Birder's Eye View

Friday, October 17, 2008

Project Feederwatch day 2

Wednesday was the second day of my Project Feederwatch survey for my enviro studies class.


It started off slow. I arrived at the site at 1:30pm, a time of day when the birds are typically inactive, but eventually I began to fall into beat with the wind and the subtle chirps and the flutters and rustles of the woods.


Above is a picture of one of the first birds I saw. Can you identify it? I puzzled over this bird for about a half hour; it was silhouetted against the bright blue sky and the glaring sun, and impossible to get a clear photograph. My best guess until I got back to my dorm was that this little bird was some kind of flycatcher.

When I finally got to look it up, I determined it was an Eastern-wood Pewee, a year bird for my list!

Next I saw some Palm Warblers, a Bald Eagle in the distance, and then this little guy showed up: a tiny woodpecker with a yellowish spot on the back of its neck.

I originally assumed it was a Hairy Woodpecker, but later figured out it was a female Downy, based on size, markings, and sound. There was also a male flitting around with her, as well as a big Red-bellied Woodpecker that kept chasing them away.

A little while later, two Palm Warblers landed in some pine trees right over my head. I didn't realize until after I had taken several dozen photos how varied they are in color and patterns. The above picture looks like quite different from the one below, but from what I can tell, they are the same species.

In the end, it was a fun, exciting birding session. In all, I saw 7 species in the two hours I was there; not great, but not bad. Honestly, I don't think the site is ideal for Project Feederwatch, but it is adequate.

Happy birding!

2 Comments:

  • Nice job! Your photo is indeed of an E Pewee. They're cool birds.

    Palm Warblers are indeed rather variable in their plumage. Although, I admit I can't even tell what species your second PAWA photo is. So if you had posted it as a photo quiz, I wouldn't be able to answer. AKA. it's a good photo quiz photo.

    By Blogger Chris W, At October 18, 2008 at 9:48 PM  

  • Cool blog.

    The second Palm Warbler looks to me to be a Prairie Warbler.

    By Blogger a birder , At October 20, 2008 at 6:49 PM  

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