Our last bird walk of the year today! It was a chilly morning at Salali Lane, but clear with no fog. It has been a great season, thanks to everyone who has participated. Special thanks go to Jean for organizing us and sending out all those emails, to Suzanne for keeping up the web site so well, and to Tim, Karen, Michael, and Renee for helping us lead all the walks!
Today Jim and I were joined by Jean, Rita, Judy B, Karen, Marsha, Tim, Renee, Tom, and Lynn. We identified a total of 31 species, and had the chance to watch a Red-shouldered hawk eating from a nearby perch as well as seeing two other Red-shoulders soaring later in the morning. The following birds were seen today, as reported by Tim for eBird:
Little Tennessee River Greenway
Oct 25, 2017
8:25 AM
Traveling
2.00 miles
144 Minutes
All birds reported? Yes
Comments: Salali section. Franklin Bird Club
Submitted from eBird for iOS, version 1.5.4 Build 149
3 Black Vulture
12 Turkey Vulture
1 Cooper’s Hawk
3 Red-shouldered Hawk
50 Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)
3 Eurasian Collared-Dove
1 Mourning Dove
1 Belted Kingfisher
1 Red-bellied Woodpecker
2 Downy Woodpecker
2 Northern Flicker
2 Blue-headed Vireo
8 Blue Jay
6 American Crow
8 Fish Crow
2 Carolina Chickadee
2 Tufted Titmouse
2 White-breasted Nuthatch
7 Carolina Wren
1 Eastern Bluebird
15 American Robin
1 Brown Thrasher
2 Northern Mockingbird
5 European Starling
18 Cedar Waxwing
2 Yellow-rumped Warbler
2 White-throated Sparrow
5 Song Sparrow
3 Eastern Towhee
6 Northern Cardinal
2 American Goldfinch
Number of Taxa: 31
Watch the website for information on the bird walks starting back up in April, and for information on the Christmas bird count, which will be held in Macon County on Dec. 14 this year.
See everyone next spring!
Ten birders braved a little bit of fog and cold to bird the Big Bear Section of the Greenway. Those brave birders were: Rita, Sally, Jennifer (from NJ), Ellen, Jim, Jean H, Renee S., Ned, Chris, and Tim. Highlights included views of several Wood Ducks, the Belted Kingfisher and Palm and Yellow-rumped Warblers. At the end of the trip a Raven was heard and then located in the trees near the wetlands. The eBird list of the species found is included below:
Little Tennessee River Greenway, Macon, North Carolina, US
Oct 18, 2017 8:29 AM – 10:34 AM
Protocol: Traveling
1.5 mile(s)
35 species
Wood Duck 3
Mallard 1
Red-shouldered Hawk 1
Mourning Dove 1
Belted Kingfisher 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1
Downy Woodpecker 3
Northern Flicker 1
Pileated Woodpecker 2
Eastern Phoebe 2
Blue Jay 7
American Crow 6
Fish Crow 1
Common Raven 1
Tree Swallow 3
Carolina Chickadee 1
Tufted Titmouse 1
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
Carolina Wren 8
Eastern Bluebird 3
American Robin 1
Brown Thrasher 1
Northern Mockingbird 6
European Starling 12
Cedar Waxwing 7
Palm Warbler 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler 4
Song Sparrow 16
Eastern Towhee 8
Northern Cardinal 6
Red-winged Blackbird 10
Common Grackle 1
House Finch 2
American Goldfinch 2
We had some thick fog again this morning at the library, but that did not deter twelve of us from having a good morning of birding. Jim and I were joined by Jean H, Jo, Merle, Tim, Marsha, Rita, Diane, Renee, George, and Tom. Together we identified 36 species.
Thanks, Tim, for providing the eBird list for us:
Little Tennessee River Greenway–Macon County Library
Oct 11, 2017
8:40 AM
Traveling
2.00 miles
141 Minutes
All birds reported? Yes
Comments: Submitted from eBird for iOS, version 1.5.4 Build 149
8 Wild Turkey
3 Turkey Vulture
1 Cooper’s Hawk
15 Mourning Dove
5 Red-bellied Woodpecker
3 Downy Woodpecker
2 Northern Flicker
1 Eastern Wood-Pewee
2 Eastern Phoebe
1 White-eyed Vireo
7 Blue Jay
8 American Crow
2 Tree Swallow
8 Carolina Chickadee
7 Tufted Titmouse
3 White-breasted Nuthatch
1 House Wren
6 Carolina Wren
4 Eastern Bluebird
11 American Robin
4 Gray Catbird
3 Brown Thrasher
2 Northern Mockingbird
12 European Starling
5 Cedar Waxwing
3 Tennessee Warbler
1 American Redstart
2 Magnolia Warbler
1 Pine Warbler
5 Chipping Sparrow
10 Field Sparrow
5 Song Sparrow
3 Eastern Towhee
7 Northern Cardinal
1 Indigo Bunting
2 Red-winged Blackbird
Number of Taxa: 36
Join us next week at Big Bear, 8:30, for the next to the last walk of the season.
It was great to be back on the greenway this morning, birding with our local friends at Salali Lane. Jim and I were joined by Karen, Tom, Tim, Ned, Diane, Rene, and Jean H. Thanks to Tim for providing the eBird list of the 28 species we identified today.
The morning started out quite foggy, despite the later starting time of 8:30, but by the time we turned around at 10 the blue skies were coming out.
This is the list of what we identified this morning:
Little Tennessee River Greenway
Oct 4, 2017
8:33 AM
Traveling
1.50 miles
120 Minutes
All birds reported? Yes
Comments: Submitted from eBird for iOS, version 1.5.4 Build 149
60 Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)
2 Mourning Dove
3 Red-bellied Woodpecker
1 Downy Woodpecker
4 Northern Flicker
1 Pileated Woodpecker
2 Eastern Phoebe
14 Blue Jay
7 American Crow
3 Fish Crow
4 Carolina Chickadee
1 Tufted Titmouse
1 White-breasted Nuthatch
6 Carolina Wren
3 Eastern Bluebird
5 American Robin
5 Gray Catbird
2 Brown Thrasher
7 Northern Mockingbird
10 European Starling
1 Common Yellowthroat
4 Magnolia Warbler
4 Song Sparrow
6 Eastern Towhee
1 Scarlet Tanager — Female
9 Northern Cardinal
2 Rose-breasted Grosbeak
4 American Goldfinch
Number of Taxa: 28
Join us next week at the library, 8:30, for more fall birding.
Another foggy morning prompting the change to an 8:30 start from now on. It was a beautiful cool soft light morning and I was joined by Rita, Marsha, Jean H., Jean B., Sam, Ned, Lynn, Sally, Diane, Don, Jo and Merle, and BJ. It was good to have Jean H. and Ned back with us. It was also good to have Don with us and help us with plant identification along the way. Our highlight was identifying Chestnut-sided Warbler with Fall plumage. We improved our id skills as we saw several of them and now know those yellow wing bars.
Here’s the list: Mallard, Turkey Vulture, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Belted Kingfisher, Red-bellied WP, Pileated WP, Eastern Phoebe, White-eyed Vireo, Blue Jay, American Crow, Fish Crow, White-breasted Nuthatch, Carolina Wren, Eastern Bluebird, American Robin, Gray Catbird, N. Mockingbird, Northern Parula, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, N. Cardinal, E. Towhee, Song Sparrow, House Finch, and American Goldfinch–25 for the morning, and the sun did show itself by 10:00!
Join us next week at Salalie at 8:30 am.
The Sheltons should be there next Wednesday also. Yea!
At the Library section on September 20, 2017
Totally socked in with fog and did not lift for the entire walk. Tom, Mary, Wayne and Becky, Sally, George, Bruce and Terry, Liz, Renee, Diane, Ginger and Mike joined me for a good morning of finding birds. Highlights were seeing lots of American Redstarts and several Scarlet Tanagers in Yellow plumage, and a group of Indigo Buntings.
Our list: Canada Geese, Mourning Dove, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Red-bellied WP, Northern Flicker, Downy WP, Pileated WP, Eastern Phoebe, White-eyed Vireo, Blue Jay, A. Crow, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Chickadee, Carolina Wren, A. Robin, Gray Catbird, N. Mockingbird, E. Starling, Cedar Waxwing, Chestnut-sided Warbler, American Redstart, Scarlet Tanager, N. Cardinal, Indigo Bunting, E. Towhee, Song Sparrow.
Our September 13th bird walk at Salalie was a nice cool day. I was joined by Jean B, Heather and Sharon, Sally, Marsha, Jo, Merle, and Tom. Without our experts we got a chance to hone our birding skills and found 28 species. We found a flock of very active warblers at the parking lot but had a hard time catching good views. This is our list:
Turkey Vulture, Black Vulture, Cooper’s Hawk, Mourning Dove, Rock Pigeon, Eurasian Collared Dove, Ruby-throated Humnmingbird, Downy Woodpecker, Red-bellied WP, Eastern Phoebe, Blue Jay, American Crow, Fish Crow, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Chickadee, Carolina Wren, Eastern Bluebird, Gray Catbird (the bird of the day…they were everywhere and vocal!), Northern Mockingbird, Brown Thrasher, European Starling, Yellow Warbler, Pine Warbler, Yellow-throated Warbler, Scarlet Tanager- female, Northern Cardinal, Eastern Towhee, American Goldfinch.
Brock Hutchins from Highlands joined me for the walk at Big Bear this morning. It was already raining lightly when we started but, hoping for better, we proceeded to the wetlands. The rain suppressed most bird activity. When thunder was heard and the rain got serious “birder activity” was also suppressed. Though the walk was washed out, Brock and I had a pleasant, though brief, conversation.
It was another fine morning for birding today, as twelve of us met at the library. While things started out pretty quiet, we ended up identifying a total of 47 species, with several mixed species flocks and batches of blue grosbeaks and indigo buntings. Jim and I were joined by Renee, Michael, Rita, Jean B, Merle, Jo, Marion, Rene, George, and Ginger. Thanks go to Renee R for providing the eBird list.
Little Tennessee River Greenway–Macon County Library
Aug 30, 2017
8:08 AM
Traveling
1.13 miles
152 minutes
All birds reported? Yes
Comments:
3 Turkey Vulture
1 Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)
3 Mourning Dove
5 Ruby-throated Hummingbird
1 Belted Kingfisher
3 Red-bellied Woodpecker
2 Downy Woodpecker
1 Northern Flicker
1 Pileated Woodpecker
2 Eastern Wood-Pewee
1 Empidonax sp.
2 Eastern Phoebe
2 White-eyed Vireo
1 Red-eyed Vireo
8 Blue Jay
5 American Crow
4 Carolina Chickadee
3 Tufted Titmouse
5 White-breasted Nuthatch
3 Carolina Wren
8 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
11 Eastern Bluebird
2 American Robin
3 Gray Catbird
7 Northern Mockingbird
4 European Starling
1 Cedar Waxwing
1 Ovenbird
1 Tennessee Warbler
2 Hooded Warbler
1 American Redstart
6 Northern Parula
1 Blackburnian Warbler
1 Yellow Warbler
1 Chestnut-sided Warbler
1 Pine Warbler
4 Yellow-throated Warbler
1 Black-throated Green Warbler
3 Field Sparrow
2 Song Sparrow
3 Eastern Towhee
8 Northern Cardinal
8 Blue Grosbeak
18 Indigo Bunting
1 Bobolink
3 House Finch
2 American Goldfinch
Number of taxa: 47
Jim and I will be out of town for the next three weeks, but the walks will continue, so come out next week and meet Tim at Big Bear for more fall birding, and we will see everyone the last week of September when we return.
