Common ground : spring bird migration
So. Peregrine nest in the back yard status: unknown. lol. Madame Peregrine has been sitting on her nest almost constantly for the last couple weeks. I think this means that we’ve got baby Peregrines on the way, but who knows. And soon the trees will be all leafed out, so we won’t be able to see the nest. Sad Jen :( But if there are babies and they survive, then they’ll be tossed out of the nest eventually to learn to fly. Peregrines are notoriously ruthless when teaching their young to fly…and the babies must be pretty padded, too. I’ve seen some fall 20 feet onto a concrete sidewalk and shake themselves off and keep trying to fly. It’s amazing how sproing-y their bones are…if one of us tried to do the equivalent we’d be ker-splat all over the sidewalk.
I have noticed that her plumage is changing, so she definitely was a juvenile at the beginning of this “nesting experiment”. She’s starting to grow her “running mascara” facial plumage, which is fun. Also less striped on her tummy and bum.
Other than our nesting pair of Peregrines, I’ve only seen the same old “boring birds” in the yard: sparrows, robins, bluejays, cardinals, doves, a couple turkey vultures (in the sky…not in the yard. lol), starlings, nuthatches, and some chickadees. We’ll see if I actually remember to put up the hummingbird feeder this year…lol
Had a big flock of Western Tanagers yesterday! +1 to the lifelist :)
Saw a few flycatchers at work today. They looked like willow or alder flycatchers… so difficult to distinguish flycatchers.
I looked in the Peterson’s guide and couldn’t tell what the subtle differences were.
I saw two new warblers today: an American Redstart and a Common Yellowthroat.
I think both are pretty (and very cute!) and that the male has such a striking contrast. I’ve been looking forward to seeing either one for weeks (scratches redstart from “warblers to see”).
I just saw 3 more new birds! Baltimore Oriole (male and female), Black-throated Green Warbler, and a juvenile Hooded Warbler. What a day – I didn’t leave the house.
Our trip to Magee Marsh and northwest Ohio was amazing! We saw a total of 119 different species in three (solid) days of birding. Tons of warblers (highlights for me were Canada, Cape May, and Golden-winged), and lots of other birds too! It really is the warbler capital of the world!
Is this place nice? I am always on the lookout for new places for birding trips! This past weekend I saw several warblers at a local conservation area. Highlights were black throated blue warbler and Northern Parula.
It’s AMAZING! I love Magee Marsh :) One of the best birding spots I’ve been to!
I think most birders would agree that Magee Marsh is someplace you just MUST visit (in May, during migration!). It is really mind-blowing, and I say this as someone who used to live on one of the other major birding hotspots in the world (Long Island). I have never seen so many different warblers in one place (our total was 23 species of just warblers, and we had 20 in one morning on the boardwalk), and I’ve never seen them so close.
Saw a pair of Indigo Buntings and a Mourning Warbler yesterday. I believe the Indigo Buntings are breeding in that park. Also, I stumbled across a Grosbeaks nest. The foliage is beginning to get too thick to do any decent birding =(
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