Birding Planning at Grandvue

I spoke with Rick Vargo and Bill Beatty today to set up a bird banding day at Grandvue. Since Saturdays are difficult to schedule we are looking at two monday possibilities. Monday, January 21 is MLK day. Monday, February 18 is Presidents Day. Both are non-school days and should be available. OK RICK AND BILL, HERE IS THE PLACE TO COMMENT ON SCHEDULING CONCERNS. I know we need favorable weather conditions: NO wind! Also, we need some snow that would bring more birds to the feeding stations. In addition we need to be able to cancel easily should we not have good conditions. Woody 304-830-0757 Bill 304-737-3777 Rick 304-280-6790

Grand Vue December 28, 2012

Today I hiked Grand Vue for about two hours. I set out to map the coordinates for each of all 12 nest boxes. When I first arrived around noon I noted many birds at the feeding stations. A pileated woodpecker as well as downey, hairy, and red bellied all were feeding at suet cakes. Many other birds but I took the time to count 43 mourning doves. I also noted a red breasted nuthatch as well as 3 white breasted nuthatches. After my walk I again counted a large flock of birds, this time 62 cowbirds!

Current NestBoxes at Grand Vue

There are currently 12 boxes at Grand Vue: 3 small "wren or chickadee" size, 7 Bluebird Boxes, 2 large "screech owl" size boxes. BOX LOCATIONS: Box locations at grand vue Box 1. Latitude: 39.94369143, Longitude: -80.72934645 Box 2 Latitude: 39.94578066, Longitude: -80.73084882 Box 3 Latitude: 39.94838793, Longitude: -80.73332308 Box 4 Latitude: 39.94863822, Longitude: -80.73407837 Box 5 Latitude: 39.94696871, Longitude: -80.73525955 Box 6 small Latitude: 39.94492067, Longitude: -80.73686888 Box 7 large Latitude: 39.94724171, Longitude: -80.73674155 Box 8 Latitude: 39.9467033, Longitude: -80.73768561 Box 9 Latitude: 39.9491796, Longitude: -80.73823672 Box 10 small Latitude: 39.9515627, Longitude: -80.73837242 Box 11 large latitude: 39.95084308, Longitude: -80.73748251 Box 12 Latitude: 39.95034737, Longitude: -80.73759089

DECEMBER 15, 2012 Grand Vue Birds

Before hanging nest boxes I saw a red tail hawk flying very low to the ground coming over the ridge directly behind the conference center. He was definitely on the hunt. After hanging nest boxes I took note of the activity at the feeding stations. There were so many birds it was difficult to get a count but here is my best effort at most counted in a single count by species at 2:50: House Finch (58 some could have been purple finches), Carolina Chickadee (15), Titmouse (12), Gold Finch (21), House Sparrows (8), WB Nuthatch (6), Mourning Dove (8), Junco (2), Red Bellied Woodpecker (2), Downey Woodpecker (1), Cardinal (4), Blue Jay (3),

DECEMBER 15, 2012 Grand Vue Owl Nest Boxes

This day began sunny and ended quite gray. I called Jim Asplund to assist with the hanging of two large nest boxes and two more bluebird boxes at Grand Vue. I carried tools and boxes in a back pack and Jim volunteered to carry the ladder and nest box. One box was hung close to a large clearing that remains un-mowed. I am hoping to get one of the following birds as an occupant: Kestrel (would be great but unlikely), Screech Owl, Flicker, Hairy, Red-Bellied, or Pileated Woodpecker. An interesting note: When the screech owl box was hung Jim and I looked at our bird apps with regard to nesting habits. We then listened to the various calls of the screech owl. We were pleased that shortly thereafter we could hear the whinny call of an owl certainly within 100 yards of the nest box placement. Indeed these owls are on territory and active even at 2:00 on this overcast afternoon.

