I’ve been wondering for a while where in the heck all the Common Grackles that were around here in the spring and summer went. Well, today they came back along with a few of their friends. A massive flock of grackles, 6000 by my best estimation, flew around the preserve all morning. I never got close enough to the flock to check it out for Rusty Blackbirds or other fun things.
Without that flock of grackles the morning would have been pretty slow. It was also unusually warm, starting out at 50 and ending up at 61! I enjoyed it but it really shouldn’t be that warm this time of year. This evening, as I was putting out the trash at dusk, I saw a bat flying around the neighborhood. Hummm…
Stat time: 9:00
End time: 11:15
Temp: 50-61
Wind: None
Skies: clear
Species Total: 36
Black Vulture – approx. 15
Turkey Vulture – approx. 25
Canada Goose – approx. 400
Bald Eagle – 1 adult
Sharp-shinned Hawk – 2, imm.
Red-tailed Hawk – 5 adults
Rock Dove – 2
Mourning Dove – approx. 200
Red-bellied Woodpecker – 4
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker – 1
Downy Woodpecker – approx. 10
Hairy Woodpecker – 2
Blue Jay – approx. 10
American Crow – approx. 300
Carolina Chickadee – approx. 20
Tufted Titmouse – approx. 10
Red-breasted Nuthatch – 1
White-breasted Nuthatch – approx. 10
Brown Creeper – 1
Carolina Wren – approx. 10
Golden-crowned Kinglet – approx.
Eastern Bluebird – approx. 20
American Robin – 2
Northern Mockingbird – 3
European Starling – approx. 15
Fox Sparrow – 1
Song Sparrow – approx. 15
Lincoln's Sparrow –
White-throated Sparrow – approx. 25
Dark-eyed Junco – approx. 35
Northern Cardinal – approx. 10
Red-winged Blackbird – approx. 30
Common Grackle – approx. 6000! Bird(s) of the day!
House Finch – 4
American Goldfinch – approx. 20
