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

William’s 12th Birthday!

Twelve years ago today William came into the world in dramatic fashion. As many of you probably know, he was a wee bit early because a complication with Mary’s pregnancy (plecenta previa). His first couple of weeks were rough but he pulled through and is doing just great today, howerver he is still one of the smallest kids in his class. Friday we had a small birthday celebration for him with pizza and cake. Check out photos of his birthday party and a few from the past twelve years here.

Happy Birthday William!

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
 

Le Toux on Le Blog

About a year ago The Philadelphia Union traded one of their star players, Sebastian Le Toux, to the Vancouver Whitecaps. They then held a going away party for him at Kildare’s Irish Pub in West Chester, just a few blocks from our house. Since it was walking distance, I went, had a beer, and met Seba. He spent half the season playing for Vancouver then got traded to the New York Red Bulls where he finished out the season. The last game of the year, we all got to see him play before his real home crowd at PPL Park.

When the season was over, we were all surprised the hear that he had been traded back to Philly! Again, they held his welcome home party at Kildare’s last night starting at 6:30. Which was very convenient for me, as the boys religious education classes are just a block down the street at St. Agnes. I dropped the boys off at church then, like a good Irish dad, I headed to the pub. Again, I got to shake his hand and get a photo with him. After which I headed back over to church and picked up the boys.

As you probably know from reading Le Blog, Paddy likes soccer and has gone to many games with me. I asked him when he got out of religious ed if he would like to meet a famous soccer player. “Sure! I’d love to!” He asked “When we could do that”  and I said “hummm…how about now?” He said “what? You can just do that?”

So, we walked the short walk back to he pub and went in. Any kids that came to the pub to meet Seba were ushered up to the front of the line and were given the royal treatment. Paddy, who happen to be wearing his Union hat, was over joyed. William on the other hand, could have cared less and asked if he could get something to eat.

Nonetheless, it was a big thrill for Paddy and a lesser thrill for William. Seab bent down and talked to Paddy. He asked if he liked soccer and if he could expect to see Paddy in the stands at PPL Park next season. Paddy skipped all the way home. Check out photos of the evening here along with a few other recent family photos as well. 

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

Then and Now

Mary and I found a stack of old photos as we were reorganizing the basement this past weekend and in it was this old photo of the four houses on North Franklin Street. Ours is the second one from the left. My best guess judging from the age of the trees is that this photo probably taken around 1910. The bottom photo was taken from about the same spot today. Our house is hidden by the big Norway spruce that Mary’s grandmother planted when they bought the house in the late 1940’s.

Much of the original features on all of the houses are still intact with only a few small changes here and there. One thing that I did notice is that the two middle houses (ours and Jason and Bethanie’s) don’t have fireplaces, which they currently do. So those were added at some later date.

In case you might have missed the blog about these houses on our old site, they were built for the managers of the Sharples Works, which was a factory that manufactured the first mechanized cream separators. When you look out of our front door you can see the old factory, which has now been converted into luxury apartments. The factory was built in the 1890’s and our home was built in 1900. 

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

The Stroud Preserve, 30 November 2012

Yesterday the skies were filled with so many vultures it was difficult to count them. To day, I didn’t see a vulture until I was almost done with my walk and was heading back to the car! Where did they all go? I checked the deer carcass on the way out and there were only 5 birds feeding on it where as yesterday there were over 30.

Actually, I am always quite surprised at the day to day variation in the number of species I see at the preserve. For example, in the month of November I saw 54 species on seven visits to the preserve. The species totals for each visit were 24, 32, 40, 24, 31, 33, and 37. October was even more pronounced. I recorded a total of 97 species on 19 visits to the preserve and my range of daily tallies was a low of 34 and a high of 54.

Today I flushed up a Wilson’s Snipe from the old farm pond. This was only my second observation of this species from the preserve, however, it is probably here more often but overlooked as I don’t scan the aquatic vegetation in the middle of the old pond bed very often. Here is the run down for the day.