December 1, 2012 Grandvue

Grandvue has added to their feeding station. In fact they now have three stations with more than twenty feeders. This will make for great birding this winter. Hopefully we can get people interested and involved in observation and seed donations. Today was a beautiful day, mid 50s, sunny. I observed the following counts by species (most at one time): Goldfinch 15, house finch 12, C. Chickadee 7, Titmouse 9, Hairy Woodpecker 2, Downy Woodpecker 1, Cardinal 2, Blue Jay 2, Song Sparrow 3, Red Bellied Woodpecker 1,

Grandvue has placed a feeding station by the banquet hall. I encourage everyone to support this endeavor and hope it leads to new and better birding opportunities. Grand Vue feeding station.   Most in one observation together by species Sept 15, 2012. 11:50-12:05 Gold finch 10, House finch 5, Mourning dove 4, Red bellied wp 1Tree above, C. Chickadee 3, White breasted nuthatch 2, bluejay 2, English sparrow 2, Sept 30, 2012  6:00-6:10  most feeders empty 4 chickadees, 1 mourning dove, 5 gold finch, 2  breasted nut hatch, 2 red bellied woodpecker, 2 titmouse,

August 1, 2012 Grand Vue

It was "raptor night" on this nice evening at Grand Vue. Ann and I went for a walk. My first bird was a Coopers Hawk sailing over the ridge behind the reception hall. All nest boxes are empty. I did hear a few bluebirds but numbers were not abundantly observed. Many Song, Chipping, and Field Sparrows as well as all the commoners. As we walked we saw or heard pileated, red bellied, and hairy woodpeckers as well as many flickers. Of note on this walk were the three Broadwinged Hawks. I heard them first in an area common for peewees and not until I saw one of these young buteos did I discover that I encountered something a bit out of the ordinary. They moved from tree to tree and seemed to be going in our same direction for a portion of our walk. I also saw and heard the acadian flycatcher again. Good walk on a beautiful evening and Ann enjoyed the scenery as well.

July 22, 2012 Grand Vue

Went off trail on this beautiful evening. I wanted to revisit the location that held a Louisiana Waterthrush and Acadian Flycatcher in the ravine toward Sun Valley. I was joined by Jim for this walk and we began our hike behind the reception hall as usual. This time the ridge held the following: Very young bluebirds in box #1,Kingbird,Scarlet Tanager, Many adult and juvenile bluebirds, cedar waxwings, YELLOW THROATED WARBLER, indigo buntings, common yellow throat, field sparrows, chipping sparrows, blue jays, chickadees, titmouse, peewee, downy woodpecker, hairy woodpecker, chimney swifts, carolina wren, and many other common birds. The yellow throated warbler was a fun bird to watch. Eating knats that swarmed overhead he gave us a great show within 15-20 feet. As we went down through the ravine the habitat changed. Wood Thrush were everywhere including a fledgling that was just off the nest. Finally at the base of the ravine we called a water thrush and the bird immediately responded and continued to move about in the thick foliage. He was more difficult to see compared to my earlier observations (see other posts). And this time I only saw one bird. I attribute this behavior to possible nest location. I'm guessing the female was on nest somewhere close. The acadian flycatcher called in as well so they too were nesting. Along the ridge as we climbed we also heard turkeys again. Though we did not see them the sound indicated a hen moving her brood along ahead of us. Finally a pileated woodpecker swooped in and moved about. The pileated is an amazing flyer through some of the thickest growth for a bird that size. GOOD BIRDING DAY!

July 1, 2012 Grand Vue

Bluebirds continue to flourish. I think there are birds on 3rd or 4th brood. Observed many young in trees awaiting food from parent birds. Nest box 1 has newly hatched chicks. Only three boxes of my five boxes where utilized by bluebirds but their population is doing well. Grandvue July 1 2012 Yellow throated vireo, Bluebirds in boxes and feeding young ( many), Flicker, Field sparrow,Chipping sparrow,Carolina wren,Cardinals,Common yellowthroat, Crow Wood thrush,Bluejays,Indigo bunting,Robins,Red eyed vireo, Towhee, scarlet tanager, Acadian flycatcher note April-July sitings Louisiana Water Thrush (note multiple sitings over time)

