Weekly species tally

Bird list for the week of May 14-18, 2012

Mourning Dove

House Finch

Downy Woodpecker

etc

etc

Here's how we keep our weekly tallies at West Campus:

Panel 1

Panel 1 - top, middle and bottom

The bird names stay in place on these glass panels and we mark the day of the week when seen.  Panel one (shown in the three images above) is the regulars, those we're likely to see nearly every day.  We shift to the second panel as more species move through West Campus, and add names in the order of occurrence.  When winter is over, we remove strictly winter birds from the first panel and fill in those gaps with spring and summer birds.

Panel 2

 

Panel 2, top, middle and bottom

 The second panel, shown in the above three images, is a mix from common year-round species (Rock Pigeon) to early spring migrants (Barn Swallow).  Some of the spring species just pass through on migration and are not seen again until fall, so these will be removed from the list in a few weeks time, when the likelihood of seeing them diminishes.

Panel 3

  

Panel 3, top, middle and bottom

As we fill the second panel, we round the corner to the last panel (above three images) which shows only the most recent arrivals - including our first of the year Blackpoll Warbler.

The records I keep here on the blog do not include these daily observations, so these data are lost.  However, the weekly tallies reflect the frequency and duration of our birding outings, inasmuchas we have to be in the right place at the right time.  If we don't get out much, we don't see the birds.  The Blackpoll Warbler might have been out there on Wednesday - and Friday too, but Thursday was the day Lynn was there and saw the bird - so it goes on the list for the week.

Birds birds birds and...

West Campus bird list for the week of May 7-11, 2012

Boldface are all migrants, arriving between say, March and May.  In blue are two new migrants for the week.

Blackbird, Red-winged
Cardinal, Northern
Catbird, Gray
Cormorant, Double-crested
Cowbird, Brown-headed
Crow, American
Dove, Mourning
Finch, House
Flicker, Northern
Goldfinch, American
Grackle, Common
Gull, Herring
Hawk, Red-tailed
Jay, Blue
Mallard
Mockingbird, Northern

Oriole, Baltimore

Osprey
Pigeon, Rock
Robin, American
Sparrow, House
Sparrow, Savannah
Sparrow, Song
Starling, European
Swallow, Barn
Thrush, Wood 
Turkey, Wild

Vireo, Red-eyed

Vireo, Warbling
Warbler, Yellow
Waxwing, Cedar
Woodpecker, Red-bellied
Wren, House
Yellowthroat, Common

And here's the "birds birds birds and..." part.
The white squirrel was sighted again this week!!   It overwintered near the education building at West Campus, in a leafy drey, possibly in company with a regular gray squirrel - of course beneath that white pelage, our white squirrel is a regular Sciurus carolinensis, Eastern Gray Squirrel, anyway.
Link to enjoy photos of albino Eastern Gray Squirrels.
Link to learn how to distinguish albino from  white form gray squirrels.

ps - ours is a true albino

Spring Migrants REALLY arrived this week

Black-and-white Warbler, Mniotilta varia, photo www.avesinart.com

Bird list for the week of April 30 through May 4, 2012:
 
Wild Turkey
Canada Goose

oh forget that -- let's just jump right into the warblers!! Boldface species are ALL new for the year.

Yellow Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Nashville Warbler - Vermivora ruficapilla - new species for West Campus.  First addition in over seven months!
Black-throated Green Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
10. Blue-winged Warbler
Ovenbird


Blue-headed Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Great Crested Flycatcher
Indigo Bunting
Wood Thrush
Chimney Swift
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
20. Gray Catbird
White-crowned Sparrow

Blue-headed Vireo, Vireo solitarius, photo www.avesinart.com

Cedar Waxwing
Barn Swallow
Tree Swallow
Eastern Phoebe

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

Savannah Sparrow
Chipping Sparrow
Song Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow

American Goldfinch
House Finch
Northern Cardinal
Blue Jay
American Crow
40. Fish Crow

American Robin
European Starling
Northern Mockingbird

Gray Catbird, Dumetella carolinensis, photo www.avesinart.com

Double-crested Cormorant
Mallard
Red-tailed Hawk
Osprey
Turkey Vulture
Herring Gull
50. Killdeer

Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Mourning Dove
Rock Pigeon

Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
58. House Sparrow

Wow, we just blew past our previous high weekly count of 52 species, from September 2011.

Abundance of birds - hooray!

Bird list for the week of April 23-27, 2012:

Wild Turkey
Double-crested Cormorant
Canada Goose
Mallard
Red-tailed Hawk
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Killdeer
Mourning Dove
Rock Pigeon

Northern Flicker
American Crow
Blue Jay
European Starling
American Robin
House Wren
Carolina Wren
Black-capped Chickadee
Northern Mockingbird
Barn Swallow

Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Yellow Warbler
Northern Cardinal
Song Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Chipping Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle

Brown-headed Cowbird
American Goldfinch
House Finch
House Sparrow