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1998 BACK YARD BIRD ACTIVITY LOG
March 7. Migration has begun here in Maine. Although
I haven't seen any myself, Redwing Blackbirds have been arriving in the area,
and there has even been a report of a few woodcocks elsewhere in the state.
Haleluha! Spring is on the way.
In my own back yard I have been noticing Chickadees, Nuthatches and Titmice
examining the the two nest boxes in the yard.
March 14. I've noticed over the last few days that the Goldfinches are starting to get their summer color back. That's a good sign.
April 11. While working in the back yard today we were treated to the cavortings of three Downy Woodpeckers engaged in courtship. They were flying around and drumming all day.
May 1. My yard was invaded today by a flock of White-throated Sparrows. They were vey busy scratching in the leaves at the edge of the woods. There was also a Robin with a worm so big he wasn't sure what to do with it. It took him about five minutes to eat it.
May 3. The first warbler of spring showed up today. It was a Black and White Warbler, sporting a snappy brand new pin-striped suit. It was foraging with a group of Chickadees.
May 28. The spring warbler wave never
materialized. I usually get at least a "fallout" weekend, but this year all
I've had is one Black and White, one Chestnut-sided, and one Yallow warbler.
They all just skipped right over Maine this year.
My Brown Thrasher showed up a few days ago. Hopefully they will nest nearby
again this year. I've also had a Catbird around, and a pair of
Cardinals have been frequent visitors. A pair of Chickadees is sitting on
a nest in the same house that was used last year. I think they already have
young. Maybe we'll get a couple broods this year.
June 29. Today I saw three Brown Thrashers in the yard. I didn't see any feeding or begging behavior, so I can only assume it was a family. Also today, Cedar Waxwings were eating the berries from the Pin Cherry trees at the edge of my yard. The berries are just barely ripe, so the birds are having to pick and choose. The cherries on the two trees we planted last year are disappearing as fast as they are ripening, although I have yet to actually sea bird on the tree. A catbird has been skulking around there a lot though.
July 17. This morning papa Cardinal brought
a baby to the feeders. There was a lot of begging and feeding going
on. But later in the day I saw the baby feeding on its own on the ground
near the feeders.
Lately there's been a Red-eyed Vireo around the yard. I can hear him
singing most any time of day. The other day when I stepped out into
the back yard, I surprised him in flight after a butterfly meal. He immediately
gave up the chase and flew back to a tree. The butterfly lived to see another
day.
There has also been a pair of Common Yellowthroats around the
yard lately. That's nice to see, because that's the bird that got me excited
about birding eleven years ago. What bird did that for you? Sign
my guest book and let me know.
August 14. This afternoon my back yard was full of Robins; adults and fledgings. The adults were flying back and forth through the trees, possibly urging the young ones to do the same. Most of the fledgings were trying to take baths in the birdbath (which I'm ashamed to say had very little water in it).
August 26. Today we had a Ruby-throated Hummingbird in the yard for the first time this summer. It was feeding at some hanging begonias and the cardinal flower in the pond. It was either a female or a juvenile.
September 6. This morning my back yard
was littered with Robins. They were everywhere, especially in and around
the pond. Some were bathing, some appeared to be feeding on insects on the
water and marginal vegetation. Some were landing on the lily pads and would
bathe as they slowly sank into the water. As near as I could tell, most of
them seemed to be juveniles.
Also in the yard at the same time was a Flicker, a juvenile Catbird, and
a juvenile Song Sparrow with no tail.
Later in the day I had a Common Yellowthroat near the deck in an Azalea bush,
and a few other un-identified warblers. It has begun.
September 27. Today I had the second of a
wave of fall migrants. This brought two new species to my back yard; a
Blackburnian Warbler and several Blackpoll Warblers. Unfortunately they were
wearing their "confusing fall warbler" outfits. The blackpolls were
first foraging in some trees and near the ground right outside a window,
so I got some really good looks at them. A little while later I saw four
of them in the birdbath at the same time; that was neat. Also had a couple
Phoebes. Saw one competing with a Blackpoll for insects. A Titmouse also
visited for a while, feeding at the feeder, and later following the Blackpolls
in the birdbath.
Several White-throated Sparrows were also foraging around the feeders and
at the edge of the woods.
October 15. It was a busy morning here at
my feeders and in the yard. 5 or 6 chickadees were very active at the feeders,
as well as a couple titmice. A few doves were also cleaning up around the
edge of the woods, along with a White-throated Sparrow or two. At one point
there was a thrush sitting on top of the feeder pole, but before I got to
ID it, I was distracted by a small bird fluttering in the trees. It turned
out to be a Golden-crowned Kinglet. A little later a Ruby-crowned Kinglet
came through. Other birds fluttering in the trees included a Palm Warbler
and a few Yellow-rumps. A downy Woodpecker also made an appearance.
Yesterday a pair of Cardinals were here, as was my Phoebe.
October 28. I added a new bird to
my back yard list today. While watching a group
of Robins taking turns in the birdbath, I spotted a couple Tree
Sparrows scrounging around in the leaves. I looked around to see
if I could find any more, but two was all I could come up with.
The feeders have been pretty active lately with Chickadees, a couple Titmice
and an occaissional WB Nuthatch.
Large flights of Crows have been passing over the house every afternoon lately,
too.
December 7. Added another bird to my back yard list today: A mature BALD EAGLE!!! No, it wasn't actually in my yard. In fact it wasn't even close. I was on the phone, looking out the window when a large soaring bird caught my eye in the distance. When it turned and banked I could clearly see the white head and tail catching the sun. From its position I could tell it was over the river just below the Great Falls. It was moving slowly up the river
January 23. This morning I had a flock of 15 Cedar Waxwings
(later increased to 25). They were scavenging what few crabapples the Starlings
had left in the trees across the street. The Starlings pretty much
cleaned them out this fall.
Between forays to the crabapples, the waxwings flew to the poplars at the
side of my house. While they were there I noticed some of them sitting on
the larger horizontal limbs, rather than perching on branches, which I thought
was strange. When I put the binoculars on them I could see the reason; they
were eating the snow that had collected on them overnight. They were going
at it quite zealously too. Some of them also had ice crystal tiaras adorning
their crests.
I also briefly saw one waxwing in the small crabapple in front of my picture
window, but unfortunately they didn't decend on it en mass.
While all this was going on there was also a flock of chickadee and a Downy
Woodpecker working the trees below the waxwings. It was a busy morning on
East Avenue.