The Zen Birdfeeder

22 Species in Monday's eBird Count

I worked from home on Monday April 20th and since I was still in the Project FeederWatch mode (it just ended earlier this month), I thought I'd keep track of birds in the yard and report them to Cornell's eBird citizen science project.

eBird is a year-round online checklist that allows birdwatchers to record their observations.  A birdwatcher simply enters when, where, and how they went birding, then fills out a checklist of all the birds seen and heard during the outing.  That "outing" can even be from inside your home - like I did on Monday.

Red-winged Blackbird female (digiscoped image)

Well it turned out to be a fabulous day to watch for birds.  Mind you, these are all birds seen through the windows of my house!  In all, I saw 22 species; all during the 2008-09 Project FeederWatch season, my high species count for any count period was 17.  Of course the fact that migration is ramping up here in upstate New York doesn't hurt.

I had a triple-triple with 3 types of sparrow (fox, chipping, and white-throated), 3 types of finches (gold, purple, and siskins), and 3 types of woodpeckers (hairy, downy, and flicker).  The Chipping Sparrow was a first-of-season bird too.

Other highlights include the pass through by a Sharp-shinned Hawk, the flyover by a raven (wings tipping side to side catching the wind), the return of the Brown Creeper (not seen since early February), and the large groups of juncos covering the ground.  Lots of chickadees too.

Brown Creeper

Here's the list of all I saw:

Sharp-shinned Hawk     1
Mourning Dove     4
Downy Woodpecker     2
Hairy Woodpecker     2
Northern Flicker     1
Blue Jay     2
Common Raven     1
Black-capped Chickadee     11
Tufted Titmouse     2
Red-breasted Nuthatch     1
Brown Creeper     1
American Robin     2
Chipping Sparrow     1
Fox Sparrow     3
White-throated Sparrow     1     Brown morph
Dark-eyed Junco     25
Northern Cardinal     2
Red-winged Blackbird     1
Brown-headed Cowbird     7
Purple Finch     5
Pine Siskin     7
American Goldfinch     1

22 Species
83 Individuals

Overall, an outstanding day of birds at home.  If you're interested in reporting your sightings to Cornell, read more about their year-round citizen science project eBird.

Northern Cardinal female (digiscoped image)

Project FeederWatch Final Week

Last Monday and Tuesday were my last two Project FeederWatch count days for this season.  The PFW season officially ended April 3rd.

Northern Cardinal (digiscoped image)

With temperatures warming and the snow cover clearing, ground feeders like American Tree Sparrow, robins, and more numerous juncos are showing up.

Dark-eyed Junco (digiscoped image)

You have to look at the small birds closely - with goldfinches, siskins, and a tree sparrow around, I had to make sure I was tallying the right species!  Siskins ARE still around, though in smaller numbers, as goldfinch numbers start to increase.  Purple Finches have returned - the six I counted were all beautiful males.

Purple Finch male enjoying safflower seed

Blue Jays, so numerous during the winter, were virtually non-existent both days.  A Cooper's Hawk made a pass through the yard, leaving empty handed so to speak.

Here's my final counts of the year:
Red-breasted Nuthatch  1
Blue Jay  1
Dark-eyed Junco  18
Black-capped Chickadee  14
Hairy Woodpecker  1
Downy Woodpecker  2
Mourning Dove  5
Tufted Titmouse  2
American Robin  3
Pine Siskin  8
American Goldfinch  21
Purple Finch  6
Canada Goose  6 (overhead)
American Tree Sparrow  1
Northern Cardinal  2
Coopers Hawk  1

Species  16
Individuals 92

American Robin

This is a pretty good species count for me, though early spring PFW counts do go up as migrants get in the count.

American Tree Sparrow (digiscoped image)

I'll do a season summary in a few days.  Stay tuned and I hope you had a great Project FeederWatch season.  I just signed up for next year!

Great Backyard Bird Count 2009 Yard Summary

We're one week post-GBBC so I thought it's about time to summarize the results from my yard.

