Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Bog Update: a year in review

1. bog bluebird-kab Eastern Bluebird 9-25-11

After a busy summer of breeding blackbirds, and a flush of ducks and geese earlier in the month of September, things have quieted down at the bog. I was thinking and hoping that I would see more warblers coming through on migration, but so far this has not been the case. It has been a year now since I first started counting birds at the bog. I have done my best to count birds there at least once a week and report my finding to eBird. For the most part I have been able to do this, but with all the travelling I have done and the family activities there have been a few times I have missed a week or two.

In my years since first starting to eBird I have come to see the value of consistently counting birds at one location, for it gives the scientists and myself a view of the bird population over time. To count birds at one location every day is not hard and does not require a lot of time. In Just five minutes you can count birds and submit that data to eBird. That is all it takes. I count birds in my yard every day, often taking my coffee or tea out onto the porch and enjoying it while I watch birds. The amount of time I spend at the bog is often dictated by how many birds I am seeing. If it is relatively quiet,  I do not stay long, but if there are a lot of birds I get so excited and absorbed in watching them all that I often stay for 40 minutes or more. But this is a peaceful and renewing time for me, and I enjoy it. I first counted birds at the bog on September 30, 2010. Since that time I have seen a total of 64 species at the Stirling Street Bog in Andover, Massachusetts. You can see the complete list is in the sidebar.

2. gray bog-kab View across the bog 9-25-11

We have had at least two weeks of gray sky and gloomy, muggy days, and while it has cooled off today, until recently it was warm and muggy. While there is a hint of autumn in the air, the leaves are really just starting to turn where I live and have yet to reach their peak blaze of color.

Here is the list of species seen at the bog during the month of September 2011:

  1. Canada Goose
  2. Wood duck
  3. Mallard
  4. Great Blue heron
  5. Merlin
  6. Gull species
  7. Mourning dove
  8. Belted Kingfisher
  9. Red-bellied woodpecker
  10. Downy woodpecker
  11. Hairy woodpecker
  12. Northern flicker
  13. Eastern Phoebe
  14. Eastern Kingbird
  15. Blue Jay
  16. American Crow
  17. Black-capped chickadee
  18. White-breasted Nuthatch
  19. Eastern bluebird
  20. American Robin
  21. Gray Catbird
  22. Cedar Waxwing
  23. warbler species
  24. Song Sparrow
  25. Northern Cardinal
  26. American goldfinch
  27. House sparrow

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15 comments:

  1. You are a great eBirder. Don't you just hate those gray columns on eBird bar charts for your locations showing that you missed a week?!

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  2. Yes! I just did my first report for one of my Locations in order to write this post. Believe it or not, I have never done that before, just looked at location Life or Year Lists. I will have to do it more often (if I have time)!

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  3. You have so many species, Kathie! I'm amazed. I would be watching for a very long time on my deck to just get two! That bluebird against the very blue sky is wonderful.

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  4. Barb, thanks. I think there were 3 of them there that day. I see them at the bog off and on throughout the year. I was even surprised to see one in January!

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  5. Wow - what a fabulous list of sightings. That first shot is adorable.

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  6. Wonderful shots and good to see the birds that you have in your world. I have many of the same here too.

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  7. Very good idea! Quite a variety of birds you have seen.

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  8. lovely birds all over here. very well captured :)

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  9. How nice to watch the bog change over the seasons.

    Maybe I'll think about counting birds in my winter yard and reporting them.

    You are an inspiration.

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  10. Hi Kathie

    You have seen lots of birds and also created a valuable record. The Bluebird shot is quite nice.

    Regards
    Guy

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  11. Kathie, it is nice to bird the same spot. You have a great list of birds seen at the bog. Love the bluebird shot. Have a great day and happy birding.

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  12. There's at least 3 birds on your list that I've seen downunder here in OZ! Who would have thought??!!

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  13. wow!!! so many different birds!! ((i'm so far behind with my reading...but i'll be back to check out the older BOG posts!! :)

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  14. I am amazed with your photos and the the number of species seen at the bog! You have the excellent eye for birding. And I feel your deep love towards tiny creatures. The lovely bird in the blue sky; combination of the colors is just stunning!
    Best wishes,
    keiko

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Welcome to my nest! I hope you will enjoy spending time here with me and the birds. Thank you for your comments. I will try to get back to you as soon as I get back from counting more birds.