First Fall Warblers 8/23/2019

     
    With hawk migration having commenced a couple of weeks ago, it was inevitable that the fall warblers would be arriving soon.  Today as a Black-throated Green Warbler was dodging my camera by ducking behind leaves a Canada Warbler popped up momentarily and allowed me to get a decent photo.

 Here is a photo of a Broad-winged Hawk from a couple of weeks ago

New Yardbird - Field Sparrow 3/21/2019

  Time to crack open the Black Xantus.  

  A couple of months ago I purchased a bottle of Black Xantus Imperial Stout with the expressed intent of drinking it the next time I recorded a new bird to the yardlist.  At 22 ozs of 11% alcohol I couldn't very well consume it on a workday.  Fortunately a night off from work coincided with a  Field Sparrow making its debut in the my yard,. 

Yard bird (#123).

Cheers.

Warblers in the Yard 9/22/2018

   On Saturday I had a couple waves of warblers drop out of the sky to the oak and maple canopy of my yard.  The first group consisted of roughly 30 birds that included

Wilson's Warbler

Northern Parula

Black-throated Green Warbler

Magnolia Warbler

Nashville Warbler

Blackpoll Warbler

Tennessee Warbler

    Later a group of about twenty warblers stopped by to feed on insects in the trees.  The remarkable thing about this group was that almost all of them were Nashville Warblers.  A single Blue-headed Vireo tagged along with the warblers.

Blue-headed Vireo

  The Wilson's and an unphotographed Orange-crowned Warbler brought the 2018 yardlist up to 107 species.

Two More Warbler Mornings

Northern Parula

   The last two mornings there has been a continuing influx of warblers in my yard.  Today I had ten species of them, including a first of the year Magnolia(unphotographed) which is the 100th bird species I've recorded in the yard this year. Last year I didn't hit 100 until October 22.  This year I hit that milestone before the first lawn cutting of the season (by six hours).

Chestnut-sided 

Nashville

American Redstart 

Blackburnian

Black and White

  Vireos are also zipping around the yard.

Blue-headed

   I think this next one might be a Philadelphia Vireo.   Please correct me if I'm wrong. Contact info is at the bottom of the page.

   Other birds included

Scarlet Tanager

Blue Jay

Clay-colored Sparrow 5/8/2018

    Added a new bird to the yardlist in the form of a cooperative Clay-colored Sparrow (#120).  It made a few afternoon visits to the birdbath after picking seeds up off the ground.  It was so close to my vantage point at an open window in the home office that extension tubes were required to increase (or is it decrease?) the close focus of my 500mm lens.

    Other birds in the yard today include.....

White-crowned Sparrow

Nashville Warbler

Yellow Warbler

Only the second Yellow Warbler ever in the yard

   Pine Siskins numbers that were over 100 late last week have dwindled to about 25.  The stragglers have lingered to the point that they.........

...........are getting on each others' nerves and.....

............have started making new Pine Siskins.

Pine Siskin....Model year 2018 

  On Sunday a male Baltimore Oriole perched above the hummingbird feeder.

New Arrivals 5/4/2018

  An inch of rain also brought a bunch offspring migrants down to my yard.

Blue-headed Vireos have been around since Tuesday

   Three warblers made their first of the year appearances today.

Black and White Warbler

Pine Warbler

Nashville Warbler

   Last year was the first spring since I moved to this house in 2015, that I had Red-headed Woodpeckers visit, so I wasn't really sure if they would be back this year.  Today I had two calling and hammering for about an hour.

  Other first of year birds that weren't photographed.  White-crowned Sparrow, Rose-breasted Grosbeak and a pair of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds.  The yard list is up to 78 for the year.

  The sun will be out tomorrow and I'm plan on getting some shots of the hummingbirds.  Stay tuned.

Lincoln's Sparrow 5/1/2018

  Added a new bird to the yardlist this morning.  Lincoln's Sparrow (#118)

  It hung around for a least a couple of hours and posed with different backgrounds.

Migration Ramps Up 4/22/2018

    All these birds and more flew over my house late this morning and early afternoon and I had a front row seat.

One of a pair of Common Loons

Kestrel

Red-Shouldered Hawk

Merlin

Eagle with Crow that alerted me to its presence