Category Archives: Daily Report

Birding is funny. Today seemed pretty much like every other day–bird activity seemed normal, I didn’t do much more than I normally do–but for some reason I was able to find 3 new birds for the year today.

It started off super cold, only 6F to start this morning. Scanning the hills to the north, I picked up a very distant Common Raven soaring over the hills at 7:45 for my first new bird of the day.

It was super cold, and I was struggling to get my 20 bird minimum, and actually went inside just before 9am. But from in the house I saw an accipiter flash across my yard so I ran outside and was able to see a Cooper’s Hawk hiding in my grape tangle.  Unfortunately after one series of shots my camera battery shut down, and I wasn’t able to get good photos.

Back in the house, while looking at the crappy photos I got and listening to the OldBird21c mic out in the yard, I heard a finch fly over at 9:28am.  Checking the recording it turns out to be a Pine Siskin call for my 3rd new bird of the year.

Why was today any different from any other day?  It’s beats me.  But any day I can get three new birds for the year is a great day.  Even if it is miserably cold!

Birds at the back patio feeders in the snow

No real surprises the last couple of days. It’s been cold and snowy, and most of my time birding is spent indoors listening to the OldBird21c mic while watching out the window. I’m getting my 20 Bird Minimum Daily Requirement, but that may not be enough to get me new birds for the year. I’ve been hoping for siskins or redpolls at my feeders, or calling overhead, but so far no dice.

Here are my eBird checklists:
January 28
January 29
January 30

Car parked at top of driveway in anticipation for 12-24 inches of snow

A 12 to 24 inch snowfall forecast for the area failed to fully materialize, as the storm system shifted east, reserving its highest snowfalls for elsewhere in the Northeast.  On Jan 26 there was strong snowfall here throughout the day, but only a light accumulation of maybe 3 inches.  Visibility was poor, and birding was too.  I only managed to (barely) find 20 species in the yard, and it took all day of feeder watching and a bit of scoping during a break in the snow to get some distant gulls (eBird checklist here).

On the 27th, the heavy snowfall forecast for overnight did not materialize at all and we woke up to just a little more snow and pleasant overcast skies.  A couple  hours of watching the feeders and scoping a bit to the north easily netted 23 species (eBird checklist here).  Best bird was #45 for the year–an American Tree Sparrow (Code 3) that I saw through the window as it approached the feeders.  Unfortunately in the time it took me to turn around and grab the camera, the bird flew off and I wasn’t able to relocate it outside during the morning.

OldBird 21c microphone covered in snow

Woke up this morning to find 6 inches of snow on the ground.  Had to spend an hour digging out the car, and didn’t see or hear too much in the early AM.

Highlight was about 9:45 when I heard a bunch of excited crows while listening to my OldBird 21c microphone.  I went to the window and saw them land in a tree, and guessed there must be a hawk in the tree.

American Crows discover a young Red-Shouldered Hawk. Nikon CoolPix P500.

Sure enough, there was.  I got the scope on it and was able to digiscope it–a young Red-shouldered Hawk, backyard big year bird #44 and a Code 4 bird I’ve only ever seen once before in the yard.

Digiscoped with iPhone 6, Kowa 883, and PhoneSkope

At the end of the morning I only had 18 species.  In spite of spending almost 2 hours outside in the afternoon, I could only muster up a Pileated Woodpecker and 3 unidentified gull sp. to get me to my 20 Bird MDR.

Lots of birds around, especially in the morning, but surprisingly no nuthatches calling or at the feeder this morning (eBird checklist).

Birds in the snow, feeding on seed on ground.

For weeks I’ve been looking at every Canada Goose flock flying past my yard, looking for a small, short-necked version of a Canada Goose.  I just checked on eBird.  I’ve counted at least 3,278 Canada Goose from my yard so far this year.

This morning I got a late start.  My kids needed some help, so by the time I got outside the geese were already moving.  I walked around the corner to get my scope from my car–and a flock of Canada’s was flying past over my neighbor’s yard.  I quickly got my bins on them.  The third bird back in the group was 2/3 the size of the others, with a short neck and more pointy wings–Bingo!  Cackling Goose (Code 3)!

Good things come to those who wait.  Though waiting can be a real pain! I like to think it was good karma for putting my kids first.

Sharp-shinned Hawk (20 Jan 2015) Not a great shot, but lucky to get it in the short time it was visible in the tree.

However you choose to see it, it was a highlight.  I also managed to get some shots of a Sharp-shinned Hawk that popped up for less than a minute in my side yard.  I spent most of the day listening to the OldBird 21c microphone while I worked inside.  Hoping to hear redpolls going over.  No dice.  Yet.  But we’ve got a lot of year left, and I’m going to be here.  Watching and waiting!

Two weeks into the Backyard Big Year, I’ve found a total of 41 species.  There are still a lot of overnight and other audio recordings to go through, so here’s hoping there are more birds recorded in there.  Meanwhile, today was another cold day, with very little bird activity in the yard.  I got a late start, and only managed 21 species for the day, barely getting my 20 Bird Minimum Daily Requirement.  Best bird for the day was probably an adult Yellow-bellied Sapsucker–first sapsucker in the yard in over a week.

eBird checklist from 8:30-9:30am

18ºF to start in the morning, I was outside form 7:50am to 9:05am and finally found a new species for the year–3 Brown-headed Cowbirds flew in to feed with sparrows on seed thrown on the ground on my side yard.  Great to break a 10 day drought of new birds.  Hopefully we won’t have too many more stretches like that early in the year.

Ended the day with 26 species in the yard, as well as OldBird 21c recordings to go through from 7:50am-10:06am, 10:26am-5:25pm, and overnight starting at 8:47pm.

eBird checklist from the morning.

I’m going absolutely crazy!  What’s a guy gotta do to get some new birds around here?  We had freezing rain in the morning, so it was nasty outside all day.  But I spent 2 hours outside–or at least in the garage door out of the rain–and only managed 21 species.  Ugh!  The only good news was that there were Canada Goose flocks moving around this morning, after being pretty hard to come by the last week.  Unfortunately I couldn’t pull any Cackling Goose or better rare geese out of the moving flocks.  Oh well, tomorrow is another day.  Slow and steady wins the race.  Insert other hopeful platitude here.

eBird checklist

Another very cold day, starting out at 7ºF and ending up in the 20s.  Once again, no new birds for the count, but I was able to photograph and Canada Goose flock and audio record some House Sparrows for the photo and audio big year.  Thank goodness for the photo and audio goals of my backyard big year, or I would be going crazy trying to see a new bird right now!

I was outside from 7:15-8:50am and 10am-11am, with additional time at windows and listening to the OldBird 21c microphone in the morning.  In the afternoon I went to my son’s basketball game at the school just down the road and there was a Brown-headed Cowbird in a flock of House Sparrows.  But no sign of cowbirds at my house so far this year.  Ugh!

Here’s the eBird checklist from this morning.