How many times...

and how many ways can I say how much I've enjoyed this migration season.

It was quite a week.  Started out with a bang - see my earlier post - then just kept up a steady trickle of migrating birds.

I encountered the three tom turkeys every time I went out, so they start the list.  A few weeks back a report came in from the grounds crew that a turkey had met its demise against the four-story glass bridge at the other end of campus.  The current group of three was four all summer long - and sadly, they have lost a cohort.

Wild Turkey
Canada Goose
Turkey Vulture
Red-tailed Hawk
Cooper's Hawk
American Kestrel

American Kestrel, Falco sparverius, photo from: http://www.billhubick.com/index.php

I've listed four species of raptor, but there were maybe eight individuals total - nothing like last week, with the kettles of soaring hawks.  Audubon Greenwich has officially ended their Quaker Ridge fall hawk watch, but New Haven's big migration festival is Sunday Sept 26th.  Also this weekend, is the Great Stratford Bird Festival, at Stratford Point.

Herring Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Killdeer
Mourning Dove
Rock Pigeon
Monk Parakeet - a large squawking flock flew overhead,
(witnessed by Nate, Jess and Jess)
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Ruby-throated Hummingbird

The flickers are around in LARGE numbers in the open woods and grassy edges at the south end of campus.  And I made good on my promise to set up the nectar feeder, because the migrating hummers are still around.

Eastern Phoebe, Sayornis phoebe, same photo I used in last year's post

Eastern Phoebe - yup they're baaaack
American Crow
Blue Jay
Red-eyed Vireo
Cedar Waxwing
European Starling
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
American Robin

Flocks of robins, starlings and flickers were feeding together, foraging in the grass for insects.

Black-capped Chickadee
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Carolina Wren
House Wren
Red-breasted Nuthatch, Sitta canadensis

See Wednesday's post to read about the nuthatch!

Northern Cardinal
Song Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Lincoln's Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco

Lincoln's Sparrow, Melospiza lincolnii, (also a photo from last years post)

The last three all showed up with the high pressure system Tuesday morning, but only the White-throat was a repeat find later in the week.  Happily, I had two viewings of the Lincoln's Sparrow - one at noon in the junipers near A-21 and the second at the end of the day, away down south along a grassy edge near one of the numerous parking lots.

Common Yellowthroat - still quite common
Magnolia Warbler
American Redstart
Yellow-rumped Warbler - a late-season migrant - three found today

Good to see the warblers are still around - I'm hoping for a few new species - like the Pine Warbler, another late migrant, which may yet pass through our green hilltop.

Common Grackle
American Goldfinch

I think the nest may have been abandoned, as I saw no activity nearby.  When Lynn returns from vacation, we'll carry the stepladder out and check inside.
So, forty species for the week - another excellent week of birding West Campus!