June 13, 2012 Hunnington Beach St. Park, South Carolina

In June I enjoyed some time just south of Myrtle Beach. There Hunnington Beach State Park is always my favorite spot for birding. Many birds not listed but of particular interest include a painted bunting and a brown booby. The painted bunting was at a feeding station. The brown booby is a more interesting story. After spending the better part of a morning birding I was running out of time but I decided to visit the jetty located at the north end of the park. Someone directed me toward the jetty but I quickly observed that the distance to actually walk there was going to prohibit me from actually stepping foot on the jetty. As I returned to my car with binoculars harnessed to my chest I met a couple also with binoculars and several really nice cameras. Us birders kind of stand out among the beach goers so we struck up a short conversation. They too were pressed for time but wanted to visit the jetty where it had been rummored a brown booby had been seen. Now you know you are talking to a birder when that statement is not followed by a multitude of one-liners. I stated that would be a first for me. The gentleman indicated he had seen them before just not in North America. Anyway, I could not find the time to turn and seek the bird of a life time, but I did note that our fishing plans the next day did include the water around the jetty. To make a long story short from our pontoon boat the next day I did observe two large flying birds, one brown, the other with distinct markings that would indicate a brown booby. I had maybe 20 seconds of viewing time. The adult definitely had the white to black "belly" markings of a brown booby. I have made every attempt to find another bird of that size with that distinct black to white transition on the breast of the bird. I am 95% sure that I saw a brown booby. Some other birds: Blue gray knatcatchers,Carolina wren,Mocking bird,Carolina chickadee, Boat Tailed Grackles,Brandts, cormorant,double crested cormorant,Great egrets,Little blue herons, Tricolored herons,Great blues, Red Shouldered Hawks,Red winged black birds,Anhigas, Wood stork and multiple gulls.

May 19, 2012 Grand Vue

I noticed I have neglected to post for quite sometime so let me get caught up. On May 19 I enjoyed a long hike. At one point I called turkeys from two different location. Unknowingly I was also calling in a coyote. I was positioned in such a way that he had to walk up and around a ravine so he was not able to identify me before I saw him. His 5 seconds not but 40 or 50 feet from me proved to be my best view of a healthy adult coyote... fantastic. The birding was good. I believe I have one set of bluebirds on their second brood on this day in May which I think is pretty early. I also located one of the geocaching boxes which I did not disturb. Other birds include: Least flycatcher, Brown thrasher,towhee,Many blue birds one in box,Cowbirds, Field sparrow,Song sparrow,Yellow throats,Flicker,Red bellied,Chipping sparrow, Tree sparrow,Many fledglings,Indigo bunting,Turkey,Peewee,Chickadee,Titmouse,Crow  Grackle,Scarlet tanager,Rose Breasted Grossbeak,Nuthatch,Louisiana water thrush pair Acadian flycatcher,Red tail hawk,robin,starling,purple finch,english sparrow,goldfinch downy,hairy, pileated woodpeckers, Black Throated Green Warblers,Common Yellow Throats, Baltimore Orioles, others

April 22, 2012 Grand Vue

Today's walk yielded many birds. First, blue bird boxes have one nest of 5 young birds and another box has 5 eggs. A coopers hawk flew through staying low to the ground as he came up over the hill toward the large area of mowed grass. Had I not been there I think he would have continued the path toward the area that holds 20 robins consistently. I remember posting last year about the pile of bluebird feathers. Anyway, todays birds: coopers and red tailed hawk, black throated green warbler, white throated sparrows, field, song, and chipping sparrows,cowbirds, white-eyed vereo, heard a turkey, blue birds, jays, crows, robins, cardinals (many nesting sites), towhees, red bellied, downy, and many flickers, maybe a sapsucker, and a bunch more.

April 19, 2012 Coopers Rock

While at the PLA conference at Lakeview I made two stops at Coopers Rock. I did not find the stand of virgin pines that Bill Beatty spoke of but I do need to find that location in hopes of seeing a black burnian warbler. Oh well, another day. I was able to see black throated greens and a black throated blue. Also on the list today was black and white warbler and brown creeper. I identified all by sound before making a visual except the brown creeper. Coopers rock is a good warbler spot and I plan more attempts at seeing a variety of warblers especially the curilean warbler.

