The Stroud Preserve, 23 January 2013

Today’s walk was cold. I’ve been trying to figure out if it was the coldest day or not and I think I have developed a test to determine this. Let’s try it out now.

On 22 January 2013 was the East Branch of the Brandywine frozen? No.

On 23 January 2013 was the East Branch of the Brandywine frozen? Yes.

There you have it. Today was more colder* than yesterday. However, I must be honest in that it didn’t feel more colder because the wind wasn’t howling like it was yesterday. Again I employed my graduate school education and checked the weather before I left the house and was dressed appropriately. It will be interesting to see if the Brandywine completely freezes over as the temps are supposed to stay subfreezing for the next four days.

Despite the low temperature, the lowest that I have experienced since moving back the east coast, the birdlife today seemed a little more robust than yesterday. I started off the day with an adult Bald Eagle, which was a first for 2013. The last one that I saw was back on 11 December. They were an almost daily occurrence through to November then they began to disappear.

Speaking of disappearing acts. I was watching the group of about 500 Canada Geese in the field on the west side of the Brandywine when I looked up at the eagle. I looked it for a minute or so then looked back at the geese. Except there were not geese! They had all slipped in the Brandywine without making a sound! Penn and Teller couldn’t have done it better. In all I had 33 species for the day and I'm up to 59 for the year. 

*More colder is a precise technical term used by field ornithologist to describe their level of discomfort at any given time.

Stat time: 9:30

End time: 12:30

Temp: 12-18!

Wind: light winds from the north

Skies: partly cloudy

Species Total: 33

• Great Blue Heron – 1
• Black Vulture – 6
• Turkey Vulture – approximately 15
• Canada Goose – approximately 500
• Mallard – 3
• Bald Eagle – 1, adult. Bird of the Day!
• Sharp-shinned Hawk – 1 immature, probably a male based on size.
• Red-tailed Hawk – 4, 3 adults and 1 immature
• Mourning Dove – approximately 20
• Red-bellied Woodpecker – 3
• Downy Woodpecker – 2
• Hairy Woodpecker – 1
• Northern Flicker – 1
• Blue Jay – approximately 10
• American Crow – approximately 100
• Carolina Chickadee – 1
• Tufted Titmouse – 2
• White-breasted Nuthatch – 2
• Carolina Wren – approximately 6
• Winter Wren – 1, heard only
• Eastern Bluebird – 3
• American Robin – 1
• Northern Mockingbird – 4
• European Starling – 3
• American Pipit – 1
• Eastern Towhee – 6, I’m finding that towhees are difficult to detect on a daily basis. This is by far my high winter count.
• Savannah Sparrow – 2
• Fox Sparrow – 8!
• Song Sparrow – approximately 50
• Swamp Sparrow – 1
• White-throated Sparrow – approximately 100
• Dark-eyed Junco – approximately 15
• Northern Cardinal – approximately 20

The Stroud Preserve, 22 January 2013

Don’t let the photo of the sunny sky fool you. Today was a flippin cold! If I said it was cold on any other day this winter I was wrong.  I started out the day at 18 degrees and by the time I got back to the car it had climbed all the way up to 19. Oh, and the wind did blow! Fortunately I used my grad school education to check the weather and dressed appropriately...before I left home. So, I was pretty warm with the exception of my nose. The birds didn’t like it much either. It was pretty darn quite. Some regulars like Morning Dove, Eastern Bluebird, and American Goldfinch were completely absent.

What drives a person to go out on a day like this? Well, I have been reading about all the wonderful winter finches that other birders in the region have been seeing. White-winged and Red Crossbills, Northern Shrikes, Common Redpolls, Evening Grosbeaks are abound everywhere but here. Other than hundreds of Purple Finches and a single day of Pine Siskins, I have not had any of these wonderful visitors from the North. They certainly were not around today. In fact, had the lowest total species tally thus far in 2013 with a whopping 28.

Stat time: 8:50

End time: 11:15

Temp: 18-19!

Wind: Strong out of the west

Skies: Completely clear

Species Total: 28

• Black Vulture – 4
• Turkey Vulture – approximately 12
• Canada Goose – approximately 300
• Mallard – 2
• Common Merganser – 2
• Red-tailed Hawk – 3 adults
• Red-bellied Woodpecker – 3
• Yellow-bellied Sapsucker – 3
• Downy Woodpecker – 2
• Northern Flicker – 1
• Blue Jay – approximately 10
• American Crow – approximately 150
• Carolina Chickadee – approximately10
• Tufted Titmouse – 1
• White-breasted Nuthatch – 5
• Carolina Wren – 4
• American Robin – 4
• Northern Mockingbird – 2
• European Starling – 13
• Eastern Towhee – 1
• American Tree Sparrow – 3
• Chipping Sparrow – 1, Bird of the Day!
• Song Sparrow – approximately 20
• White-throated Sparrow – approximately 50
• Dark-eyed Junco – approximately 50
• Northern Cardinal – approximately 15
• Common Grackle – 1
• House Finch – 1

The Stroud Preserve, 18 January 2013

Burr. Today was cold, and the north wind blew. Burr. For the most part, the bird life was pretty subdued, especially small passerines. Sparrow numbers were way down from my last visit on the 14th.

The unusual event of the day was a steady stream of gulls that were flying over the preserve as I arrived. I estimate that I saw at least 500 flying north. I imagine many flew past before I arrived. These birds were really to far away to identify based on anything other than probability. As such, I could tell that the steam of birds was made up of about 75% small gulls and 25% larger gulls. I could tell that they were not Bonepart's  or Great Black-backed Gulls. The only two species that would be around here in numbers like these are Ring-billed Gulls and Herring Gulls. So, that is what my identification is based on.

