August 30th 2015: Pileated Woodpecker is species #157 for the property. One individual was around for most of the fall, and there were 2 for at least one day.
August 20th 2015: Cliff Swallow is species #156 for the property; the feeding group of swallows/swifts also included at least 1 Bank Swallow, a couple of Purple Martins, and many Barn Swallows.
August 10th 2015: Red-shouldered Hawk is species #155 for our property, with a young bird perched just behind our house. No pictures unfortunately.
May 28th 2015: Acadian Flycatcher is finally species #154 for our property, after being on the "edge" species list for four years. Also, a Veery was singing all morning, only the second one recorded for our property.
April 10th 2015: Black-crowned Night-Heron surprised me by flying out of the evergreen trees near our house. It's species #153 for our property.
April 3rd 2015: Additions include Hermit Thrush on November 22nd (2014) and Sandhill Crane (#152) on December 11th (2014). Migration has recently become more obvious, with many Field Sparrows and a Brown Thrasher around yesterday, and Eastern Phoebes arriving a few days before that. The American Woodcock displays were especially good this year.
2014
October 27th: Earlier this fall I was able to move Solitary Sandpiper from the edge list to the property list (#149), making Purple Finch species #150 for our property on October 18th.
June 2nd: Spring migration was taken up by work and field work, so I didn't get to do much migration birding on our property. New species since my last update were Ring-billed Gull (22 March), Pine Warbler (27 April), and Grasshopper Sparrow (9 May). Today I was able to move Orchard Oriole from the Edge List to the property list, bringing the property total to 148.
2013
September 28th: Union County Bird Club came out today for some banding; it was a bit slow, but we did catch a Gray-cheeked Thrush, species #144 for our property. We also saw a male Bay-breasted Warbler and had a few other birds including Lincoln's Sparrow.
September 20th: Highlight of fall migration so far was a male Golden-winged Warbler this morning, a first for the property and my first in over 10 years. Migration seems to have been good, although I haven't been out as much as I would like; I'm sure I've missed plenty.
August 31st: Four warbler species (Magnolia, Wilson's, Chestnut-sided, and a very nice male Black-throated Blue) highlighted the migrants today, with a few other species (e.g., Least Flycatcher) thrown in.
August 23rd: 2 Blackburnian Warblers herald the beginning of the warbler migrants. This is a species that is surprisingly common on our farm during the month of September, and they are always nice to see. Many orioles and a Purple Martin, as well as an unidentified Empidonax, complete the obvious migrant roster for my short walk this morning.
Spring 2013 Summary: I added Northern Rough-winged Swallow, White-eyed Vireo, Prairie Warbler, Yellow-throated Vireo, Tree Swallow (finally!), and Blue-winged Warbler to the property list between April 20th and May 1st.
April 19th: American Coot new for the property (#136), stayed four days last week. Eastern Towhee, Brown Thrasher, Blue-winged Teal, and many other species have been around recently.
February 27th: A very nice drake Ring-necked Duck was species #135 for the property. There seemed to be a lot of bird activity in general today, reminds me of spring.
2012
December 28th: Added a few new birds during the fall and early winter: Pied-billed Grebe, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Pine Siskin, and Barred Owl. This brings the property list up to 134 species. I also heard flight calls that were likely from White-winged Crossbill, Red Crossbill, and Evening Grosbeak, but I'm not certain enough to add these to our property list. Many, many new pictures added (linked from list below).
September 25th: A Dickcissel (#130) last week was new for the property; many Lincoln's Sparrows around, and our first White-throated Sparrows of the fall.
September 14th: Many migrants around, including 10 warbler species, Swainson's Thrush, and Red-eyed Vireo. New for the property (#129) is this young Buteo, the identity of which I am still contemplating (I would love to hear comments). Addendum (12/28/2012): This bird identified as Broad-winged Hawk, I wrote a blog entry about the identification process.
September 12th: Mourning Warbler was a highlight today, with a total of 10 warbler species. Added Veery to the property list late last month, and at least 2 Yellow-bellied Flycatchers and the second Osprey for the property have been fall migration highlights.
July 22nd: There was a group of 10-20 swallows flying around on the evening of July 20th; most were Barn Swallows, but one was different. Finally, another swallow for the property list: Bank Swallow. I've nearly seen both Tree and Northern Rough-winged here in the past, but haven't been able to nail down the I.D.; they always seem to be flying high over the property and at a bad angle. I've also seen Cliff Swallow less than a mile away, so that is another I'll be hoping to find here eventually.
