Summer Months 2010

Observations of the nest boxes indicate that every box at Nauvoo was used as an active nesting box. I was somewhat surprised to see most of the boxes were packed with "stick nests" indicating wrens as the primary user of the boxes.

Grandvue boxes were more sparcely utilized and predators seemed to be the primary obstacle. I did however have successful nests with bluebirds, wrens, and tree swallows.

Plans this year include a large box for common meganzers on Fish Creek.

May 21 nauvoo

After my Sunday School group hike I went to Nauvoo. This sunday afternoon we had our graduation picnic for Sarah Beth. One Blue bird box now holds a second clutch of 5 eggs. I also found a cavity in a vertical limb of an old walnut tree and observed male and female bringing food to the nest. One box held a few sticks and what I think were two carolina wren primary feathers and some sticks but no nest. The last box put up held no indication of nesting. House wrens are occupying at least three boxes in the yard area and front field. Boxes that were easily opened proved to be packed tight with sticks. One also held a colony of ants. Here too I saw many waxwings. I don't know why the waxwing population seems so high this spring. Kingbirds, kestrel, red eyed and yellow throated verios, yellow throats, yellow warblers, and woodpeckers all were seen or heard.
*A special note is high activity of orchard orioles. I saw many times the male maintaing position in one of three locations within a 30 yard square. I believe I saw the female on several occassions as well coming from one of those locations. I believe they are nesting and will have to confirm. If they are in safe dates its definitly a nest site.
The rest of the party had a quick veiw of a bobcat moving through.

May 21 Grandvue

Took the sunday school group of kids to Grandvue and walked part of the trail. Tree swallow in nest box would not flush. In fact I moved feathers and pretty much touch the bird. She remained on eggs so any day we should see young. Also flushed the flicker from her hole and the sparrow nest still has no eggs. It may have been abandoned as a mower came within 6 inches of the nest.
I counted 32 cedar waxwings in one small berry tree. A yellow throat, indigo bunting, baltimore oriole, red eyed and yellow throated verios, and blue birds were good birds on this day. We heard a turkey and many wood thrush.

May 18, 2010 Grandvue

Saw three nests: Tree swallows have 5 eggs in box #2, Flicker flushed twice from hole over hill from box #3 - hole has "roof" of fungus above, sparrow flushed from nest in clearing by box #5 (4 eggs with tan specks)- I will return to site to ID the species.
Started with a female cowbird, Baltimore Orioles, I think I heard an Orchard Oriole, watched a female Rose Breasted Grossbeak for several minutes, 10+ Cedar Waxwings, red eyed verios -several had fledged young to feed, Indigo Buntings, heard many wood thrush, Flickers, Red Bellied Woodpeckers, Downy, Towhees, song, chipping, field sparrows.
2 hours

May 16, 2010 Grantsville, MD and High Point PA

Gary and I took a 4 1/2 hour stop and go birding drive from Grantsville to highpoint PA continuing through Niverton (Amish School) to river road. It was a great day for warblers on this highest point in PA. Most common warblers were Chestnut Sided and Ovenbirds. We got good looks at the Chestnut Sided Warblers many times and I had an extended look at the ovenbird. Other birds seen included: Black Throated Blue, Red Start, Parula, yellow throat, Yellow.
Also saw Juncos, Red Eye Verios, Blue Headed Verios, Phoebes, Blue Gray Knatcatcher, Towhee.
As we drove farmland we saw the following: bobolink, Meadowlarks,Cowbirds,Redwing Blackbirds, Kingbird, Tree Swallows, Barn Swallows,and a cliff swallow COLONY OF 40+ NESTS, Blue Birds, Savannah Sparrows, Chipping, Field, Song Sparrows, Purple Finch, Killdeer, solitary sandpiper, kestrel.

Many birds were identified by sound including: Black Throated Green, Magnolia, Hooded, Black and White, Canada Warbler (1),
Also heard Great Crested Flycatcher, Acadian Flycatcher, Pewee, Yellow Throated Verio, catbird, Hermit Thrush, Wood Thrush, Pileated, Downy, Hairy Woodpeckers, Flickers, and nuthatches.

