Hi Again, Early this morning I took a morning hike about half way down Compton Mt and was rewarded with lots of birds along the way. In the short hike I recorded 42 species. The most unusual find was another male Blackpoll Warbler about a mile from our house. It was in a bush with a singing Red-eyed Vireo and the vireo kept advancing toward it until the Blackpoll left. That makes 3 Blackpolls found in the county this spring and the 6th spring record for the area. Other interesting birds were American Redstarts, Black-and-white, Hoodeds, Ovenbirds, Yellow Warblers and Yellow-throated Warblers, Yellow-breasted Chat, 2 singing House Wrens here in the yard along with 3 Pine Siskins and later 2 Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers on the apple trees in the front yard. I watched a Red-shouldered Hawk attack a Broad-winged Hawk as they circled over the mountaintop. I think the Broad-winged had intruded into the nesting area of the Red-shouldered. A bright male Scarlet Tanager came to the yard stream (Photo attached). A Wild Turkey called from the woods and Wood Thrushes were also singing in the woods. I helped two young reddish-orange Red Efts out of the road before they got squashed. For those who may not be familiar with Red Efts, they are the immature land stage of the Red Spotted Newt. The adults are olive green on the back with red spots and a yellow underbelly, and they live in water. The Red Eft stage lives in moist woodlands. After a warm rain they can often be seen crawling across the road here on the mountain. Following is the complete bird list. Roger Mayhorn Compton Mt 42 species American Crow 3 American Goldfinch 5 (3m2f) American Redstart 5 (4m, 1f) American Robin 5 Black-and-white Warbler 1 Blackpoll Warbler 1m Blue-headed Vireo 1 Blue Jay 1 Broad-winged Hawk 1 Carolina Chickadee 1 Carolina Wren 8 Cedar Waxwing 4 Chipping Sparrow 4 Eastern Bluebird 2m Eastern Phoebe 2 Eastern Towhee 2m Eastern Wood Pewee 1 Gray Catbird 1 Hooded Warbler 5m House Sparrow 3 House Wren 2m singing Indigo Bunting 3m Mourning Dove 5 Northern Cardinal 8 (6m, 2f) Northern Flicker 1 Ovenbird 4 Pileated Woodpecker 1 Pine Siskin 2 Red-bellied Woodpecker 3 Red-eyed Vireo 3 Red-shouldered Hawk 1 (chasing a Broad-winged Hawk) Scarlet Tanager 2m Song Sparrow 2 Tufted Titmouse 2 White-breasted Nuthatch 1 Wild Turkey 1 Wood Thrush 2 Yellow-billed Cuckoo 1 Yellow-breasted Chat 1 Yellow-throated Vireo 1 Yellow-throated Warbler 2 Yellow Warbler 3 Red Efts 2 (crossing wet roadway)
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