Stat time: 8:45
End time: 12:00
Temp: 63-68
Wind: None
Skies: high clouds
Species Total: 37
 
Great Blue Heron – 3
Black Vulture – 10, where did they all go?
Turkey Vulture – approx. 20
Canada Goose – 800
Sharp-shinned Hawk – 3, immatures
Red-tailed Hawk – 6, 5 adults and one immature
Wilson's Snipe – 1, Bird of the Day! Only my second observation at the preserve
Rock Dove – 2
Mourning Dove – approx. 150
Belted Kingfisher – 2, heard only
Red-bellied Woodpecker – approx. 5
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker – 1, heard only
Downy Woodpecker – approx. 15
Hairy Woodpecker – 1
Northern Flicker – 2
Blue Jay – approx. 15
American Crow – approx. 300
Carolina Chickadee – approx. 30
Tufted Titmouse – approx. 30
Red-breasted Nuthatch – 1
White-breasted Nuthatch – approx. 20
Carolina Wren – approx. 15
Eastern Bluebird – approx. 25
American Robin – 5
European Starling – 5
Eastern Towhee – 1, heard only
Chipping Sparrow – 11
Field Sparrow – 2
Song Sparrow – approx. 20
Swamp Sparrow – 3
White-throated Sparrow – approx. 50
Dark-eyed Junco – approx. 40
Northern Cardinal – approx. 20
Red-winged Blackbird – approx. 10
House Finch – approx. 25
American Goldfinch – approx. 25

The Stroud Preserve, 29 November 2012

On my last visit to the preserve I thought about Winter Wrens as I started and sure enough I saw my first Winter Wrens for the preserve. Today, I thought about American Pipits and sure enough, I saw a flock of about 30 in the Bobolink fields! 145 for me, and 163 for the preserve. On my next visit I’m going to think about Ivory-billed Woodpeckers.

To be honest, I think about American Pipits nearly every time I visit the preserve. I am really quite surprised that I haven’t seen one before now. I find this to be a little odd as more than half the preserve is prime pipit habitat of open or plowed fields. Actually, pipits are not the only open country bird that I miss. I’ve seen Horned Larks only once, Eastern Meadowlarks only 6 times as spring migrants, and Killdeer only four times (three times as a distant vocalization and once as a flyover. I would think all of these birds would be more common here.

It’s only been a little over one year since I’ve been back on the east coast and it could just be that my perception as to what birds should and should not be around has changed over the past twenty years or, perhaps my perception of their status from twenty years ago is correct but their status has changed. Either way, one of the rewards of picking a local place to bird and visiting it often is think about and figure out small mysteries such as this.

Of course, I’ll keep you posted as I figure things out. Here is the rest of the bird list for today. As you can see from the frost on the grass, it was a little chilly!

Stat time: 9:35
End time: 12:30
Temp: 32-39
Wind: slight from the west.
Skies: clear
Species Total: 33
 
Great Blue Heron – 1
Black Vulture – approx. 100! There is a dead deer carcass down by the Brandywine. About 30 were on the ground feeding on it.
Turkey Vulture – approx. 20
Canada Goose – approx. 400
Mallard – 4
Sharp-shinned Hawk – 1 immature
Red-tailed Hawk – 7 adults
Herring Gull – 2, only my third observation
Rock Dove – 4
Mourning Dove – approx. 100, mostly in two large flocks
Red-bellied Woodpecker – 2
Downy Woodpecker – 2
Hairy Woodpecker – 1
Northern Flicker – 1
Blue Jay – approx. 10
American Crow – approx. 500
Fish Crow – 2, heard only amongst the crowd
Carolina Chickadee – approx. 10
Tufted Titmouse – approx. 20
White-breasted Nuthatch – approx. 5
Carolina Wren – approx. 10
Ruby-crowned Kinglet – 1, heard only
Eastern Bluebird – approx. 15
Northern Mockingbird – 2
European Starling – approx. 30

American Pipit – approx. 30, Bird of the Day!