Hoping for specific birds in areas that have yielded birds this year but did not see blue winged warblers, Red Headed Woodpeckers nesting sights, maybe next time.

Counting commoners we probably saw close to 70 species on this AM birding experience. Next time maybe an earlier start and we will hear the chorus of birds. I can only imagine how many warblers could be counted.
Gary, comment if I missed a few!

May 15, 2010 GRANDVUE

Did a birding hike in the AM before heading to Maryland. Tree Swallows are on nest. I opened the box (#2) and the female would not flush. The male did several dive bombs so I think eggs are being incubated. I will check again to see young. Birds observed: Baltimore Orioles in abundance and one female building. I saw what appeared to be an immature oriole with a nervous parent. I thought this to be a bit early, but could not account for any other reason to see such behavior. Also had yellow warblers, wood thrush, bluebirds, indigo buntings, and a long look at a hooded warbler singing repeatedly. Heard rose breasted grossbeak, scarlet tanagers, red starts, veery thrush, and many more. good bright day.

Oglebay Saturday 5/8/10

A group gathered at Oglebay with Dr. Shalaway. It was windy and cool and this affected the oriole turn out that we typically see at Oglebay in May. Before we arrived they had a red breasted nuthatch. We did hear orioles but I had better visuals at Grandvue earlier in the week.

Did see yellow rumpted warbler and a yellow throated warbler.
On the way home we spotted a turkey "fanning" in the field on Waddels Run. The saw the hen as well.

Grandvue 5/5/10

7:00-8:30 PM I went to Grandvue to do a quick check on the nest boxes and warbler check. More feathers in box #2 but still no eggs in any boxes. Orioles everywhere, thrashers still on territory, Wood Thrush, Red-eyes, did not see a blue bird. It was fairly windy on the ridge.
Back in the clearing I did hear a warbler and my first thought was a redstart. The first 3 or 4 notes where consistent and the last note always trailed down. It did not vary its song but the constant song allowed me to walk a straight line toward it. That bird was impossible to see until it moved and then the quick movements made it hard to track. when I saw a pale breast and olive brown/dark brown warbler I ruled out a singing male red start. Further observation yielded a small yellow patch by the shoulder and an unusually long tail the underside of which was light/pale down toward the end where it abruptly turned black. I also noticed the face seemed to be darker especially toward the beak which was black. I checked my small peterson field guide but could not place. I even looked at flycatchers. I was stumped for a good 45 min. I walked back to my car and on the way observed a rose breasted gross beak, first sighting of the year.
When I got to the car I checked the Sibley's guide again and after some searching in other areas came to the redstart page hoping to read "similar species". But the answer was on the page. I saw a 1st year plummage male redstart. I had no Idea it takes a year for the redstart to get its adult plummage..... now I know! It was a nice evening but I'm sure to the non birder I looked like an idiot following a sound through the trees.

Sherrard Middle School 5/4/10

6-8PM Birding at the middle school trail to help cover some of Jim's breeding bird block. Most notable was the large number of Indigo Buntings. We have observed many in the late summer after nests empty but this time we got to see males on territory. I think we saw at least 5 different males. On several occassions I noticed a bird song that was not familiar. Part was similar to a portion of the chipping sparrow trill. I was sure it was a sparrow song but I could not ID.... should have taken more time to get a visual. Also a nest box held five young blue birds which were observed feeding the nest.

At about 8:00 I noticed a sparrow near the blue bird nest. I had maybe a 10 second look at the sparrow from about 30-40 feet through binoculars so it was a good view. I could only see half the bird but my first impression of the distinctly colored and streaked face resembled a whitethroated sparrow without the yellow marking by the beak. It may have been a little heavier and bigger as well. Again I should have persued but did not and I did not relate it to the earlier birds I heard. After looking at my Sibleys guide I think it may have been a Lark Sparrow. I also see the notation that at one point they nested east to WV and PA but no longer extend their range that far east. It could be a good bird that I need to revisit!

