The Stroud Preserve, 25 October 2012

Today was a good day as I added three new species to the preserve list! The Preserve list is now 161 and my personal list is 141. Green-winged Teal, Cackling Goose, and Black-capped Chickadee. The teal, eight in all, were amongst the first birds I saw when I arrived as they were sitting down stream from the bridge over the Brandywine. They were still there as I left. The chickadee was at the old farm pond. I have suspected that there were probably a few mixed in with the Carolina Chickadees, but wasn’t really sure until today when one was singing and calling. That removed all doubt. The bird of the day however was the Cackling Goose that flew in over the preserve with about 45 other Canada Geese. These are considered rare on the east coast of North America and are pretty easy to identify, especially if they are with Canada Geese as the Cacklers are about half their size.

Here is a complete rundown of the day’s observations. Notable species in bold.

Stat time: 8:45

End time: 11:15

Temp: 57

Wind: none

Skies: overcast

Species Total: 45
 
Double-crested Cormorant – A flock of about 200 flew over around 10:30. By far the largest flock I have seen here.
Great Blue Heron – 1, observed from a distance of about 25’ were it caught and consumed a shrew.
Turkey Vulture – approx. 25
Canada Goose – approx. 100
Cackling Goose – 1, Bird of the Day! New species for the preserve.
Wood Duck – 2
Green-winged Teal – 8 on the Brandywine. New species for the preserve.
Bald Eagle – 1, immature
Sharp-shinned Hawk – 1
Cooper's Hawk – 1
Red-tailed Hawk – 3
Rock Dove – 4
Mourning Dove – approx. 50
Red-bellied Woodpecker – 5
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker – 1, heard only
Downy Woodpecker – 5
Hairy Woodpecker – 2
Northern Flicker – 1
Blue-headed Vireo – 1, at bridge over stream from old farm pond. Same location as other observations.
Blue Jay – approx. 40
American Crow – approx. 30
Carolina Chickadee – approx. 15
Black-capped Chickadee – 1, new species for the preserve.
Tufted Titmouse – approx. 20
White-breasted Nuthatch – approx. 10
Carolina Wren – 7
Golden-crowned Kinglet – approx. 20
Ruby-crowned Kinglet – approx. 15
Eastern Bluebird – approx. 50
American Robin – approx. 250
Northern Mockingbird – 4
European Starling – approx. 100
Yellow-rumped Warbler – approx. 40
Palm Warbler – 1
Eastern Towhee –  approx. 10
Field Sparrow – 4
Song Sparrow – approx. 40
Swamp Sparrow – approx. 10
White-throated Sparrow – approx. 100
White-crowned Sparrow – 1
Northern Cardinal – approx. 30
Red-winged Blackbird – approx. 40
Purple Finch – approx.30
House Finch – approx. 75
American Goldfinch – approx.30

The Stroud Preserve, 23 October 2012

The morning walk today was overcast with a little rain! Not quite as was predicted. It was still unseasonably warm. Total numbers were higher, and Robins were definitely on the move.

Stat time: 9:15
End time: 10:45
Temp: 55-58
Wind: none
Skies: overcast, light drizzle for a about 30 minutes
Species Total: 40
 
Great Blue Heron – 1
Black Vulture – 1
Turkey Vulture – approx. 25
Canada Goose – approx. 100
Wood Duck – 1
Bald Eagle – 2, adult and immature
Northern Harrier – 2, Bird of the Day! A female/immature and an adult male, a surprising scarce species at Stroud. You would think with all that open county they would be everywhere.
Sharp-shinned Hawk – 6
Red-tailed Hawk – 3, 2 adults, 1 immature
Rock Dove – 2
Mourning Dove – approx. 35
Belted Kingfisher – 1, heard only
Red-bellied Woodpecker – 3
Downy Woodpecker – 3
Northern Flicker – 2
Blue Jay – approx. 40, seemed to be moving through again
American Crow – approx. 50
Carolina Chickadee – approx. 15
Tufted Titmouse – 4
White-breasted Nuthatch – 3
Carolina Wren – 5
Golden-crowned Kinglet – Heard only
Ruby-crowned Kinglet – 5
Eastern Bluebird – approx. 45
American Robin – approx. 600, Constantly flying overhead to the southwest.
Northern Mockingbird – 3
European Starling – approx. 100
Cedar Waxwing – approx. 50
Yellow-rumped Warbler – 1
Palm Warbler – approx. 15
Field Sparrow – 2
Song Sparrow – approx. 50
Lincoln's Sparrow – 1
Swamp Sparrow – approx. 50
White-throated Sparrow – approx. 50
White-crowned Sparrow – 1
Dark-eyed Junco – 5
Northern Cardinal – approx. 15
Red-winged Blackbird – approx. 1000
House Finch – approx. 75
Purple Finch – approx. 75
American Goldfinch – approx. 100