Twenty of us birded along the Salali Lane portion of the greenway today. It was a fairly quiet morning, but we found several mixed feeding flocks that kept our attention. Jim and I were joined by Karen, Rita, Renee, Michael, Jean B, Tim, Jean H, Rene, Sarah, Chris, Peter, Marion, Sharon, Heather, Ginger, Mike, Tom, and Diane. All together we identified 36 species, including five warbler species. Thanks go to Renee for sending me her eBird tally, which follows-
Little Tennessee River Greenway, Franklin, North Carolina, US (35.175, -83.369)
Aug 23, 2017
8:15 AM
Traveling
1.61 miles
119 minutes
All birds reported? Yes
Comments:
1 Turkey Vulture
2 Red-shouldered Hawk
5 Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)
20 Mourning Dove
13 Ruby-throated Hummingbird
1 Red-bellied Woodpecker
3 Downy Woodpecker
2 Eastern Phoebe
1 White-eyed Vireo
5 Blue Jay
5 American Crow
4 Fish Crow
6 Carolina Chickadee
7 Tufted Titmouse
1 White-breasted Nuthatch
2 House Wren
2 Carolina Wren
6 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
3 Eastern Bluebird
1 American Robin
7 Gray Catbird
3 Northern Mockingbird
5 European Starling
2 Worm-eating Warbler
1 Hooded Warbler
5 Northern Parula
1 Yellow-throated Warbler
1 Black-throated Green Warbler
1 Field Sparrow
5 Song Sparrow
3 Eastern Towhee
9 Northern Cardinal
3 Rose-breasted Grosbeak
1 Indigo Bunting
1 Orchard Oriole
7 American Goldfinch
Number of Taxa: 36
Join us next week at the library, 8:00, for another fine bird walk!
21 birders walked the Big Bear section of the Greenway today. Jean, Jim, Ellen, Chris, Sally, Patty, Rita, Merlyn, Joe, Marion, Michael, Renee, Marcia, Sharon, Heather, BJ, Connie, Dianna, Tom and Lynn joined me on the walk. Bird activity was light for much of the walk but we did get one mixed feeding flock that produced a female Redstart, a Northern Parula and a Black-throated Blue Warbler. The group once again had good looks at the female Wood Duck and the Green Heron. At the beginning of the walk a falcon flew over the group. Jim, Ellen and Michael are looking at a poor photograph I took of it to see if they can come up with a more definitive decision about what species of falcon it was. Here is a list of the species that were seen:
Little Tennessee River Greenway, Macon, North Carolina, US
Aug 16, 2017 8:00 AM – 10:45 AM
Protocol: Traveling
2.0 mile(s)
Comments: Big Bear Section of Greenway. Nice weather.
41 species (+1 other taxa)
Wood Duck 5
Green Heron 3
Black Vulture 2
Turkey Vulture 15
Osprey 1
Mourning Dove 13
Yellow-billed Cuckoo 1
Chimney Swift 3
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 10
Belted Kingfisher 2
Red-bellied Woodpecker 5
Pileated Woodpecker 2
Eastern Wood-Pewee 1
Empidonax sp. 1
Eastern Phoebe 1
White-eyed Vireo 1
Blue Jay 9
American Crow 6
Cliff Swallow 1
Carolina Chickadee 7
Tufted Titmouse 7
White-breasted Nuthatch 3
Carolina Wren 5
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 5
Eastern Bluebird 3
American Robin 18
Gray Catbird 5
Brown Thrasher 3
Northern Mockingbird 2
European Starling 25
Cedar Waxwing 20
American Redstart 1
Northern Parula 1
Black-throated Blue Warbler 1
Field Sparrow 1
Song Sparrow 5
Eastern Towhee 8
Northern Cardinal 4
Indigo Bunting 4
Orchard Oriole 1
Common Grackle 3
American Goldfinch 12
Nineteen of us met at the library today, 8/9, for a morning bird walk under clear skies. Jim and I were joined by Amy, Tim, Mary, Merle, Joe, Rita, Diane, Jean H, Marsha, Renee, Michael, George, Marion, Sally, Ginger, Mike, and Tom. Nice to see everyone! And many thanks to Amy for providing the eBird report today.
We identified a total of 39 species today, including five red-shouldered hawks that were flying above the parking lot area after most of the group had left. We identified five warbler species, and had at least one “confusing fall warbler” that we were not able to identify.
The birds seen and heard today are listed below:
Little Tennessee River Greenway–Macon County Library
Aug 9, 2017
7:45 AM
Traveling
1.00 miles
159 Minutes
All birds reported? Yes
Comments: Submitted from eBird for iOS, version 1.5.2 Build 140
2 Turkey Vulture
5 Red-shouldered Hawk
1 Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)
5 Mourning Dove
14 Chimney Swift
3 Ruby-throated Hummingbird
3 Red-bellied Woodpecker
3 Downy Woodpecker
2 Pileated Woodpecker
1 Eastern Wood-Pewee
1 Blue-headed Vireo
1 Red-eyed Vireo
5 Blue Jay
6 American Crow
3 Barn Swallow
5 Carolina Chickadee
8 Tufted Titmouse
4 White-breasted Nuthatch
2 Carolina Wren
4 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
13 Eastern Bluebird
2 American Robin
1 Brown Thrasher
2 Northern Mockingbird
4 Cedar Waxwing
1 Black-and-white Warbler
1 American Redstart
1 Northern Parula
1 Yellow-throated Warbler
3 Black-throated Green Warbler
5 Field Sparrow
1 Song Sparrow
5 Eastern Towhee
1 Scarlet Tanager
3 Northern Cardinal
1 Blue Grosbeak
4 Indigo Bunting
3 House Finch
6 American Goldfinch
Join us next week at Big Bear for another good bird walk.
Fifteen of us enjoyed a nice morning at Salali Lane today and together we identified a total of 50 species. Jim and I were joined by Tim, Marion, Jo and Merle Hubbard, Karen, Connie, Marsha, Jean H, Heather, Sharon, Renee, Michael, and Linda Mathias from the Franklin Press. The highlight of the morning was towards the end of the walk when we watched seven different species flitting around at the same time on a snag (a dead tree). These were Carolina and House Wrens, N Cardinal, Black-throated Green Warbler, Song Sparrow, White-eyed Vireo, and Ruby-throated Hummingbird. We also had a good but quick look at a Cooper’s Hawk that swooped fairly low overhead early-on during the walk.
Renee has provided the e-Bird list of what we identified today- thanks for keeping track today.
US-North Carolina-Franklin-36 Fox Ridge Road – 35.175x-83.368
Aug 02, 2017
8:20 AM
Traveling
2.00 miles
151 minutes
All birds reported? Yes
Comments:
1 Great Blue Heron
2 Green Heron
1 Turkey Vulture
1 Cooper’s Hawk
1 Red-shouldered Hawk
26 Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)
1 Eurasian Collared-Dove
8 Mourning Dove
11 Ruby-throated Hummingbird
1 Belted Kingfisher
2 Red-bellied Woodpecker
2 Downy Woodpecker
1 Northern Flicker
3 Eastern Phoebe
1 Eastern Kingbird
1 White-eyed Vireo
1 Red-eyed Vireo
7 Blue Jay
3 American Crow
5 Fish Crow
1 Northern Rough-winged Swallow
12 Barn Swallow
3 Cliff Swallow
7 Carolina Chickadee
7 Tufted Titmouse
2 White-breasted Nuthatch
3 House Wren
7 Carolina Wren
6 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
5 Eastern Bluebird
3 American Robin
4 Gray Catbird
1 Brown Thrasher
5 Northern Mockingbird
1 European Starling
2 Black-and-white Warbler
1 American Redstart
2 Northern Parula
2 Yellow Warbler
2 Black-throated Green Warbler
1 Field Sparrow
5 Song Sparrow
6 Eastern Towhee
6 Northern Cardinal
1 Rose-breasted Grosbeak
8 Indigo Bunting
3 Red-winged Blackbird
1 Common Grackle
1 House Finch
9 American Goldfinch
Number of Taxa: 50
Come join us next week, August 9, for the bird walk at the library.
Rita, Ned, Toni Sutton, Sarah, Jim and Carol McDonald, Michael, Renee, Jean Brewer, Marsha, Amy, Sally, Sharon, Marion, Lynn, Diane and Tim birded the Big Bear section of the Greenway today. Highlights of the trip included a very tame juvenile Wood Duck who came right to the front of the wetlands. Other species of interest were: Orchard Orioles, a female scarlet Tanager, brief but close views of a Northern Parula, 5 Ruby-throated humming birds and a Wood thrush singing across the river. 45 species were seen.
Little Tennessee River Greenway
Jul 26, 2017
7:57 AM
Traveling
1.00 miles
137 Minutes
All birds reported? Yes
Comments: Submitted from eBird for iOS, version 1.5.2 Build 140
2 Wood Duck
1 Mallard
1 Green Heron
26 Turkey Vulture
1 Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)
30 Mourning Dove
1 Chimney Swift
5 Ruby-throated Hummingbird
2 Belted Kingfisher
4 Red-bellied Woodpecker
2 Downy Woodpecker
3 Northern Flicker
6 Eastern Phoebe
3 Eastern Kingbird
3 White-eyed Vireo
7 Blue Jay
7 American Crow
4 Fish Crow
2 Tree Swallow
3 Carolina Chickadee
1 Tufted Titmouse
3 House Wren
3 Carolina Wren
1 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
3 Eastern Bluebird
1 Wood Thrush
40 American Robin
9 Gray Catbird
1 Brown Thrasher
3 Northern Mockingbird
20 European Starling
11 Cedar Waxwing
1 Common Yellowthroat
3 Northern Parula
1 Field Sparrow
7 Song Sparrow
5 Eastern Towhee
1 Scarlet Tanager
9 Northern Cardinal
2 Indigo Bunting
7 Red-winged Blackbird
11 Common Grackle
3 Orchard Oriole
2 House Finch
6 American Goldfinch
Number of Taxa: 45
(thanks to Amy for keeping the eBird list and to Sarah, Toni, and Michael for also helping keep track of number of species seen)
In addition to the regular FBC greenway walk this morning that took place at the library, eight participants from the SUUSI group that is staying in Cullowhee this week joined Jim and me at Salali Lane for a bird walk. We identified 36 species, and had a very nice morning.
The birds that we say/heard were:
Mourning Dove
Rock Pigeon
Chimney Swift
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Phoebe
Red-eyed Vireo
White-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Fish Crow
Tree Swallow
Barn Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Tufted Titmouse
Carolina Chickadee
Carolina Wren
House Wren
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
American Robin
Wood Thrush
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Northern Parula
Black and White Warbler
Yellow-breasted Chat
Northern Cardinal
Indigo Bunting
Eastern Towhee
Song Sparrow
Common Grackle
House Finch
American Goldfinch
We enjoyed birding with this enthusiastic group, and look forward to seeing them again next year.
The regular greenway walk will meet at Big Bear next Wed. at 8 am. Come join us!
July 19, 2017 at the library:
We started in heavy fog hearing the Field Sparrow and seeing no birds. Michael led us today and was joined by Amy, Chris, Tim, Rita, Sharon, Heather, Ned, Connie, Barbara, Renee, Marion, Tom, Sally, Jeannie, Diane, and Karen. The fog lifted slowly and eventually we found 35 different species. The highlight was actually seeing 4 different Yellow-billed Cuckoos and Tim and Amy were able to get some photos. Thanks to Amy for supplying her ibird list.
Come join us next Wednesday at Big Bear. Who knows what we’ll see or hear???
1 Green Heron
3 Turkey Vulture
10 Mourning Dove
1 Rock Pigeon
4 Yellow-billed Cuckoo
2 Ruby-throated Hummingbird
2 Red-bellied Woodpecker
5 Downy Woodpecker
1 Northern Flicker
1 Eastern Wood-Pewee
3 White-eyed Vireo
1 Red-eyed Vireo
3 Blue Jay
7 American Crow
1 Northern Rough-winged Swallow
5 Purple Martin
3 Cliff Swallow
4 Carolina Chickadee
6 Tufted Titmouse
2 White-breasted Nuthatch
3 Carolina Wren
2 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
20 Eastern Bluebird
7 American Robin
1 Brown Thrasher
6 Northern Mockingbird
1 Cedar Waxwing
1 Yellow-breasted Chat
6 Field Sparrow
5 Song Sparrow
8 Eastern Towhee
6 Northern Cardinal
7 Indigo Bunting
14 House Finch
5 American Goldfinch
Number of Taxa: 35
Just when I thought we were getting into the summer doldrums, it seems that we are at the beginning of fall migration! We had 7 species of warblers, which is a big change from the last several weeks. The morning started off with a worm-eating warbler that flew up and sat on a power line, giving good looks for the few of us that were at Salali Lane before 8:00. We also found two house wrens using one of the house wren boxes that Jim had installed last winter, and had quick but clear looks at a Northern Waterthrush. I know that Northern Waterthrush is unusual this time of year, but I am fairly certain that this id is correct, rather than it being a Louisiana Waterthrush.