Apart from the gulls, the day was pretty uneventful. I also had to leave a bit early as about an hour into it I realized that I forgot to give my son his medicine this morning. Sometimes you just have to stop what you are doing and do something else.

Start time: 8:10

End time: 10:00

Temp: 28-30

Wind: brisk from the north

Skies: mostly overcast

Species Total: 33

• Great Blue Heron – 1
• Black Vulture – approximately 12
• Turkey Vulture – approximately 20
• Canada Goose – approximately 250
• Mallard – 3
• Red-tailed Hawk – 4, adults
• Ring-billed Gull – approximately 375, co-bird of the day!
• Herring Gull – approximately 125
• Mourning Dove – approximately 100
• Red-bellied Woodpecker – 2
• Downy Woodpecker – 5
• Northern Flicker – 2
• Blue Jay – 5
• American Crow – approximately 600
• Fish Crow – 2, I actually got to see these perched in a tree near the old barn.
• Carolina Chickadee – 1
• Tufted Titmouse – 2
• White-breasted Nuthatch – 3
• Carolina Wren – 4
• Winter Wren – 1
• Golden-crowned Kinglet – 3
• Eastern Bluebird – approximately 15
• Northern Mockingbird – 1
• European Starling – approximately 12
• Eastern Towhee – 2, heard only
• Song Sparrow – approximately 20
• White-throated Sparrow – approximately 20
• Dark-eyed Junco – 2
• Northern Cardinal – 5
• Red-winged Blackbird – 2
• Common Grackle – 1
• House Finch – 3
• American Goldfinch – approximately 15

The Stroud Preserve, 14 January 2013

Today started off with thick fog. That combined with very little sleep the night before had me moving real slow today. I covered what I would guess is the least amount of ground on any of my walks in 2013. My impression was that I probably tallied the least number of species, however, when I got home and wrote things down I was surprised to see that I had the most species of any walk so far with 42 in all. By the way, my year list for the preserve is now up to 58. There was nothing to unusual to report with the exception of Killdeer, which I almost never see there. Sparrow species were good again with 7 total.

Stat time: 8:50

End time: 11:30

Temp: 51-56

Wind: None

Skies: thick fog turning to clear skies.

Species Total: 42

• Great Blue Heron – 1
• Black Vulture – 2
• Turkey Vulture – 12
• Snow Goose – 41
• Canada Goose – approximately 400
• Mallard – 13
• Common Merganser – 1
• Sharp-shinned Hawk – 2, immatures
• Red-tailed Hawk – 4, adults
• Killdeer – 1, heard only. This is another species that I rarely see or hear at the preserve. I would think the plowed fields would attract at least a few. This is only the 5th time that I have recorded at the preserve.
• Herring Gull – 2
• Mourning Dove – approximately 250
• Red-bellied Woodpecker – approximately 12
• Yellow-bellied Sapsucker – 1, heard only
• Downy Woodpecker – approximately 20
• Hairy Woodpecker – 2
• Northern Flicker – 1
• Blue Jay – approximately 15
• American Crow – approximately 400
• Carolina Chickadee – approximately 25
• Tufted Titmouse – approximately 20
• White-breasted Nuthatch – approximately 12
• Carolina Wren – approximately 10
• Winter Wren – 1, heard only
• Eastern Bluebird – approximately 30
• American Robin – 2
• Northern Mockingbird – 2
• European Starling – approximately 75
• Cedar Waxwing – 6, Bird of the Day! Last observed in October.
• American Tree Sparrow – 5
• Field Sparrow – 5
• Savannah Sparrow – 1
• Fox Sparrow – 1
• Song Sparrow – approximately 50
• Swamp Sparrow – 3
• White-throated Sparrow – approximately 100
• Dark-eyed Junco – approximately 25
• Northern Cardinal – approximately 20
• Red-winged Blackbird – approximately 200
• Common Grackle – approximately 1000
• House Finch – approximately 15
• American Goldfinch – approximately 20

The Stroud Preserve, 10 January 2013

When I arrived at the preserve today the ground near the parking lot had a large dark blanket over it! This large blanket was approximately 2500 Common Grackles. I know most birders here don’t get overly excited about a flock of grackles. I, however, was overjoyed by this sight.

For a little over 19 years I lived in Washington State. In that time, I saw exactly one (1) Common Grackle. In Washington State they are accidental and a few years ago (29 April 2007) one showed up a few miles from my home on the north Olympic Peninsula. That is it in the photo on the left. When I saw it I was reminded as to just how spectacular these birds look. When I moved back to Pennsylvania last year, I thought about how much I would forward to seeing them on a regular basis. This flock today was the first close up look that I have had of a large group since my arrival.

Now, I know most people think of them as a nuisance. Even birders think lowly of them as even a modest flock can consume $30 of cracked corn in just a few minutes. I don’t care, I think they are just awesome. I thoroughly enjoyed looking at their glistening iridescent plumage as they worked their way through the grass in the early morning sunshine.

I also enjoyed observing their flock dynamics. They would move across the ground without any individual bird getting to far way from their neighbor. Every 30 seconds or so, something would spook them and they would all fly up into a nearby tree, but for only a few seconds, then, like a cascading waterfall they would spill out the tree back to the spot the flew from and start foraging again. After about 10 minutes of this routine, they all of the sudden lifted off, not to the tree, but to the open sky and headed off to the south as if this was the predetermined plan all along.

If you haven’t stopped and looked at a flock of grackles in a while, you should do it. They are worth it!

As the flock flew up and down from the ground to the trees I noticed a flash of white in and amongst them. My first thought was that there might be a Yellow-headed Blackbird in with them. That would be a pretty good bird to add to the preserve list. However, scanning the flock I found the source of the flash of white. It was a Common Grackle with a completely white head. It actually looked more like a White-headed Woodpecker than it did a Common Grackle!

