Friday, February 24, 2012

Blackbirds arrived this week!

Basically an unseasonably warm stretch, but overnight last night (23rd-24th) it snowed. Just an inch or two, then changed to fine rain, and now, at the end of the afternoon, the temperature is still low enough that the snow lingers.


One of our local Red-tailed Hawks, Buteo jamaicensis.
Lynn's photo.

Birds for the two week period from February 13-17 and 20-24th, 2012.

Wild Turkey
Canada Goose
Herring Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Turkey Vulture
Red-tailed Hawk - a kettle of seven birds, a mix of five "tails" and two
Cooper's Hawk (probably) - which did NOT include our two local Red-tails
Mourning Dove
Downy Woodpecker
10. Northern Flicker

American Crow
Fish Crow
Blue Jay
Black-capped Chickadee
Carolina Wren
Northern Mockingbird
American Robin
European Starling
Northern Cardinal
20. Song Sparrow


An old familiar tune is back on campus - the Song Sparrows are singing!
Lynn's photo. Melospiza melodia melodia

House Finch
American Goldfinch
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
26. House Sparrow

Friday, February 3, 2012

Just the regulars...

Red-tailed Hawk, Buteo jamaicensis, photo Lynn Jones

The "tails" have been more noticeable these last two weeks. Three were seen more-or-less together one morning over West Campus. Lynn recently photographed this beautiful dark adult.

No snow cover, night-time temperatures in the twenties, daytime temps in the forties - this seems more like mid-March than February. The birds are usually around our feeders when it's particularly cold, or when a storm is threatening, but with the milder temperatures, they've been rather scarce.

Still we've managed a two-week list of twenty three species.

Birds seen at West Campus between January 30th and February 10th, 2012:

Wild Turkey
Canada Goose
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Turkey Vulture


Lynn caught this male Wild Turkey displaying yesterday.

Red-tailed Hawk
Mourning Dove
Rock Pigeon
Downy Woodpecker
Red-bellied Woodpecker

American Crow
Fish Crow
Blue Jay
American Robin
Northern Mockingbird

European Starling
Black-capped Chickadee
Carolina Wren
Northern Cardinal
White-throated Sparrow

House Finch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow


same handsome fellow as above, now you can appreciate the detail