January 2005
Blackbirds galore
Wednesday, January 26, 2005
A drive around Lakewood Park Cemetery early this afternoon didn’t turn up a Merlin, so I drove through Resurrection across the street, where I had a blackbird/starling bonanza. I first saw them on the side of one of the hills, a few hundred, but they were spooked and flew out of sight. I refound them on my way out, and pulled over and into the midst of a cloud of 700–800 Common Grackles and starlings. One of the male grackles had mottled white primaries and secondaries and some white rectrices.
There’s a nice little spot in the cemetery that has a thicket and a leaf pile. I watched as a couple of Brown Creepers climbed the same trunk, 2 White-throated Sparrows foraged with a chickadee and a titmouse, and a Red-tailed Hawk drifted by. There were also around 20 juncos, 2 flickers, and 4 cardinals in the spot.
Tower Grove Park also had a mixed blackbird/starling flock, much smaller though, with 50 Red-wingeds representing the icterids. There was a flock of 100 juncos at the bird garden.
Yesterday afternoon, the 25th, I noticed that Forest Park’s Pied-billed Grebe is starting to put on its breeding bill. A couple of Swamp Sparrows and six to nine Song Sparrows skulked among the vegetation along the pools near the equestrian statue, and though they flew away at my approach, a mockingbird flew close, apparently to ensure that I did not take berries from its bush.
Playing catch-up
Wednesday, January 26, 2005
Resolutions, alas…
On Sunday, January 16, there was fresh snow on the ground, so I drove over to Horseshoe Lake in hopes of finding longspurs (and maybe a Snow Bunting) and blackbirds. Near the plantation house on Bischoff Rd. I found at least 135 Lapland Longspurs. Many of these beauties came to the very edge of the field, so there was only the width of the narrow road between us. These weren’t life birds for me, but I had never had a good long look at one and was thrilled to be able to take my time watching them. What handsome plumage!
There were Horned Larks in the flock, and then past the plantation house a flock of around 50 Horned Larks, a few longspurs, 1 Eurasian Tree Sparrow, and around a dozen American Tree Sparrows.
On Hwy. 111 south of the boat ramp on the HSL side of the road was a flock of blackbirds, including at least 1 Brewer’s Blackbird.
A friend called later that afternoon to tell me he had seen 250 longspurs where I had seen my flock. I doubt that more came in—it’s more likely that I undercounted. He also saw Savannah Sparrows at Horseshoe, and counted 450 White-throated Sparrows on the Bend/Layton Rds. side of the lake.
Naturally, I had to return on Monday, the 17th (Martin Luther King day, which I had off), to find the Savannahs. I saw several, both on Bischoff and on the Hwy. 203 side. In addition to large numbers of White-throated Sparrows on Bend Rd. were a Fox Sparrow and a Purple Finch (female), and there were at least a dozen White-crowned Sparrows on Layton. The White-crowneds were much less likely than the White-throateds to fly away at the approach of my car.
On Layton, A male Pheasant was in the road. He seemed a tame bird, surely released for the pleasure of hunters.
An imminent threat
Saturday, January 15, 2005
This morning while I waiting for the tea kettle to whistle, the feeder birds abruptly disappeared. This wasn’t the typical, perfunctory flight some make to the Silver Maple next door while the rest freeze at the feeder or on the ground. It was a complete absenting of themselves, leaving none visible in trees, in bushes, or on the ground.
“Raptor!” I said to myself a mere second before an immature Cooper’s Hawk flew into the yard. And what a perfect time for it to arrive for breakfast. Up until a moment before, there had been at least a dozen each of House Finches and Goldfinches, plus the usual flock of House Sparrows and a White-throated Sparrow or two in the yard.
The Coopie flew from one side of the yard to the other (around 11 of my paces) and back, perched on the fench briefly, and then poked in the Cliffs of Dover rosebush and vine tangle, which was no doubt sheltering many of the House Sparrows. Unsuccessful, the hawk flew to the woodpile, where it perched for nearly 20 minutes while it peered into the pile and looked up into the maple, preened, and waited.
I was fearful for the Carolina Wren (which I haven’t seen for several days and which may have perished in the cold), and although I thought to myself that opening the back door would be enough to send the hawk away and save the yard birds, I didn’t seriously consider doing so—and knew I wouldn’t even if the wren were to appear and be in imminent danger.
The hawk was only 12 to 14 paces away, on the other side of the window, and it gave me the best look I have ever had at a Cooper’s. It was large, at least the size of a crow, and had a very light nape. The breast streaks were thin and crisp, the legs thick and sturdy. It was clearly hungry and waiting for a careless move on the part of one of the small birds, and I was astonished to see 2 or 3 of the House Sparrows moving in the rosebush. It didn’t notice them, though, and eventually flew away.
Red-tails overhead
Friday, January 14, 2005
The Forest Park east-side Red-tails were soaring overhead when I left work today. One of the birds had a small object in its talons—that leg was partially dangling. I thought at first that the item might be a twig, but a look through the binoculars showed it to be smaller and more rounded, maybe a small mammal. Although the bird seemed in no hurry to do anything with its catch, the thing was no longer visible when I got a look at both birds a few moments later.
A friend called yesterday to report that he had seen the Lakewood Park Cemetery Merlin 2 out of 7 times he had gone looking for it, so I drove through in hopes of seeing it, but had no luck. One of the feeders bordering the cemetery was host to at least 10 cardinals. Other birds seen in the cemetery near feeders were a mockingbird and a couple of Eurasian Tree Sparrows.
