Breeding Survey Route and High Ridge WMA visit

On June 14th I conducted the Ware River Breeding Bird Survey route, the 24.5 mile route canvases areas outside and within the bird rich Ware River Watershed/ Barre Fall Dam areas. Clear and calm conditions made for good listening and a nice tally of 64 species for 494 individuals; leading the way were Ovenbirds with 72 and Red-eyed Vireo with 48, each being present on 38 of the 50 3 minute stops (76%).

This recently Fledged raven was the only bird photo of survey route, it was in between stops.

A complete list of species tallied on the BBS Route.

Species Count 

Mallard 1 

Hooded Merganser 1 

Wild Turkey 1

 Broad-winged Hawk 7 

Mourning Dove 14 

Black-billed Cuckoo 1 

Red-bellied Woodpecker 1 

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 5 

Downy Woodpecker 7 

Hairy Woodpecker 8 

Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) 3 

Pileated Woodpecker 7 

Eastern Wood-Pewee 7 

Willow Flycatcher 1 

Least Flycatcher 3

 Eastern Phoebe 4 

Great Crested Flycatcher 1 

Blue-headed Vireo 1 

Red-eyed Vireo 48 

Blue Jay 22 

American Crow 7 

Tree Swallow 18 

Barn Swallow 2

 Black-capped Chickadee 17 

Tufted Titmouse 16

 Red-breasted Nuthatch 1 

White-breasted Nuthatch 1 

Brown Creeper 1 

House Wren 1 

Winter Wren 2 

Veery 16

 Hermit Thrush 6 

Wood Thrush 4 

American Robin 8 

Gray Catbird 13 

Cedar Waxwing 24 

Ovenbird 72 

Northern Waterthrush 1 

Blue-winged Warbler 1 

Black-and-white Warbler 10

 Common Yellowthroat 17

 Blackburnian Warbler 1 

Yellow Warbler 3 

Chestnut-sided Warbler 8 

Black-throated Blue Warbler 9 

Pine Warbler 21 

Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 2 

Prairie Warbler 2 

Black-throated Green Warbler 6 

Canada Warbler 1 

Eastern Towhee 6

 Chipping Sparrow 7 

Song Sparrow 3 

Swamp Sparrow 3 

Scarlet Tanager 12 

Northern Cardinal 2 

Rose-breasted Grosbeak 3 

Indigo Bunting 4 

Bobolink 3 

Red-winged Blackbird 4 

Brown-headed Cowbird 6 

Baltimore Oriole 4 

Purple Finch 2 

American Goldfinch 1

On Saturday 2/20 I took a late morning walk at High Ridge WMA. Within the Great Blue Heron colony were 19 active nests, with over 50 individual young and adults tallied. While I did not cover all the hay fields, nearly 50 Bobolinks were seen and/or heard. The mowing had begun, but typically some fields go unmolested until the "Bobos" are done with their nesting season (mid-late July).

A wide angle shot of the Great Blue Heron Colony

An adult (left) was greeted by its loud squawking and begging young, most of the young present were close to adult size.

Here are a few photos from cooperative Bobolinks that perched close to the road, no tramping through the hay fields was needed.

A male Bobolink perched on weeds

Another "Bobo" on milkweed

a female Bobolink, the dark mark below its bill gives it an almost proboscis monkey look.

My complete tally from the High Ridge Walk, covering just a fraction of the 2500+ acres of property:

Species Count

Wood Duck 8

Great Blue Heron 53

Cooper's Hawk 1

Broad-winged Hawk 3

Mourning Dove 2

Barred Owl 1

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1

Downy Woodpecker 2

Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) 3

Eastern Wood-Pewee 2

Least Flycatcher 1

Eastern Phoebe 1

Great Crested Flycatcher 1

Eastern Kingbird 1

Blue-headed Vireo 1

Red-eyed Vireo 22

Blue Jay 5

American Crow 1

Common Raven 1

Tree Swallow 22

Barn Swallow 2

Black-capped Chickadee 7

Tufted Titmouse 8

Red-breasted Nuthatch 1

House Wren 6

Eastern Bluebird 1

Veery 9

Hermit Thrush 1

Wood Thrush 4

American Robin 7

Gray Catbird 22

European Starling 3

Cedar Waxwing 20

Ovenbird 9

Black-and-white Warbler 2

Common Yellowthroat 12

American Redstart 2

Yellow Warbler 1

Chestnut-sided Warbler 3

Black-throated Blue Warbler 1

Pine Warbler 5

Prairie Warbler 1

Black-throated Green Warbler 1

Chipping Sparrow 12

Field Sparrow 1

Song Sparrow 7

Swamp Sparrow 2

Scarlet Tanager 4

Northern Cardinal 1

Rose-breasted Grosbeak 2

Indigo Bunting 5

Bobolink 46

Red-winged Blackbird 18

Common Grackle 4

Brown-headed Cowbird 1

Baltimore Oriole 8

American Goldfinch 7

Peewee nest

On Sunday (6/7) I spotted an Eastern Wood Peewee nest in the back yard woodlot; approx 40 feet high on a dead horizontal limb (red oak), in an sheltered opening 1/3 way below the forest canopy approx. 60-75' from our deck and visable from the kitchen table (through bins or scope). Material was added  to the nearly complete nest, by the presumed female, every few minutes. During these visits she would sit in the nest and fidget a bit to shape the nest cup, a male could be heard singing from near by. This continued on the following morning and evening, and she visited again early on Tuesday, but abondoned the nest and has not been seen since.

During the bird's last visit a recently fledged Downy Woodpecker landed a few feet from the nest, the female sat tight on the nest, "trying not to be seen". The young downy curiously hopped closer to look at the nest, and was immediately greeted with a "face full" of flycatcher and quickly fled the scene. The nest has not been visited by the peewee since.  Tough to reason the exact cause of the abandonment, but perhaps the location was a bit too exposed.

Easten Wood Peewe "fitting" its nest.

Yard Birds late May

While enjoying a beer or two last Friday evening, I was able to pickup 3 new yard birds for the year from the deck. Cedar Waxwings were present in the yard for the first time this year, a Great-crested Flycatcher was calling from the back woodlot and a north bound Common Nighthawk passed high overhead.

Hummingbirds have been at the feeder more frequently this past week. The male acts aggressive toward the female, which is not too much of a surprise... seeing he does not help the female with domestic chores.

 male Ruby-throated Hummingbird guarding the feeder from the "deck" perch. 

This female Ruby-throated Hummingbird slips in for a long drink, while the male is bullying elsewhere!