January 2012

We've been birding and blogging at West Campus for two and a half years now, compiling quite a list of bird species, and documenting seasonal changes in the process. Occasionally we submit a list to e-bird, a website developed by Cornell University for the purpose of collecting and sharing data on bird sightings. (see end of blog post)

Usually when we contribute a list to e-bird it's because we've either seen something "good" that we want to share, or because we've done a thorough survey, such as the Christmas Count or a hawk watch. Advocates of e-bird would like us birders to get in the habit of submitting ALL of our birding efforts, to better document year-round bird activity in our favored "hot-spots".

Although we understand the reasons, we don't necessarily always have the time. Ultimately e-bird is happy to get whatever data we citizen scientists are willing to volunteer. As an end-user of e-bird data I certainly appreciate a plethora of birding reports. For example, over the semester break I was birding in Florida, and was able to check the reports of other e-birders to plan my stops.

I checked for species, such as the Florida Scrub-Jay (Florida's only endemic bird), and the Red-cockaded Woodpecker (a vulnerable species). Searches can also be made by specific location, such as Sanibel Island or the Anhinga Trail within Everglades National Park. Ultimately, e-bird is just one of many tools a birder can use to find good places to go birding.


We finally have some snow cover, and look what shows up...

I haven't posted our list here on the blog in over a month - feeder activity has been s-l-o-w, but I'll list the birds we've seen since the start of the new year. Many of these birds are using our assorted feeding stations, placed in the courtyard where we can observe. I'll just write "feeder" after these species.

West Campus bird list for the first three weeks of 2012:

1. Wild Turkey - feeder
Canada Goose
Turkey Vulture
Red-tailed Hawk
5. Merlin
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Mourning Dove - feeder
Rock Pigeon
10. Downy Woodpecker - feeder
Red-bellied Woodpecker - feeder
Blue Jay - feeder
American Crow
European Starling
15. Black-capped Chickadee - feeder
Carolina Wren
American Robin
Northern Cardinal - feeder
Dark-eyed Junco - feeder
20. Song Sparrow - feeder
White-throated Sparrow - feeder
Fox Sparrow - feeder
American Goldfinch
House Finch - feeder
25. House Sparrow - feeder

Here's a link to e-bird. http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ You'll see there's a lot to explore, and Cornell continues to improve the user interface as well as the data-generating possibilities.

112th Annual Christmas Bird Count

The year 2011 is the 112th CBC, the first official Christmas Bird Count was in the year 1900. There's a pretty long run of citizen science for you.

As we have for over a decade, Tom, Lynn and I each participated in our own regional counts on Saturday, which meant West Campus was not counted that day. Instead we counted here today, and by the official rules we cannot add numbers, only species to the official tally - and only if it's a species that was not found in the New Haven circle on Saturday.

Two years ago our Barred Owl was added as one of these "count week" species. Today we weren't able to add any new species, but put in a good birding effort anyway.

Here are the results:

number in party: 3 (Lynn, me, Tom)
party hours: 7 (6:45 to 2:15 with a lunch break)
weather conditions: cold 20-28F, clear and calm in the early morning, partly cloudy and breezy through the mid-day.
no snow, moving water was open, still water with thin ice
number of species: 34
number of individual birds: 454

31 Canada Goose
1 Mute Swan
5 Wild Turkey
1 Turkey Vulture
4 Red-tailed Hawk

75 Ring-billed Gull
20 Herring Gull
30 Rock Pigeon
10 Mourning Dove
3 Red-bellied Woodpecker

6 Downy Woodpecker
1 Northern Flicker
7 Blue Jay
40 American Crow
1 Fish Crow

8 Black-capped Chickadee
1 Tufted Titmouse
2 White-breasted Nuthatch
2 Carolina Wren
3 Ruby-crowned Kinglet

1 Hermit Thrush
50 American Robin
1 Gray Catbird
2 Northern Mockingbird
43 European Starling

9 Song Sparrow
1 Swamp Sparrow
14 White-throated Sparrow
1 White-crowned Sparrow
2 Dark-eyed Junco

14 Northern Cardinal
45 House Finch
10 American Goldfinch
20 House Sparrow

An excellent birding effort - beats our 2009 number by one, and the 2010 number by several - but last year's search was hampered by two feet of snow on the ground!