The Stroud Preserve, 22 October 2012

Wow. So I thought last week was warm. Things are certainly seem to be going in the wrong direction. Today started out at 48 and it was 55 by the time I left. The high today is going to be around 70, which is predicted to be the lowest high for the rest of the week! As with the nice weather last week, today’s nice weather didn’t bring in a whole lot of species diversity, but it does make for a nice walk.

Stat time: 9:00
End time: 10:45
Temp: 48-55
Wind: none to slight from the southwest.
Skies: cloudless
Species Total: 40
 
Great Blue Heron – 1
Black Vulture – approx. 10
Turkey Vulture – approx. 30
Canada Goose – approx. 100 (the flocks seem to be milling around in every direction)
Mallard – 2
Osprey – 1
Bald Eagle – 2, adult and immature
Sharp-shinned Hawk – approx. 10
Red-shouldered Hawk – Bird of the Day! 2 birds over head. For some reason, I don’t see very many of these at the preserve. This is only my third observation, and first time for more than one individual.
Red-tailed Hawk – 1
Rock Dove – 2
Mourning Dove – approx. 10
Red-bellied Woodpecker – 2
Downy Woodpecker – 2
Northern Flicker – 2
Blue Jay – approx. 20
American Crow – approx. 50
Fish Crow – 2, Heard only, only my 2nd observation for the preserve
Tree Swallow – approx. 30
Carolina Chickadee – approx. 10
Tufted Titmouse – 6
White-breasted Nuthatch – 2
Carolina Wren – 3
Ruby-crowned Kinglet – 1
Eastern Bluebird – approx. 15
American Robin – approx. 30
Northern Mockingbird – 2
European Starling – approx. 35
Cedar Waxwing –  approx.10
Palm Warbler – 6
Field Sparrow – 1
Song Sparrow – approx. 40
Lincoln's Sparrow – 2
Swamp Sparrow – 1
White-throated Sparrow – approx. 15
Northern Cardinal – approx. 10
Red-winged Blackbird – approx. 100
House Finch – approx. 15
Purple Finch – approx. 25
American Goldfinch – approx. 50
 

The Stroud Preserve, 18 October 2012

What beautiful day to be outside! And what a slow day for birds! Even though I saw a the average number of species, 43, it seemed as though I only saw 44 individual birds (actually since 9 September my daily average is 44 species). Still getting out for a couple of hours on such a nice day does the sprit good, and today, I needed it. Here is a rundown of what was out there.

Stat time: 8:45
End time: 10:45
Temp: 50-62
Wind: none
Skies: high clouds
Species Total: 43
 