Tower Grove Park had 2 flocks of juncos—around 150 to 200 birds in the flock south of the area between the oak grove and the bird garden, and around 100 in the one near the Grand Street entrance. I tracked a Hairy-sized woodpecker and found that it was a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, a beautifully plumaged male.
More snow & colder weather ahead
Thursday, January 13, 2005
Snow began falling late this morning, and there was accumulation of at least an inch by the time I left work mid-afternoon. Unfortunately, I was in a hurry and couldn’t stop to take a closer look at juncos in the bushes across the road from the north side of Jefferson Lake.
Return of the grebe
Monday, January 10, 2005
The Pied-billed Grebe has made its first (to my knowledge) appearance of the year in the river on Forest Park’s east side.
One of the Red-tails was being scolded by a couple of Blue Jays this morning as I walked in to work.
Beyond the city limits
Sunday, January 9. 2005
I joined the WGNSS group this morning at Busch Conservation Area. We found no crossbills or siskins, but did see a brightly colored Red-breasted Nuthatch and a gorgeous male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker at the blind on the Fallen Oak Trail. There were also 3 Purple Finches at the blind, 1 female and 2 males. We heard, but didn’t see, 2 counter-singing Carolina Wrens.
In the wooded area bordering the parking lot at the wetlands there were several Red-headed Woodpeckers, including an immature that was acquiring red plumage at the bottom of what will soon be its red head.
Jackie (the trip leader) heard Western Meadowlarks at the Katy Trail access before I caught up with the group there. I saw meadowlarks, but it was impossible for me to identify them as to species. A large flock of blackbirds foraged in the field, but it wasn’t until they took to the air that I saw that there were at least 2,000 of them. They rose from the field in a black cloud. It was very impressive. Many, if not most, were red-wings.
Snow, at last!
Saturday, January 8, 2005
Around 3 inches of snow fell, but temperatures are expected to rise and of course the snow will melt. I’m longing for a real winter.
At least one of the Carolina Wrens was in the backyard today, and I think probably both were.
Yes, an Oregon
Friday, January 7, 2005
This morning on the slope behind the skating rink I found a flock of 100+ juncos, among which was a female Oregon Junco. I was able to take the time to get a good look at it. It had a clearly defined hood. The bird stood out clearly from and look slightly smaller than the other juncos in the flock.
Lone Field Sparrow & possible Oregon Junco
Thursday, January 6, 2005
A few dozen juncos and one Field Sparrow were perched in one of the trees along the portion of Forest Park’s bike path that runs by Jefferson Lake. I walked behind the flock as it took wing and landed on either side of the path near the stone and wooded bridge near the skating rink and got a glimpse of what was surely an Oregon Junco. Because I needed to drive downtown to pick up Chuck, I couldn’t linger more than a few minutes to get a better look.
The creek west of the Cypress Circle in Tower Grove Park has been flooded the past few days. The water was so high yesterday that the seats of the benches at the woodland pool were covered. By late this afternoon the water had subsided.
Unseasonable warmth & a dearth of birds
Sunday, January 2, 2005
It was near 70° today, and I didn’t see much in the area around Horseshoe Lake in Madison County, Illinois. The warm weather was unpleasant, and it was disturbing to see its effect on the number of waterfowl, which was low.
There were some Northern Shovelers and Gadwalls in the pond off Hwy. 111 a few hundred yards north of Hwy. 35. And Mallards, of course. There were very few ducks at Horseshoe Lake, on either side. The flock of 50 to 70 blackbirds on Walker’s Island were all red-wingeds. There were a couple of banded swans, which appeared to be trumpeters, on Bend Rd. around a quarter of a mile from Hwy. 203.
There may have been more activity at the end of Layton Rd., but I didn’t drive past the Bend/Layton split, where there was a group of people in hunter orange prowling in the field.
Indian Lake was quiet, as well.
The Carolina Wren didn’t show up in the backyard today. Nor did any juncos or White-throated Sparrows. I don’t see the wren everyday, and so am not yet concerned about it—I’m hoping the predicted cooling trend will result in more yard sparrows.
A new year
Saturday, January 1, 2005
Every New Year’s Day there’s a Christmas Bird Count in the Saint Louis area, the Orchard Farm count. Every year I think it would be a lovely way to begin the new year. And every year I miss it because the good company and lively conversation at Chuck’s and my New Year’s Eve party with our extended family keep me up well past midnight.
So today, as I do every year on the first, I set off on my own at a very slow pace.
I found what I expected to find in the numbers I expected to find them, with the exception of 7 Fox Sparrows feeding in a mixed flock with 22 White-throated Sparrows in Tower Grove Park’s bird garden. That’s a high count of Fox Sprrows for me—I don’t think I’ve ever seen more than 3 together. In Forest Park I was pleased to see the Belted Kingfisher who makes her home along the river near the skating rink.
Some resolutions are called for in 2005:
- Don’t procrastinate in writing field notes!
- Add sightings to my database every day.
- Acquire some level of competence in identifying gulls, a group I continue to resist.
- Resist the urge to drive long distances in hope of seeing only a single rarity—instead, make a rarity chase a trip to become familiar with the area’s more typical residents and migrants.
- Keep a birding mileage log so that I can put my use of nonrenewable resources in perspective.
Five resolutions and the better part of the day spent birding—a good beginning for 2005.