It was a good day for the 20 happy birders today- Tim, Karen, Barbara, Peter, Jean B, her friend Mary, Heather Sharon, Sally, Connie, Ginger, Mike, Jeannie, Rita, Jean H, Renee, Michael, and Diane, Jim, and Ellen.
All together we identified 52 species today. Thanks go out to Renee Rubin for keeping and sharing the eBird list:
US-North Carolina-Franklin-Little Tennessee River Greenway – 35.176x-83.37 – Jul 12, 2017 8:15 AM
Jul 12, 2017
8:16 AM
Traveling
3.00 miles
156 minutes
All birds reported? Yes
Comments:
1 Great Blue Heron
1 Green Heron
2 Black Vulture
5 Turkey Vulture
44 Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)
1 Eurasian Collared-Dove
11 Mourning Dove
1 Chimney Swift
4 Ruby-throated Hummingbird
1 Belted Kingfisher
2 Red-bellied Woodpecker
2 Downy Woodpecker
3 Northern Flicker
3 Pileated Woodpecker
3 Eastern Phoebe
1 Great Crested Flycatcher
3 White-eyed Vireo
7 Blue Jay
15 American Crow
5 Fish Crow
2 Northern Rough-winged Swallow
12 Barn Swallow
18 Cliff Swallow
12 Carolina Chickadee
9 Tufted Titmouse
2 White-breasted Nuthatch
4 House Wren
8 Carolina Wren
1 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
1 Eastern Bluebird
1 Wood Thrush
7 American Robin
3 Gray Catbird
3 Northern Mockingbird
9 European Starling
1 Cedar Waxwing
2 Worm-eating Warbler
1 Northern Waterthrush — Male with yellow wash on breast.
3 Black-and-white Warbler
2 Northern Parula
3 Chestnut-sided Warbler
1 Palm Warbler — Male with chestnut-brown cap.
3 Yellow-breasted Chat
8 Song Sparrow
5 Eastern Towhee
11 Northern Cardinal
3 Rose-breasted Grosbeak
9 Indigo Bunting
1 Common Grackle
4 Brown-headed Cowbird
2 House Finch
8 American Goldfinch
Number of Taxa: 52
Join us next week, July 19, at the library for more great birding!
A few drops of rain fell on the 21 birders who walked the Big Bear section of the Greenway today but mostly we enjoyed beautiful weather. Participants were: Sally, Jean, Karen, Chris, Renee, Michael, Heather, Sharon, Ned, Ellen, Jim, Barbara, Rita, Rose, Connie, Jeannie, Sarah, Tori, Marion, Amy and Tim. Highlights of the trip included looks at juvenile and female Orchard Orioles, some good looks at Rose-breasted Grosbeaks and a Northern Parula and a great look at a Spotted Sandpiper across the river. 48 species of birds were seen. Thanks to Amy Boggan for creating the eBird checklist.
Little Tennessee River Greenway
Jul 5, 2017
2 Great Blue Heron
1 Green Heron
1 Black Vulture
9 Turkey Vulture
2 Red-shouldered Hawk
1 Spotted Sandpiper
8 Mourning Dove
7 Chimney Swift
1 Ruby-throated Hummingbird
2 Belted Kingfisher
1 Red-bellied Woodpecker
1 Downy Woodpecker
3 Northern Flicker
1 Pileated Woodpecker
1 Eastern Phoebe
4 Eastern Kingbird
3 White-eyed Vireo — heard
7 Blue Jay
4 American Crow
2 Fish Crow
3 Northern Rough-winged Swallow
2 Tree Swallow
1 Barn Swallow
7 Carolina Chickadee
1 Tufted Titmouse
5 Carolina Wren
2 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
1 Eastern Bluebird
1 Wood Thrush
2 American Robin
4 Gray Catbird
2 Brown Thrasher
4 Northern Mockingbird
26 European Starling
3 Cedar Waxwing
1 Northern Parula
2 Field Sparrow
9 Song Sparrow
8 Eastern Towhee
18 Northern Cardinal
2 Rose-breasted Grosbeak
4 Indigo Bunting
12 Red-winged Blackbird
11 Common Grackle
7 Brown-headed Cowbird
4 Orchard Oriole
12 House Finch
11 American Goldfinch
Number of Taxa: 48
Under clear skies today we had a total of 27 birders, and 46 species of birds on the walk from the library. Jim and I were joined by Karen, Chris, Amy, Ned, John W, John S, Rita, Tim, Jean B, Michael, Renee, Jean H, George, Lynn, Sam, Tom, Ginger, Mike, Diane, Connie, Sarah, Heather, Sharon, Sally, and BJ. Everyone contributed to spotting the birds. The highlight of the morning was watching so many swallows, swifts, and martins towards the end of the walk past the community garden. All eyes looked diligently for a Bank Swallow, but to no avail today.
The birds that we did find include the following:
Little Tennessee River Greenway–Macon County Library
Jun 28, 2017
7:29 AM
Traveling
1.20 miles
201 Minutes
All birds reported? Yes
Comments: Franklin Bird Club
Submitted from eBird for iOS, version 1.5.2 Build 140
1 Green Heron
3 Turkey Vulture
1 Cooper’s Hawk
2 Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)
5 Mourning Dove
2 Yellow-billed Cuckoo
1 Chimney Swift
1 Ruby-throated Hummingbird
1 Red-bellied Woodpecker
1 Downy Woodpecker
1 Pileated Woodpecker
1 Eastern Phoebe
1 Eastern Kingbird
1 White-eyed Vireo — heard
1 Red-eyed Vireo
2 Blue Jay
4 American Crow
1 Fish Crow — heard
1 Northern Rough-winged Swallow
10 Purple Martin
8 Tree Swallow
12 Barn Swallow
X Cliff Swallow
1 Carolina Chickadee
6 Tufted Titmouse
1 White-breasted Nuthatch
2 Carolina Wren — heard
2 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
2 Eastern Bluebird
1 American Robin
3 Brown Thrasher
4 Northern Mockingbird
2 European Starling
5 Cedar Waxwing
3 Northern Parula
4 Yellow-breasted Chat
2 Field Sparrow
2 Song Sparrow
4 Eastern Towhee
1 Scarlet Tanager
5 Northern Cardinal
2 Indigo Bunting
4 Brown-headed Cowbird
1 Orchard Oriole
4 House Finch
5 American Goldfinch
Number of Taxa: 46
Thanks go to Amy for reporting the findings to eBird and sending her report to me, and to Renee for helping with the totals.
Join us next week on July 5 at Big Bear Shelter area, 8 am, for another fun morning of birding.
I think the term “hardy birder” was redefined today, as eight of us spent an hour and a half in a steady rain trying to find birds along Salali Lane. Thanks for sticking with us, friends! Jim and I were joined by Jean H, Jean B, Tim, Connie, and two good friends from Tallahassee, Sally and Dean Jue. Under umbrellas and raincoats we found that it was still hard to keep the optics dry, and hard to look for movement from birds when every leaf was moving from the rain drops!
Despite the weather, we were able to find 28 species before we called it quits. The highlight of the morning was watching a young Indigo Bunting struggle with a thumb-sized green moth caterpillar for several minutes, and then finally lose it to a Cardinal that swooped in and quickly ate it in one bite. Nature can be tough!
The species that we identified today were:
Green Heron
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift
E Phoebe
White-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
Am Crow
N Rough-winged Swallow
Tree Swallow
Barn Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Tufted Titmouse
Carolina Chickadee
Carolina Wren
House Wren
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
E Bluebird
Am Robin
Gray Catbird
N Mockingbird
Eu Starling
Yellow-breasted Chat
N Cardinal
Indigo Bunting
E Towhee
Song Sparrow
House Finch
Am Goldfinch
Join us next week, June 28, for our next bird walk. We will meet at the library at 8 am, and hope for clearer skies!
26 people came to the bird walk at Big Bear, including some birders who were going on their first Greenway walk. Highlights of the trip included looks at a mother Wood Duck and her duckling and excellent views of a Belted Kingfisher in the pond. Two Green Heron flew overhead. There were also looks at a perched Red-tail Hawk and an Orchard Oriole in trees across the river as well some good looks at the Brown Thrasher, the Blue-Gray Gnat Catcher, and what appeared to be a first spring Indigo Bunting.
Thanks to Amy Bogan for sharing her eBird list and to Renee Rubin for also keeping her own list and harmonizing it with Amy’s.
Little Tennessee River Greenway
Jun 14, 2017
7:33 AM
Traveling
2.20 miles
194 Minutes
All birds reported? Yes
Comments: Submitted from eBird for iOS, version 1.5.0 Build 136
5 Wood Duck — 2 ducklings
6 Mallard
2 Green Heron
10 Turkey Vulture
2 Red-shouldered Hawk
9 Mourning Dove
1 Chimney Swift
1 Ruby-throated Hummingbird
1 Belted Kingfisher
1 Red-bellied Woodpecker
1 Downy Woodpecker
1 Pileated Woodpecker
1 Eastern Kingbird
2 White-eyed Vireo — heard
3 Blue Jay
15 American Crow
1 Fish Crow — heard
15 Northern Rough-winged Swallow
10 Tree Swallow
1 Barn Swallow
6 Carolina Chickadee
9 Tufted Titmouse
3 Carolina Wren
2 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
3 Eastern Bluebird
2 American Robin
2 Gray Catbird
3 Brown Thrasher
4 Northern Mockingbird
4 Cedar Waxwing
2 Common Yellowthroat
1 Field Sparrow
9 Song Sparrow
5 Eastern Towhee
6 Northern Cardinal
5 Indigo Bunting
12 Red-winged Blackbird
5 Common Grackle
3 Brown-headed Cowbird
1 Orchard Oriole
7 House Finch
9 American Goldfinch
Number of Taxa: 42
Seventeen of us enjoyed a nice bird walk at the library area today under blue skies. Jim and I were joined by Tim, Mike, Ginger, Jean, Ned, Renee, Michael, Rita, Peter, Heather, Sharon, Marsha, Tom, Linda, and Renee. Everyone helped to identify the birds today, with good explanations and field id tips provided by Jim and Michael. We had opportunities to compare the various swallows as several species shared the skies together, and there were several Purple Martins using the nest box near the community garden.
All together we identified 42 species. This list is-
Great Blue Heron
Turkey Vulture
Red-tailed Hawk
Mourning Dove
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Chimney Swift
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Pileated Woodpecker
E Phoebe
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
Am Crow
Purple Martin
N Rough-winged Swallow
Tree Swallow
Barn Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Tufted Titmouse
Carolina Chickadee
White-breasted Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
E Bluebird
Am Robin
N Mockingbird
Brown Thrasher
European Starling
N Parula
Yellow-breasted Chat
Scarlet Tanager
N Cardinal
Indigo Bunting
Blue Grosbeak
E Towhee
Field Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Brown-headed Cowbird
Orchard Oriole
House Finch
Am Goldfinch
Join us next week at Big Bear, 8:00. We had to cancel the last Big Bear walk due to rain, so it will be interesting to see what has happened there over the last several weeks!
A beautiful day at Salalie today with Jim, Ellen, Michael, Rene, Jenny, Pat, Tim, Jean, Tom, Rita, Sally, Marsha and friend Veatrice, and BJ. The parking lot was quieter than usual but we found some common species then happened to look up in time to see a Green Heron Flying down the river. We started hearing the Great Crested Flycatcher early and ended up hearing them all morning with 4 different ones calling. Our only warbler was the Yellow-breasted Chat and there were 5 of those. We enjoyed watching the various Swallows and learning about the id marks for the Red-shouldered vs Red-tailed Hawks.