American Robin 2009

I counted all four days, for a total of 22 1/2 hours. In all, I saw these 17 different species:

Mourning Dove
Blue Jay
American Crow
Cooper's Hawk
Hairy Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Black capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Red-breasted Nuthatch
White-breasted Nuthatch
Northern Cardinal
American Robin
European Starling
Dark-eyed Junco
American Goldfinch
Common Redpoll
Pine Siskin

I averaged just over 14 species each count day, with the low being 12 and the high being 17.  For GBBC 2008, I averaged 11 species/day, with a low of 8 and a high of 12.  So my species counts increased this year.

Northern Cardinal GBBC 2009 (Digiscoped image)

Here's a quick summary by species:

• Mourning Dove - Seen all 4 days.  High count 6
• Blue Jay - Seen all 4 days.  High count 21
• American Crow - Seen 1 day.  High count 3
• Cooper's Hawk - Seen 1 day.  High count 1
• Hairy Woodpecker - Seen all 4 days.  High count 2
• Downy Woodpecker - Seen all 4 days.  High count 2
• Black capped Chickadee - Seen all 4 days.  High count 14
• Tufted Titmouse - Seen all 4 days.  High count 3
• Red-breasted Nuthatch - Seen all 4 days.  High count 2
• White-breasted Nuthatch - Seen 3 days.  High count 1 (female)
• Northern Cardinal - Seen all 4 days.  High count 2 (pair)
• American Robin - Seen all 4 days.  High count 1
• European Starling - Seen 3 days.  High count 4
• Dark-eyed Junco - Seen 3 days.  High count 3
• American Goldfinch - Seen all 4 days.  High count 21
• Common Redpoll - Seen 2 days.  High count 1
• Pine Siskin- Seen all 4 days.  High count 53

I saw an average of 94 individual birds a day, ranging from a low of 75 birds to a high of 111.  For GBBC 2008, I averaged 114 individual birds, ranging from a low of 87 birds and a high of 140.  So while I saw more SPECIES this year than last, I counted fewer INDIVIDUALS this year.

Common Redpoll 2008

Last year's high count of individuals was a result of the Common Redpoll irruption of winter 2007-08.  During last year's count, I averaged 85 redpolls each day, with a high count one day of 100.  This year's Pine Siskin irruption, while significant across the country, hasn't brought the sheer numbers of birds to my yard.  Over the 4-day count period, I averaged 38 siskins with a high count of 53.

Pine Siskin GBBC 2009

My raptor visits in 2008 came from a Northern Goshawk - what a thrill THAT was - and also a Sharp-shinned Hawk.  This year, a Cooper's Hawk was counted on day 4.

Sharp-shinned Hawk GBBC 2008

Seen this year and not last year:  Pine Siskin, Cooper's Hawk, starling, American Robin, Northern Cardinal, American Goldfinch. 
Seen last year but not this year: Northern Goshawk and Sharp-shinned Hawk.

Comparing the two years is interesting and provides just a glimpse into what the ornithologists at Cornell study from the results of citizen science projects like Great Backyard Bird Count.

If you participated and have not submitted your checklist, you have until March 1 to do so.  Follow this link to enter your counts.  So far, over 86,000 checklists have been submitted reporting 603 species and over 11 million birds. 

If you have a story you'd like to tell about your count, we'd love to hear it!

Great Backyard Bird Count Day 4

American Goldfinch

Today was the final day of the Great Backyard Bird Count and I had all day long to count!  And what a day it was!  Here's the species I observed:

Cooper's Hawk    1
Mourning Dove    3
Downy Woodpecker  1
Hairy Woodpecker  1
Blue Jay  15
American Crow  3
Black-capped Chickadee    14
Tufted Titmouse     2
Red-breasted Nuthatch    1
White-breasted Nuthatch     1
American Robin    1
European Starling  4
Dark-eyed Junco      3
Northern Cardinal  1
Common Redpoll    1
Pine Siskin   31
American Goldfinch   21

17 Species
104 Individuals

Dismayed by the small numbers of juncos on days 1-3, I broadcast WBU Select Blend (a heavy millet blend) on the ground and picked up a couple more juncos.

The finches continued to show up in big numbers, with the goldfinch count growing to 21. Our friend Mona is a GBBC participant and had joked about how we were all counting the same single redpoll.

Common Redpoll

A single robin has been a reliable daily visitor every day of the count.  I just listen for his whinny and know I'll find him in the Mountain Ash tree.