Song Sparrow – approx. 10
Swamp Sparrow – 2, heard only
White-throated Sparrow – approx. 20
Dark-eyed Junco – approx. 10
Northern Cardinal – approx. 10
Red-winged Blackbird – 3
House Finch – approx. 30
American Goldfinch – approx. 10
 

The Stroud Preserve, 26 November 2012

When I headed out for today’s walk I had in the back of my mind that it was high time that a Winter Wren showed up. Approximately 10 minutes into the walk, a tiny fluff ball flew across a brush patch. Well that was easy, number 144 for me, and 162 for the Preserve. It took me about five minutes of spishing, but I finally managed to coax it out of the brush into full view. I even got it to sing! This was a the first east coast Winter Wren that I have seen in over twenty years, it was also the first one that I seen since the “Winter Wren” complex was split into three species; the Eurasian Wren, the Pacific Wren and the Winter Wren.

In Washington State, we had the Pacific Wren. Visually it is quite different being a warmer rusty color compared to the Winter Wren. After hearing the Winter Wren today, I’d say the song is of greater difference. You can’t miss the Pacific Wren’s song. It is extremely loud and carries for a great distance. The Winter Wren song I heard today was very muted in comparison.

There were few people at the preserve today as well. The only ones I saw were up in trees with guns waiting for deer to stroll past. I did see three deer, which were nowhere near the people with guns.

Stat time: 10:00
End time: 12:30
Temp: 39-45
Wind: slight from the north.
Skies: clear
Species Total: 31
 
Great Blue Heron – 1
Black Vulture – approx. 70!
Turkey Vulture – approx. 25
Canada Goose – approx. 350
Cackling Goose – 1
Mallard – 3
Red-tailed Hawk – 2 adults
Mourning Dove – approx. 10
Red-bellied Woodpecker – 2
Downy Woodpecker – 2
Northern Flicker – 2
Blue Jay – approx. 10
American Crow – approx. 500!
Fish Crow – 2, heard only
Carolina Chickadee – approx. 10
Tufted Titmouse – 4
White-breasted Nuthatch – 2
Carolina Wren – approx. 6
Winter Wren – 1, Bird of the Day! New to the Preserve list.
Golden-crowned Kinglet – 2
Eastern Bluebird – 5
Northern Mockingbird – 7
European Starling – approx. 10
Eastern Towhee – approx. 5
Song Sparrow – approx. 25
Swamp Sparrow – 2
White-throated Sparrow – approx. 50
Dark-eyed Junco – 1
Northern Cardinal – approx. 20
House Finch – approx. 10
American Goldfinch – approx. 15

Dinner with the Fozards

Over the summer and much of the year we have enjoyed many dinners with our neighbors Miranda, Damian, Isaac, and Louie Fozard. In case you haven’t met the Fozard family, they live just a few houses down from us on Franklin Street. If you have met them you would remember them as they talk funny. Yes, that is right, they talk funny. But it isn’t their fault as they are from the Isle of Man.

If you are a birdwatcher you will know the Isle of Man as there is a bird named after it, the Manx Shearwater. If you are a cyclist, you will know the Isle of Man as it is the home of Mark Cavendish, a.k.a. the Manx Missile. If you are not a birder or a cycling fan, you really have no reason to know of the Isle of Man unless your boat went adrift in the Caribbean Sea. The Isle of Man is where you are likely to end up. It is a small island in the middle of the Irish Sea between England and Ireland.

Dinner conversations sometimes need a translator as I speak with a southern speech impairment, Mary employs the Philadelphia lexicon, Miranda and Damian speak Mannish, and the kids, as far as we can tell, speak some form of Pigeon English that no one else understands at all. For example, we call the evening meal dinner. The Fozards call it tea, whether or not tea is actually served. Tea it is. 

We did plan one thing right. We managed our turns at dinner so that the Thanksgiving Dinner fell on the Americans. If it went the other way, we could have ended up with a fish pie on turkey day! As it was, we had the Fozards, the elder Fozards, Brian and Kate who were visiting for the holidays, our friend Lucy, and Kevin and Rico for our big Thanksgiving feast! See photos of our soirée here. 

