Today’s walk was by for the calmest of the season. I’m thinking it is the calm before the storm and it seemed as if the birds know what is coming our way. I did manage to see the Cackling Goose again. It (I’m assuming it was the same bird as yesterday) was in with about 300 Canada Geese that lifted up from one of the fields in the Preserve around 9:30 AM. They are very easy to pick out of a crowd being half the size of everyone else. Here is the rundown on the day.
Stat time: 8:45
End time: 10:45
Temp: 57
Wind: none
Skies: overcast
Species Total:
Double-crested Cormorant – 6, overhead
Great Blue Heron – 2
Turkey Vulture – 2
Canada Goose – approx. 300
Cackling Goose – 1
Wood Duck – 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk – 2
Red-tailed Hawk – 2
Herring Gull – 1, Bird of the Day! Only my second for the preserve
Rock Dove – 3
Mourning Dove – approx. 30
Belted Kingfisher – 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker – 2
Downy Woodpecker – 5
Blue Jay – approx. 40
American Crow – approx. 50
Tree Swallow – approx. 15, just when you think they are gone, they show up again
Carolina Chickadee – approx. 10
Tufted Titmouse – approx. 20
White-breasted Nuthatch – 5
Carolina Wren – 7
Golden-crowned Kinglet – 2, heard only
Ruby-crowned Kinglet – approx. 15
Eastern Bluebird – approx. 60, I really can’t figure out if these are migrating or just milling around. Either way, there are a lot of them.
American Robin – approx. 300, flying to the southwest
European Starling – approx. 20
Yellow-rumped Warbler – approx. 25
Palm Warbler – 2
Song Sparrow – approx. 50
Lincoln's Sparrow – 1
Swamp Sparrow – approx. 10
White-throated Sparrow – approx. 150
White-crowned Sparrow – 2
Dark-eyed Junco – approx. 10
Northern Cardinal – approx. 25
Red-winged Blackbird – approx. 75
Purple Finch – approx. 15
House Finch – approx. 40
American Goldfinch – approx. 40