2010 results here
2009 results here

Mid-December update

Immature Cooper's Hawk, Accipiter cooperi, perched just a few meters above our feeders one morning last week. photo: Lynn Jones

December is just not a normal month. There's the transition from late fall to winter, when those warmish days are just fewer and farther between, and we resign ourselves to the fact of cold weather.
We have ways to deal with this.

If you're connected to students and the academic world in any way, there are end-of-semester issues. Grades and evaluations are due, plans are sketched out for second semester, last-minute challenges are par for the course.
We have ways to deal with this too.

And then there's the craziness of the "holiday season". THIS is self-inflicted, I mean the craziness part. The holidays, well they've all been around longer than we have, but what have we done to make them so crazy?
We have ways to deal with this too - GO BIRDING!!!!

It's time for the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count, so tomorrow instead of joining the shopping craziness we birders will be out driving and walking our "territories" in search of every last chickadee, gull and wandering warbler we can find.


New squirrel baffle for one of our feeders - provided by Tony - the other two feeders are there in the background - one for sunflower seeds and the other for thistle seeds, which the finches are supposed to prefer.

West Campus bird list for the past two weeks, December 5-9 and 12-16, 2011:

Wild Turkey
Herring Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Red-tailed Hawk
Cooper's Hawk
Mourning Dove
Rock Pigeon
Downy Woodpecker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
10. Blue Jay
American Crow
Fish Crow
American Robin
European Starling
Northern Mockingbird
Black-capped Chickadee
Northern Cardinal
Song Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
20. Dark-eyed Junco
House Finch
American Goldfinch

Twenty two species for the middle of December - probably just about what you'd expect.

Next week, Lynn and I will report on our West Campus Christmas Bird Count.

Sue and Lynn - West Campus birders - with camera trap.

The segue from November to December this week brought a few cold nights, but warm daytime temperatures linger still. Our sparrow population is down, but a good variety of thicket-haunting birds was around this week.

Ruby-crowned and
Golden-crowned Kinglets

Carolina and
House Wrens

Northern Mockingbirds and
Gray Catbirds

Dark-eyed Juncos and a
White-throated Sparrow

Blue Jays and
American Crows

House Finches and
American Goldfinches

Mourning Doves and
Rock Pigeons

Downy Woodpeckers and
Red-bellied Woodpeckers


Lynn keeps the courtyard feeders full.

Black-capped Chickadees and a
Northern Cardinal

American Robins and
European Starlings

Ring-billed and
Herring Gulls


Wild Turkey flock browsing? grazing? one morning this week.

Wild Turkey flocks
Canada Goose flocks, and a
Red-tailed Hawk
and always a few
House Sparrows

Twenty six species for the week - again, a week in which we didn't get outside much during the workday, but saw our good skulkers before work in the mornings.

Nocturnal visitors

Okay, here's something fun we've been trying for a few weeks - off and on...
We noticed some unusually large scat out in the courtyard and set up our camera trap to see who the nocturnal visitors might be. The possibilities are limited, since the area is only accessible via the trees - or via flight.


Virginia Opossum, Didelphis virginianus - North America's only native marsupial.

We were thinking it could have been a Gray Fox, since they're arboreal - and the scat was fairly large - so we'll keep trying! - fun stuff.

Bird list for the last few weeks (November 14-18 and 21-23, 2011):

Wild Turkey
Canada Goose
Herring Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Red-tailed Hawk
6. Cooper's Hawk

Mourning Dove
Rock Pigeon
Downy Woodpecker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
11. Northern Flicker

Blue Jay
American Crow
Fish Crow
American Robin
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
18. Cedar Waxwing


Celastrus scandens, Oriental Bittersweet - bad weed, but good food supply for the birds.

Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
House Wren
23. Carolina Wren

Northern Cardinal
Song Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
House Finch
28. American Goldfinch
Brown-headed Cowbird
Baltimore Oriole - two!!
31. House Sparrow


Diverse habitat near the Leaf Pile - some bittersweet, some Phragmites, some open woodland.

