Birds of May

Wow, what a month! 106 species, 31 new to this list, and 4 life birds!

Canada Goose, Trumpeter Swan, Wood Duck, American Wigeon, Mallard, Blue-winged Teal, Northern Shoveler, Common Merganser, Ruffed Grouse, Wild Turkey, Common Loon, Pied-billed Grebe, Horned Grebe, Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Green Heron, Glossy Ibis, Sandhill Crane, Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Bald Eagle, Northern Harrier, Red-tailed Hawk, Rough-legged Hawk, American Kestrel, Peregrine Falcon, Common Moorhen, Semi-palmated Plover, Killdeer, Solitary Sandpiper, Ring-billed Gull, Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Black Tern, Rock Pigeon, Mourning Dove, Chimney Swift, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Belted Kingfisher, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Pileated Woodpecker, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Alder Flycatcher, Least Flycatcher, Eastern Phoebe, Great Crested Flycatcher, Eastern Kingbird, Warbling Vireo, Red-eyed Vireo, Blue Jay, American Crow, Common Raven, Purple Martin, Tree Swallow, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Bank Swallow, Barn Swallow, Black-capped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Red-breasted Nuthatch, White-breasted Nuthatch, House Wren, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Eastern Bluebird, Veery, Wood Thrush, American Robin, Gray Catbird, Northern Mockingbird, Brown Thrasher, European Starling, Blue-winged Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Prairie Warbler, American Redstart, Ovenbird, Louisiana Waterthrush, Common Yellowthroat, Canada Warbler, Scarlet Tanager, Eastern Towhee, Chipping Sparrow, Field Sparrow, Song Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Northern Cardinal, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Bobolink, Red-winged Blackbird, Common Grackle, Brown-headed Cowbird, Baltimore Oriole, Purple Finch, House Finch, American Goldfinch, House Sparrow.

Birds of April

Comparing this to last month’s list, I see the Ducks have dropped way off. They’ve headed off the local lakes to their northern nesting grounds. My faithful visitor, the Carolina Wren, hasn’t been seen all month and the Junco numbers are dropping daily. The big Warbler wave is just starting and I hope to make inroads on that Sunday on a walk with the bird club.

So many first-of-year birds! Almost the whole second half of the list is new. It felt like every day brought new birds. Towhee and Veery were both birds I hear commonly, but never see. Bit there they were, under the apple tree! Two Loons still linger on Snyder’s Lake and I’m wondering if they will stay.

Wild Turkey, Blue Jay, American Robin, House Finch, American Goldfinch, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Red-bellied Woodpecker, American Crow, Canada Goose, Dark-eyed Junco, Black-capped Chickadee, European Starling, Song Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbird, Mourning Dove, Tree Sparrow, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Killdeer, Mallard, Red-tailed Hawk, Common Merganser, Ring-billed Gull, Wood Duck, Tufted Titmouse, Northern Cardinal, Eastern Phoebe, House Sparrow, Hooded Merganser, Chipping Sparrow, Ring-necked Duck, Herring Gull, Common Loon, Barn Swallow, American Kestrel, Fox Sparrow, Rock Pigeon, Double-crested Cormorant, Brown-headed Cowbird, White-throated Sparrow, Northern Flicker, Turkey Vulture, White-breasted Nuthatch, Bufflehead, Tree Swallow, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Pied-billed Grebe, Northern Mockingbird, Purple Finch, Brown Creeper, Eastern Towhee, Osprey, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Cooper’s Hawk, Gray Catbird, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Veery, Spotted Sandpiper, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Eastern Kingbird, Eastern Bluebird, Bobolink.

63 species, 3 new to this list.

Birds of March

A cumulative list for the month. Between now and April the numbers should climb steeply, and by May — whooee! But today we have an April Fool’s light snow, and you might think we’re back in February again until you notice the snow is sticking only to the grass, the Killdeer are displaying, the pond is half clear of ice, and the goldfinches are motley gold and grey, almost into their sun-bright plumage. “Cheer, cheer!” the  cardinals call. “Be of good cheer.”

Bald Eagle, Turkey Vulture, Red-tailed Hawk, Black-capped Chickadee, Red-winged Blackbird, Tufted Titmouse, Dark-eyed Junco, Common Redpoll, Northern Cardinal, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, American Robin, Eastern Bluebird, Blue Jay, Carolina Wren, American Crow, European Starling, Common Grackle, Red-breasted Nuthatch, White-breasted Nuthatch, American Goldfinch, Canada Goose, Snow Goose, Ring-billed Gull, Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Tree Sparrow, Song Sparrow, House Sparrow, House Finch, Killdeer, Mourning Dove, Rock Pigeon, Great Blue Heron, American Woodcock, Wood Duck, Fox Sparrow, Double-crested Cormorant, Brown-headed Cowbird, Common Merganser, Ruffed Grouse, Green-winged Teal, Fish Crow, White-throated Sparrow, Northern Shrike, American Wigeon, Black Duck, Blue-winged Teal, Pintail Duck, Northern Shoveler, Ring-necked Duck.

55 species, compared to 38 for Jan/Feb combined. Just a little longer…

The year so far

The birds of January/February:

Black-capped Chickadee, American Goldfinch, Red-breasted Nuthatch, White-breasted Nuthatch, Carolina Wren, Common Redpoll, Northern Cardinal, Blue Jay, American Crow, Dark-eyed Junco, Tufted Titmouse, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, European Starling, House Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Tree Sparrow, Red-tailed Hawk, Wild Turkey, Eastern Bluebird, American Robin, House Finch, Great Horned Owl, Brown-headed Cowbird, Turkey Vulture, Mallard, Great Black-backed Gull, Ring-billed Gull, Common Grackle, Canada Goose, Rock Pigeon, White-throated Sparrow, Pileated Woodpecker, Black Duck, Herring Gull, Red-winged Blackbird.

38 species. Just a few more weeks, now…

The total so far…

… for the months of June/July is an uninspiring 61 birds. I used to see more than that in an afternoon at Jamaica Bay. In my feeble defense, it’s been hot and humid and I don’t handle that well.

Double-crested cormorant, Great blue heron, Green heron, Canada goose, Wood duck, Mallard, Turkey vulture, Red-tailed hawk, Peregrine falcon, American kestrel, Ruffed grouse, Wild turkey, Killdeer, Rock dove, Mourning dove, Chimney swift, Ruby-throated hummingbird, Belted kingfisher, Red-bellied woodpecker, Yellow-bellied sapsucker, Downy WP, Hairy WP, Pileated WP, Northern flicker, Eastern phoebe, Eastern kingbird, Tree swallow, Barn swallow, Blue jay, Common raven, American crow, Black-capped chickadee, Tufted titmouse, Red-breasted nuthatch, White-breasted nuthatch, Carolina wren, Eastern bluebird, Veery, Wood thrush, American robin, Gray catbird, Northern mockingbird, Cedar waxwing, European starling, Yellow warbler, Ovenbird, Common yellowthroat, Northern cardinal, Rose-breasted grosbeak, Rufous-sided towhee, Chipping sparrow, Song sparrow, Bobolink, Red-winged blackbird, Common grackle, Brown-headed cowbird, Northern oriole, Purple finch, House finch, American goldfinch, House sparrow.