Here is the list of the 45 species we found:
US-North Carolina-Franklin-Little Tennessee River Greenway – 35.176x-83.37
May 31, 2017
7:58 AM
Traveling
2.50 miles
180 minutes
All birds reported? Yes
Comments:
23 Canada Goose
2 Green Heron
1 Black Vulture
4 Turkey Vulture
1 Cooper’s Hawk
2 Red-shouldered Hawk
1 Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)
1 Eurasian Collared-Dove
7 Mourning Dove
4 Chimney Swift
1 Ruby-throated Hummingbird
4 Red-bellied Woodpecker
5 Downy Woodpecker
3 Eastern Phoebe
3 Great Crested Flycatcher
1 Eastern Kingbird
2 White-eyed Vireo
5 Blue Jay
6 American Crow
1 Fish Crow
7 Northern Rough-winged Swallow
12 Tree Swallow
5 Barn Swallow
10 Cliff Swallow
6 Carolina Chickadee
9 Tufted Titmouse
2 White-breasted Nuthatch
3 House Wren
4 Carolina Wren
5 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
4 Eastern Bluebird
3 Wood Thrush
7 American Robin
5 Gray Catbird
5 Northern Mockingbird
1 European Starling
5 Yellow-breasted Chat
6 Song Sparrow
9 Eastern Towhee
13 Northern Cardinal
3 Indigo Bunting
8 Common Grackle
3 Brown-headed Cowbird
6 House Finch
6 American Goldfinch
Number of Taxa: 45
Come join us at the Library next Wednesday!
We had a beautiful morning for our library walk today. Jim and I were joined by Karen, Chris, Renee, Michael, Diane, Rita, Tom, Heather, Sharon, Tim, Jim C, and Rich. Early on in the walk, the highlight of the morning was a Yellow-billed Cuckoo that gave us good looks from a tree off the side of the library building. Another highlight was very good views of a male Blue Grosbeak on the ground and in a bush, showing off the red in the wings. However, before too long the real highlight of the day presented itself- a female Bobolink, perched very nicely on top of a small bush not very far in front of us. We all had good looks, and time to look in the field guides on hand to make a positive identification. (Check above for great walk photos from Tim C.)
Here is the list of the 40 birds that we identified this morning:
Little Tennessee River Greenway–Macon County Library, Macon, North Carolina, US
May 17, 2017 8:00 AM – 10:30 AM
Protocol: Traveling
1.25 mile(s)
Comments: Franklin Bird Club Wednesday walk. Beautiful warm morning
40 species
Canada Goose 2
Turkey Vulture 1
Mourning Dove 2
Yellow-billed Cuckoo 1
Chimney Swift 8
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Downy Woodpecker 1
Pileated Woodpecker 1
Eastern Phoebe 1
White-eyed Vireo 2
Red-eyed Vireo 4
Blue Jay 2
American Crow 10
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 5
Tree Swallow 5
Barn Swallow 1
Cliff Swallow 3
Tufted Titmouse 5
White-breasted Nuthatch 2
Carolina Wren 5
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 3
Eastern Bluebird 6
American Robin 1
Northern Mockingbird 3
European Starling 1
Cedar Waxwing 7
Common Yellowthroat 1
Northern Parula 1
Yellow-breasted Chat 5
Field Sparrow 3
Song Sparrow 3
Eastern Towhee 11
Northern Cardinal 6
Blue Grosbeak 3
Indigo Bunting 7
Bobolink 1
Brown-headed Cowbird 7
House Finch 5
American Goldfinch 9
Thanks, Tim, for posting and sharing your eBird list.
Join us next week at Big Bear, 8 am, for another good morning of birding with the FBC!
May 10, 2017 at Salalie
Jim, Ellen, Karen, Ginger, Mike, Rita, Marsha, Sharon, Heather, Peter, and Tom saw or heard 45 species on this fine day. The highlights were two Red-shouldered Hawks sitting together on a limb , several sightings of Yellow Warblers, a Green Heron, a Great Crested Flycatcher, and all the different Swallows; Rough-winged, Tree, Cliff, and Barn.
Here’s the list:
Green Heron
Canada Goose
Turkey Vulture
Black vulture
Red-shouldered Hawk
Broad-winged Hawk
Spotted Sandpiper
Mourning Dove
Rock Pigeon
Chimney Swift
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Red-bellied WP
N. Flicker
Eastern Phoebe
Great Crested Flycatcher
White-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
A. Crow
N. Rough-winged Swallow
Tree Swallow
Barn Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Tufted Titmouse
Carolina Chickadee
White-breasted Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Am Robin
Gray Catbird
N. Mockingbird
Brown Thrasher
E. Starling
Cedar Waxwing
N. Parula
Yellow Warbler
Yellow-throated Warbler
Hooded Warbler
N. Cardinal
Indigo Bunting
E. Towhee
Song Sparrow
Brown-headed Cowbird
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
American Goldfinch
What a glorious day! Welcome to new members Heather and Sharon.
Sally, Diane, Ned, Peter, Mike and Ginger, Ellen and Jim, Linda, Rita, Heather and Sharon, and Karen showed up at Big Bear to look for birds. We had several highlights: The first Eastern Kingbird for the year, the first Orchard Oriole for the year, Great looks at the White-eyed Vireo singing, 3 Green Herons, Wood Ducks with chicks, The Coot, and Red-shouldered and Broad-winged Hawks soaring and one Red-shouldered Perched close and Yellow and Palm Warblers!!!
Here’s the list of 46 species:
Green Heron
Canada Goose
Wood Duck
Mallard
Turkey Vulture
Red-shouldered Hawk
Broad-winged Hawk
American Coot
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy WP
Northern Flicker
Pileated WP
Eastern Kingbird
White-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Tree Swallow
Tufted Titmouse
Carolina Chickadee
Carolina Wren
House Wren
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
American Robin
Gray Catbird
N. Mockingbird
Brown Thrasher
E. Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Northern Parula
Yellow Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Palm Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
N. Cardinal
E. Towhee
Field Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Brown-headed Cowbird
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Orchard Oriole
American Goldfinch
Next week at Salalie- Come join us!
It is great to be back in Franklin, birding with our buddies on the Greenway!
Jim and I were joined this morning by 13 birding friends- Karen, Chris, Rita, Mike, Ginger, Jean H, George K, Tim, Linda, Diane, Tom, Sally, and Sue. The fog was quite thick for the first half of the walk, and despite a forecast of 80 degrees for the day, it was actually fairly chilly to start with. As Jim said, the fog gave us all a chance to practice our birding-by-ear skills. This paid off, and over the course of the morning our group saw, heard, identified a total of 34 species. Interestingly, we did not encounter a single warbler!
The birds we did find were- Canada Goose, Turkey Vulture, Wild Turkey, Mourning Dove, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Red-bellied, Downy, and Pileated Woodpecker, E Phoebe, White-eyed Vireo, Blue Jay, Am Crow, N Rough-winged, Tree, and Barn Swallow, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Chickadee, Carolina Wren, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, E Bluebird, Am Robin, Gray Catbird, N Mockingbird, Brown Thrasher, Eur Starling, Cedar Waxwing, N Cardinal, Indigo Bunting, E Towhee, Field Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Brown-headed Cowbird, House Finch, and Am Goldfinch.
Jim, George, and Jean checked the nesting boxes along the route and found Bluebirds and Chickadees eggs in several of the boxes.
Join us next week, May 3 at Big Bear at 8:00 for another great bird walk along that section of the Greenway!
Our April 19, 2017 bird walk was rain, rain, and more rain. Tim Carstens and Sally Sager joined me on this very wet morning. We birded the parking lot until the rain got heavier. I then called the walk off, but I wanted to wait for a break to photograph some pink Silver Bells that were blooming. I got those photos and it began to clear so I checked the bird boxes for Jean. A Carolina Chickadee flew into my face from one. I decided to stick around and look for more birds and ended up with a decent list.
23 Species
Great Blue Heron 1
Green Heron 2
Canada Goose 20 and 6 goslings
Mourning Dove 3
Rock Pigeon 8
Belted Kingfisher 2
Red-bellied WP 2
Blue Jay 4
American Crow 2
Tree Swallow 2
Tufted Titmouse 14
Carolina Chickadee 6
Carolina Wren 5
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 6
American Robin 10
Brown Thrasher 3
Northern Parula 2
Yellow-rumped Warbler 3
N. Cardinal 10
Eastern Towhee 8
Field Sparrow 1
White-throated Sparrow 1
Song Sparrow 2
Thanks to Karen and Tim for the Greenway walks’ bird lists. For those unable to make it to the walks, these lists will continue to be posted throughout the season.
On April 12th eight birders enjoyed excellent bird activity and very active birds. The birders present were Tim Carstens, Barbara Georgen, Tom Flagg, Ned Kraft, Alan Roberts, Jean Hunnicutt, Don Fisher and Marsha Luckzak Highlights of the trip included very large flocks of cedar waxwings, good views of Blue-winged Teal and Red-winged Blackbirds in the wetlands, and a brief but good in-the-open look at the White-eyed Vireo. We had excellent views of in-breeding plumage Palm Warblers in the wetlands and also had looks at Yellow-rumped Warblers and Common Yellow Throats. We heard but did not see Yellow and Yellow throated warblers.
Little Tennessee River Greenway, Macon, North Carolina, US
Apr 12, 2017 8:00 AM – 10:45 AM
Protocol: Traveling
2.0 mile(s)
Comments: Franklin Bird Club trip. Big Bear section of Greenway. Excellent weather and much bird activity.
36 species
Canada Goose X
Mallard X
Blue-winged Teal X
Great Blue Heron X
Turkey Vulture X
Mourning Dove X
Belted Kingfisher X
Red-bellied Woodpecker X
Eastern Phoebe X
White-eyed Vireo X
Blue Jay X
American Crow X
Tree Swallow X
Carolina Chickadee X
Tufted Titmouse X
Carolina Wren X
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher X
Eastern Bluebird X
American Robin X
Gray Catbird X
Brown Thrasher X
Northern Mockingbird X
Cedar Waxwing X
Common Yellowthroat X
Yellow Warbler X
Palm Warbler X
Yellow-rumped Warbler X
Yellow-throated Warbler X
Field Sparrow X
White-throated Sparrow X
Song Sparrow X
Eastern Towhee X
Northern Cardinal X
Red-winged Blackbird X
Brown-headed Cowbird X
American Goldfinch X
Our first bird walk for 2017! Here we go…
On April 5, 2017 eleven enthusiastic birders met at the Library and walked along this stretch of the greenway to find birds present in this area. Tim, Don, Jean, Alan, Tom, Chris and Susan, Marsha, Ginger and Mike joined me. It was cloudy and quite windy, ominous looking, and storms were predicted sometime this morning. However, the birds were singing and active. In the parking lot we got good views of the Tree Swallows and the Rough-winged Swallows, which allowed great opportunities to examine the field marks and learn more about swallows. Heading down the trail, we were using our ears to cue us into what birds were about. Even though the rain did catch up with us and we had to head to the cars cutting across wet fields we found 26 different species. The list for the day was:
Canada Goose 2
Wild Turkey 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 3
Northern Flicker 2
Pileated Woodpecker 2
Eastern Phoebe 1
Blue Jay 5
American Crow 6
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 2
Tree Swallow 4
Carolina Chickadee 6
Tufted Titmouse 3
Carolina Wren 3
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 2
Eastern Bluebird 2
American Robin 1
Northern Mockingbird 1
Chipping Sparrow 1
Field Sparrow 4
White-throated Sparrow 2
Song Sparrow 4
Eastern Towhee 6
Northern Cardinal 3
Brown-headed Cowbird 5
House Finch 5
American Goldfinch 1
Thanks to Tim Carstens for his ebird recording.
Let’s join Tim next Wednesday at Big Bear for our second bird walk this year!