Great Blue Heron – 1
Black Vulture – 1, where have they all gone!
Turkey Vulture – approx. 25
Canada Goose – approx. 50
Mallard – 2
Osprey – 1
Bald Eagle – 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk – 6, 5 adults and 1 immature.
Cooper's Hawk – 2, adults
Red-tailed Hawk – 3 adults
American Kestrel – 1 male
Rock Dove – approx. 10
Mourning Dove – approx. 25
Belted Kingfisher – 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker – 3
Downy Woodpecker – 2
Northern Flicker – 1
Eastern Phoebe – 1
Blue-headed Vireo – 1, Bird of the day again! In the exact same spot as yesterday no less.
Blue Jay – approx. 30
American Crow – approx. 75
Tree Swallow – approx. 80
Carolina Chickadee – approx. 10
Tufted Titmouse – approx. 10
White-breasted Nuthatch – 3
Carolina Wren – approx. 5
Golden-crowned Kinglet – approx. 10
Ruby-crowned Kinglet – approx. 10
Eastern Bluebird – approx. 30
American Robin – approx. 25
Northern Mockingbird – 3
European Starling – approx. 50
Yellow-rumped Warbler – 5
Palm Warbler – 6
Common Yellowthroat – 1
Field Sparrow – 1
Song Sparrow – approx. 50
Swamp Sparrow – approx. 10
White-throated Sparrow – approx. 25
White-crowned Sparrow – 4
Dark-eyed Junco – 5
Northern Cardinal – approx. 10
Red-winged Blackbird – approx. 100
House Finch – approx. 50
Purple Finch – approx. 40
American Goldfinch – approx. 100

The Stroud Preserve, 17 October 2012

Today’s walk around the Stroud Preserve was very calm, but full of birds. The first four birds of the day were an adult Cooper’s Hawk, adult Bald Eagle, male Kestrel, and adult Red-tailed Hawk. Not a bad start. The parking lot was completely empty when I arrived and I saw almost no people despite the nice weather. For the past couple of weeks I’ve been reading about an invasion of Pine Siskins to the Delaware Valley. Flocks of hundreds of them seemed to be everywhere except the Stroud Preserve. Finally today they arrived.

Stat time: 9:00
End time: 11:45
Temp: 42-58
Wind: none to start, later a light breeze from the southwest.
Skies: mostly sunny
Species Total: 48
 
Turkey Vulture – approx.25
Canada Goose – approx. 200
Wood Duck – 4, 3 females, 1 male
Bald Eagle – 2 adults
Sharp-shinned Hawk – 7 appeared to be all juveniles
Cooper's Hawk – 2, 1 adult, 1 juvenile
Red-tailed Hawk – 7, 6 adults and a juvenile
American Kestrel – 2, adult males
Rock Dove – approx. 10
Mourning Dove – approx. 50
Red-bellied Woodpecker – 5
Downy Woodpecker – 3
Northern Flicker – 1
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker – 1
Blue-headed Vireo – 2, Bird of the Day! Great prolonged views from about 8 feet!
Blue Jay – approx. 30, did not appear to be on the move as in previous weeks.
American Crow – approx. 150
Tree Swallow – approx. 50
Carolina Chickadee – approx.30
Tufted Titmouse – approx.20
White-breasted Nuthatch – 6
Carolina Wren – approx. 10
Golden-crowned Kinglet – approx. 10
Ruby-crowned Kinglet – approx.25
Eastern Bluebird – approx. 30
American Robin – approx.20
Gray Catbird – 1
Northern Mockingbird – 3
European Starling – approx. 25
Cedar Waxwing – approx. 30
Yellow-rumped Warbler – 4
Palm Warbler – 3
Common Yellowthroat – 1
Field Sparrow – 5
Savannah Sparrow – 1
Song Sparrow – approx. 150
Lincoln's Sparrow – 4
Swamp Sparrow – approx. 25
White-throated Sparrow – approx. 40
White-crowned Sparrow – approx. 20, mostly immatures
Dark-eyed Junco – 1, first of the season
Northern Cardinal – approx. 10
Red-winged Blackbird – approx. 100
Common Grackle – 5
House Finch – approx. 200
Purple Finch – approx. 200
American Goldfinch – approx. 200
Pine Siskin – approx. 50, new species (138) for the preserve list!

