The Yard List Grows and other Notes

Downy Woodpecker 5-5-14

It’s been a busy week and I have been birding all over the place with no time to catch my breath! Last Friday I went birding with Karen from KaHolly and had such a great time! We saw so many birds, many of them new to my Maine Life List and one new Lifer when we saw a Northern Wheatear at Scarborough Marsh! I did take pics but none are very good as the birds was quite distant and the lighting was horrible with damp and cloudy skies! What a pleasure it was to spend the day with Karen and her sister and brother-in-law. As children of the woods I felt such a connection to them all. You can read Karen's Post and see the pictures in the link below and I do have some of my own to show you once I get them offloaded!

• KaHolly: Jiggety Jig

Jan Pierson showing a warbler to the birders 5-15-14

Yesterday I went birding at Crystal Springs Farm right here in Brunswick, ME. I met Jan Pierson, who led the bird walk, and discovered yet another wonderful and new place to bird so close to my new home. The best bird we saw were the Bobolinks! I have never had such great views of them before, having only seen them twice before in my life. Once in Wert Virginia back in 2009 when I went on the tour with the New River Nature and Birding Festival and once in Connecticut when I spotted a few in a vacant lot next to a dentist office! Bobolinks are a species of blackbird that make the most amazing sounds. I can’t wait to show them to my friend, Chris Rohrer, when he comes to visit me next month! Crystal spring is part of the Brunswick-Topsham land Trust and is open to the public for birding and hiking. along with the Bobolinks we saw numerous species of warblers, and Indigo bunting, and a Solitary Sandpiper! Crystal Springs Farm is an eBird Hotspot!

White-throated Sparrow in yard 5-5-14

My yard list continues to grow on an almost daily basis. I have seen the sparrow population rise and fall only to be replaced by warblers! Yesterday morning I was up early for the bird walk and doing my morning shores when I stepped outside to spread a bit of seed on the ground. As I did I suddenly noticed a new warbler in my yard—a Black-throated Blue! I had only seen this species once before in West Virginia, so I went back inside and grabbed my camera to try to take pics. However, since it was a cloudy day and just after dawn, the lighting was terrible! I continued to watch birds though as more and more species filled the yard. There were so many warblers that I actually debated about whether I should go on the bird walk, but finally decided I need to learn about Crystal Springs Farm, and I KNEW I wanted to see bobolinks! I was so glad I went but was surprised when I finally returned home to find an Indigo Bunting on my own bird feeder! I had stopped at the grocery store on the way home but did not even unload the groceries. I quickly grabbed my camera and started snapping pics! The Black-throated Blue Warblers were still in my yard, along with Baltimore Orioles!

Then the Rose-breasted Grosbeaks came back! Oh my word! This is just hopeless. I will never get anything done because there are so many birds to see right in my own back yard! I have seen so many new yard birds since I wrote last week’s post that I copied the chart into this post and added the new species with the dates at the bottom of the Mere Point Cottage List. With the current count at 79 species, it looks like I could tie and even pass the Sycamore Canyon Yard List before spring is over! I am just floored by how amazing the birding in my own yard has been!

American Goldfinches at feeders

Here’s a look at a few more yard birds and the new feeders and squirrel baffles I have set up in my constant battle to feed birds and not squirrels! You will notice I have added a meal worm feeder. I must admit that I was a bit squeamish about this at first but I finally broke down and bought one. I manage to fill it without touching the meal worms, which are freeze-dried. I am not sure I could feed live worms. I hate the look of them and if they wiggled? Yuk! But, the birds do like them!

 Black-capped Chickadee and mealworm feeder 5-5-14

 Cooper’s Hawk on ground shot through window with screen

 Tufted Titmouse on peanut feeder with new squirrel baffle

 House Finch and White-throated Sparrow 5-5-14

 Chipping Sparrow 5-5-14

 Northern Cardinal (female) 5-5-14

 Golden-crowned Kinglet

 Golden-crowned Kinglet 5-6-14

Ruby-crowned Kinglet 5-6-14

Kathie’s Yard Birds Lists Update!

(Species in italics were only seen in that yard where they are listed.)

