Birding News - Updated

Go to the end of the post for the updated part.

The migrant birds have really started pouring into our area in the last 10 days. We have seen the usual suspects:

• Red breasted grosbeak
• Evening grosbeak
• Brown headed cowbird
• Robin
• Goldfinch
• Blue Jay
• Chickadee
• Nuthatches (red and white breasted)
• Red winged black bird
• Ruby throated hummingbird

We have seen some types that we usually only see occasionally:

• Cardinal (M and F)
• Evening Grosbeak
• Chipping Sparrow (I hear them every summer, but rarely see them at a feeder)

Then there are the ones for which it has been the first sighting (although I knew they were around because I would hear their song/calls). WS deserves the credit for the sightings as he called me over to identify both of them:

• Flicker (female)
• Male Rufus sided Towhee

The towhee was the most exciting. WS called me over to identify a bird on the ground. I had just decided that it was a strangely marked robin when I vaguely remembered previously seeing a picture of a robin-type bird with the white markings on the tail and undersides. I pulled out the trusty bird book and was thrilled that my memory wasn't playing tricks on me and that it was a bird that I had never seen before in my life (as far as I know anyway).

The flicker was cool too. I always hear the loud call of flickers around, but had never seen one here (although I have seen them at other places). Perhaps it was because I was looking in trees instead of on the ground where they search for ants (we could feed a whole flock of flickers with all the ants we have; interesting sidenote - ants love poor soil - which would be why they love our place.). Who knew there was a woodpecker that preferred to eat on the ground?

I could swear that I heard a scarlet tanager the other day, but I haven't heard it since so may have been mistaken. At any rate, I haven't seen one yet this year. I'm also still hopefull that an indigo bunting will show up, but the odds are fairly long that it won't since we only had one for one season (4-5 years ago).

So that is the birding news from the Bogie household, where I just came in from sweeping the neighbor's driveway out of the street (sand, gravel and stones up to 3" diameter), more rain should arrive shortly, and even the peepers have shut up because they are disgusted with all the rain.

UPDATED: I did, I did, I heard a puddy-tat the scarlet tanager. Yesterday afternoon, WS and I also saw it on the fence near the shed. I thought it was the cardinal (I, being blind, just saw a really red blob and assumed it was the male cardinal who has been hanging around that area). I just thought it appeared extremely red because it was in shade and against a dark background. Then WS asked what it was and provided me with the details (black wings, black on tail), I provided the name.

Comments

[Cop Car]

Good birding! You probably did see the towhee as a kid. At least, on my "house's life list" for Sunrise appears an entry for Western roufus-sided towhee. Don't ask what year: that would take too much digging. As I was picking strawberries, yesterday morning, a thrush serenaded me from the woods. Not sure what kind because it's been so long since I've heard them. Probably either a Wood thrush or a Swainson's thrush. If I hear it again (and have the time to do so), I'll chase it down to see what we have.

[bogie]

I've been hearing a wood thrush or veery out in the woods for the last couple of days. Usually I just get to hear bits and pieces because there is other noise going on at the same time. At some point I will get some quite so I can tell whose song it is!

[Cop Car]

Ah, the Veery--what a beautiful song it sings. That is one thrush whose song I believe I would recognize--even though I've not heard it since 1988. Funny how our minds work. I saw and heard the Veery while working in Pennsylvania--in Archbald. It was enchanting.