Ann's Bird Blog: 2019

Sunday, December 15, 2019

Feeder Birds 2019-2020

Started on 12/15/19. This will be added to throughout the winter season.

Carolina Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Carolina Wren
Pine Warbler
Orange-crowned warbler
Yellow-rumped warbler
Ruby-Crowned Kinglet
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Mourning Dove
Blue Jay
Downy Woodpecker
Red-Bellied Woodpecker
Mockingbird
Brown Thrasher
Brown-headed nuthatch
White-breasted nuthatch
Northern junco
House finch
American goldfinch
Eastern bluebird
Cardinal
White-throated sparrow
Song sparrow
Chipping Sparrow

Birding's been a little slim lately. We've been at the farm so much that we haven't been out to the Dobbins farm ponds. I haven't yet established a birding place at the farm. I need to get something set up where I can go and observe to my heart's content.

People reported a white pelican at the Chris Taylor Memorial Park on Wednesday, 12/12. Of course, that was the one day I didn't check the rare birds report during the day. On Thursday morning, I had a window of about half an hour, so tore up there in hopes of seeing it, but it was apparently gone.

We've just set up the feeders, so the winter feeding season has begun. I hope we can get something new or interesting this year.

Saturday, October 5, 2019

Common Yellowthroat but can't count it

We saw this bird, dead, in downtown Anderson yesterday afternoon. I should have gone straight to my Peterson, but tried to use another field guide instead. A discussion on Carolina Birders Facebook page helped get the identification - a female Common Yellowthroat. When I checked Peterson, yes, it's identical to the drawing/painting in there. Sure hate to see this happen to this beautiful bird.

Sunday, January 20, 2019

Sharp-Shinned Hawk

New yard bird. I always assume that these are Cooper's Hawks, but this one was definitely smaller. I studied up on the two and learned that the "Sharpie" is not only smaller, but has a squared-off tail instead of a rounded one. This morning I confirmed it. This one is learning that a meal can be had just by hanging around in the tree by our picture window (where the feeders are). I have a picture and will post it when I get it uploaded from the camera.

How This Bird-Watching Happened

I'm always a little self-conscious and reticent about telling people that I like to watch birds. Somehow that hobby conjures up pictures of little old women in khaki shorts and boots, peering through binoculars at some little spot in the woods. Maybe wearing a pith helmet.

But birdwatching is something that really brought my husband and me together in the early years of our marriage. He was a huge hunter; I had never picked up a gun. We were very different. But we discovered that we were quite a team about birdwatching - I was the bookworm about them, and he had the outdoors knowledge to pick up sounds and motion in the woods. We kept lists and watched everywhere we went. I picked up some of his extensive knowledge about wildlife. And it was fascinating.

Even after our son was born, we still could keep up with this hobby somewhat. Our home had a great shelf feeder, directly out of our second-story bedroom window, that was about fifty yards from woods and stream. So we had great variety coming directly to our house.

After moving to Mike's hometown, the hobby waned. Two children, not a good location for much variety at a feeder, not as easy to take trips, either short or long ones. So it became an occasional thing rather than a main focus.

On our trip to the northwest, fourteen years ago, we put fifteen new species on our lists and got excited about it once again. And on our recent California trip, we got a few more.

Now that our children are gone, we're intent on watching birds again. It is still bringing us together. And we don't even need khaki shorts or pith helmets.