This is often a good place for morning bird activity - in fact on a warm, humid morning earlier this week, this spot was alive with birdsong. Robins were singing, the Baltimore Oriole sang a few notes, White-throated and Song Sparrows joined in. Felt like spring!

An unseasonably warm week - such a pleasure, after a string of frosty mornings, well, and not to forget the big snowstorm 2 weeks back.

Bird list for the week of November 7-11, 2011.

Wild Turkey
Canada Goose
Herring Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Red-tailed Hawk
Cooper's Hawk
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Blue Jay
American Crow - 89 birds counted
Fish Crow - 12 birds counted
(the West Haven crow roost is gathering again!)


American and Fish Crows gather on a West Campus rooftop.

American Robin
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Carolina Wren
Black-capped Chickadee
American Goldfinch
House Finch
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Northern Cardinal
Eastern Towhee
Song Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Brown-headed Cowbird
House Sparrow

Catching up

fall colors afloat on the Oyster River

Among other excuses, I have had a cold for the past two weeks and opted to stay indoors knitting, rather than go out birding - so, the list this week is 100% attributable to Ms. Lynn Jones - her photos too.

Bird list for the week of October 31 through Nov 4th.

Wild Turkey
Canada Goose
Great Blue Heron


Ardea herodias, G B H, passing through West Campus

Ring-billed Gull
5. Herring Gull
Killdeer
Turkey Vulture
Red-tailed Hawk
Cooper's Hawk
American Kestrel
11. Mourning Dove

Rock Pigeon
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
American Crow
16. Fish Crow
Common Raven
Blue Jay


A small amount of birding involves unsolved mysteries. Here's half a hawk Lynn saw this week. An immature Buteo? - I was going for young Red-tail, based on the rufous head, pale belly, dark back, vertical streaking. Who knows?...

American Robin
Hermit Thrush
21. Tree Swallow

European Starling
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Black-capped Chickadee
Song Sparrow
26. White-throated Sparrow
Chipping Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Northern Cardinal
Brown-headed Cowbird
31. House Sparrow


Here's a beauty - the Blue-headed Vireo, Vireo solitarius, Lynn saw last week.

New Haven Bird Club's Feederwatch (link, or see below) started this week, and Lynn has begun keeping a tally of our feeder birds, as she has for the past two winters. So far, the usual visitors are a pair of Blue Jays, a few chickadees and sparrows, Mourning Doves, woodpeckers and a gray squirrel. This week a huge flock of juncos descended - sixty at the highest count!

NHBC 19th Annual Winter Feeder Survey November 1, 2011 through March 31, 2012 This is a yearly census to help determine the number and frequency of birds visiting feeders in the Greater New Haven area. You are invited to observe and record the activity at your feeder at least once a week for the entire time period. Contact-Peter Vitali: 203.288.0621,vitali_peter_e@sbcglobal.net

So, in last week's post I mentioned a taste of winter, with more to come. Saturday, October 29th the northeastern US was hit with a snowstorm - a nor'easter on a scale usually only seen in mid-winter. [hmm, interestingly, I took no photos] Parts of the state were without power for 7, 8, nine days, as heavy snow brought down trees which still had a full complement of leaves.

Read Scott Kruitbosch's well-written account of the storm - from the perspective of a birder. Local news media provided plenty of coverage of the storm's aftermath - from the perspective of disgruntled customers of the state's electric utilites. Now, close to two weeks after the storm, here's a link to a blog in which the writer posted power outage maps for October 31st.

Still an occasional migrant.

Merlin, Falco columbarius, digiscoped photo by Tom Parlapiano. The Merlin put in a few appearances at the other end of campus this week - most dramatically when Tom was out with a group of schoolchildren studying trees and identifying leaves.

In late October we still see the occasional migrant - a raptor here, a swallow there, and a few songbirds lingering. Lynn's special find of the week was a Blue-headed Vireo (photo in next week's post!). We've seen this bird on campus during both spring and fall migrations, and it's always a treat to see again.