	Sycamore Canyon May 2007-August 2010	Andover, MA September 2010-August 2012	Tucson, AZ September 2012-January 2014	Mere Point Cottage  2014-present
1.	Gambel’s Quail	Canada Goose	Gambel’s Quail	Canada Goose
2.	Turkey Vulture	Mallard	Great Egret	Greater Scaup
3.	Northern Harrier	Wild Turkey	Turkey Vulture	Common Eider
4.	Sharp-shinned Hawk	Great Blue Heron	Osprey	Bufflehead
5.	Cooper’s Hawk	Black Vulture	Sharp-shinned Hawk	Common Goldeneye
6.	Harris Hawk	Turkey Vulture	Cooper’s Hawk	Red-breasted Merganser
7.	Zone-tailed hawk	Sharp-shinned Hawk	Harris Hawk	Common Loon
8.	Red-tailed Hawk	Cooper’s Hawk	Swainson’s Hawk	Double-crested Cormorant
9.	Killdeer	Red-shouldered Hawk	Zone-tailed Hawk	Great Blue Heron
10.	Rock Pigeon	Red-tailed Hawk	Red-tailed Hawk	Turkey Vulture
11.	White-winged Dove	Ring-billed Gull	Rock Pigeon	Osprey
12.	Greater Roadrunner	Herring Gull	Band-tailed Pigeon	Cooper’s Hawk
13.	Greater Roadrunner	Rock Pigeon	White-winged Dove	Bald Eagle
14.	Great Horned Owl	Mourning Dove	Mourning Dove	Red-tailed Hawk
15.	Burrowing Owl	Black-billed Cuckoo	Greater Roadrunner	American Woodcock
16.	Lesser Nighthawk	Eastern Screech Owl	Great Horned Owl	Herring Gull
17.	Common Nighthawk	Great Horned Owl	Lesser Nighthawk	Great Black-backed Gull
18.	Magnificent Hummingbird	Chimney Swift	Vaux’s Swift	Mourning Dove
19.	Black-chinned Hummingbird	Ruby-throated Hummingbird	Black-chinned Hummingbird	Chimney Swift
20.	Anna’s Hummingbird	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Anna’s Hummingbird	Red-bellied Woodpecker
21.	Costa’s Hummingbird	Yellow-bellied Sapsucker	Costa’s Hummingbird	Downy Woodpecker
22.	Broad-tailed Hummingbird	Downy Woodpecker	Broad-tailed Hummingbird	Hairy Woodpecker
23.	Rufous Hummingbird	Hairy Woodpecker	Rufous Hummingbird	Northern Flicker
24.	Calliope Hummingbird	Northern Flicker	Broad-billed Hummingbird	Eastern Phoebe
25.	Broad-billed Hummingbird	Eastern Wood Pewee	Gila Woodpecker	Blue Jay
26.	Gila Woodpecker	Blue-headed Vireo	Ladder-backed Woodpecker	American Crow
27.	Gilded Flicker	Blue Jay	American Kestrel	Fish Crow
28.	American Kestrel	American Crow	Merlin	Common Raven
29.	Peregrine Falcon	Fish Crow	Peregrine Falcon	Tree Swallow
30.	Say’s Phoebe	Common Raven	Black Phoebe	Black-capped Chickadee
31.	Ash-throated Flycatcher	Black-capped Chickadee	Say’s Phoebe	Tufted Titmouse
32.	Brown-crested Flycatcher	Tufted Titmouse	Vermillion Flycatcher	Red-breasted Nuthatch
33.	Western Kingbird	Red-breasted Nuthatch	Ash-throated Flycatcher	White-breasted Nuthatch
34.	Loggerhead Shrike	White-breasted Nuthatch	Warbling Vireo	Brown Creeper
35.	Bell’s Vireo	Brown Creeper	Common Raven	Carolina Wren
36.	Warbling Vireo	House Wren	Northern Rough-winged swallow	Golden-crowned Kinglet
37.	Chihuahuan Raven	Carolina Wren	Purple Martin	Ruby-crowned Kinglet
38.	Common Raven	Golden-crowned Kinglet	Verdin	Hermit Thrush