March 28,2012 Grandvue

Just a quick note to record two nest sitings. First the nest box now has two bluebird eggs. Two other boxes have bluebird nest activity. Also I located a flicker nest. I will try to make breeding bird atlas entries this week. Chipping sparrows are also back along with all the usuals listed previously.

March 15, 2012 Grand Vue WARM

We have had nice weather. Summer-like temperatures and sunny days prevail. The forecast calls for more of the same with record highs a good possibility. This early start to spring is leading to some early bird activity. One box at Grand Vue already has a nearly completed nest. I will monitor for eggs. Todays walk resulted in at least five male bluebird sitings. Also I'm now seeing many field sparrows, Towhees, and other typical birds. Grandvue has an abundance of wood peckers that I hope to observe in nesting behavior this year. In addition I saw my first Northern Flicker of the year today.

Grand Vue March 3, 2012 short hike

Though the sun was shining and temperatures were up near 50 degrees, the wind was prohibitive today. I did mange to se three singing bluebirds. Also I want to note that last week I saw 6 or more field sparrows. That is the first time I can recall seeing this bird in February. Not much more to report today.

February 20, 2012 Grand Vue long hike

Two days ago I hiked, hung my repaired bird house, and observed much spring like behavior in birds. So I blocked in some time for Monday beginning at 9:30.I took a long hike on this Presidents Day. It was a bright sunny day and temperatures in the high 40s, maybe even 50s. My extended hike lasted more than 4 hours this time as I went off trail and off the banquet hall ridge ending up all the way down by Sun Valley. There is a stream there at the base of the ravine, a very steep one at that. I followed the stream and varying elevations around the back side of the ridge. First, I noted bluebirds which are a constant at Grand Vue now. As I walked the rough hillside many birds were active. Infact they were singing and making every effort to bring Spring on at a rapid pace. Pileated, Downy, Hairy, RB Woodpeckers, WB Nuthatches, song sparrows, Cardinals, Carolina Wrens, Titmice, all reacted to the audio from my ipad. I hoped to see Kinglets again but did not. The best birds today were the Turkeys. I was well above them about half way up the hillside when I spooked a bunch of Turkeys. They were probably 100 yards away. My first reaction to their burst into the trees was, "Wow thats a lot of birds". Even in the trees they were still below me. They echoed through the ravine. I guessed 30 or 40 at the time but second guessed myself on that number. I sat and observed them in the trees. Through binoculars I counted nearly 20 birds. I watched them make their calls and one by one return to the ground. I advanced and the Turkeys remained behind, so I thought. At one point I sat and called in the pileated and other woodpeckers as well as a carolina wren. The turkeys moved up the ridgeline and were maybe 30 or 40 yards below me moving up from behind rocks and logs. I simply sat and watched 55 birds go by pretty much in single file. Impressive birds and an impressive sight. Maybe this will be a good year for Turkeys.
The bluebirds were plentiful. When I returned to the top of the ridge near the banquet hall I watched 6 or 7 birds at a time. The males already in bight colors and the audio from the ipad made them very active. I think there are more bluebirds than ever. I wonder how many fledged from my boxes.

Feb 5 2012 Grandview hike

Nest box report: I observed all boxes noting one had been vandalized. I took the pieces home to be repaired. Also deer mice now have a tight nest in box number 4.

I enjoyed a two hour hike at grandvue in 48 degree temperatures. Now that's winter! The bird of the day was the golden crowned kinglet. The location was the exact sme spot I noted seeing them last winter. I heard them before I saw them.
Other birds: pileated, red bellied, hairy, Downey, bluejay, crow, bluebirds, Carolina wren, titmouse, cardinal, Song sparrow, And other commons. I hiked all the way to the bottom and noted good habitat for waterthrush to be checked in may or June.