The rest of today’s walk had many good birds, including a flock of pipits and a repeat of yesterdays Common Mergansers and Black Duck. I had the best day yet for sparrow species with a total of 8! There were approximately 1200 Canada Geese in the field on the west side of the Brandywine, the largest number of Canada’s that I’ve had so far. I scanned the flock as best I could for the two Cackling Geese that I had yesterday but with no luck. The total species count for the day was 41.

Stat time: 8:50

End time: 12:00

Temp: 32-46

Wind: none to slight from the north

Skies: mostly sunny

Species Total: 41

• Great Blue Heron – 5
• Black Vulture – approximately 25
• Turkey Vulture – approximately 20
• Canada Goose – approximately 1200
• American Black Duck – 1
• Mallard – 21
• Common Merganser – 6
• Cooper's Hawk – 2, 1 adult, 1 immature
• Red-tailed Hawk – 5, 3 adults, 2 immatures
• Rock Dove – 6
• Mourning Dove – approximately 75
• Red-bellied Woodpecker – approximately 12
• Downy Woodpecker – approximately 25
• Hairy Woodpecker – 2, heard only
• Blue Jay – approximately 15
• American Crow – approximately 250
• Fish Crow – 1
• Carolina Chickadee – approximately 15
• Tufted Titmouse – approximately 25
• White-breasted Nuthatch – approximately 15
• Carolina Wren – approximately 10
• Eastern Bluebird – approximately 35
• American Robin – 3
• Northern Mockingbird – 2
• European Starling – approximately 50
• American Pipit – 15
• Eastern Towhee – 2
• American Tree Sparrow – 3
• Chipping Sparrow – 1
• Field Sparrow – 2
• Savannah Sparrow – 1
• Fox Sparrow – 1
• Song Sparrow – approximately 75
• Swamp Sparrow – 2
• White-throated Sparrow – approximately 100
• Dark-eyed Junco – approximately 25
• Northern Cardinal – approximately 30
• Red-winged Blackbird – 3
• Common Grackle – 2500, Bird(s) of the day!
• House Finch – approximately 20
• American Goldfinch – approximately 20

The Stroud Preserve, 9 January 2013

A few days ago, when I was talking to the preserve manager Fred Gender, I complained that I have not seen very much in the way of waterfowl either in Brandywine or overhead. I had hoped to at least add a few species of ducks to my preserve list as migratory flyovers. I did add Cackling Goose and Green-winged Teal to the list, but that is it. I carefully check the Brandywine in both directions for mergansers or other ducks and check the skies overhead but almost always come up empty in terms of waterfowl.

Today when I started my walk, I looked downstream and saw nothing, then looked up stream and saw nothing. Then I stood and listened for what might be calling. Then I looked downstream again. This time I saw something swimming in the water just before the rapids. Finally! Common Mergansers, five of them, 4 males and a female, a new bird for my preserve list! I then turned and walked a short way to get a better view of the field to the north were several hundred Canada Geese were gathered.

As I was standing there Smaller groups of geese were flying in, mostly from the south. One group of five geese had two individuals that were notably smaller with short necks, making them Cackling Geese! Then two groups of about twenty Mallards flew past. The second group had a very dark bird amongst them. I got a pretty good look at it and could see that it had no white in the wings making it a Black Duck! Also a new bird for my preserve list!

I’m at the point now where new birds are becoming few and far between. To get two in one day just moments apart is pretty cool. I’m going with Black Duck as my bird of the day because it was totally unexpected. Later in my walk I near the south end of the preserve, I had a flock of 33 Snow Geese fly over, rounding out my waterfowl species count at 6. My previous high was four; Canada Goose, Snow Goose, Cackling Goose and Green-winged Teal on 25 October 2012.

Stat time: 8:50

End time: 11:30

Temp: 32-45

Wind: none

Skies: high overcast clouds clearing to partly cloudy

Species Total: 36

• Great Blue Heron – 1
• Black Vulture – 1, where did the vultures go? I picked up both species in the last 10 minutes of my walk!
• Turkey Vulture – 2
• Snow Goose – 33, Always a nice sight to see.
• Canada Goose – approximately 700
• Cackling Goose – 2
• American Black Duck – 1, Bird of the Day!
• Mallard – approximately 75
• Common Merganser – 8, 5 at the beginning of my walk and three more over head as I finished up my walk.
• Cooper's Hawk – 1 immature
• Red-tailed Hawk – 6, 4 adults and 2 immatures
• Mourning Dove – approximately 100
• Belted Kingfisher – 1
• Red-bellied Woodpecker – approximately 10
• Downy Woodpecker – approximately 10
• Hairy Woodpecker – 2
• Northern Flicker – 1, heard only
• Blue Jay – approximately 20
• American Crow – approximately 400
• Carolina Chickadee – approximately 25
• Tufted Titmouse – approximately 20
• Red-breasted Nuthatch – 1
• White-breasted Nuthatch – 5
• Brown Creeper – 1
• Carolina Wren – approximately 12
• Winter Wren – 2, first time that I’ve seen two together in one spot.
• Golden-crowned Kinglet – approximately 10
• Eastern Bluebird – 2, lowest count in quite a while.
• American Robin – 10
• Northern Mockingbird – 2
• European Starling – approximately 100
• Song Sparrow – approximately 50
• White-throated Sparrow – approximately 100
• Dark-eyed Junco – approximately 12
• Northern Cardinal – approximately 15
• American Goldfinch – 3

The Stroud Preserve, 7 January 2013

This was a banner day for woodpeckers! I start off most days by ticking off Downy and Red-bellied as soon as I start walking. Today was no different, as I noted them standing in the parking lot as I checked the start time and temperature. I took the “Red Trail” into the woods that go along the south boarder of the preserve. As soon as I entered the woods I heard the rattling call of a Pileated Woodpecker! In short order I found a male in the top of a yellow poplar tree. I have been surprised at how uncommon this species is in our area (this is only my 4th observation for the preserve). I almost never see them anywhere else in Chester County. When I first decided to make the preserve my regular birding spot I predicted I would see them in the wooded areas along the Brandywine and on the west end of the preserve as the stands of trees there seemed like appropriate habitat. In fact, I did see Pileated there on my first visit in March and again in April and none since.

