I posted early this morning, before I saw the "challenge".  Nothing really
unusual for the state, but some very interesting birds for my little yard.



In the order seen:



Just after 6 a.m.:

1. Dark eyed junco

2. Northern cardinal

3. House finch

4. American goldfinch



5, 6 and 7:  Around 7 a.m., an extraordinary flock of blackbirds descended
upon my yard.  I tried to get a count, but they were swirling and moving.
As an estimate, I think around 1200 birds.  I estimate that about 60% were
common grackles, 30% red-winged blackbirds and the rest brown-headed
cowbirds.  Most were males, but there were at least three female
brown-headed cowbirds and two female red-wings.  They consumed all the seed
on the ground, and commandeered the feeders for about 20 minutes, which is
all the time it took to empty the black oil sunflower feeders and suet
feeders.



After they had mostly gone (a few stayed around all day), I waited about an
hour and refilled the feeders.  I fed about 25 pounds of black oil sunflower
seed today, and ran out of suet altogether.



So, after about 9:00 a.m., and continuing until around 3 p.m., I saw the
following:



8. Mourning dove

9. Blue jay

10. Song sparrow

11. American crow

12. European starling

13. Carolina chickadee

14. tufted titmouse

15. Downy woodpecker

16. Carolina wren

17. house sparrow

18. Red-bellied woodpecker

19. Red-breasted nuthatch

20. American crow



21. About 11 a.m., as I was shoveling a path out my drive, I heard and then
saw about 20 ring-billed gulls.  They travel from the small lake (former
gravel pit) at T. J. Evans Park, to the parking lots at Kroger and Wal-Mart.
I saw roughly the same number later in the day as I was walking my dogs.



22. White breasted nuthatch



23. Finally, about 3 p.m., during a particularly heavy snow, a turkey
vulture floated just above the tree tops in my yard, poor guy.  I have had a
TV feed on roadkill in the road in front of my house, so I guess he was
hoping to get lucky again.  Didn't happen.



So, final number:  23 species, with the flock of blackbirds being the most
spectacular, the ring-billed gulls the least expected, and nothing
particularly unusual by most people's standards.



Margaret Bowman

Newark, OH















And finally, during a particularly heavy snowfall around 3 p.m., I


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