The Stroud Preserve, 16 October 2012

After yesterday’s visit to the preserve we had big front move through. In the afternoon it rain buckets! The effect on the bird life this morning was clear. Many of those lingering migrants seem to have packed their bags and headed to other places, hopefully further to the south! Here are the numbers

Stat time: 9:00
End time: 11:00
Temp: 52-58
Wind: slight from the southwest.
Skies: mostly clear, with a few scattered clouds
Species Total: 43
 
Black Vulture – approx. 20
Turkey Vulture – approx. 30
Canada Goose – approx. 25
Wood Duck – 2
Bald Eagle – 2 adults
Sharp-shinned Hawk – 6
Red-tailed Hawk – 2
Mourning Dove – approx. 35
Belted Kingfisher – 2
Red-bellied Woodpecker – 4
Downy Woodpecker – 3
Northern Flicker – 1
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker – 2
Blue Jay – approx. 75, again, migrating through to the southwest
American Crow – approx. 100
Tree Swallow – approx. 10
Carolina Chickadee – approx. 10
Tufted Titmouse – 5
White-breasted Nuthatch – 2
Carolina Wren – 4
Golden-crowned Kinglet – 2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet – approx. 10
Eastern Bluebird – approx. 80
American Robin –approx. 50
Northern Mockingbird – 2
European Starling – approx. 25
Cedar Waxwing – approx. 60
Yellow-rumped Warbler – approx. 10
Palm Warbler – 1
Common Yellowthroat – 1
Eastern Towhee – 2
American Tree Sparrow – 1, Bird of the day! Nice looks from about 10 feet.
Song Sparrow – approx. 50
Lincoln's Sparrow – 2
Swamp Sparrow – approx. 30
White-throated Sparrow – approx. 20
White-crowned Sparrow – 6
Northern Cardinal – approx. 10
Red-winged Blackbird – approx. 100
Brown-headed Cowbird – approx. 20
House Finch – approx. 120
Purple Finch – approx. 50
American Goldfinch – approx. 70

The Stroud Preserve, 15 October 2012

As with yesterday, it was fairly slow for birds, but very warm which made for a good walk. It was a good day for sparrows with seven species total. I saw Savannah Sparrow for the first time since the spring. Starting temperature was 63° and it was 68° by the time I got back to the car! It was overcast skies with a 70% plus chance for rain by the afternoon. In fact, by the time I got home it was raining.

Stat time: 9:00
End time: 10:30
Temp: 63-68
Wind: slight from the southwest.
Skies: overcast
Species Total: 48
 
Great Blue Heron – 1
Black Vulture – 3
Turkey Vulture – approx. 30
Canada Goose – approx. 50
Wood Duck – 1
Mallard – 3
Sharp-shinned Hawk – 6
Cooper's Hawk – 1
Red-tailed Hawk – 1
Merlin – 1, Bird of the Day, flying low across a field. Great views.
Rock Dove – 5
Mourning Dove – approx. 30
Chimney Swift – 5
Belted Kingfisher – 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker – 3
Downy Woodpecker – 1
Hairy Woodpecker – 1, largely absent this fall only the third observation since September 1. They were common in the spring, with at lest one pair nesting on the preserve.
Northern Flicker – 2
Blue Jay – approx. 50, these still appear to be migrating as most birds are flying to the southwest.
American Crow – approx. 50
Tree Swallow – approx. 250!
Carolina Chickadee – 5
Tufted Titmouse – 5
White-breasted Nuthatch – 1
Carolina Wren – 3
Golden-crowned Kinglet – approx. 15
Ruby-crowned Kinglet – approx. 10
Eastern Bluebird – approx. 25
American Robin –approx. 30
Gray Catbird – 1, these appear to be thinning out a little.
Northern Mockingbird – 1
European Starling – approx. 50
Cedar Waxwing – approx. 75
Yellow-rumped Warbler – 5
Common Yellowthroat – 1
Eastern Towhee – 1
Field Sparrow – 3
Savannah Sparrow – 2
Song Sparrow – approx. 75
Lincoln's Sparrow – 2
Swamp Sparrow – approx. 10
White-throated Sparrow – approx. 25
White-crowned Sparrow – 3, 2 imm, and 1 adult.
Northern Cardinal – 5
Red-winged Blackbird – approx. 50
House Finch – approx. 50
Purple Finch – approx. 100
American Goldfinch –  approx. 75