Welcome to the Franklin Bird Club 
Our last bird walk of the year today! It was a chilly morning at Salali Lane, but clear with no fog. It has been a great season, thanks to everyone who has participated. Special thanks go to Jean for organizing us and sending out all those emails, to Suzanne for keeping up the web site so well, and to Tim, Karen, Michael, and Renee for helping us lead all the walks!
Today Jim and I were joined by Jean, Rita, Judy B, Karen, Marsha, Tim, Renee, Tom, and Lynn. We identified a total of 31 species, and had the chance to watch a Red-shouldered hawk eating from a nearby perch as well as seeing two other Red-shoulders soaring later in the morning. The following birds were seen today, as reported by Tim for eBird:
Little Tennessee River Greenway
Oct 25, 2017
8:25 AM
Traveling
2.00 miles
144 Minutes
All birds reported? Yes
Comments: Salali section. Franklin Bird Club
Submitted from eBird for iOS, version 1.5.4 Build 149
3 Black Vulture
12 Turkey Vulture
1 Cooper’s Hawk
3 Red-shouldered Hawk
50 Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)
3 Eurasian Collared-Dove
1 Mourning Dove
1 Belted Kingfisher
1 Red-bellied Woodpecker
2 Downy Woodpecker
2 Northern Flicker
2 Blue-headed Vireo
8 Blue Jay
6 American Crow
8 Fish Crow
2 Carolina Chickadee
2 Tufted Titmouse
2 White-breasted Nuthatch
7 Carolina Wren
1 Eastern Bluebird
15 American Robin
1 Brown Thrasher
2 Northern Mockingbird
5 European Starling
18 Cedar Waxwing
2 Yellow-rumped Warbler
2 White-throated Sparrow
5 Song Sparrow
3 Eastern Towhee
6 Northern Cardinal
2 American Goldfinch
Number of Taxa: 31
Watch the website for information on the bird walks starting back up in April, and for information on the Christmas bird count, which will be held in Macon County on Dec. 14 this year.
See everyone next spring!
Ten birders braved a little bit of fog and cold to bird the Big Bear Section of the Greenway. Those brave birders were: Rita, Sally, Jennifer (from NJ), Ellen, Jim, Jean H, Renee S., Ned, Chris, and Tim. Highlights included views of several Wood Ducks, the Belted Kingfisher and Palm and Yellow-rumped Warblers. At the end of the trip a Raven was heard and then located in the trees near the wetlands. The eBird list of the species found is included below:
Little Tennessee River Greenway, Macon, North Carolina, US
Oct 18, 2017 8:29 AM – 10:34 AM
Protocol: Traveling
1.5 mile(s)
35 species
Wood Duck 3
Mallard 1
Red-shouldered Hawk 1
Mourning Dove 1
Belted Kingfisher 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1
Downy Woodpecker 3
Northern Flicker 1
Pileated Woodpecker 2
Eastern Phoebe 2
Blue Jay 7
American Crow 6
Fish Crow 1
Common Raven 1
Tree Swallow 3
Carolina Chickadee 1
Tufted Titmouse 1
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
Carolina Wren 8
Eastern Bluebird 3
American Robin 1
Brown Thrasher 1
Northern Mockingbird 6
European Starling 12
Cedar Waxwing 7
Palm Warbler 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler 4
Song Sparrow 16
Eastern Towhee 8
Northern Cardinal 6
Red-winged Blackbird 10
Common Grackle 1
House Finch 2
American Goldfinch 2
We had some thick fog again this morning at the library, but that did not deter twelve of us from having a good morning of birding. Jim and I were joined by Jean H, Jo, Merle, Tim, Marsha, Rita, Diane, Renee, George, and Tom. Together we identified 36 species.
Thanks, Tim, for providing the eBird list for us:
Little Tennessee River Greenway–Macon County Library
Oct 11, 2017
8:40 AM
Traveling
2.00 miles
141 Minutes
All birds reported? Yes
Comments: Submitted from eBird for iOS, version 1.5.4 Build 149
8 Wild Turkey
3 Turkey Vulture
1 Cooper’s Hawk
15 Mourning Dove
5 Red-bellied Woodpecker
3 Downy Woodpecker
2 Northern Flicker
1 Eastern Wood-Pewee
2 Eastern Phoebe
1 White-eyed Vireo
7 Blue Jay
8 American Crow
2 Tree Swallow
8 Carolina Chickadee
7 Tufted Titmouse
3 White-breasted Nuthatch
1 House Wren
6 Carolina Wren
4 Eastern Bluebird
11 American Robin
4 Gray Catbird
3 Brown Thrasher
2 Northern Mockingbird
12 European Starling
5 Cedar Waxwing
3 Tennessee Warbler
1 American Redstart
2 Magnolia Warbler
1 Pine Warbler
5 Chipping Sparrow
10 Field Sparrow
5 Song Sparrow
3 Eastern Towhee
7 Northern Cardinal
1 Indigo Bunting
2 Red-winged Blackbird
Number of Taxa: 36
Join us next week at Big Bear, 8:30, for the next to the last walk of the season.
It was great to be back on the greenway this morning, birding with our local friends at Salali Lane. Jim and I were joined by Karen, Tom, Tim, Ned, Diane, Rene, and Jean H. Thanks to Tim for providing the eBird list of the 28 species we identified today.
The morning started out quite foggy, despite the later starting time of 8:30, but by the time we turned around at 10 the blue skies were coming out.
This is the list of what we identified this morning:
Little Tennessee River Greenway
Oct 4, 2017
8:33 AM
Traveling
1.50 miles
120 Minutes
All birds reported? Yes
Comments: Submitted from eBird for iOS, version 1.5.4 Build 149
60 Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)
2 Mourning Dove
3 Red-bellied Woodpecker
1 Downy Woodpecker
4 Northern Flicker
1 Pileated Woodpecker
2 Eastern Phoebe
14 Blue Jay
7 American Crow
3 Fish Crow
4 Carolina Chickadee
1 Tufted Titmouse
1 White-breasted Nuthatch
6 Carolina Wren
3 Eastern Bluebird
5 American Robin
5 Gray Catbird
2 Brown Thrasher
7 Northern Mockingbird
10 European Starling
1 Common Yellowthroat
4 Magnolia Warbler
4 Song Sparrow
6 Eastern Towhee
1 Scarlet Tanager — Female
9 Northern Cardinal
2 Rose-breasted Grosbeak
4 American Goldfinch
Number of Taxa: 28
Join us next week at the library, 8:30, for more fall birding.
Another foggy morning prompting the change to an 8:30 start from now on. It was a beautiful cool soft light morning and I was joined by Rita, Marsha, Jean H., Jean B., Sam, Ned, Lynn, Sally, Diane, Don, Jo and Merle, and BJ. It was good to have Jean H. and Ned back with us. It was also good to have Don with us and help us with plant identification along the way. Our highlight was identifying Chestnut-sided Warbler with Fall plumage. We improved our id skills as we saw several of them and now know those yellow wing bars.
Here’s the list: Mallard, Turkey Vulture, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Belted Kingfisher, Red-bellied WP, Pileated WP, Eastern Phoebe, White-eyed Vireo, Blue Jay, American Crow, Fish Crow, White-breasted Nuthatch, Carolina Wren, Eastern Bluebird, American Robin, Gray Catbird, N. Mockingbird, Northern Parula, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, N. Cardinal, E. Towhee, Song Sparrow, House Finch, and American Goldfinch–25 for the morning, and the sun did show itself by 10:00!
Join us next week at Salalie at 8:30 am.
The Sheltons should be there next Wednesday also. Yea!
At the Library section on September 20, 2017
Totally socked in with fog and did not lift for the entire walk. Tom, Mary, Wayne and Becky, Sally, George, Bruce and Terry, Liz, Renee, Diane, Ginger and Mike joined me for a good morning of finding birds. Highlights were seeing lots of American Redstarts and several Scarlet Tanagers in Yellow plumage, and a group of Indigo Buntings.
Our list: Canada Geese, Mourning Dove, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Red-bellied WP, Northern Flicker, Downy WP, Pileated WP, Eastern Phoebe, White-eyed Vireo, Blue Jay, A. Crow, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Chickadee, Carolina Wren, A. Robin, Gray Catbird, N. Mockingbird, E. Starling, Cedar Waxwing, Chestnut-sided Warbler, American Redstart, Scarlet Tanager, N. Cardinal, Indigo Bunting, E. Towhee, Song Sparrow.
Our September 13th bird walk at Salalie was a nice cool day. I was joined by Jean B, Heather and Sharon, Sally, Marsha, Jo, Merle, and Tom. Without our experts we got a chance to hone our birding skills and found 28 species. We found a flock of very active warblers at the parking lot but had a hard time catching good views. This is our list:
Turkey Vulture, Black Vulture, Cooper’s Hawk, Mourning Dove, Rock Pigeon, Eurasian Collared Dove, Ruby-throated Humnmingbird, Downy Woodpecker, Red-bellied WP, Eastern Phoebe, Blue Jay, American Crow, Fish Crow, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Chickadee, Carolina Wren, Eastern Bluebird, Gray Catbird (the bird of the day…they were everywhere and vocal!), Northern Mockingbird, Brown Thrasher, European Starling, Yellow Warbler, Pine Warbler, Yellow-throated Warbler, Scarlet Tanager- female, Northern Cardinal, Eastern Towhee, American Goldfinch.
Brock Hutchins from Highlands joined me for the walk at Big Bear this morning. It was already raining lightly when we started but, hoping for better, we proceeded to the wetlands. The rain suppressed most bird activity. When thunder was heard and the rain got serious “birder activity” was also suppressed. Though the walk was washed out, Brock and I had a pleasant, though brief, conversation.
It was another fine morning for birding today, as twelve of us met at the library. While things started out pretty quiet, we ended up identifying a total of 47 species, with several mixed species flocks and batches of blue grosbeaks and indigo buntings. Jim and I were joined by Renee, Michael, Rita, Jean B, Merle, Jo, Marion, Rene, George, and Ginger. Thanks go to Renee R for providing the eBird list.
Little Tennessee River Greenway–Macon County Library
Aug 30, 2017
8:08 AM
Traveling
1.13 miles
152 minutes
All birds reported? Yes
Comments:
3 Turkey Vulture
1 Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)
3 Mourning Dove
5 Ruby-throated Hummingbird
1 Belted Kingfisher
3 Red-bellied Woodpecker
2 Downy Woodpecker
1 Northern Flicker
1 Pileated Woodpecker
2 Eastern Wood-Pewee
1 Empidonax sp.
2 Eastern Phoebe
2 White-eyed Vireo
1 Red-eyed Vireo
8 Blue Jay
5 American Crow
4 Carolina Chickadee
3 Tufted Titmouse
5 White-breasted Nuthatch
3 Carolina Wren
8 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
11 Eastern Bluebird
2 American Robin
3 Gray Catbird
7 Northern Mockingbird
4 European Starling
1 Cedar Waxwing
1 Ovenbird
1 Tennessee Warbler
2 Hooded Warbler
1 American Redstart
6 Northern Parula
1 Blackburnian Warbler
1 Yellow Warbler
1 Chestnut-sided Warbler
1 Pine Warbler
4 Yellow-throated Warbler
1 Black-throated Green Warbler
3 Field Sparrow
2 Song Sparrow
3 Eastern Towhee
8 Northern Cardinal
8 Blue Grosbeak
18 Indigo Bunting
1 Bobolink
3 House Finch
2 American Goldfinch
Number of taxa: 47
Jim and I will be out of town for the next three weeks, but the walks will continue, so come out next week and meet Tim at Big Bear for more fall birding, and we will see everyone the last week of September when we return.
