There was good weather and good birding activity here in Old Trail for the end of March. I logged 43 avian species during the first three outings during this reporting period, and then #44 the following day.
Brown Creeper
Brown Creeper
Belted Kingfisher
Swamp Sparrow
Chipping Sparrow
Field Sparrow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Tree Swallow
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Hermit Thrush
Wood Ducks continue to visit the small, secluded pond near my house, and are easily spooked and fly away as soon as they see me. One time, one of our resident Red-shouldered Hawks was perched on a branch at the pond, and then made a pass at the Wood Ducks, but decided they were too big to mess with. The ducks didn't even flinch. I saw the same thing happen last year, and at that time, two Wood Ducks actually dove under the water to escape the hawk's talons.
Wood Ducks
Wood Ducks
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawks
A migrating Osprey was circling above the golf course pond. And then, American Crows scrambled one of their F-15 attack fighter crows to escort the Osprey out of the area.
Osprey
Osprey and American Crow
Osprey and American Crow
We had a change in the weather as a cooler front is on the way, preceded by cloudy skies, off and on light drizzle, and morning fog. I didn't expect to see much avian activity. I did get better photos of the Pied-billed Grebes and the Sharp-shinned Hawk that I had seen at the end of March. On April 1st, the only avian species I added to this reporting period list was an Eastern Towhee.
Pied-billed Grebes
Sharp-shinned Hawk
American Goldfinch
Field Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Fish Crow
Fish Crow
Tree Swallow
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Northern Flickers
Wood Ducks continue to visit the secluded pond, but this week only swam to the far end of the pond to hide, rather than fly away.
Wood Ducks
Wood Ducks
April 2 was surprisingly good for birding. I really had to dodge drizzle to keep my camera dry, and there were thunderstorms late afternoon. But after the morning fog had cleared, I hiked four miles here in Old Trail, and added 8 more avian species to this list, giving me 53 Old Trail avian species during this 10 day period. And I did not see close to 10 avian year round/wintering species that I often see here. First of season species were Brown Thrashers and Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, and I saw a Hairy Woodpecker (only the second time I had seen one in Old Trail). A Yellow-bellied Sapsucker was my 6th woodpecker species of this reporting period. Summer residents such as Common Yellowthroats, Louisiana Watherthrushes, Yellow Warblers, Barn Swallows, and Green Herons have not arrived yet.
Brown Thrasher
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Hairy Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
There were four duck species in the golf course pond.
Bufflehead, Lesser Scaup, and Ring-necked Ducks
Ruddy Duck
Report list and date first seen:
Red-shouldered Hawk Canada Goose Red-winged Blackbird Northern Cardinal Blue Jay Turkey Vulture Mourning Dove Dark-eyed Junco White-throated Sparrow Song Sparrow Red-bellied Woodpecker Brown Creeper Northern Flicker European Starling Tufted Titmouse American Goldfinch Pine Warbler House Sparrow Sharp-shinned Hawk Belted Kingfisher Chipping Sparrow Tree Swallow Eastern Bluebird Killdeer Eastern Phoebe American Robin Downy Woodpecker Hermit Thrush Carolina Wren Yellow-rumped Warbler Fish Crow Pileated Woodpecker Swamp Sparrow Wood Duck House Finch Osprey Brown-headed Cowbird Northern Mockingbird Northern Rough-winged Swallow Field Sparrow Ruby-crowned Kinglet Carolina Chickadee Pied-billed Grebe Eastern Towhee Ring-necked Duck Bufflehead Ruddy Duck Lesser Scaup Hairy Woodpecker Brown Thrasher Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 03/23/2024 03/23/2024 03/23/2024 03/23/2024 03/23/2024 03/23/2024 03/23/2024 03/23/2024 03/23/2024 03/23/2024 03/23/2024 03/23/2024 03/23/2024 03/23/2024 03/23/2024 03/23/2024 03/23/2024 03/23/2024 03/25/2024 03/25/2024 03/25/2024 03/25/2024 03/25/2024 03/25/2024 03/25/2024 03/25/2024 03/25/2024 03/25/2024 03/25/2024 03/25/2024 03/25/2024 03/25/2024 03/25/2024 03/25/2024 03/25/2024 03/26/2024 03/26/2024 03/26/2024 03/26/2024 03/26/2024 03/26/2024 03/26/2024 03/27/2024 04/01/2024 04/02/2024 04/02/2024 04/02/2024 04/02/2024 04/02/2024 04/02/2024 04/02/2024 04/02/2024 |