July 11th: Spring migration wasn't nearly as exciting as fall; maximum warbler species in a day was 8, with Magnolia and Chestnut-sided being the most common. I don't know what happened to the Green Heron nest, but I don't think they made it. I never saw them hatched, and the whole nest disappeared. Some of our most obvious birds this summer have been a couple of families of Brown Thrashers we see most days. I officially added Willow Flycatcher to the property list this summer, after its long stay on the edge species list. I've been doing some bird banding for research, with many catbirds caught, but also Indigo Bunting, Yellow-breasted Chat, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Yellow Warbler, etc. I have a lot of pictures that I need to put up here, but haven't gotten around to it yet.
May 3rd: Just a quick update, I'll update the list and add new pictures next week. Saw my first ever Black-billed Cuckoo this morning. This has been a long-time nemesis bird for me, and it is exciting to be able to find one on our own property. Sunday night (April 29th) an Osprey spent the night in a dead tree next to our pond; I thought we might eventually see one migrating over our property, but never would have guessed we'd have one actually perched in a tree 150 feet from our house. Green Herons are nesting by our pond, and there was a third individual hanging around today. Migrants today include many catbirds, 8 warbler species (migrants and residents), Rose-breasted Grosbeak, etc., for a total of 51 species so far (at 10:44 a.m.).
April 12th: Highlights were 1 Wilson's Snipe (#122) in the front cornfield, a flyover Greater Yellowlegs that landed in our neighbor's pond, and 3 Blue-winged Teal (2 drakes and a hen) in the pond with the yellowlegs. Unfortunately, the teal were not actually on or over our property, so they go onto the edge list. However, I will be checking our pond closely the rest of the day, hopefully they'll come over here for a visit. A Brown Thrasher started eating sunflower seeds from our bird feeders this morning, our dog chased a Wild Turkey, and I finally saw my first warbler of the year (unsurprisingly, a Yellow-rumped). Full eBird species list here.
April 10th: A flock of about 100 Pectoral Sandpipers was a nice surprise, but unfortunately was in the field across the road, so can only make it onto the "Edge Species" list. Saw my first gnatcatcher of the year this morning, and heard both resident owl species (Great Horned and Eastern Screech) yesterday. Phoebes are quite vocal right now, as are the Brown Thrashers.
April 8th: Species #121 for the property was Bonaparte's Gull on April 1st. Dimi and I were walking on State Route 47 along the edge of our property when I looked up and saw 6 gulls flying north. Turned out to be migrating Bonaparte's Gulls. Still haven't seen any warblers, but many other spring species around (Brown Thrasher, Eastern Phoebe, etc.).
March 29th: American Pipits (#120) in the front cornfield this morning; it's a bird that I am not all that familiar with, so it was nice to have some time to watch them and get a few pictures. Still looking for my first warbler of the year; lots of woodpeckers, especially flickers, around now. Saw an adult male harrier pass silently over the woods this morning while I was searching unsuccessfully for large woodpeckers. Added a new mammal to the property list, saw a Muskrat swimming in the pond on Sunday.
March 8th: Woodcocks displaying yesterday evening, many peent calls heard, and saw one flying. Western Chorus Frogs were very audible last night, and we had an Eastern Pipistrelle in our basement a few days ago (pictures of the last two are here). Lots of bird activity this morning, I heard Killdeer, Northern Cardinals, American Robins, and American Woodcocks before sunrise.
March 2nd: Heard the twittering of American Woodcock wings in the morning before sunrise. Haven't heard any displaying yet, but will be listening in the evenings.
January 21st: Finally added Horned Lark (#119) last weekend. Birdfeeding has attracted many of the common winter birds (numbers in parentheses are maxima seen at any one time): Northern Cardinal (16), Dark-eyed Junco (21), American Goldfinch (8), Blue Jay (9), and about 12 other species. Saw a Golden-crowned Kinglet today, the first one of those in a while.
January 6th: Earlier this week saw 4 Rusty Blackbirds in the corn stubble behind our house. Have seen a few more Hooded Mergansers and 2 Mallards on the pond this winter. Most common birds around now are woodpeckers, American Tree Sparrows, Northern Cardinals, chickadees, nuthatches, and titmouses. Often see kestrels on the wires by the road. Going to put up a birdfeeder soon, that may increase our avian diversity.
2011
November 21st: 3 Hooded Mergansers today, plus 2 Rusty Blackbirds! American Tree Sparrow also new for the property list.