As I was looking at the Pileated, I thought “well what are the chances I will see the remaining three species of woodpeckers?” These three species being Northern Flicker, Hairy Woodpecker and Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. None of these three are a “given” on any given day. I see flickers on about 60% of my visits, Hairy on about 48% of my visits and sapsuckers are down right rare at about 14%. I figured the chances that I would see one of these as pretty good, but all three would be highly unlikely.

I did my usual look around the preserve with out seeing anything other than Downy and Red-bellied. By the time I rounded the curve and had the parking lot in view I had pretty much dismissed the notion that I would get another woodpecker. I paused to spish for a swamp sparrow at their usual spot when I hear a woodpecker tapping in the trees beyond. Shortly there after, I heard the familiar call of a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker! With the sapsucker still tapping away, I noticed a bird perched in the top of a tree to my right. A quick look confirmed it to be a Northern Flicker!

Alright. Now I’m on a mission to find a Hairy Woodpecker. Fortunately I didn’t have to work at this to hard. As I approached the bridge to the parking lot I heard a Hairy calling from the big box elder that towers over the bridge and river!

Oddly enough, this is the second time that I have had a six woodpecker day at the preserve. The last one was on 6 April 2012, which was the last record that I have for a Pileated and the first that I have for a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.

Stat time: 8:50

End time: 11:40

Temp: 37-41

Wind: light to gusty from the west

Skies: Overcast

Species Total: 32

• Great Blue Heron – 3
• Black Vulture – approximately 20
• Turkey Vulture – approximately 30
• Canada Goose – approximately 700, all congregated in the Brandywine on the north end of the preserve.
• Mallard – 17
• Northern Harrier – 2, males. To the best of my memory, these were the first harriers that I have observed that were actively hunting in the preserve. All others that I have seen were migrants flying high overhead. They were working the No Hang Glider Hill where the preserve manager says that he sees them most often. This was only my 6th observation in the preserve.
• Red-tailed Hawk – 5, 3 adults and 2 immatures
• Mourning Dove – approximately 25
• Red-bellied Woodpecker – approximately 10
• Yellow-bellied Sapsucker – 1, heard only
• Downy Woodpecker – approximately 25!
• Hairy Woodpecker – 1
• Northern Flicker – 1
• Pileated Woodpecker – 1, Bird of the Day!
• Blue Jay – approximately 20
• American Crow – approximately 400. Many birds spread through the preserve today.
• Carolina Chickadee – approximately 40
• Tufted Titmouse – approximately 20
• White-breasted Nuthatch – approximately 10
• Carolina Wren – approximately 10
• Golden-crowned Kinglet – 1
• Eastern Bluebird – approximately 25
• American Robin – 5
• Northern Mockingbird – 3
• European Starling – approximately 40
• Song Sparrow – approximately 150
• Swamp Sparrow – 1
• White-throated Sparrow – approximately 150
• Dark-eyed Junco – approximately 75
• Northern Cardinal – approximately 30
• House Finch – 2
• American Goldfinch – approximately 20

The Stroud Preserve, 6 January 2013

It may seem backwards to many, but I don’t seem to be able to get out to do much birding on the weekend. I was determined to change that today. I set the alarm for early, got up and looked out the window to see a fresh blanket of snow on the ground. Then just decided to crawl back into bed and let it melt off a little. I still made it down to the preserve, but not until 11:15 AM, which is when I’m usually finishing things up!

The day did warm nicely and despite my late start I saw 35 species, which is just above average for this time of year. The highlight of the day was a single Chipping Sparrow. For some reason, this is a species that I don’t see very often at the preserve. I would think the area would be prime habitat for it. In contrast, I did not see any American Tree Sparrows at all (down from 24 just two day before).

Stat time: 11:15
End time: 2:15
Temp: 34-46
Wind: lite breeze from the west
Skies: mostly clear
Species Total: 35
 
Great Blue Heron – 1, I saw this one snap up and swallow a small rodent in one gulp in the bed of the old farm pond.
Black Vulture – approximately 25
Turkey Vulture – approximately 40
Canada Goose – approximately 375
Mallard – 2, male and female
Sharp-shinned Hawk – 1, adult
Cooper's Hawk – 1, immature
Red-tailed Hawk – 6, 5 adults, 1 immature
Rock Dove – 3
Mourning Dove – approximately 150
Red-bellied Woodpecker – 4
Downy Woodpecker – 3
Hairy Woodpecker – 2
Blue Jay – approximately 10
American Crow – approximately 200
Fish Crow – 1, maybe as many as three. I heard a text book call on the west side of the preserve. I think I heard a couple of others in the large flock of crows down by the Brandywine, but could be sure exactly.
Carolina Chickadee – approximately 15
Tufted Titmouse – approximately 15
Red-breasted Nuthatch – 1
White-breasted Nuthatch – 5
Carolina Wren – approximately 10
Golden-crowned Kinglet – 4
Eastern Bluebird – approximately 25
American Robin – 6
Northern Mockingbird – 2
European Starling – 7
Eastern Towhee – 2, heard only
Chipping Sparrow – 1, Bird of the Day!
Fox Sparrow – 1
Song Sparrow – approximately 25, numbers seemed very low compared to previous days.
Swamp Sparrow – 2
White-throated Sparrow – approximately 35
Dark-eyed Junco – approximately15
Northern Cardinal – approximately15
House Finch – approximately 10
American Goldfinch – approximately 10
 

The Stroud Preserve, 2 January 2013

Burr. Today was cold! There was still plenty of snow on the ground from 29 December. As you can see from the photo above, I was able to identify yet another public use for the preserve, snow sleds! It looks like people had fun sliding down the hills.