39.	Purple Martin	Ruby-crowned Kinglet	House Wren	American Robin
40.	Violet-green Swallow	Veery	Cactus Wren	European Starling
41.	Barn Swallow	Wood Thrush	Curve-billed Thrasher	Cedar Waxwing
42.	Verdin	American Robin	Northern Mockingbird	Black and white Warbler
43.	Rock Wren	Gray Catbird	European starling	Northern Parula
44.	House Wren	Northern Mockingbird	Phainopepla	Yellow Warbler
45.	Bewick’s Wren	European Starling	Tennessee Warbler	Palm Warbler
46.	Cactus Wren	Cedar Waxwing	Orange-crowned Warbler	Pine Warbler
47.	American Robin	Northern Waterthrush	Lucy’s Warbler	Yellow-rumped Warbler
48.	Curve-billed Thrasher	Yellow-rumped Warbler	Yellow Warbler	Eastern Towhee
49.	Northern Mockingbird	Black-throated Green Warbler	Yellow-rumped Warbler	American Tree Sparrow
50.	European Starling	Chipping Sparrow	Wilson’s Warbler	Chipping Sparrow
51.	Yellow-rumped Warbler	Field Sparrow	Green-tailed Towhee	Savannah Sparrow
52.	Black-throated Gray Warbler	Song Sparrow	Spotted Towhee	Fox Sparrow
53.	Green-tailed Towhee	White-throated Sparrow	Brewer’s Sparrow	Song Sparrow
54.	Rufous-crowned Sparrow	Dark-eyed Junco	Lark Sparrow	Lincoln’s Sparrow
55.	Canyon Towhee	Northern Cardinal	Savannah Sparrow	White-throated Sparrow
56.	Rufous-winged Sparrow	Red-breasted Grosbeak	Song Sparrow	Dark-eyed Junco
57.	Chipping Sparrow	Red-winged Blackbird	White-crowned Sparrow	Northern Cardinal
58.	Brewer’s Sparrow	Common Grackle	Western Tanager	Red-breasted Grosbeak
59.	Black-chinned Sparrow	Brown-headed Cowbird	Northern Cardinal	Red-winged Blackbird
60.	Lark Sparrow	Baltimore Oriole	Pyrrhuloxia	Common Grackle
61.	Black-throated Sparrow	House Finch	Black-headed Grosbeak	Brown-headed Cowbird
62.	Lark Bunting	Purple Finch	Great-tailed Grackle	House Finch
63.	Lincoln’s Sparrow	Pine Siskin	Brown-headed Cowbird	Purple Finch
64.	White-crowned Sparrow	American Goldfinch	Hooded Oriole	American Goldfinch
65.	Dark-eyed Junco	House Sparrow	Bullock’s Oriole	Brown Thrasher 5-9-14
66.	Western Tanager		House Finch	White-crowned Sparrow 5-9-14
67.	Northern Cardinal		Pine Siskin	Mallard 5-10-14
68.	Pyrrhuloxia		Lesser Goldfinch	Ruby-throated Hummingbird 5-10-14
69.	Black-headed Grosbeak		House Sparrow	Gray Catbird 5-10-14
70.	Blue Grosbeak			Broad-winged Hawk 5-12-14
71.	Brewer’s Blackbird			Black-throated Green Warbler 5-12-14
72.	Great-tailed Grackle			Common Yellow-throat 5-12-14
73.	Bronzed Cowbird			Baltimore Oriole 5-12-14
74.	Brown-headed Cowbird			Red-shouldered Hawk 5-14-14
75.	Hooded Oriole			Great-crested Flycatcher 5-15-14
76.	Bullock’s Oriole			American Redstart 5-15-14
77.	Scott’s Oriole			Black-throated Blue Warbler 5-15-14
78.	House Finch			Indigo Bunting 5-15-14
79.	Cassin’s Finch			Chestnut-sided Warbler 5-16-14
80.	Pine Siskin
81.	Lesser Goldfinch
82.	Lawrence’s Goldfinch
83.	House Sparrow

Happy Spring!

Tulips in yard 5-5-14