Twenty of us birded along the Salali Lane portion of the greenway today. It was a fairly quiet morning, but we found several mixed feeding flocks that kept our attention. Jim and I were joined by Karen, Rita, Renee, Michael, Jean B, Tim, Jean H, Rene, Sarah, Chris, Peter, Marion, Sharon, Heather, Ginger, Mike, Tom, and Diane. All together we identified 36 species, including five warbler species. Thanks go to Renee for sending me her eBird tally, which follows-
Little Tennessee River Greenway, Franklin, North Carolina, US (35.175, -83.369)
Aug 23, 2017
8:15 AM
Traveling
1.61 miles
119 minutes
All birds reported? Yes
Comments:
1 Turkey Vulture
2 Red-shouldered Hawk
5 Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)
20 Mourning Dove
13 Ruby-throated Hummingbird
1 Red-bellied Woodpecker
3 Downy Woodpecker
2 Eastern Phoebe
1 White-eyed Vireo
5 Blue Jay
5 American Crow
4 Fish Crow
6 Carolina Chickadee
7 Tufted Titmouse
1 White-breasted Nuthatch
2 House Wren
2 Carolina Wren
6 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
3 Eastern Bluebird
1 American Robin
7 Gray Catbird
3 Northern Mockingbird
5 European Starling
2 Worm-eating Warbler
1 Hooded Warbler
5 Northern Parula
1 Yellow-throated Warbler
1 Black-throated Green Warbler
1 Field Sparrow
5 Song Sparrow
3 Eastern Towhee
9 Northern Cardinal
3 Rose-breasted Grosbeak
1 Indigo Bunting
1 Orchard Oriole
7 American Goldfinch
Number of Taxa: 36
Join us next week at the library, 8:00, for another fine bird walk!
21 birders walked the Big Bear section of the Greenway today. Jean, Jim, Ellen, Chris, Sally, Patty, Rita, Merlyn, Joe, Marion, Michael, Renee, Marcia, Sharon, Heather, BJ, Connie, Dianna, Tom and Lynn joined me on the walk. Bird activity was light for much of the walk but we did get one mixed feeding flock that produced a female Redstart, a Northern Parula and a Black-throated Blue Warbler. The group once again had good looks at the female Wood Duck and the Green Heron. At the beginning of the walk a falcon flew over the group. Jim, Ellen and Michael are looking at a poor photograph I took of it to see if they can come up with a more definitive decision about what species of falcon it was. Here is a list of the species that were seen:
Little Tennessee River Greenway, Macon, North Carolina, US
Aug 16, 2017 8:00 AM – 10:45 AM
Protocol: Traveling
2.0 mile(s)
Comments: Big Bear Section of Greenway. Nice weather.
41 species (+1 other taxa)
Wood Duck 5
Green Heron 3
Black Vulture 2
Turkey Vulture 15
Osprey 1
Mourning Dove 13
Yellow-billed Cuckoo 1
Chimney Swift 3
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 10
Belted Kingfisher 2
Red-bellied Woodpecker 5
Pileated Woodpecker 2
Eastern Wood-Pewee 1
Empidonax sp. 1
Eastern Phoebe 1
White-eyed Vireo 1
Blue Jay 9
American Crow 6
Cliff Swallow 1
Carolina Chickadee 7
Tufted Titmouse 7
White-breasted Nuthatch 3
Carolina Wren 5
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 5
Eastern Bluebird 3
American Robin 18
Gray Catbird 5
Brown Thrasher 3
Northern Mockingbird 2
European Starling 25
Cedar Waxwing 20
American Redstart 1
Northern Parula 1
Black-throated Blue Warbler 1
Field Sparrow 1
Song Sparrow 5
Eastern Towhee 8
Northern Cardinal 4
Indigo Bunting 4
Orchard Oriole 1
Common Grackle 3
American Goldfinch 12
Nineteen of us met at the library today, 8/9, for a morning bird walk under clear skies. Jim and I were joined by Amy, Tim, Mary, Merle, Joe, Rita, Diane, Jean H, Marsha, Renee, Michael, George, Marion, Sally, Ginger, Mike, and Tom. Nice to see everyone! And many thanks to Amy for providing the eBird report today.
We identified a total of 39 species today, including five red-shouldered hawks that were flying above the parking lot area after most of the group had left. We identified five warbler species, and had at least one “confusing fall warbler” that we were not able to identify.
The birds seen and heard today are listed below:
Little Tennessee River Greenway–Macon County Library
Aug 9, 2017
7:45 AM
Traveling
1.00 miles
159 Minutes
All birds reported? Yes
Comments: Submitted from eBird for iOS, version 1.5.2 Build 140
2 Turkey Vulture
5 Red-shouldered Hawk
1 Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)
5 Mourning Dove
14 Chimney Swift
3 Ruby-throated Hummingbird
3 Red-bellied Woodpecker
3 Downy Woodpecker
2 Pileated Woodpecker
1 Eastern Wood-Pewee
1 Blue-headed Vireo
1 Red-eyed Vireo
5 Blue Jay
6 American Crow
3 Barn Swallow
5 Carolina Chickadee
8 Tufted Titmouse
4 White-breasted Nuthatch
2 Carolina Wren
4 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
13 Eastern Bluebird
2 American Robin
1 Brown Thrasher
2 Northern Mockingbird
4 Cedar Waxwing
1 Black-and-white Warbler
1 American Redstart
1 Northern Parula
1 Yellow-throated Warbler
3 Black-throated Green Warbler
5 Field Sparrow
1 Song Sparrow
5 Eastern Towhee
1 Scarlet Tanager
3 Northern Cardinal
1 Blue Grosbeak
4 Indigo Bunting
3 House Finch
6 American Goldfinch
Join us next week at Big Bear for another good bird walk.
Fifteen of us enjoyed a nice morning at Salali Lane today and together we identified a total of 50 species. Jim and I were joined by Tim, Marion, Jo and Merle Hubbard, Karen, Connie, Marsha, Jean H, Heather, Sharon, Renee, Michael, and Linda Mathias from the Franklin Press. The highlight of the morning was towards the end of the walk when we watched seven different species flitting around at the same time on a snag (a dead tree). These were Carolina and House Wrens, N Cardinal, Black-throated Green Warbler, Song Sparrow, White-eyed Vireo, and Ruby-throated Hummingbird. We also had a good but quick look at a Cooper’s Hawk that swooped fairly low overhead early-on during the walk.
Renee has provided the e-Bird list of what we identified today- thanks for keeping track today.
US-North Carolina-Franklin-36 Fox Ridge Road – 35.175x-83.368
Aug 02, 2017
8:20 AM
Traveling
2.00 miles
151 minutes
All birds reported? Yes
Comments:
1 Great Blue Heron
2 Green Heron
1 Turkey Vulture
1 Cooper’s Hawk
1 Red-shouldered Hawk
26 Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)
1 Eurasian Collared-Dove
8 Mourning Dove
11 Ruby-throated Hummingbird
1 Belted Kingfisher
2 Red-bellied Woodpecker
2 Downy Woodpecker
1 Northern Flicker
3 Eastern Phoebe
1 Eastern Kingbird
1 White-eyed Vireo
1 Red-eyed Vireo
7 Blue Jay
3 American Crow
5 Fish Crow
1 Northern Rough-winged Swallow
12 Barn Swallow
3 Cliff Swallow
7 Carolina Chickadee
7 Tufted Titmouse
2 White-breasted Nuthatch
3 House Wren
7 Carolina Wren
6 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
5 Eastern Bluebird
3 American Robin
4 Gray Catbird
1 Brown Thrasher
5 Northern Mockingbird
1 European Starling
2 Black-and-white Warbler
1 American Redstart
2 Northern Parula
2 Yellow Warbler
2 Black-throated Green Warbler
1 Field Sparrow
5 Song Sparrow
6 Eastern Towhee
6 Northern Cardinal
1 Rose-breasted Grosbeak
8 Indigo Bunting
3 Red-winged Blackbird
1 Common Grackle
1 House Finch
9 American Goldfinch
Number of Taxa: 50
Come join us next week, August 9, for the bird walk at the library.
Rita, Ned, Toni Sutton, Sarah, Jim and Carol McDonald, Michael, Renee, Jean Brewer, Marsha, Amy, Sally, Sharon, Marion, Lynn, Diane and Tim birded the Big Bear section of the Greenway today. Highlights of the trip included a very tame juvenile Wood Duck who came right to the front of the wetlands. Other species of interest were: Orchard Orioles, a female scarlet Tanager, brief but close views of a Northern Parula, 5 Ruby-throated humming birds and a Wood thrush singing across the river. 45 species were seen.
Little Tennessee River Greenway
Jul 26, 2017
7:57 AM
Traveling
1.00 miles
137 Minutes
All birds reported? Yes
Comments: Submitted from eBird for iOS, version 1.5.2 Build 140
2 Wood Duck
1 Mallard
1 Green Heron
26 Turkey Vulture
1 Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)
30 Mourning Dove
1 Chimney Swift
5 Ruby-throated Hummingbird
2 Belted Kingfisher
4 Red-bellied Woodpecker
2 Downy Woodpecker
3 Northern Flicker
6 Eastern Phoebe
3 Eastern Kingbird
3 White-eyed Vireo
7 Blue Jay
7 American Crow
4 Fish Crow
2 Tree Swallow
3 Carolina Chickadee
1 Tufted Titmouse
3 House Wren
3 Carolina Wren
1 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
3 Eastern Bluebird
1 Wood Thrush
40 American Robin
9 Gray Catbird
1 Brown Thrasher
3 Northern Mockingbird
20 European Starling
11 Cedar Waxwing
1 Common Yellowthroat
3 Northern Parula
1 Field Sparrow
7 Song Sparrow
5 Eastern Towhee
1 Scarlet Tanager
9 Northern Cardinal
2 Indigo Bunting
7 Red-winged Blackbird
11 Common Grackle
3 Orchard Oriole
2 House Finch
6 American Goldfinch
Number of Taxa: 45
(thanks to Amy for keeping the eBird list and to Sarah, Toni, and Michael for also helping keep track of number of species seen)
In addition to the regular FBC greenway walk this morning that took place at the library, eight participants from the SUUSI group that is staying in Cullowhee this week joined Jim and me at Salali Lane for a bird walk. We identified 36 species, and had a very nice morning.
The birds that we say/heard were:
Mourning Dove
Rock Pigeon
Chimney Swift
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Phoebe
Red-eyed Vireo
White-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Fish Crow
Tree Swallow
Barn Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Tufted Titmouse
Carolina Chickadee
Carolina Wren
House Wren
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
American Robin
Wood Thrush
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Northern Parula
Black and White Warbler
Yellow-breasted Chat
Northern Cardinal
Indigo Bunting
Eastern Towhee
Song Sparrow
Common Grackle
House Finch
American Goldfinch
We enjoyed birding with this enthusiastic group, and look forward to seeing them again next year.
The regular greenway walk will meet at Big Bear next Wed. at 8 am. Come join us!
July 19, 2017 at the library:
We started in heavy fog hearing the Field Sparrow and seeing no birds. Michael led us today and was joined by Amy, Chris, Tim, Rita, Sharon, Heather, Ned, Connie, Barbara, Renee, Marion, Tom, Sally, Jeannie, Diane, and Karen. The fog lifted slowly and eventually we found 35 different species. The highlight was actually seeing 4 different Yellow-billed Cuckoos and Tim and Amy were able to get some photos. Thanks to Amy for supplying her ibird list.
Come join us next Wednesday at Big Bear. Who knows what we’ll see or hear???
1 Green Heron
3 Turkey Vulture
10 Mourning Dove
1 Rock Pigeon
4 Yellow-billed Cuckoo
2 Ruby-throated Hummingbird
2 Red-bellied Woodpecker
5 Downy Woodpecker
1 Northern Flicker
1 Eastern Wood-Pewee
3 White-eyed Vireo
1 Red-eyed Vireo
3 Blue Jay
7 American Crow
1 Northern Rough-winged Swallow
5 Purple Martin
3 Cliff Swallow
4 Carolina Chickadee
6 Tufted Titmouse
2 White-breasted Nuthatch
3 Carolina Wren
2 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
20 Eastern Bluebird
7 American Robin
1 Brown Thrasher
6 Northern Mockingbird
1 Cedar Waxwing
1 Yellow-breasted Chat
6 Field Sparrow
5 Song Sparrow
8 Eastern Towhee
6 Northern Cardinal
7 Indigo Bunting
14 House Finch
5 American Goldfinch
Number of Taxa: 35
Just when I thought we were getting into the summer doldrums, it seems that we are at the beginning of fall migration! We had 7 species of warblers, which is a big change from the last several weeks. The morning started off with a worm-eating warbler that flew up and sat on a power line, giving good looks for the few of us that were at Salali Lane before 8:00. We also found two house wrens using one of the house wren boxes that Jim had installed last winter, and had quick but clear looks at a Northern Waterthrush. I know that Northern Waterthrush is unusual this time of year, but I am fairly certain that this id is correct, rather than it being a Louisiana Waterthrush.