The Stroud Preserve, 23 November 2012

I got another late start today, but being the day after Thanksgiving, a late start seemed appropriate. My major accomplishment for the day was a tie for the lowest species count for a visit. I was not the only person that thought that a warm walk through the country side would be a nice thing. While my bird species count was low, I don’t think I’ve ever seen more humans walking around the preserve! When I arrived there was only one parking spot left. When I returned to the car, there were about a dozen cars parked out on Creek Road. Something that I have never seen before.  

Stat time: 11:00
End time: 1:30
Temp: 49-56
Wind: none.
Skies: mostly clear.
Species Total: 24
 
Black Vulture – approx. 20
Turkey Vulture – approx. 20
Sharp-shinned Hawk – 1 adult
Red-tailed Hawk – 4 adults
Rock Dove – approx. 15
Mourning Dove – approx. 40
Red-bellied Woodpecker – 1
Downy Woodpecker – 3
Hairy Woodpecker – 1
Northern Flicker – 1
Blue Jay – heard only
American Crow – approx. 100
Carolina Chickadee – approx.10
Tufted Titmouse – 2
White-breasted Nuthatch – approx. 10
Carolina Wren – 6
Eastern Bluebird – approx. 15
European Starling – approx. 30
Chipping Sparrow – 1, Bird of the Day! I don’t know why these are so few and far between in the fall, but this was only my 4^th observation since the first of September.
Song Sparrow – approx. 25
White-throated Sparrow – approx. 50
Dark-eyed Junco – 1
Northern Cardinal – approx. 5
House Finch – approx. 10

The Stroud Preserve, 16 November 2012

I was able to get out a little earlier today than yesterday and the day before and took a longer walk around the preserve. Birdlife in general was up today as well. The Pine Siskins, Gold Finches and Purple Finches have for the most part disappeared. I have been hopping to see some of the other winters finches that have been reported widely throughout the region, such as Red Crossbill, White-winged Crossbill and Evening Grosbeak. I made a point to walk past all the pine trees on the preserve but no signs of them here.

Stat time: 9:25

End time: 12:40

Temp: 41-45

Wind: light wind from the northeast.

Skies: mostly overcast, high clouds

Species Total: 40

Great Blue Heron – 1

Black Vulture – approx. 30

Turkey Vulture – approx. 50

Snow Goose – 12, Bird of the Day! Mixed in with Canada Geese. My only other observation of these was of very high-flying flocks over the preserve last March. Nice to see these on the ground!

Canada Goose – approx. 300

Wood Duck – 2, male and female

Red-shouldered Hawk – 1, I’m still surprised as how often I don’t see these around here.

Red-tailed Hawk – 5, 4 adults and 1 imm.

Rock Dove – 6

Mourning Dove – approx. 25

Belted Kingfisher – 2, heard only

Red-bellied Woodpecker – 5

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker – 1, heard only

Downy Woodpecker – approx. 15

Hairy Woodpecker – 2

Blue Jay – approx. 10

American Crow – approx. 300

Carolina Chickadee – approx. 30

Tufted Titmouse – approx. 25

Red-breasted Nuthatch – 1

White-breasted Nuthatch – approx. 15

Brown Creeper – 1

Carolina Wren – approx. 10

Golden-crowned Kinglet – 4

Eastern Bluebird – approx. 100! These popped up over night.

American Robin – approx. 30

Northern Mockingbird – 2

European Starling – approx. 20

Cedar Waxwing – approx. 15

Eastern Towhee – approx. 5

Fox Sparrow – 2, Runner up bird of the day. First of the season!

Song Sparrow – approx. 50

Swamp Sparrow – 1

White-throated Sparrow – approx. 250

Dark-eyed Junco – approx. 50

Northern Cardinal – 6

Red-winged Blackbird – approx. 600

Common Grackle – 6

House Finch – approx. 75

American Goldfinch – 5