The day started off with nearly dead silence. Very little was sing, calling, or other wise making any noise. I was afraid that I was going to set the all time low for species and total numbers of birds today. However, as I worked my way around the preserve, and the sun rose a little higher in the sky, things seemed to pick up (notice I didn’t say it got warmer!). I saw a good many birds that I don’t see on a daily basis, starting with Red-breasted Nuthatch. They quickly followed by Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. I had great looks at this one. Most that I record are fly by or heard only. Then I saw the Herring Gulls as a fly over. As I walked back on the main road, I had great looks at a Red-shouldered Hawk over head. I don’t know why I don’t see this species here more often (only the 5^th time for me). Then by the side of the road near the old barn, there was a Savannah Sparrow (only the 19^th time). Again, with so much in the way of grassy fields, I’m surprised this one isn’t any more common.

Then to top it off, the final bird of the morning was a single American Tree Sparrow. Perhaps the best look that I have ever gotten of one of these. It was right at eye level about 5 feet away, then flow over my head and down on the side of the road, again about 5 feet away. It slowly pecked around on the ground looking for food as if I wasn’t there. Pretty neat!

Stat time: 8:50
End time: 11:00
Temp: 28-30
Wind: None
Skies: Clear
Species Total: 29
 
Great Blue Heron – 1
Turkey Vulture – approximately 30
Canada Goose – approximately 200
Cooper's Hawk – 1
Red-shouldered Hawk – 1, bird of the day until I saw the Savannah Sparrow!
Red-tailed Hawk – 6, 5 adults and 1 juvenile
Herring Gull – 4
Mourning Dove – approximately 80
Red-bellied Woodpecker – 2
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker – 1, bird of the day until I saw the Red-shouldered Hawk!
Downy Woodpecker – 3
Blue Jay – approximately 15
American Crow – approximately 100
Carolina Chickadee – 6
Tufted Titmouse – 5
Red-breasted Nuthatch – 1
White-breasted Nuthatch – 3
Carolina Wren – 5
Eastern Bluebird – approximately 40
Northern Mockingbird – 2
European Starling – 6
American Tree Sparrow – Bird of the day! Fantastic views from about 5 feet away. Both in a small shrub and on the ground.
Field Sparrow – 3
Savannah Sparrow – 1, bird of the day until I saw the Tree Sparrow!
Song Sparrow – approximately 20
White-throated Sparrow – approximately 20
Dark-eyed Junco – approximately 15
Northern Cardinal – approximately 12
House Finch – 6
American Goldfinch – 12

The Stroud Preserve, 21 December 2012

When I woke up this morning I got a message on my iPhone from my weather app that said that there were flood warnings for West Chester. What? I knew that it rained last night but it didn’t seem that bad. When I got the Stroud Preserve I saw that the Brandywine had indeed left its banks! Also for the first time in any of my visits the water was flowing over the road just to the west of the bridge. The only other time that I knew that the water flowed over the road was after hurricane Sandy, but I didn’t see it, only it’s aftermath.

Today was a slow day as far as birds went, only 25 species and pretty low numbers. Today was notable in that it was my 81^st visit in 2012, and the first one where I did not see a Carolina Wren. There are only four species left that I have seen on every visit, Downy Woodpecker, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, and White-breasted Nuthatch. Carolina Wren now joins the ranks with Blue Jay, American Crow, European Starling, and Northern Cardinal.

Stat time: 9:00
End time: 11:15
Temp: 50-41 (dropping dramatically! It was in the low 30’s by sunset)
Wind: Brisk from the north
Skies: Overcast
Species Total: 25
 
Black Vulture – 6
Turkey Vulture – approximately 25
Snow Goose – 68, Bird of the Day, always exciting to see a flock of these on the wing.
Canada Goose – approximately 100
Mallard – 12
Red-tailed Hawk – 4
Mourning Dove – approximately 75
Red-bellied Woodpecker – 2
Downy Woodpecker – 2, heard only
Blue Jay – approximately 12
American Crow – approximately 200
Carolina Chickadee – approximately 20
Tufted Titmouse – approximately 10
White-breasted Nuthatch – 2
Golden-crowned Kinglet – 2
Eastern Bluebird – approximately 20
American Robin – approximately 12
Northern Mockingbird – 2
European Starling – approximately12
Song Sparrow – approximately 50
White-throated Sparrow – approximately 75
Dark-eyed Junco – approximately 12
Northern Cardinal – approximately 10
House Finch – approximately 20
American Goldfinch – approximately 10

The Stroud Preserve, 18 December 2012

The day started out in dense fog, but despite that the bird life was pretty busy. As I got back to the parking lot I heard the distinctive flight call of a Horned Lark, then a few minutes later, I saw a flock of about 40 American Pipits! It’s always a good day when you see these two species!

