[bcbirdclub] Compton Mt Birds
- From: "Roger Mayhorn" <rmayhorn@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "BCBC Listserve" <bcbirdclub@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 19 May 2012 00:20:28 -0400
Day before yesterday I heard an Orchard Oriole in the yard. A little later an
immature male came down to the yard stream.
Yesterday I decided to do some birding around our property in the hope of
finding a Blackpoll Warbler since there have been reports of numerous sightings
in VA and WV. I didn't find one. We just don't see that many of them here in
Buchanan County. I'm not sure why. However, I still had a pretty good birding
day with 39 species. Cedar Waxwings were feeding on our almost ripe cherries. A
Wood Thrush, Hooded Warblers, American Redstarts and a Scarlet Tanager could be
heard singing down in the woods. Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Downys and
White-breasted Nuthatches took turns at the peanut butter suet mixture, filled
their beaks to overflowing then flew away in different directions to where
their nests of young were. Later in the morning I heard a KY Warbler calling
from the same area where a pair nested last year. A Yellow-breasted Chat called
from our upper field where they usually nest each year. The Chats and the Brown
Thrashers get their share of our blueberries and our raspberries. In our Cedar
tree almost at eye level 4 baby Chipping Sparrows are almost ready to leave the
nest. A few feet away in a maple tree outside our bedroom window a pair of
Red-eyed Vireos were getting started on a nest. Two pairs of Purple Martins
were loud as they carried straw from the neighbor's pasture to build their
nests in the gourds hanging from one of the martin houses. No one really knows
why, but martins also carry fresh green leaves to put in their nests from time
to time. These martins were also very vocal when they chased a passing crow
across the neighbor's pasture.
Two Yellow-throated Vireos built a nest a week ago in a maple in the backyard
then disappeared. I was beginning to think something had happened to them, but
today I heard one singing, so maybe they will carry on.
At one point in the afternoon a beautiful, male Scarlet Tanager came down to
the stream. (see photo) Within moments it was followed by a Song Sparrow, then
a Robin, then a female Indigo Bunting, then a Towhee, then a Gray Catbird, then
Cedar Waxwings, and finally a Yellow-throated Warbler. I suppose the warm day
had something to do with that.
There were some humorous moments too. Four Cedar Waxwings came down together to
bathe in the stream. One started to splash quite a bit as it bathed. Another of
the waxwings decided it wanted that spot because that was the spot where the
most splashing was taking place, so it went over and forced the splashing
waxwing to move from that spot. Within moments the waxwing that was forced to
move started splashing again. The other bird then decided that was the best
spot, so it forced the other bird to move again. This went on for a couple more
times. The bully never realized that it wasn't the spot that was important, but
the bird that was doing the splashing.
It may have been the same bullying waxwing that later had a scuffle with the
Gray Catbird over water rights.
I checked a new nest box I had put up recently to keep a pair of Tree Swallows
from trying to evict a family of Chickadees from another box the swallows were
interested in. I opened the box and saw what I thought was a wasp nest up in a
dark corner of the box. I took a twig and poked at the "nest" a couple of times
before I realized it wasn't a wasp nest at all, but a small bat. The bat moved
over a bit but didn't leave, and I closed the box and left the little fellow to
his nice dark place.
One of the highlights of the day was a Great Crested Flycatcher that was
calling from the trees in the yard. That's the first one this spring here in
the yard.
Below is the day's complete list.
Roger Mayhorn
Compton Mt
39 species
Turkey Vulture 1
Red-shouldered Hawk 1
Mourning Dove 7
Yellow-billed Cuckoo 1
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 2m
Red-bellied Woodpecker 2 (1m, 1f)
Downy Woodpecker 5 (2 fledglings)
Pileated Woodpecker 1
Great Crested Flycatcher 1
Yellow-throated Vireo 1
Red-eyed Vireo 3 ( 2 building nest 20 ft up in maple tree)
Blue Jay 2
American Crow 1 (being chased by Purple Martins)
Purple Martin 4 (2m, 2f)
Tree Swallow 1
Carolina Chickadee 1
Tufted Titmouse 2
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
Carolina Wren 1
Eastern Bluebird 1m
Wood Thrush 1
American Robin 4 (3m, 1f)
Gray Catbird 2
Brown Thrasher 1
European Starling 1
Cedar Waxwing 5
Kentucky Warbler 1
Hooded Warbler 2
American Redstart 2
Yellow Warbler 2
Yellow-throated Warbler 1
Yellow-breasted Chat 1
Eastern Towhee 3 (2m, 1f)
Chipping Sparrow 6 (4 nestlings)
Song Sparrow 1
Scarlet Tanager 1m
Northern Cardinal 2 (1m, 1f)
Indigo Bunting 2 (1m, 1f)
American Goldfinch 6
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