It was a good day for the 20 happy birders today- Tim, Karen, Barbara, Peter, Jean B, her friend Mary, Heather Sharon, Sally, Connie, Ginger, Mike, Jeannie, Rita, Jean H, Renee, Michael, and Diane, Jim, and Ellen.
All together we identified 52 species today. Thanks go out to Renee Rubin for keeping and sharing the eBird list:
US-North Carolina-Franklin-Little Tennessee River Greenway – 35.176x-83.37 – Jul 12, 2017 8:15 AM
Jul 12, 2017
8:16 AM
Traveling
3.00 miles
156 minutes
All birds reported? Yes
Comments:
1 Great Blue Heron
1 Green Heron
2 Black Vulture
5 Turkey Vulture
44 Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)
1 Eurasian Collared-Dove
11 Mourning Dove
1 Chimney Swift
4 Ruby-throated Hummingbird
1 Belted Kingfisher
2 Red-bellied Woodpecker
2 Downy Woodpecker
3 Northern Flicker
3 Pileated Woodpecker
3 Eastern Phoebe
1 Great Crested Flycatcher
3 White-eyed Vireo
7 Blue Jay
15 American Crow
5 Fish Crow
2 Northern Rough-winged Swallow
12 Barn Swallow
18 Cliff Swallow
12 Carolina Chickadee
9 Tufted Titmouse
2 White-breasted Nuthatch
4 House Wren
8 Carolina Wren
1 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
1 Eastern Bluebird
1 Wood Thrush
7 American Robin
3 Gray Catbird
3 Northern Mockingbird
9 European Starling
1 Cedar Waxwing
2 Worm-eating Warbler
1 Northern Waterthrush — Male with yellow wash on breast.
3 Black-and-white Warbler
2 Northern Parula
3 Chestnut-sided Warbler
1 Palm Warbler — Male with chestnut-brown cap.
3 Yellow-breasted Chat
8 Song Sparrow
5 Eastern Towhee
11 Northern Cardinal
3 Rose-breasted Grosbeak
9 Indigo Bunting
1 Common Grackle
4 Brown-headed Cowbird
2 House Finch
8 American Goldfinch
Number of Taxa: 52
Join us next week, July 19, at the library for more great birding!
A few drops of rain fell on the 21 birders who walked the Big Bear section of the Greenway today but mostly we enjoyed beautiful weather. Participants were: Sally, Jean, Karen, Chris, Renee, Michael, Heather, Sharon, Ned, Ellen, Jim, Barbara, Rita, Rose, Connie, Jeannie, Sarah, Tori, Marion, Amy and Tim. Highlights of the trip included looks at juvenile and female Orchard Orioles, some good looks at Rose-breasted Grosbeaks and a Northern Parula and a great look at a Spotted Sandpiper across the river. 48 species of birds were seen. Thanks to Amy Boggan for creating the eBird checklist.
Little Tennessee River Greenway
Jul 5, 2017
2 Great Blue Heron
1 Green Heron
1 Black Vulture
9 Turkey Vulture
2 Red-shouldered Hawk
1 Spotted Sandpiper
8 Mourning Dove
7 Chimney Swift
1 Ruby-throated Hummingbird
2 Belted Kingfisher
1 Red-bellied Woodpecker
1 Downy Woodpecker
3 Northern Flicker
1 Pileated Woodpecker
1 Eastern Phoebe
4 Eastern Kingbird
3 White-eyed Vireo — heard
7 Blue Jay
4 American Crow
2 Fish Crow
3 Northern Rough-winged Swallow
2 Tree Swallow
1 Barn Swallow
7 Carolina Chickadee
1 Tufted Titmouse
5 Carolina Wren
2 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
1 Eastern Bluebird
1 Wood Thrush
2 American Robin
4 Gray Catbird
2 Brown Thrasher
4 Northern Mockingbird
26 European Starling
3 Cedar Waxwing
1 Northern Parula
2 Field Sparrow
9 Song Sparrow
8 Eastern Towhee
18 Northern Cardinal
2 Rose-breasted Grosbeak
4 Indigo Bunting
12 Red-winged Blackbird
11 Common Grackle
7 Brown-headed Cowbird
4 Orchard Oriole
12 House Finch
11 American Goldfinch
Number of Taxa: 48
Under clear skies today we had a total of 27 birders, and 46 species of birds on the walk from the library. Jim and I were joined by Karen, Chris, Amy, Ned, John W, John S, Rita, Tim, Jean B, Michael, Renee, Jean H, George, Lynn, Sam, Tom, Ginger, Mike, Diane, Connie, Sarah, Heather, Sharon, Sally, and BJ. Everyone contributed to spotting the birds. The highlight of the morning was watching so many swallows, swifts, and martins towards the end of the walk past the community garden. All eyes looked diligently for a Bank Swallow, but to no avail today.
The birds that we did find include the following:
Little Tennessee River Greenway–Macon County Library
Jun 28, 2017
7:29 AM
Traveling
1.20 miles
201 Minutes
All birds reported? Yes
Comments: Franklin Bird Club
Submitted from eBird for iOS, version 1.5.2 Build 140
1 Green Heron
3 Turkey Vulture
1 Cooper’s Hawk
2 Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)
5 Mourning Dove
2 Yellow-billed Cuckoo
1 Chimney Swift
1 Ruby-throated Hummingbird
1 Red-bellied Woodpecker
1 Downy Woodpecker
1 Pileated Woodpecker
1 Eastern Phoebe
1 Eastern Kingbird
1 White-eyed Vireo — heard
1 Red-eyed Vireo
2 Blue Jay
4 American Crow
1 Fish Crow — heard
1 Northern Rough-winged Swallow
10 Purple Martin
8 Tree Swallow
12 Barn Swallow
X Cliff Swallow
1 Carolina Chickadee
6 Tufted Titmouse
1 White-breasted Nuthatch
2 Carolina Wren — heard
2 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
2 Eastern Bluebird
1 American Robin
3 Brown Thrasher
4 Northern Mockingbird
2 European Starling
5 Cedar Waxwing
3 Northern Parula
4 Yellow-breasted Chat
2 Field Sparrow
2 Song Sparrow
4 Eastern Towhee
1 Scarlet Tanager
5 Northern Cardinal
2 Indigo Bunting
4 Brown-headed Cowbird
1 Orchard Oriole
4 House Finch
5 American Goldfinch
Number of Taxa: 46
Thanks go to Amy for reporting the findings to eBird and sending her report to me, and to Renee for helping with the totals.
Join us next week on July 5 at Big Bear Shelter area, 8 am, for another fun morning of birding.
I think the term “hardy birder” was redefined today, as eight of us spent an hour and a half in a steady rain trying to find birds along Salali Lane. Thanks for sticking with us, friends! Jim and I were joined by Jean H, Jean B, Tim, Connie, and two good friends from Tallahassee, Sally and Dean Jue. Under umbrellas and raincoats we found that it was still hard to keep the optics dry, and hard to look for movement from birds when every leaf was moving from the rain drops!
Despite the weather, we were able to find 28 species before we called it quits. The highlight of the morning was watching a young Indigo Bunting struggle with a thumb-sized green moth caterpillar for several minutes, and then finally lose it to a Cardinal that swooped in and quickly ate it in one bite. Nature can be tough!
The species that we identified today were:
Green Heron
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift
E Phoebe
White-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
Am Crow
N Rough-winged Swallow
Tree Swallow
Barn Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Tufted Titmouse
Carolina Chickadee
Carolina Wren
House Wren
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
E Bluebird
Am Robin
Gray Catbird
N Mockingbird
Eu Starling
Yellow-breasted Chat
N Cardinal
Indigo Bunting
E Towhee
Song Sparrow
House Finch
Am Goldfinch
Join us next week, June 28, for our next bird walk. We will meet at the library at 8 am, and hope for clearer skies!
26 people came to the bird walk at Big Bear, including some birders who were going on their first Greenway walk. Highlights of the trip included looks at a mother Wood Duck and her duckling and excellent views of a Belted Kingfisher in the pond. Two Green Heron flew overhead. There were also looks at a perched Red-tail Hawk and an Orchard Oriole in trees across the river as well some good looks at the Brown Thrasher, the Blue-Gray Gnat Catcher, and what appeared to be a first spring Indigo Bunting.
Thanks to Amy Bogan for sharing her eBird list and to Renee Rubin for also keeping her own list and harmonizing it with Amy’s.
Little Tennessee River Greenway
Jun 14, 2017
7:33 AM
Traveling
2.20 miles
194 Minutes
All birds reported? Yes
Comments: Submitted from eBird for iOS, version 1.5.0 Build 136
5 Wood Duck — 2 ducklings
6 Mallard
2 Green Heron
10 Turkey Vulture
2 Red-shouldered Hawk
9 Mourning Dove
1 Chimney Swift
1 Ruby-throated Hummingbird
1 Belted Kingfisher
1 Red-bellied Woodpecker
1 Downy Woodpecker
1 Pileated Woodpecker
1 Eastern Kingbird
2 White-eyed Vireo — heard
3 Blue Jay
15 American Crow
1 Fish Crow — heard
15 Northern Rough-winged Swallow
10 Tree Swallow
1 Barn Swallow
6 Carolina Chickadee
9 Tufted Titmouse
3 Carolina Wren
2 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
3 Eastern Bluebird
2 American Robin
2 Gray Catbird
3 Brown Thrasher
4 Northern Mockingbird
4 Cedar Waxwing
2 Common Yellowthroat
1 Field Sparrow
9 Song Sparrow
5 Eastern Towhee
6 Northern Cardinal
5 Indigo Bunting
12 Red-winged Blackbird
5 Common Grackle
3 Brown-headed Cowbird
1 Orchard Oriole
7 House Finch
9 American Goldfinch
Number of Taxa: 42
Seventeen of us enjoyed a nice bird walk at the library area today under blue skies. Jim and I were joined by Tim, Mike, Ginger, Jean, Ned, Renee, Michael, Rita, Peter, Heather, Sharon, Marsha, Tom, Linda, and Renee. Everyone helped to identify the birds today, with good explanations and field id tips provided by Jim and Michael. We had opportunities to compare the various swallows as several species shared the skies together, and there were several Purple Martins using the nest box near the community garden.
All together we identified 42 species. This list is-
Great Blue Heron
Turkey Vulture
Red-tailed Hawk
Mourning Dove
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Chimney Swift
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Pileated Woodpecker
E Phoebe
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
Am Crow
Purple Martin
N Rough-winged Swallow
Tree Swallow
Barn Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Tufted Titmouse
Carolina Chickadee
White-breasted Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
E Bluebird
Am Robin
N Mockingbird
Brown Thrasher
European Starling
N Parula
Yellow-breasted Chat
Scarlet Tanager
N Cardinal
Indigo Bunting
Blue Grosbeak
E Towhee
Field Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Brown-headed Cowbird
Orchard Oriole
House Finch
Am Goldfinch
Join us next week at Big Bear, 8:00. We had to cancel the last Big Bear walk due to rain, so it will be interesting to see what has happened there over the last several weeks!
A beautiful day at Salalie today with Jim, Ellen, Michael, Rene, Jenny, Pat, Tim, Jean, Tom, Rita, Sally, Marsha and friend Veatrice, and BJ. The parking lot was quieter than usual but we found some common species then happened to look up in time to see a Green Heron Flying down the river. We started hearing the Great Crested Flycatcher early and ended up hearing them all morning with 4 different ones calling. Our only warbler was the Yellow-breasted Chat and there were 5 of those. We enjoyed watching the various Swallows and learning about the id marks for the Red-shouldered vs Red-tailed Hawks.