This week saw cooler temperatures with mostly sunny skies, and one rainy day that changed to snow overnight. I should amend that - it snowed in my corner of the state, but along the coast, no.


My car early this morning - pretty sure I'm not ready for winter yet - but I hear this was just a test run. More arriving soon, as in, tomorrow - Saturday.

Bird list for the week of October 24-28, 2011.

Wild Turkey
Canada Goose
Herring Gull
Ring-billed Gull
5. Turkey Vulture
Red-tailed Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
Cooper's Hawk
Sharp-shinned Hawk
10. American Kestrel

Mourning Dove
Rock Pigeon
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
15. Eastern Phoebe
American Crow
Fish Crow
Blue Jay
Blue-headed Vireo
20. American Robin

Hermit Thrush
Northern Mockingbird
Tree Swallow
Golden-crowned Kinglet
25. European Starling
Northern Cardinal
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
30. Savannah Sparrow

Chipping Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
American Goldfinch
House Finch
35. Red-winged Blackbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
Common Grackle
House Sparrow


yes, MORE images of the famous albino squirrel of West Campus

Late-day birds.

Canada Geese, Branta canadensis, take over the parking lots after 5pm.


Hundreds of American Robins, Turdus migratorius, gather in the treetops to roost after 5pm.
Bird list for the week of October 17-21, 2011:

Wild Turkey
Canada Goose
Killdeer
Herring Gull
5. Ring-billed Gull


Killdeer, Charadrius vociferus, feeding in grassy strips in the parking lots - after 5pm.

Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Red-tailed Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
10. Broad-winged Hawk
Cooper's Hawk
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Falco sp.

Mourning Dove
15. Rock Pigeon
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker

Eastern Phoebe
Common Raven
20. American Crow
Blue Jay
American Robin
Hermit Thrush
Gray Catbird
25. European Starling


The third Killdeer - we often see three together.

Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Brown Creeper
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
30. Palm Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler

Northern Cardinal
Eastern Towhee
Song Sparrow
35. Swamp Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco

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

Forty four bird species, and for mammals - sightings of Red Fox, Eastern Striped Chipmunk, Eastern Gray Squirrel and White-tailed Deer. Early Friday morning, Lynn and I stood quietly and watched two bucks engage each other in some head-butting and antler-wrestling. One was an eight-point and the other looked to be a six-point buck.


The resident curiosity, an albino squirrel.

Does anybody have a decent photo of the albino Gray Squirrel who has been haunting the western end of West Campus? It was pretty high up in a nut tree when I got this too-distant photo.

Young Red-tailed Hawk, Buteo jamaicensis, in the Sycamore tree in our courtyard, photo: Lynn Jones
Bird list for the week of October 10 through 14, 2011:

Wild Turkey
Mute Swan
Canada Goose
Killdeer
5. Herring Gull
Ring-billed Gull

Turkey Vulture
Red-tailed Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
10. Cooper's Hawk
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Peregrine Falcon
American Kestrel
Osprey
15. Northern Harrier

Hairy Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
20. Mourning Dove
Rock Pigeon


Blue Jay, Cyanocitta cristata, in a spruce in our parking lot. The jays are so visible this time of year, as they search for food to cache for the winter. You'll see them fly in one direction, then return with an acorn or beech nut, then over again, and back with something more.

Eastern Phoebe
American Crow
Fish Crow
25. Blue Jay
European Starling
House Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Golden-crowned Kinglet
30. Brown Creeper

American Robin
Swainson's Thrush
Northern Mockingbird
Palm Warbler
35. Common Yellowthroat

Northern Cardinal
Song Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Chipping Sparrow
40. Savannah Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco


Dark-eyed Junco, Junco hyemalis, in spruce forest in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. photo: Jorge de Leon.

House Finch
Brown-headed Cowbird
Common Grackle
45. House Sparrow

I keep meaning to explain my groupings. Sometimes I group by fives to make it easier to count, sometimes I group by species, according to accepted avian systematics. We'll get into avian systematics another time, perhaps - but not on a Friday afternoon...

Have a good weekend!
Sue