[birdky] RPT: A full day of birding Hardin and Bullitt Counties; Eurasian Collared-Doves and Chipping Sparrow

From: michael autin <napkinarmstrong@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <birdky@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Mon, 29 Nov 2010 23:37:39 -0500
I had the day off today (my last non-Saturday off for the season), and decided 
to go to Bernheim, Freeman Lake, Cecilia and Hodgenville; three of these things 
happened.  It was a good day with nothing rare but a few target birds were 
found.  I enjoyed sitting quietly, watching juncos and siskins feeding on the 
ground with goldfinches while Red-breasted Nuthatches moved through the trees 
at Bernheim in the morning and was terrified trying to avoid being crushed by 
cars racing home from work in the evening while trying to find raptors and 
other goodies in Cecilia.  I intended to just study the juncos to become more 
familiar with all the Eastern variations, but ended up seriously questioning 
the possiblity of a Pink-sided Junco adult obscured by grasses as it fed just 
on the other side of the hill from me.  I'm not trying to make them all into 
something rare but they are doing their best to make me.  It was nice to 
finally find some collared-doves on my own and the Fox Sparrows and Chipping 
Sparrow were added bonuses.  I found one of the stranger things I have seen 
birding as well; a complete albino cowbird.  The list:
 Location: Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest
Observation date: 11/29/10
Number of species: 36

Mallard 2
Pied-billed Grebe 2
Black Vulture 1
Turkey Vulture 1
Accipiter sp.-small and most likely a sharpie but too brief to be conclusive
Killdeer 2
Mourning Dove X
Red-bellied Woodpecker 6
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 4
Downy Woodpecker 5
Hairy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) 4
Pileated Woodpecker 2
Blue Jay 22
American Crow 12
Horned Lark 1 flyover
Carolina Chickadee 28
Tufted Titmouse 18
Red-breasted Nuthatch 3
White-breasted Nuthatch 6
Carolina Wren 4
Golden-crowned Kinglet 6
Eastern Bluebird 25
American Robin 225
Northern Mockingbird 3
European Starling 35
Cedar Waxwing 240
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 4
Field Sparrow 1
Fox Sparrow 2
Song Sparrow 3
White-throated Sparrow 12
Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored) 53 There was a junco in the background that 
flew when a sharpie appeared that seemed to have really dark lores and a more 
blue-gray head. The back appeared to be a more rich reddish-brown than other 
forms, but nothing conclusive. On the other hand I did enjoy watching a junco 
up close that looked more like a grayscale "oregon" form, which I suppose could 
be a candidate for the "cassiar" form from the Canadian Rockies I've heard 
about.
Northern Cardinal 8
Pine Siskin 5
American Goldfinch 230

Location: Freeman Lake
Observation date: 11/29/10
Number of species: 16

Canada Goose 1
American Wigeon 1 A beautiful adult male flew in with some mallards right off 
shore and posed for poor attempts at digiscoping;he was cooperative, my camera 
skills were not.
Mallard 15
Hooded Merganser 1 female with Horned Grebes
Common Loon 1 with thinner gray bill upturned doing its best yellow-billed 
impression
Pied-billed Grebe 4
Horned Grebe 2
Turkey Vulture 1
American Coot 35
Ring-billed Gull 4
Belted Kingfisher 1
American Crow 5
Carolina Wren 1
Northern Mockingbird 1
Song Sparrow 4
Northern Cardinal 1
Location: Cecilia
Observation date: 11/29/10
Notes: This is a driving route and contains birds seen while driving on 1357 
into Cecilia and 86 out to 1375 and various little side roads that looked 
promising. 
Number of species: 36
 
Wild Turkey 25 en route on 1357
Great Blue Heron 8 at ponds south of 86 on 1375
Turkey Vulture 3
Northern Harrier 1
Red-shouldered Hawk 1
Red-tailed Hawk (Eastern) 6
American Kestrel 3
Sandhill Crane 47 flying over 253 North of 86, not looking to make a landing
Killdeer 35
Rock Pigeon 36
Eurasian Collared-Dove 6 4 together in downtown Cecilia and two further out on 
253
Mourning Dove X
Red-bellied Woodpecker 2
Hairy Woodpecker 1 odd this was the only woodpecker detected
Blue Jay 12
American Crow 15
Horned Lark 25
Carolina Chickadee 2
Tufted Titmouse 1
Carolina Wren 3
Eastern Bluebird 12
American Robin 45
Northern Mockingbird 4
European Starling 180
Cedar Waxwing 45
Chipping Sparrow 1 in with flock of juncos on Lombardy drive in residential 
neighborhood
Field Sparrow 8
Song Sparrow 12
White-crowned Sparrow 18
Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored) 32
Northern Cardinal 3
Red-winged Blackbird 15
Eastern Meadowlark 5
Brown-headed Cowbird 3 in with a small flock of starlings on Wimpy Lane and 
contained one full albino bird with pink bill, tried to get photos but too 
skittish
House Finch 2
House Sparrow 16



 
Good Birding,
Michael Autin Louisville, KY
[birdky] RPT: A full day of birding Hardin and Bullitt Counties; Eurasian Collared-Doves and Chipping Sparrow

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