American Robin (digiscoped images)

The male cardinal visited early and late, but without the female today.

I had no raptors visit during the first 3 days of the count, but today a Cooper's Hawk barrelled through the yard, successful in his hunt.  More details on that strike later this week.

Cooper's Hawk with prey

So ends the 2009 Great Backyard Bird Count.  Have fun exploring the results.  I'll summarize my 4-day count in a post later this week.  Thanks all for participating!

Great Backyard Bird Count Day 3

Today was Great Backyard Bird Count Day 3.  I was able to count for just over 3 hours before heading to the store.

Pine Siskin

Here's what I observed:

Mourning Dove    6
Downy Woodpecker  1
Hairy Woodpecker  1
Blue Jay  13
Black-capped Chickadee    6
Tufted Titmouse     2
Red-breasted Nuthatch    2
White-breasted Nuthatch     1
American Robin    1
Northern Cardinal  2
Pine Siskin  31
American Goldfinch  9

12 Species
75 Individuals

Hearing the titmice sing their "peter peter peter" song just makes me smile.  Either male and female will sing this song any time of year, but it is most frequent during breeding when males sing to establish territory or advertising for a mate (Stokes Nature Guide to Bird Behavior, Vol. II).  To hear it makes me feel that spring is indeed right around the corner!

So far the participation in the area surrounding WBU-Saratoga Springs has been fabulous.  Here's the map of New York showing participation through 6:30p Sunday.  Look at all those red dots in the Saratoga County area!  That's us!!  We rock!

As of this writing, Gansevoort has submitted 18 checklists, ranking the town #5 in all of New York state!  This for a town with a population of 17,000 people!  It is only behind Ithaca (home of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology) and the large metropolitan areas of Rochester, Syracuse, and Buffalo.  And if you added in Wilton's 2 checklists, they'd be tied with Buffalo!

Here's the checklist count from other communities where our bird-loving customers live:
Saratoga Springs 11
Clifton Park  10
Ballston Spa  8
South Glens Falls  7
Burnt Hills  6
Ft. Edward  6
Queensbury  5

Follow this link to find out how many checklists are coming in from your New York community or to find your community elsewhere.

There's still one day left to count for the Great Backyard Bird Count.  Don't miss your final day!  Click here to find out how to participate.

It's been fun hearing from participants!  So if you participated today, drop me a comment and let me know you did and where you're from.  Share your counts and special finds as well!

Great Backyard Bird Count Day 2

It's Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) Day 2.  Today was a shortened watch day for me but it was still a great count day. 

I was able to count for just over 2 hours as I ate breakfast, checked email, and got ready for work.  You really only need 15 minutes to count and my guess is that scientists at Cornell can tell as much from what happens during a 15 minute count as they do from a longer one.

Here's what I observed this morning:

Mourning Dove    3
Downy Woodpecker  2
Hairy Woodpecker  2
Blue Jay  21
Black-capped Chickadee    8
Tufted Titmouse     3
Red-breasted Nuthatch    1
White-breasted Nuthatch     1
American Robin    1
European Starling  4
Dark-eyed Junco      1
Northern Cardinal  1
Pine Siskin  53
American Goldfinch  10

14 Species
111 Individuals

Yesterday's MIA White-breasted Nuthatch showed up to be counted today.  The robin returned, as did the starling with some friends.

White-breasted Nuthatch female 

The siskins and goldfinches were here in even greater numbers today.  You had to look closely at all the members of the mixed-finch flock to pull the goldfinches out from the larger number of siskins.

Pine Siskins

Its fun to explore the results on the GBBC site.  Want to know more about this year's Pine Siskin irruption?  Through the Map Room, you can see just how many reports of siskins have come in after just two days of this year's count in the upstate NY area.

And here's a map showing just how widespread siskin reports are up and down the whole eastern seaboard so far this year.

Siskins just weren't around the US in these numbers in the 2008 count.

You have to go all the way back to 1998 to see significant reports of siskins.

Follow this link to explore the results for your location or for your favorite species.

There are two more days of Great Backyard Bird Count.  So it's not too late to participate.  Click here to find out how.

Again, if you participated today, drop me a comment and let me know you did and where you're from.  Share your counts and special finds as well!