Here is the list of the 45 species we found:
US-North Carolina-Franklin-Little Tennessee River Greenway – 35.176x-83.37
May 31, 2017
7:58 AM
Traveling
2.50 miles
180 minutes
All birds reported? Yes
Comments:
23 Canada Goose
2 Green Heron
1 Black Vulture
4 Turkey Vulture
1 Cooper’s Hawk
2 Red-shouldered Hawk
1 Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)
1 Eurasian Collared-Dove
7 Mourning Dove
4 Chimney Swift
1 Ruby-throated Hummingbird
4 Red-bellied Woodpecker
5 Downy Woodpecker
3 Eastern Phoebe
3 Great Crested Flycatcher
1 Eastern Kingbird
2 White-eyed Vireo
5 Blue Jay
6 American Crow
1 Fish Crow
7 Northern Rough-winged Swallow
12 Tree Swallow
5 Barn Swallow
10 Cliff Swallow
6 Carolina Chickadee
9 Tufted Titmouse
2 White-breasted Nuthatch
3 House Wren
4 Carolina Wren
5 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
4 Eastern Bluebird
3 Wood Thrush
7 American Robin
5 Gray Catbird
5 Northern Mockingbird
1 European Starling
5 Yellow-breasted Chat
6 Song Sparrow
9 Eastern Towhee
13 Northern Cardinal
3 Indigo Bunting
8 Common Grackle
3 Brown-headed Cowbird
6 House Finch
6 American Goldfinch
Number of Taxa: 45
Come join us at the Library next Wednesday!
We had a beautiful morning for our library walk today. Jim and I were joined by Karen, Chris, Renee, Michael, Diane, Rita, Tom, Heather, Sharon, Tim, Jim C, and Rich. Early on in the walk, the highlight of the morning was a Yellow-billed Cuckoo that gave us good looks from a tree off the side of the library building. Another highlight was very good views of a male Blue Grosbeak on the ground and in a bush, showing off the red in the wings. However, before too long the real highlight of the day presented itself- a female Bobolink, perched very nicely on top of a small bush not very far in front of us. We all had good looks, and time to look in the field guides on hand to make a positive identification. (Check above for great walk photos from Tim C.)
Here is the list of the 40 birds that we identified this morning:
Little Tennessee River Greenway–Macon County Library, Macon, North Carolina, US
May 17, 2017 8:00 AM – 10:30 AM
Protocol: Traveling
1.25 mile(s)
Comments: Franklin Bird Club Wednesday walk. Beautiful warm morning
40 species
Canada Goose 2
Turkey Vulture 1
Mourning Dove 2
Yellow-billed Cuckoo 1
Chimney Swift 8
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Downy Woodpecker 1
Pileated Woodpecker 1
Eastern Phoebe 1
White-eyed Vireo 2
Red-eyed Vireo 4
Blue Jay 2
American Crow 10
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 5
Tree Swallow 5
Barn Swallow 1
Cliff Swallow 3
Tufted Titmouse 5
White-breasted Nuthatch 2
Carolina Wren 5
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 3
Eastern Bluebird 6
American Robin 1
Northern Mockingbird 3
European Starling 1
Cedar Waxwing 7
Common Yellowthroat 1
Northern Parula 1
Yellow-breasted Chat 5
Field Sparrow 3
Song Sparrow 3
Eastern Towhee 11
Northern Cardinal 6
Blue Grosbeak 3
Indigo Bunting 7
Bobolink 1
Brown-headed Cowbird 7
House Finch 5
American Goldfinch 9
Thanks, Tim, for posting and sharing your eBird list.
Join us next week at Big Bear, 8 am, for another good morning of birding with the FBC!
May 10, 2017 at Salalie
Jim, Ellen, Karen, Ginger, Mike, Rita, Marsha, Sharon, Heather, Peter, and Tom saw or heard 45 species on this fine day. The highlights were two Red-shouldered Hawks sitting together on a limb , several sightings of Yellow Warblers, a Green Heron, a Great Crested Flycatcher, and all the different Swallows; Rough-winged, Tree, Cliff, and Barn.
Here’s the list:
Green Heron
Canada Goose
Turkey Vulture
Black vulture
Red-shouldered Hawk
Broad-winged Hawk
Spotted Sandpiper
Mourning Dove
Rock Pigeon
Chimney Swift
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Red-bellied WP
N. Flicker
Eastern Phoebe
Great Crested Flycatcher
White-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
A. Crow
N. Rough-winged Swallow
Tree Swallow
Barn Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Tufted Titmouse
Carolina Chickadee
White-breasted Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Am Robin
Gray Catbird
N. Mockingbird
Brown Thrasher
E. Starling
Cedar Waxwing
N. Parula
Yellow Warbler
Yellow-throated Warbler
Hooded Warbler
N. Cardinal
Indigo Bunting
E. Towhee
Song Sparrow
Brown-headed Cowbird
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
American Goldfinch
What a glorious day! Welcome to new members Heather and Sharon.
Sally, Diane, Ned, Peter, Mike and Ginger, Ellen and Jim, Linda, Rita, Heather and Sharon, and Karen showed up at Big Bear to look for birds. We had several highlights: The first Eastern Kingbird for the year, the first Orchard Oriole for the year, Great looks at the White-eyed Vireo singing, 3 Green Herons, Wood Ducks with chicks, The Coot, and Red-shouldered and Broad-winged Hawks soaring and one Red-shouldered Perched close and Yellow and Palm Warblers!!!
Here’s the list of 46 species:
Green Heron
Canada Goose
Wood Duck
Mallard
Turkey Vulture
Red-shouldered Hawk
Broad-winged Hawk
American Coot
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy WP
Northern Flicker
Pileated WP
Eastern Kingbird
White-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Tree Swallow
Tufted Titmouse
Carolina Chickadee
Carolina Wren
House Wren
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
American Robin
Gray Catbird
N. Mockingbird
Brown Thrasher
E. Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Northern Parula
Yellow Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Palm Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
N. Cardinal
E. Towhee
Field Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Brown-headed Cowbird
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Orchard Oriole
American Goldfinch
Next week at Salalie- Come join us!
It is great to be back in Franklin, birding with our buddies on the Greenway!
Jim and I were joined this morning by 13 birding friends- Karen, Chris, Rita, Mike, Ginger, Jean H, George K, Tim, Linda, Diane, Tom, Sally, and Sue. The fog was quite thick for the first half of the walk, and despite a forecast of 80 degrees for the day, it was actually fairly chilly to start with. As Jim said, the fog gave us all a chance to practice our birding-by-ear skills. This paid off, and over the course of the morning our group saw, heard, identified a total of 34 species. Interestingly, we did not encounter a single warbler!
The birds we did find were- Canada Goose, Turkey Vulture, Wild Turkey, Mourning Dove, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Red-bellied, Downy, and Pileated Woodpecker, E Phoebe, White-eyed Vireo, Blue Jay, Am Crow, N Rough-winged, Tree, and Barn Swallow, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Chickadee, Carolina Wren, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, E Bluebird, Am Robin, Gray Catbird, N Mockingbird, Brown Thrasher, Eur Starling, Cedar Waxwing, N Cardinal, Indigo Bunting, E Towhee, Field Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Brown-headed Cowbird, House Finch, and Am Goldfinch.
Jim, George, and Jean checked the nesting boxes along the route and found Bluebirds and Chickadees eggs in several of the boxes.
Join us next week, May 3 at Big Bear at 8:00 for another great bird walk along that section of the Greenway!
Our April 19, 2017 bird walk was rain, rain, and more rain. Tim Carstens and Sally Sager joined me on this very wet morning. We birded the parking lot until the rain got heavier. I then called the walk off, but I wanted to wait for a break to photograph some pink Silver Bells that were blooming. I got those photos and it began to clear so I checked the bird boxes for Jean. A Carolina Chickadee flew into my face from one. I decided to stick around and look for more birds and ended up with a decent list.
23 Species
Great Blue Heron 1
Green Heron 2
Canada Goose 20 and 6 goslings
Mourning Dove 3
Rock Pigeon 8
Belted Kingfisher 2
Red-bellied WP 2
Blue Jay 4
American Crow 2
Tree Swallow 2
Tufted Titmouse 14
Carolina Chickadee 6
Carolina Wren 5
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 6
American Robin 10
Brown Thrasher 3
Northern Parula 2
Yellow-rumped Warbler 3
N. Cardinal 10
Eastern Towhee 8
Field Sparrow 1
White-throated Sparrow 1
Song Sparrow 2
Thanks to Karen and Tim for the Greenway walks’ bird lists. For those unable to make it to the walks, these lists will continue to be posted throughout the season.
On April 12th eight birders enjoyed excellent bird activity and very active birds. The birders present were Tim Carstens, Barbara Georgen, Tom Flagg, Ned Kraft, Alan Roberts, Jean Hunnicutt, Don Fisher and Marsha Luckzak Highlights of the trip included very large flocks of cedar waxwings, good views of Blue-winged Teal and Red-winged Blackbirds in the wetlands, and a brief but good in-the-open look at the White-eyed Vireo. We had excellent views of in-breeding plumage Palm Warblers in the wetlands and also had looks at Yellow-rumped Warblers and Common Yellow Throats. We heard but did not see Yellow and Yellow throated warblers.
Little Tennessee River Greenway, Macon, North Carolina, US
Apr 12, 2017 8:00 AM – 10:45 AM
Protocol: Traveling
2.0 mile(s)
Comments: Franklin Bird Club trip. Big Bear section of Greenway. Excellent weather and much bird activity.
36 species
Canada Goose X
Mallard X
Blue-winged Teal X
Great Blue Heron X
Turkey Vulture X
Mourning Dove X
Belted Kingfisher X
Red-bellied Woodpecker X
Eastern Phoebe X
White-eyed Vireo X
Blue Jay X
American Crow X
Tree Swallow X
Carolina Chickadee X
Tufted Titmouse X
Carolina Wren X
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher X
Eastern Bluebird X
American Robin X
Gray Catbird X
Brown Thrasher X
Northern Mockingbird X
Cedar Waxwing X
Common Yellowthroat X
Yellow Warbler X
Palm Warbler X
Yellow-rumped Warbler X
Yellow-throated Warbler X
Field Sparrow X
White-throated Sparrow X
Song Sparrow X
Eastern Towhee X
Northern Cardinal X
Red-winged Blackbird X
Brown-headed Cowbird X
American Goldfinch X
Our first bird walk for 2017! Here we go…
On April 5, 2017 eleven enthusiastic birders met at the Library and walked along this stretch of the greenway to find birds present in this area. Tim, Don, Jean, Alan, Tom, Chris and Susan, Marsha, Ginger and Mike joined me. It was cloudy and quite windy, ominous looking, and storms were predicted sometime this morning. However, the birds were singing and active. In the parking lot we got good views of the Tree Swallows and the Rough-winged Swallows, which allowed great opportunities to examine the field marks and learn more about swallows. Heading down the trail, we were using our ears to cue us into what birds were about. Even though the rain did catch up with us and we had to head to the cars cutting across wet fields we found 26 different species. The list for the day was:
Canada Goose 2
Wild Turkey 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 3
Northern Flicker 2
Pileated Woodpecker 2
Eastern Phoebe 1
Blue Jay 5
American Crow 6
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 2
Tree Swallow 4
Carolina Chickadee 6
Tufted Titmouse 3
Carolina Wren 3
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 2
Eastern Bluebird 2
American Robin 1
Northern Mockingbird 1
Chipping Sparrow 1
Field Sparrow 4
White-throated Sparrow 2
Song Sparrow 4
Eastern Towhee 6
Northern Cardinal 3
Brown-headed Cowbird 5
House Finch 5
American Goldfinch 1
Thanks to Tim Carstens for his ebird recording.
Let’s join Tim next Wednesday at Big Bear for our second bird walk this year!