl
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Phoebe
Loggerhead Shrike
Blue Jay
American Crow
Cedar Waxwing
Carolina Chickadee
Carolina Wren
White-breasted Nuthatch
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Eastern Bluebird
American Robin
House Finch
American Goldfinch
Pine Siskin (FOS)
Palm Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Brown-headed Cowbird
Red-winged Blackbird
Eastern Meadowlark
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Savannah Sparrow
Chipping Sparrow
Field Sparrow
Vesper Sparrow
Eastern Towhee
