Andrew Clem blog

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Wild Bird Watching

A diary of birds I've observed, with occasional commentary on wildlife conservation issues, spiced up with photos of varying quality. Captions identifying the birds in these photo montages are found on the Wild Birds intro page.

Latin America montage

Bird photos


Wild Birds archives



Birding Web sites:


 

Conservation links



 

September 22, 2008 [LINK / comment]

Brisk morn on Bell's Lane

The outside air on Sunday morning was unusually brisk, as autumn seems to have arrived in very abrupt fashion, and Jacqueline and I took a correspondingly "brisk" stroll along Bell's Lane. She saw some warblers with yellow under-tail coverts, which are probably Palm warblers. Here is my list of notable birds:

  • Brown Thrashers -- 4+
  • Tennessee Warbler (prob.)
  • Phoebes -- 3
  • Hairy Woodpeckers --2 (M)
  • Goldfinches -- 6+
  • Great Blue Heron (high in a tree)
  • Red-tailed Hawk
  • Magnolia Warblers -- 2

The hawk was flying in broad cirles around the heron, which seemed relatively unperturbed. I got a video of that (possible YouTube?) and managed to get close enough to a Brown Thrasher for a decent still photo. They'll be mostly gone in another month...

Brown Thrasher

Brown Thrasher, on Bell's Lane, Sept. 21.


September 20, 2008 [LINK / comment]

A few more fall migrants

I managed to get outdoors for a nice walk on Wednesday morning, and came across a fair number of interesting migratory birds. The following summary is extracted from my report to the eBird system (ebird.org).

Location: Montgomery Hall Park
Observation date: 9/17/08
Number of species: 21

  • Ruby-throated Hummingbird
  • Red-bellied Woodpecker (J)
  • Downy Woodpecker
  • Pileated Woodpeckers -- 2 (M)
  • Eastern Wood-Pewee
  • Eastern Phoebe
  • Red-eyed Vireo
  • Swainson's Thrush (FOY)
  • Magnolia Warbler
  • Black-throated Green Warblers -- 2 (M, F/J)
  • American Redstart (M)
  • Worm-eating Warbler
  • Scarlet Tanager (F/J)

That was my first Swainson's Thrush of the year. This evening I took a quick walk just before dusk, which is getting earlier and earlier every day.

Location: Staunton-Augusta Rescue Squad trail
Observation date: 9/20/08
Number of species: 9

  • Ruby-throated Hummingbird
  • Swainson's Thrush
  • Eastern Towhees -- 2 (J)
  • Rose-breasted Grosbeaks -- 3 (F/J)

September 13, 2008 [LINK / comment]

More fall migrants arrive

September is well underway, and right on schedule, many of the birds that spent the summer in Canada and the northern U.S.A. are passing through Virginia. I haven't spent as much time outside as usual for this time of year, but I did put in several bird-watching hours during the latter part of last week. What follows are brief summaries (highlights only) from recent reports I have submitted to the eBird system (http://ebird.org/VA).

Bell's Lane, Sept. 1

  • Osprey -- 1
  • Ruby-throated Hummingbird -- 5
  • Empid (Acadian ?) Flycatcher -- 1
  • Blue-gray Gnatcatcher -- 1
  • Cedar Waxwing -- 2
  • Common Yellowthroat -- 1
  • Indigo Bunting -- 1
  • Baltimore Oriole -- 1

In addition, good numbers of Catbirds, Mockingbirds, Brown Thrashers, Bluebirds, and Goldfinches are regularly seen around Bell's Lane. There are no Red-wing blackbirds left, however, and any remaining Meadowlarks have gone silent.

Barren Ridge, Sept. 1

  • Common Nighthawk -- 4
  • Eastern Wood-Pewee -- 1

Bell's Lane, Sept. 2

  • Double-crested Cormorant -- 1
  • Ruby-throated Hummingbird -- 4
  • American Kestrel -- 1
  • Empid (Acadian ?) Flycatcher -- 1
  • Magnolia Warbler -- 1
  • Wilson's Warbler -- 1
  • Indigo Bunting -- 2
  • House Finch -- 2

Bell's Lane, Sept. 3

  • Ruby-throated Hummingbird -- 4
  • Belted Kingfisher -- 1
  • Empid (Acadian ?) Flycatcher -- 1

Bell's Lane, Sept. 5

  • Great Blue Heron -- 1
  • Ruby-throated Hummingbird -- 3
  • Empid (Acadian ?) Flycatcher -- 1
  • Eastern Phoebe -- 2
  • Baltimore Oriole -- 1

Sherando Lake, Sept. 5

  • Red-bellied Woodpecker -- 1
  • Red-eyed Vireo -- 1
  • White-breasted Nuthatch -- 2
  • Blue-gray Gnatcatcher -- 1
  • Magnolia Warbler -- 1
  • Black-throated Green Warbler -- 1
  • Pine Warbler -- 2
  • Black-and-white Warbler -- 2

Coyner Springs Park, Sept. 5

  • Great Blue Heron -- 2
  • Ruby-throated Hummingbird -- 3
  • Downy Woodpecker -- 1
  • White-breasted Nuthatch -- 1
  • Orange-crowned (or Tennessee?) Warbler -- 1
  • Magnolia Warbler -- 1
  • American Goldfinch -- 4

If the weather cooperates, I may get a chance to find another significant cluster of warblers and other neotropical migrants in coming days. Only two or three more weeks before they're gone for the year...


tiny tanager

Favorite warblers
(already seen):

  1. Chestnut-sided warbler
  2. Magnolia warbler
  3. Prothonotary warbler
  4. Blackburnian warbler
  5. Yellow warbler
  6. Northern parula
  7. Black-throated green warbler
  8. Canada warbler
  9. Common yellowthroat
  10. American redstart

Yet-unseen warblers:
(eastern species)

  • Blue-winged warbler
  • Kirtland's warbler
  • Swainson's warbler
  • Bachman's warbler (extinct?)

Yet-unseen warblers:
(western & semitropical)

  • Virginia's warbler
  • Lucy's warbler
  • Colima warbler
  • Crescent-chested warbler
  • Tropical parula
  • Black-throated gray warbler
  • Golden-cheeked warbler
  • Townsend's warbler
  • Hermit warbler
  • Grace's warbler
  • MacGillivray's warbler
  • Bahama yellowthroat
  • Belding's yellowthroat
  • Gray-crowned yellowthroat
  • Bahama yellowthroat
  • Red-faced warbler
  • Painted redstart
  • Slate-throated redstart
  • Fan-tailed warbler
  • Golden-crowned warbler

"Abundant" birds
(ones I normally don't bother counting):

  • European starlings
  • House sparrows
  • Cardinals
  • Tufted timice
  • Carolina chickadees
  • Carolina wrens *
  • Song sparrows
  • House finches *
  • Gray catbirds *
  • Mockingbirds
  • American robins *
  • Blue jays
  • Common grackles *
  • American crows
  • Fish crows *
  • Turkey vultures
  • Canada geese
  • Mallards

  • * Sometimes less common