Stat time: 8:45
End time: 11:10
Temp: 45-50
Wind: none
Skies: dense fog clearing to clear skies by 11:00 AM.
Species Total:
 
Black Vulture – 4
Turkey Vulture – approximately 25
Canada Goose – approximately 100
Mallard – 3
Sharp-shinned Hawk – 1
Red-tailed Hawk – 4, adults
Mourning Dove – approximately 150
Red-bellied Woodpecker – 2
Downy Woodpecker – 6
Hairy Woodpecker – 2
Blue Jay – approximately 10
American Crow – approximately 300
Fish Crow – 1, heard only
Horned Lark – 1, heard only
Carolina Chickadee – approximately 10
Tufted Titmouse – approximately 15
Red-breasted Nuthatch – 1
White-breasted Nuthatch – approximately 10
Carolina Wren – 4
Golden-crowned Kinglet – 2
Eastern Bluebird – approximately 25
American Robin – 6
Northern Mockingbird – 2
European Starling – approximately 10
American Pipit – approximately 40, Bird of the Day!
Song Sparrow – approximately 30
White-throated Sparrow – approximately 50
Dark-eyed Junco – approximately 25
Northern Cardinal – 5
Red-winged Blackbird – approximately 12
Common Grackle – approximately 300
House Finch – approximately 30
American Goldfinch – approximately 10
 

The Stroud Preserve, 15 December 2012

The morning was beautiful and the birding was about as slow as it has ever been with absolutely nothing notable! In fact the bird of the day was mammal. I had the opportunity to watch a Red Fox foraging through the brush of the old pond bed for about 10 minutes before being scared away by a couple of joggers with their (off leash) dogs.

Start time: 8:00

End time: 10:30

Temp: 32-37

Wind: none

Skies: clear

Species Total: 31

• Great Blue Heron – 1
• Turkey Vulture – 5
• Snow Goose – 12
• Canada Goose – approximately 100
• Red-tailed Hawk – 4
• Rock Dove – 6
• Mourning Dove – approximately 75
• Red-bellied Woodpecker – 2
• Downy Woodpecker – 4
• Hairy Woodpecker – 1
• Northern Flicker – 1
• Blue Jay – approximately 12
• American Crow – approximately 300
• Carolina Chickadee – approximately 15
• Tufted Titmouse – 3
• White-breasted Nuthatch – approximately 5
• Carolina Wren – approximately 8
• Golden-crowned Kinglet – 3
• Eastern Bluebird – approximately 20
• American Robin – 2
• Northern Mockingbird – 3
• European Starling – approximately 10
• Eastern Towhee – 1
• Song Sparrow – approximately 75
• Swamp Sparrow – 4
• White-throated Sparrow – approximately 100
• Dark-eyed Junco – approximately 25
• Northern Cardinal – approximately 10
• Red-winged Blackbird – 5
• House Finch – approximately 20
• American Goldfinch – approximately 20

The Stroud Preserve, 14 December 2012

I took a shortened walk today as I had a dentist appointed at 11:00 and I needed to get home to get ready for William’s birthday party. By far and away the bird of the day was Snow Goose! The photo above is a really crappy picture of a smal portion of the Snow Geese that flew over.

Stat time: 8:40
End time: 10:00
Temp: 32-36
Wind: None
Skies: clear
Species Total: 29
 
Black Vulture – approximately 15
Turkey Vulture – approximately 10
Snow Goose – approximately 2000! Bird(s) of the day! There were several waves of them flying over in the flocks of several hundred at a time. It seemed like they were flying up from the ground some where south of the preserve.
Canada Goose – approximately 150
Mallard – 6
Cooper's Hawk – 1, immature
Red-tailed Hawk – 4
Rock Dove – 2
Mourning Dove – approximately 50
Red-bellied Woodpecker – 1
Downy Woodpecker – 2
Hairy Woodpecker – 1
Blue Jay – approximately 10
American Crow – approximately 200
Fish Crow – 1
Carolina Chickadee – approximately 10
Tufted Titmouse – 5
White-breasted Nuthatch – 1
Carolina Wren – 2
Eastern Bluebird – approximately 15
Northern Mockingbird – 2
European Starling – approximately 12
Fox Sparrow – 1
Song Sparrow – approximately 15
White-throated Sparrow – approximately 20
Dark-eyed Junco – 2
Northern Cardinal – approximately 10
House Finch – approximately 10
American Goldfinch – approximately 10
 

The Stroud Preserve, 12 December 2012

Today it was a good deal colder than yesterday. When I got out of the car there was a dead silence that was hard to miss. I tallied a similar number of species as the day before but there were far fewer individual birds around. The highlight was right at the beginning of my day when 200 or so Snow Geese flew overhead going north. In amongst them was a single “Blue” Snow Goose. A big line of Snow Geese is always a nice sight to see. Also of interest were 5 Fox Sparrows all along the road as you enter the preserve.

Stat time: 9:00
End time: 11:40
Temp: 32-39
Wind: none to slight from the North
Skies: partly cloudy
Species Total: 37
 
Great Blue Heron – 1
Black Vulture – approximately 30
Turkey Vulture – approximately 30
Snow Goose – 200, Plus one “Blue” goose!, Bird of the Day! A long line over head going north.
Canada Goose – approximately 100
Sharp-shinned Hawk – 1, immature
Red-tailed Hawk – 5, adults
American Kestrel – 1
Rock Dove – 4
Mourning Dove – approximately 40
Belted Kingfisher – 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker – 4
Downy Woodpecker – approximately 10
Hairy Woodpecker – 1
Northern Flicker – 1
Blue Jay – approximately 10
American Crow – approximately 150
Carolina Chickadee – approximately 10
Tufted Titmouse – approximately 50
White-breasted Nuthatch – 5
Carolina Wren – 3
Golden-crowned Kinglet – 1
Eastern Bluebird – approximately 50
American Robin – 2
Northern Mockingbird – 4
European Starling – approximately 20
Eastern Towhee – 1, heard only
Chipping Sparrow – 3
Fox Sparrow – 5, two were singing. In the Pacific Northwest where these were common I never heard them singing anywhere other than the breeding grounds. All 5 of these birds were also perched in the very top of tall trees, as if they were on territory. Pretty unusual behavior in my experience.
Song Sparrow – approximately 50
Swamp Sparrow – 1
White-throated Sparrow – approximately 40
Dark-eyed Junco – approximately 60
Northern Cardinal – approximately 15
Red-winged Blackbird – 2
House Finch – approximately 15
American Goldfinch – approximately 45
 

