This morning (Thursday, Jan 3), I had a flock of over 40 cowbirds at my
feeder. Three redwings, a grackle, and a starling were among them.
I watched the feeder on and off through out the morning. After a while, the
cowbirds left and the "regulars" returned. About 11:30, I saw my first
redpoll of the year feeding on an upside down thistle feeder. As another Ohio
Birds poster mentioned, it was really chowing down/stuffing itself. I once
read that redpolls have an extra large storage area (not sure if they were
referring to its crop or some other structure) that allows them to feed rapidly
then return to a sheltered perch to process their food.
Other birds of note recently, Jan 1, I observed 5 Yellow-rumped Warblers
feeding on poison ivy berries at the old electrical station on the drive to East
Harbor State Park's beach. Near the channel of West Harbor (reached by
driving past the entrance to East Harbor and going to the end of Rt 269) there
were at least 43 Tundra Swans. Combining the totals of Middle Harbor, the lake
shore at EHSP, and West Harbor I counted 39 Great Black-backed Gulls.
_http://www.eastharborstatepark.org/maps.htm_
(http://www.eastharborstatepark.org/maps.htm)
As Vic suggested to the list, I reported my sightings to eBird. If you have
never done so, I urge you to try it. It just takes a moment and is a
wonderful way to keep track of your sightings (lots better than the box full of
checklists, scraps of paper, and various notebooks I usually use, but then loose
track of). The following list was generated in the few moments it took me
to report my feeder watch to eBird.
Sheryl Young
Sandusky
Mourning Dove 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Downy Woodpecker 2
Blue Jay 1
Black-capped Chickadee 2
Red-breasted Nuthatch 2
European Starling 1
American Tree Sparrow 3
White-throated Sparrow 1
White-crowned Sparrow 1
Dark-eyed Junco 5
Northern Cardinal 12
Red-winged Blackbird 3
Common Grackle 1
Brown-headed Cowbird 40
House Finch 3
Common Redpoll 1
American Goldfinch 14
House Sparrow 7
**************Start the year off right. Easy ways to stay in shape.
http://body.aol.com/fitness/winter-exercise?NCID=aolcmp00300000002489
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