Monday, April 26, 2010

Palm warbler

In the backyard fenceline vines, with a very yellow rump, 9:30 AM
Thanks to Terry Sohl for use of his pic




Sunday, April 18, 2010

Lately

Backyard bluebirds, towhees, phoebes, white-throated and song sparrows, both nuthatches, redheaded woodpeckers, RC kinglets, chickadees, cardinals, bluejays, mockers. House & Carolina wrens are nesting,

Friday, April 9, 2010

Greg's Cumberland Island trip

I just returned from a wonderful 4-night family camping trip to Cumberland Island, GA. As a very novice birder, this was a wonderful opportunity for me to add to my list. Below are some less ubiquitous birds that I saw for the first time.

Highlights -
Juvenile Bald Eagle (twice the size of the common osprey) and White Pelicans on the ferry ride to the island.
4 species of Terns while at the south-end jetty, including a flock of Black Skimmers, one of my new favorites.
Pair of Wood Storks flying over the dunes.
Turkey Vultures eating the after-birth of a new born horse at the Stafford Airfield. The horse was still wet and shaky.
My first two Warblers: Many Yellow-Throated Warblers in the live oaks above the camp site, and a few Northern Parulas (another new favorite) near the marsh by Stafford. A magnificent little bird.

Challenges -
Trying to distinguish between the species of plovers and sandpipers on the beach. The Ruddy Turnstone stood out to me though.
Trying to find the hundreds of birds singing and flying among the live oaks above me. This was maddening to my untrained eye that owns a bad pair of binoculars.

Yellow-rump warblers

In the backyard

Saturday, April 3, 2010

Owls at dusk

Along Nelson Ferry barred owls and screech too, along about sundown last night, then another screech call 2:30PM today in the back yard.