Today it was a good deal colder than yesterday. When I got out of the car there was a dead silence that was hard to miss. I tallied a similar number of species as the day before but there were far fewer individual birds around. The highlight was right at the beginning of my day when 200 or so Snow Geese flew overhead going north. In amongst them was a single “Blue” Snow Goose. A big line of Snow Geese is always a nice sight to see. Also of interest were 5 Fox Sparrows all along the road as you enter the preserve.
Stat time: 9:00
End time: 11:40
Temp: 32-39
Wind: none to slight from the North
Skies: partly cloudy
Species Total: 37
Great Blue Heron – 1
Black Vulture – approximately 30
Turkey Vulture – approximately 30
Snow Goose – 200, Plus one “Blue” goose!, Bird of the Day! A long line over head going north.
Canada Goose – approximately 100
Sharp-shinned Hawk – 1, immature
Red-tailed Hawk – 5, adults
American Kestrel – 1
Rock Dove – 4
Mourning Dove – approximately 40
Belted Kingfisher – 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker – 4
Downy Woodpecker – approximately 10
Hairy Woodpecker – 1
Northern Flicker – 1
Blue Jay – approximately 10
American Crow – approximately 150
Carolina Chickadee – approximately 10
Tufted Titmouse – approximately 50
White-breasted Nuthatch – 5
Carolina Wren – 3
Golden-crowned Kinglet – 1
Eastern Bluebird – approximately 50
American Robin – 2
Northern Mockingbird – 4
European Starling – approximately 20
Eastern Towhee – 1, heard only
Chipping Sparrow – 3
Fox Sparrow – 5, two were singing. In the Pacific Northwest where these were common I never heard them singing anywhere other than the breeding grounds. All 5 of these birds were also perched in the very top of tall trees, as if they were on territory. Pretty unusual behavior in my experience.
Song Sparrow – approximately 50
Swamp Sparrow – 1
White-throated Sparrow – approximately 40
Dark-eyed Junco – approximately 60
Northern Cardinal – approximately 15
Red-winged Blackbird – 2
House Finch – approximately 15
American Goldfinch – approximately 45
