I drove the country roads after early services at church, again today, but
in this block for the first time this season. The overcast skies gave way
to scattered sun, and the birds were in full song in many places. I was
able to confirm a couple more species today, and spotted some nice migrants
as well. The list:
Canada goose - three "pairs", in fields
Mallard - a pair on a temporary wet spot
Red-tailed hawk - one on nest with another perched nearby, what looked like
two fuzzy heads, but hard to see
Mourning doves
Red-headed woodpeckers - 7 total, in 5 different locations. This is still
red-headed woodpecker heaven, confirmed last year.
Red-bellied woodpecker
Northern flicker
Horned larks - in two different recently plowed fields. Today marks the
beginning of the "safe" dates for this bird, so I recorded OS.
Tree swallow
Barn swallow
Northern mockingbird
Brown thrasher - they were everywhere, and in full song
Eastern bluebird - already confirmed last year, but re-confirmed today.
American robin
Blue-gray gnatcatcher
Carolina chickadee
Blue jay
American crow - finally saw one actually building a nest. Followed it with
binoculars carrying shredded corn husk material.
European starling - carrying nesting material
American goldfinch
Yellow-throated warbler - probably a migrant, but he was in large pines
Chipping sparrow - singing on territory everywhere
Filed sparrow - also singing on territory, but confirmed last year
Song sparrow
Northern cardinal
Red-winged blackbirds
Eastern meadowlark
Common grackle
Brown-headed cowbird
In addition, although it seems early, I'm pretty sure I heard a prairie
warbler. The habitat was right, but I couldn't spot it with my binoculars,
and it wasn't singing consistently enough to get a good location.
I'm not a great birder. I just love the outdoors, and watching birds. I'm
sure that it will take me more time to accomplish what others might in the
required 25 hours. But frankly, I can't think of anything else that I would
rather do with my time. I am really looking forward to the end of school,
when I can spend at least 6 mornings a week "out there". I encourage anyone
who bothers to read my posts to record your own observations for the OBBA
II. It's easy. I even record observations for blocks that I do not "own",
when I see confirming evidence of nesting.
Also, don't assume that an observation has been entered simply because a
nest is well known locally. The heron rookery in Newark is very well known
to local birders, but no one had entered it as an observation until I
accepted "ownership" of the block last year, much to my surprise.
Margaret Bowman
Licking Co., OH
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