The Stroud Preserve, 11 December 2012

In contrast to yesterday in which the skies had virtually no birds flying in it, today the skies were filled with birds. The first bird of the day was an adult Bald Eagle flying over the parking lot. Then a few minutes later a small group of Herring Gull flew over. Shortly after that I heard the very familiar sound of Horned Lark flight calls. I was easily able to find a small group of 5 larks flying overhead (finding larks on the wing is not always easy to do!). Later in the day I heard larks again. This time the flock numbered at least 10. And Shortly after than I heard the flight call of an American Pipit, then 9 more gulls, a flyby American Kestrel, several groups of highflying geese, another eagle, an so on.  So, as you can see, I got a pretty good workout with birds on the wing today. The (grainy) photo above is part of the "herd" of American Crows that frequent the perserve. 

Stat time: 8:50
End time: 11:30
Temp: 41-46
Wind: slight to brisk from the Northwest
Skies: partly cloudy
Species Total: 38
 
Black Vulture – approximately 75
Turkey Vulture – approximately 75
Canada Goose – approximately 400, only 75 or so were close to the ground. The others were flying high over the preserve heading elsewhere.
Bald Eagle – 2, 1 adult and 1 immature
Sharp-shinned Hawk – 1, immature
Cooper's Hawk – 1, immature
Red-tailed Hawk – 7, 6 adults and 1 immature
American Kestrel – 1, male
Herring Gull – 14, one group of 5 then another group of 9 flying overhead. I don’t see these very often in the preserve. However, you can go two miles to the east and easily find them in their more usual habitat of a McDonalds parking lot.
Mourning Dove – approximately 40
Red-bellied Woodpecker – 4
Downy Woodpecker – approximately 15
Hairy Woodpecker – 2
Blue Jay – approximately 10
American Crow – approximately 500
Horned Lark – approximately 15! Bird of the Day! Two groups flying overhead, one with 5 birds and the other with approximately 10.
Carolina Chickadee – approximately 15
Tufted Titmouse – approximately 10
White-breasted Nuthatch – 3
Brown Creeper – 1
Carolina Wren – approximately 5
Winter Wren – 1, heard only
Eastern Bluebird – approximately 25
American Robin – approximately 35
Northern Mockingbird – 7
European Starling – approximately 20
American Pipit – 1, flying overhead.
Field Sparrow – 3
Song Sparrow – approximately 150
Swamp Sparrow – 1
White-throated Sparrow – approximately 100
White-crowned Sparrow – 1, immature
Dark-eyed Junco – approximately 100
Northern Cardinal – approximately 25
Red-winged Blackbird – approximately 50
Common Grackle – approximately 1000
House Finch – approximately 20
American Goldfinch – approximately 20

The Stroud Preserve, 10 December 2012

There was something about today’s walk at the preserve that reminded me of the Pacific Northwest, but I couldn’t exactly put my finger on it. The weather was overcast with just enough drizzle to make things damp and it wasn’t really all that cold, about 50. Perhaps, I’ll figure it out later.

Birds were actually quite numerous and active despite the pissy weather. There were many Song and White-throated Sparrows along the edges of the trails as well as a large flock of blackbirds and grackles. Aerial species like Black and Turkey Vultures, were mostly absent (only one of each!). The biggest surprise of the day was an out of season Osprey perched in a tree over the Brandywine as I left the preserve.

Stat time: 8:50
End time: 11:50
Temp: 46-50
Wind: none
Skies: overcast with light mist
Species Total: 38
 
Black Vulture – 1
Turkey Vulture – 1
Canada Goose – approximately 250
Mallard – 2
Osprey – 1, Bird of the Day!
Sharp-shinned Hawk – 1, immature
Cooper's Hawk – 1 immature
Red-tailed Hawk – 1
Mourning Dove – approximately 200
Belted Kingfisher – 1, heard only
Red-bellied Woodpecker – approximately 6
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker – 2, heard only
Downy Woodpecker – approximately 10
Hairy Woodpecker – 1
Northern Flicker – 1
Blue Jay – approximately 15
American Crow – approximately 150
Carolina Chickadee – approximately 10
Tufted Titmouse – 1
White-breasted Nuthatch – 4
Carolina Wren – approximately 10
Golden-crowned Kinglet – 2
Eastern Bluebird – approximately 35
American Robin – approximately 20
Northern Mockingbird – 3
European Starling – approximately 10
Eastern Towhee – 1, heard only
Field Sparrow – 1
Fox Sparrow – 1
Song Sparrow – approximately 350
Swamp Sparrow – 5
White-throated Sparrow – approximately 500
Dark-eyed Junco – approximately 100
Northern Cardinal – approximately 25
Red-winged Blackbird – approximately 150
Common Grackle – approximately 1000
House Finch – approximately 35
American Goldfinch – approximately 15

The Stroud Preserve, 6 December 2012

Burrr. Yesterday the starting temperature was 50, today it was 23 degrees cooler! The lower temperature also seemed to lower the bird activity as it was very quiet. It seemed like I had to work extra hard to find each species today. I didn’t think that I broke 30 species, however when I got home and tallied it all up, I ended up with one more than yesterday. Go figure. Still, while I might have had more species, there were definitely fewer individuals.

One surprise did pop out of the woodwork. Since bird activity was lower I spent more time spishing, and I would occasionally play a recording of an Eastern Screech-Owl to try and bring birds into view. While I was play the owl call in the north side of the preserve, a real Eastern Screech-Owl called back at me. This is in the same general area that I found one in October. The trees here are thick with vines and undergrowth, which is perfect habitat for a screech-owl (photo above is the location where I heard it). Plus, it is sure better than the one I came across a few days ago. That one was in two dimensions in the side of the road!