Grandvue 5/3/10

Spent a couple hours in the evening at the park. Northern Orioles, many yellow rumped warblers, 3 male blue birds, tree swallows (feathers in nest box 2)Red eyes, scarlet tanagers and I heard rose breasted gross beaks, brown thrasher still on same territory.

Middle Creek Rookery 5/1

7AM went to Middle Creek Elementary in Ohio County to observe the much talked about Blue Heron Rookery. Jim and I both went and after a quick scan of the heron nests began to observe other birds. My first birds included Yellow warblers, Red Eye Vereos and a Yellow Thorated Vereo. The a new song got my attention. I studied for at least 10 minutes with no ID........ I had never seen or heard the bird before. When Scott Shallaway arrived he took some time and then made the identification of Lousiana Waterthrush... so add that to the life list.
We then proceded to the middle creek damn where we saw phoebe, wood duck, heard scarlett tanagers, tree swallows, and a hawk that we did not ID, probably a sharp shinned.

Fishing Fish Creek 4/29

3:30-7:00 Ended my day with fishing and birding. Yellow throats in abundance, observed multible yellow warblers fighting their territorial battles. As I stood on the bend in the river a duck flew low past me, maybe a 4 second look. It had a lot of white and it was much too big for a buffle head so my first thought was a golden-eye. After discussing with Scott Shalaway I now know this to be a common merganzer which he has indicated nest on that part of fish creek. The large amount of white, some white on the head, the wing pattern deffinitely confirm the ID. I will return to confirm a next or clutch of young for breeding bird atlas.
Red Eye Verios, Green Herons, Carolina Wrens and many commoners ended the evening.

Nauvoo 4/29

12:00-3:00: I continued my day off with a trip out to Nauvoo, near fish creek. Blue bird boxes produced one nest of 5 eggs. House wren also using one or two boxes. Heard scarlett tanagers, saw barn swallows, tree swallows, sarp-shinned (could I ID a merlin??)heard an oven bird but could not locate. He seemed to be up a bit too high in a tree so I question this ID.

Grandvue 4/29

10:00 AM Took the day off and did a day of "outside". Doesn't get better than that! It was Oriole day. I saw Baltimores and orchards.
Saw Orchard Orioles first thing as I walked behind the conference center. Observed one on a tree top and hear several around me, all in close proximity. Then when a group of 4 flew off, my bird joined. I would say of the 5 or 6 birds 3 or 4 were mails so I think they may have just come into town. Also saw a phoebe, sharp shinned hawk, Brown Thrasher (same location as before) heard scarlet tanagers, heard a Red Start (?), field sparrows, flickers and more.

MAY BIRD OBSERVATIONS

Should be a good month.

March and April 2010 Bird Observations

March 15: Grandvue Park, Moundsville, WV
Observed 2 or 3 blue bird pairs in area behind conference center.
Horned Lark seen on ground, mowed area that appears to have been airated.

March 27:
Saw my first group of Tohees. Many Males already singing and finding their pile of thick brush.

March 30 - April 3: Florida
traveled to Englewood Florida area. Many observations including whistling ducks, Morhens, yellow rumped warblers, every kind of egret and heron.
Rookery:
An amazing rookery included a small island that held over 400 birds per evening. Ibis, herons, egret, comorants, anhingas, and many more. I will TRY TO POST A VIDEO OF THIS AMAZING ROOKERY. All patroled by one gator.
Nearby was a great horned owl that I was told had a successful nest on a radio tower which I could observe from the rookery.
Loggerhead Shrike eating a dragonfly on a nearby fence was a good bird to see.

April 11: Grandvue:
All woodpeckers, cowbirds, blue birds, thrashers, loud blue jays, field and chipping sparrows, all out and about today. I was able to make some breeding bird atlas entries based on these observations.

April 25: Grandvue:
5:30 Pm observed at least a dozen yellow rumped warblers, mixed with several blue birds and two thrashers. The warblers were great to see. One tree in an open field held 4 warblers and a pair of blue birds, I spent 30 minutes at one tree.

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