Great Backyard Bird Count Day 1

Today was the first day of the 2009 Great Backyard Bird Count, where citizen scientists like you and me count the birds to help real scientists understand them better.

Blue Jay (digiscoped image)

This 4-day event is held every year over the long Presidents Day Weekend.  You can count every day as long as you have 15-minutes of time!

I was able to watch for 6 hours this morning before heading into the store.  Here's what we observed: 

Mourning Dove   1      
Downy Woodpecker 2               
Hairy Woodpecker  1                
Blue Jay 13               
Black-capped Chickadee     14                
Tufted Titmouse 3                
Red-breasted Nuthatch 1                
American Robin     1        
European Starling 2                
Dark-eyed Junco 1                
Northern Cardinal 2                
Common Redpoll     1              
Pine Siskin     38               
American Goldfinch     4

14 Species
84 Individuals

A special visitor included an American Robin eating berries off the Mountain Ash.

We had a good range of finches including goldfinches, one redpoll, and lots of siskins. Big numbers of jays and chickadees too.

A "regular" that didn't show: White-breasted Nuthatch.  Some "uncommons" that didn't show:  Sharp-shinned Hawk, Brown Creeper, Ruffed Grouse, Red-bellied Woodpecker.  But overall, a good species-count day!  I'm looking forward to tomorrow's count.  I won't have as much time, but all you need is 15 minutes!

Last year, Saratoga Springs submitted 21 checklists; Gansevoort/Wilton submitted 14.  Follow this link to check stats for your New York town or this link if you're outside New York state.  Let's all try to beat our local records!  There are three more days left.  Click here to find out how to participate.

If you participated today, drop me a comment and let me know you did and where you're from.  Share your counts and special finds as well!

Great Backyard Bird Count This Weekend!

Count for Fun, Count for the Future
February 13-16, 2009

Bird and nature fans throughout North America are invited to join tens of thousands of bird watchers for the 12th annual Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) this weekend, February 13-16, 2009.

A joint project of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society, this free event is an opportunity for families, students, and people of all ages to discover the wonders of nature in backyards, schoolyards, and local parks, and, at the same time, make an important contribution to conservation.

Volunteers take part by counting birds for at least 15 minutes on one or more days of the event and reporting their sightings online at www.birdcount.org.  The data help researchers understand bird population trends across the continent, information that is critical for effective conservation. In 2008, participants submitted more than 85,000 checklists, a new record.

“The GBBC has become a vital link in the arsenal of continent wide bird-monitoring projects,” said Cornell Lab of Ornithology director John Fitzpatrick. “With more than a decade of data now in hand, the GBBC has documented striking changes in late-winter bird distributions.”

Participants submit thousands of digital images for the GBBC photo contest each year. Last year’s winners have been chosen and are now posted on the project web site. Participants are also invited to upload their bird videos to YouTube tagged “GBBC.” Some of them will also be featured on the GBBC web site. All participants will be entered in a drawing to win dozens of birding items, including stuffed birds, clocks, books, feeders, and more.

Businesses, schools, nature clubs, Scout troops, and other community organizations interested in the GBBC can contact the Cornell Lab of Ornithology at (800) 843-2473.  If you're in the Saratoga Springs NY area, stop in or call Wild Birds Unlimited for information on how to participate.  The Great Backyard Bird Count is made possible, in part, by support from Wild Birds Unlimited.

Hone your skills before the count begins.  Play EAGLE EYES and test your observation skills.

Here's some links to findings from last year's event:

Birds counted in Saratoga Springs NY
Birds counted in Gansevoort NY
Birds counted in Wilton NY
Find reports for your town or city
Pine Siskins reported in prior year counts
Top Ten Lists (Most reported birds, Most birds, Most checklists, etc.)
Explore data on your own

Are you counting this weekend? 

If so, drop me a comment saying "I'M IN FOR THE COUNT!" and let us know where you live!

Catching up: Birds in the Yard

I haven't posted much lately about the birds in my yard so I'm catching up with a recap of the past couple weeks.  Project FeederWatch Week Three had a little slower activity but lots and lots of chickadees (17 of them!)

 
Black capped Chickadee on Heated Birdbath

They come in waves, along with titmice and nuthatches making up their large winter flock.  Mr. Cardinal is still around as well as lots of Dark-eyed Juncos.