Stat time: 9:00
End time: 11:20
Temp: 27-34
Wind: slight from the east
Skies: clear
Species Total: 35
 
Great Blue Heron – 1
Black Vulture – approximately 40
Turkey Vulture – approximately 35
Canada Goose – approximately 100
Mallard – 3
Sharp-shinned Hawk – 1
Red-tailed Hawk – 4 adults
Mourning Dove – approximately 30
Eastern Screech-Owl – 1, heard only, Bird of the Day!
Red-bellied Woodpecker – 4
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker – 2, heard only
Downy Woodpecker – approximately 6
Hairy Woodpecker – 1
Northern Flicker – 1
Blue Jay – approximately 15
American Crow – approximately 200
Carolina Chickadee – approximately 10
Tufted Titmouse – approximately 5
White-breasted Nuthatch – 3
Brown Creeper – 1
Carolina Wren – approximately 10
Winter Wren – 1, heard only
Golden-crowned Kinglet – 2, heard only
Eastern Bluebird – approximately 20
Northern Mockingbird – 4
European Starling – 5
Eastern Towhee – 2
Fox Sparrow – 1, heard only
Song Sparrow – approximately 75
Swamp Sparrow – 2, heard only
White-throated Sparrow – approximately 125
Dark-eyed Junco – approximately 15
Northern Cardinal – approximately 10
House Finch – approximately 10
American Goldfinch – approximately 30

The Stroud Preserve, 5 December 2012

Even though the temperature for today’s walk was about the same as the past couple of days, it seemed much cooler because there was a brisk wind. Burr. Things seemed a little slower as none of the big flocks of birds were around. I did however hear and see a couple of flyover Horned Larks! This was only my second observation for the preserve for larks.

Stat time: 8:50
End time: 11:20
Temp: 50-55
Wind: brisk wind out of the NNW
Skies: Mostly overcast
Species Total: 34
 
Great Blue Heron – 2
Black Vulture – approx. 20
Turkey Vulture – approx. 30
Canada Goose – approx. 75
Bald Eagle – 1 adult
Sharp-shinned Hawk – 2, adult and immature. I don’t see many adults around.
Red-tailed Hawk – 4 adults
Mourning Dove – approx. 250
Red-bellied Woodpecker – 2
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker – 1, heard only
Downy Woodpecker – approx. 5
Hairy Woodpecker – 1
Northern Flicker – 1
Blue Jay – approx. 15
American Crow – approx. 250
Horned Lark – 5, Bird of the Day!
Carolina Chickadee – approx. 10
Tufted Titmouse – 2
White-breasted Nuthatch – 4
Brown Creeper – 2
Carolina Wren – approx. 10
Winter Wren – 1, by the way, this is probably the same individual recorded on previous visits as it has been in the same spot each day.
Golden-crowned Kinglet – 3
Eastern Bluebird – approx. 30
Northern Mockingbird – 3
European Starling – approx. 12
Song Sparrow – approx. 100
Swamp Sparrow – 2
White-throated Sparrow – approx. 200
Dark-eyed Junco – approx. 40
Northern Cardinal – approx. 10
Red-winged Blackbird – 2
House Finch – approx. 30
American Goldfinch – approx. 20

The Stroud Preserve, 4 December 2012

Yesterday I commented about the size of the Common Grackle flock and how I couldn’t get close enough to it to look over each and every bird for the stray Rusty Blackbird. Well, today I didn’t see a single grackle, but I did see a single adult male Rusty Blackbird! Number 146 for me and number 164 for the preserve! What a beautiful bird! I could stand to see them more often.

Again it was unseasonably warm. Starting out at 52 and ending around 60! Despite the warm spring like weather I still see very few people at the preserve, which is fine by me. I like having the place to myself.

Stat time: 9:00
End time: 11:20
Temp: 52-60
Wind: none
Skies: clear
Species Total: 34
 
Great Blue Heron – 2
Black Vulture – approx. 25
Turkey Vulture – approx. 25
Canada Goose – approx. 1000, this flock seems to grow about a hundred or so birds every time I see it. That is the flock taking off in the photo above. 
Sharp-shinned Hawk – 1 imm
Red-tailed Hawk – 4 adults
Mourning Dove – approx. 250. The flocks of doves is also growing. I also note that I seem them perched in the same trees day after day.
Eastern Screech-Owl – 1, road killed on Creek Road. I have a photo but it is pretty gross.
Red-bellied Woodpecker – 2
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker – 2, heard only. I seem to hear these more often than see them.
Downy Woodpecker – approx. 10
Hairy Woodpecker – 1
Blue Jay – approx. 10
American Crow – approx. 300
Fish Crow – 1, heard and seen flying over head.
Carolina Chickadee – approx. 15
Black-capped Chickadee – 2. These were with a small group of Carolina Chickadee’s and I had a nice side-by-side comparison. They were also utilizing fresh sapsucker holes in a maple tree.
Tufted Titmous – approx. 20
White-breasted Nuthatch – 1
Carolina Wren – approx. 10
Winter Wren – 1, only my second observation for the preserve.
Eastern Bluebird – approx. 25
American Robin – 2
Northern Mockingbird – 2
European Starling – approx. 10
Song Sparrow – approx. 50
Swamp Sparrow – 3
White-throated Sparrow – approx. 100
Dark-eyed Junco – approx. 15
Northern Cardinal – approx. 8
Red-winged Blackbird – 3
Rusty Blackbird – 1, Bird of the Day!
House Finch – 4
American Goldfinch – approx. 30

The Stroud Preserve, 3 December 2012

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