Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Two new birds last week!

Again I'm getting last week's list posted a bit late - and especially since we had Monday off, so here goes. We seem to be settling into a bit of sameness, but then again we're still getting new species.

Wild Turkey
Ring-billed Gull
Killdeer
Osprey
Red-tailed Hawk
Mourning Dove
Rock Pigeon
Northern Flicker
Great-crested Flycatcher, Myiarchus crinitus
Warbling Vireo, Vireo gilvus

Click on the new birds above - and play the voice recording on the linked page. Both are birds you'll hear before you see, so it's good to be familiar with the songs. Vireos especially, are a challenge to find as they quietly hunt for insects at the ends of leafy branches. Warblers are more active feeders so are easier to spot, but those vireos are a secretive group - except that they're quite vocal.

Blue Jay
American Crow
Cedar Waxwing
Carolina Wren
House Wren
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
American Robin
Barn Swallow
European Starling

Northern Cardinal
Song Sparrow
Chipping Sparrow
Yellow Warbler
American Goldfinch
House Finch
Brown-headed Cowbird
Common Grackle
Red-winged Blackbird

What I need now is to just get out more! Back in April I thought some of our first returning migrants would be the Eastern Phoebe and the Tree Swallow - and believe it or not we still haven't seen either of these birds. I know it's just a matter of "time in the field", so if I eat lunch faster I can add 50% more birding time - we're talking an increase from 30 to 45 minutes. Hey, every little bit helps!

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