 
Dark eyed Junco

Week Three Totals
Blue Jay  9
American Goldfinch  4
Mourning Dove  8
Black capped Chickadee  17
Red breasted Nuthatch  1
Hairy Woodpecker  2
Dark-eyed Junco  14
Northern Cardinal  1
Downy Woodpecker  2
Tufted Titmouse  2
White breasted Nuthatch

11 Species
61 Individuals

Thanksgiving morning began with a Sharp-shinned Hawk stalking the yard, looking for an early meal.  Forgive me for the poor quality of the picture - I came downstairs, saw the hawk, picked up the camera and just started shooting.  Before I could adjust the settings, it had moved on.

 
Sharp-shinned Hawk

In late October, I wrote about the absence of squirrels in my yard.  Since then, 3 Red Squirrels have been around fairly regularly (a smaller number than usual) and Grey Squirrels remain absent altogether.

 
Red Squirrel

Our first American Tree Sparrow of the season visited the feeders on November 29.  This was pretty late; last year, tree sparrows returned in mid-October.  I always hope to witness the overlap of the American Tree Sparrow and the Chipping Sparrow - not a chance this year!!  This little guy had a very distinct center breast spot, which serves as a good identifying characteristic of the American Tree Sparrow.

 
American Tree Sparrow on WBU Catch-a-Seed Feeder Tray

Project FeederWatch Week Four was again marked by heavy (double digit) counts of chickadees, jays, and doves.  The tree sparrow seen just 2 days earlier did not show up on count days, but we did have a Ruffed Grouse walk through the corner of the yard!

 
Ruffed Grouse

Week Four Totals
Downy Woodpecker  1
Blue Jay  10
Black capped Chickadee  18
Mourning Dove  12
Tufted Titmouse  3
Dark-eyed Junco  9
Hairy Woodpecker  1
Northern Cardinal  1
American Crow  1
Red breasted Nuthatch  1
White breasted Nuthatch  1
American Goldfinch  5
Ruffed Grouse  1

13 Species
64 Individuals

We have been hearing lots of reports of Pine Siskins in the area and thought we had a large flock move through about a week ago, but couldn't confirm it.  Then 2 siskins were seen hanging around with the goldfinches on December 5th. 

 
American Goldfinch flanked by Pine Siskins

It's easy to see a group of goldfinches and miss the siskins amongst them.  Stop to look for any streaked, pointy-billed birds, feeding or flocking right along with the goldfinches and you may find that you have Pine Siskins in your yard too!  Read more about Pine Siskins on WBU's rightbird online field guide.

Although my heated birdbath is a busy place all winter long, it is mostly visited by birds using it to drink.  But the other day, I saw a Blue Jay take a full-fledged, bone-soaking bath.  Here's a couple pix of the tidy bird.

 
 

The Hairy Woodpecker below was "frozen" on a tree for minutes on end.  I had heard the jays' alert calls, so I assume a hawk could've been passing through. I never saw the hawk, but whenever you see birds "frozen", or staying perfectly still for a long time (many minutes), look around to see if a hawk is near.  The birds I see exhibiting this behavior most frequently are woodpeckers, nuthatches, chickadees, and titmice.  In my experience, jays and doves just skidaddle.

 
Hairy Woodpecker

In closing, I may be posting a little less between now and Christmas as I spend more time at my Wild Birds Unlimited store in Saratoga Springs NY.  If you're ever in the area, stop by to see us!  Just like reader/commenter Ellen (LNMP) who stopped by and introduced herself on her return trip from checking out the Snowy Owls in Fort Edward.  Thanks Ellen and nice to meet ya!

 
 

Cornell Lab's New Online Holiday Store

Cornell Lab of Ornithology has a new online holiday store.  Their theme is “Change the Present,” which urges shoppers to consider “green” gifts that can inspire a love of birds and nature. That gift might be a membership to the Lab, participation in one of their citizen science projects, a subscription to the Birds of North America Online, and more.  All gifts benefit conservation and education programs at the Lab.

Please take a couple minutes to check out their holiday store and consider supporting the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in appreciation for the work they do all year long to protect and further our understanding of the birds.