Continuing drought conditions and mostly mild temperatures made for a jarring mismatch in the typical wildlife observations. Some days it was hard to ignore the scent of smoke and wonder where and what was burning. So far our expected overwintering bird species were arriving with regularity and ignoring any climate related issues. Bird feeders were being emptied almost as fast as they were being refilled. Some of the species were eating a few seeds and caches many more in anticipation of leaner days.
A constant stream of birds on the feeders are mostly Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Black-capped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Carolina Wren, House Finch, Purple Finch and American Goldfinch. Blue Jays periodically stop by and bully the others. Picking up the spillage below the feeders are Mourning Dove, Chipping Sparrow, Fox Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, White-throated Sparrow and Song Sparrow. There are other songbirds within the cemetery that either haven't discovered the feeders or are more selective in their menu. Cardinals, for example, seem to spend much of their time in the tops of towering Tulip trees, feeding on its abundant seeds.
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Black-capped Chickadee
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American Goldfinch
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Eastern Towhee
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Dark-eyed Junco
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A few Eastern Bluebirds were still around and was also surprised to spot a late Eastern Phoebe during my Sunday walk.
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Eastern Bluebird
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Eastern Phoebe
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American Crow numbers have increased...a lot. There's been a roving murder of crows that, until recently, I wasn't completely sure of the total size. I photographed them perched, zoomed in on the image, then counted. Ten more individuals flew in from the north as I was photographing the flock. In total, 106 birds were in the flock.
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American Crows
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With waterfowl still on the move I should not have been shocked to see a dozen Wood Ducks resting on Sylvan Water. But I was. It was not just because a relatively large flock of these small birds were in such a small water body, but because they're really a beautiful species and it's amazing to see a bunch together. A few Gadwall have also been persisting on the ponds. It is possible that they are experiencing their
prealternate molt, so need to hang around until the new feathers grow in.
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Wood Ducks
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| Gadwall |
Raptor migration, for the most part, has ended. However, last week I observed several Red-shouldered Hawk still moving through the area. In addition, I spotted a flock (kettle?) of Turkey Vultures passing by.
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Red-shouldered Hawk
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I usually associate flowering Witch-hazel with late-winter. Last week, though, I noticed several already in full bloom. I just learned that there are actually three native species of Witch-hazel. Hamamelis virginiana blooms in September–November. The two other species bloom from January–March.
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| American Witch-Hazel (Hamamelis virginiana) |
Common Persimmon is now in peak ripeness. This native tree's fruit are much smaller than the store bought Asian persimmons, but no less delicious. If you'd like to try one, better hurry as I expect huge flocks of American Robins to be descending on the trees along Alder Ave. in 3...2...1.
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Common Persimmon bark & fruit
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