October 29th: Not much birding lately; sparrows and kinglets around, but not much else noticed
October 17th: Beautiful morning, 8 sparrow species, including Fox Sparrow, which is new for the property. Yellow-rumped Warblers continue to be overwhelming. eBird checklist
October 16th: Very windy recently, many Yellow-rumped Warblers and kinglets around. Palm Warbler seen today. Many new pictures added (see below; House Wren, Lincoln's Sparrow, Eastern Phoebe, and Northern Cardinal represented by especially nice pictures)
October 8th: Nine sparrow species, including Savannah, Dark-eyed Junco (both new for the property), Swamp, Lincoln's, White-crowned. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker also seen.
October 7th: Winter Wren new for the property, seven sparrows and six warblers.
October 3rd: Three new birds for the property: Brown Creeper, White-crowned Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow; continuing Blue-headed Vireo, Palm Warbler, Tennessee Warbler
October 2nd: Six new birds for the property: Bald Eagle, Blue-headed Vireo, Lincoln's Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Ruby-crowned Kinglet; many Yellow-rumped Warblers, few other warblers (Palm and Nashville Warblers present)
October 1st: New for the property: Green-winged Teal, Great Horned Owl; unidentified Catharus thrush (probably Gray-cheeked, but can't be sure); Coyote seen in the woods; couldn't find many warblers today, limited to redstart, magnolia, and yellow-rumped
September 30th: Cool, rainy morning. 7 warbler species, with Tennessee and Wilson's being the most numerous. Indigo Bunting also present. Added Great Blue Heron picture.
September 25-29: Not much birding; lots of rain and work have kept me from getting out the last few days. Added Belted Kingfisher, Blackpoll Warbler, and Blue Jay pictures.
September 24th: Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (#100 for the property!), 8 warbler species, lots of fog
September 20th: Connecticut Warbler!, Canada Warbler, Cape May Warbler, Northern Parula, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Wilson's Warbler (16 total warbler species), Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Cedar Waxwing, American Kestrel. Good diversity and abundance today, great (although brief) views of the Connecticut Warbler.
September 17th: Short walk this morning, but still a few migrants to be found (6 warbler species)
September 16th: Lots of new birds this morning, many individuals and good diversity. Very good birding conditions, warblers everywhere. First-of-fall Yellow-rumped Warbler, Philadelphia Vireo, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Nashville Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler, Bay-breasted Warbler, Tennessee Warbler
September 14th: Philadelphia Vireo! (a nemesis bird for me, this is the first individual I've ever seen), Double-crested Cormorant (about 70 migrants flew directly over me this morning), 5 woodpecker species, many continuing warblers
September 13th: Many continuing warblers, plus a feather-pile representing the remains of a Brown Thrasher (Accipiter meal, I presume).
September 12th: Northern Parula, Palm Warbler, Rose-breasted Grosbeak; good warbler diversity, but low overall abundance. Parula and Palm new for the property list. Many new photographs added (see below)
September 10th: Greater Yellowlegs (flyover), Common Nighthawk, Red-headed Woodpecker, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Blackburnian Warbler, Tennessee Warbler, Bobolinks (close to, but not on, our property)
September 9th: Red-headed Woodpecker, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, multiple Baltimore Orioles, many continuing warblers and vireos
September 8th: Another rainy morning; decent numbers around, however viewing conditions were not very good. Highlights: Northern Waterthrush (new for the property), Swainson's Thrush, many continuing warblers.
September 7th: A rainy morning with no new additions, however a good diversity seen, including 13 warbler species and Warbling and Red-eyed Vireos.
September 6th: Lots of new birds, especially warblers, around today. First vireos of fall migration. Highlights: Blackpoll Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Bay-breasted Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler, Cape May Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Least Flycatcher, Warbling Vireo, Red-eyed Vireo, Swainson's Thrush, Cooper's Hawk, Wood Duck
September 2nd: Many fewer birds overall; new arrivals seem to be a couple of female Common Yellowthroats and probably a Black-throated Green Warbler, although she could be the same one that I saw on August 30th; Yellow-bellied Flycatcher not seen today; another Empidonax was seen, probably a Least Flycatcher, but I'm not sure enough to add it to the list. Eastern Screech-Owl heard just before sunrise.
September 1st: Mourning Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler, Wilson's Warbler, Canada Warbler, Ovenbird, Black-and-white Warbler, Tennessee Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Common Nighthawk
August 31st: Chestnut-sided Warbler, Wilson's Warbler, Tennessee Warbler, Canada Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Swainson's Thrush
August 30th: Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Cape May Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler, Nashville Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, Canada Warbler, Vesper Sparrow
August 26th: Swainson's Thrush
August 17th: Olive-sided Flycatcher
Blake & Dimi's Property List and Pictures