Quarantine Yard List Tally

In light of recent events keeping us at or close to home, starting on March 24, 2020, I started a quarantine yard list as part of a challenge kicked off by 5MR Jen. Even though no cloud of any sort has truly lifted (e.g., we are still staying close to home), that yard challenge ended yesterday, April 30, 2020.

I ended with 62 species of birds on my quarantine yard list and a total ongoing yard count of 80 species. I even managed to summon a Western Tanager yesterday morning, species #80 for my yard and my final species for this yard challenge! I found it in the lower part of the canopy in one of our Doug-fir trees.

This was a rewarding time of the year to participate in this challenge because bird species are coming and going. During this window of time, I said goodbye to the Dark-eyed Juncos and Varied Thrushes and hello to the Black-headed Grosbeaks, Ospreys, and Yellow-rumped Warblers.

What follows are some yard bird photos from this final week. My quarantine yard list is at the end of this blog post. The ongoing yard list continues though! And May 9 is the eBird Global Big Day!

Chipping Sparrow. Camas, WA. April 2020.
I couldn’t help but shoot a video of this individual: https://youtu.be/zV_xhGGjVFw

Anna’s Hummingbird. Camas, WA. April 2020.

Rufous Hummingbird. Camas, WA. April 2020.

Black-headed Grosbeak. Camas, WA. April 2020.

American Goldfinches and Pine Siskins. Camas, WA. April 2020.
American Goldfinches dominated my yard on the last day.
https://youtu.be/3dix7ykXzBo

Red-breasted Sapsucker. Camas, WA. April 2020.

Spotted Sandpiper. Lacamas Creek. Camas, WA. April 2020. Note: this photo was taken off of our property but looking up toward our property. I have seen (and heard) this species from our yard a handful of times these past couple of weeks, but I was able to get a much better photo from down below.
And how could I not shoot a video: https://youtu.be/08bZC_6fsVU

Quarantine Yard List March 24–April 30, 2020

#	Species Name (taxonomic order)
1	Canada Goose – Branta canadensis
2	Wood Duck – Aix sponsa
3	Hooded Merganser – Lophodytes cucullatus
4	Mallard – Anas platyrhynchos
5	Common Merganser – Mergus merganser
6	Mourning Dove – Zenaida macroura
7	Vaux’s Swift – Chaetura vauxi
8	Anna’s Hummingbird – Calypte anna
9	Rufous Hummingbird – Selasphorus rufus
10	Spotted Sandpiper – Actitis macularius
11	Greater Yellowlegs – Tringa melanoleuca
12	Double-crested Cormorant – Phalacrocorax auritus
13	Great Blue Heron – Ardea herodias
14	Turkey Vulture – Cathartes aura
15	Osprey – Pandion haliaetus
16	Bald Eagle – Haliaeetus leucocephalus
17	Great Horned Owl – Bubo virginianus
18	Red-tailed Hawk – Buteo jamaicensis
19	Belted Kingfisher – Megaceryle alcyon
20	Red-breasted Sapsucker – Sphyrapicus ruber
21	Downy Woodpecker – Dryobates pubescens
22	Hairy Woodpecker – Dryobates villosus
23	Northern Flicker – Colaptes auratus
24	Steller’s Jay – Cyanocitta stelleri
25	California Scrub-Jay – Aphelocoma californica
26	American Crow – Corvus brachyrhynchos
27	Black-capped Chickadee – Poecile atricapillus
28	Chestnut-backed Chickadee – Poecile rufescens
29	Tree Swallow – Tachycineta bicolor
30	Violet-green Swallow – Tachycineta thalassina
31	Bushtit – Psaltriparus minimus
32	Ruby-crowned Kinglet – Regulus calendula
33	Red-breasted Nuthatch – Sitta canadensis
34	White-breasted Nuthatch – Sitta carolinensis
35	Brown Creeper – Certhia americana
36	Pacific Wren – Troglodytes pacificus
37	Bewick’s Wren – Thryomanes bewickii
38	European Starling – Sturnus vulgaris
39	Varied Thrush – Ixoreus naevius
40	American Robin – Turdus migratorius
41	House Sparrow – Passer domesticus
42	House Finch – Haemorhous mexicanus
43	Purple Finch – Haemorhous purpureus
44	Pine Siskin – Spinus pinus
45	Lesser Goldfinch – Spinus psaltria
46	American Goldfinch – Spinus tristis
47	Chipping Sparrow – Spizella passerina
48	Fox Sparrow – Passerella iliaca
49	Dark-eyed Junco – Junco hyemalis
50	White-crowned Sparrow – Zonotrichia leucophrys
51	Golden-crowned Sparrow – Zonotrichia atricapilla
52	Song Sparrow – Melospiza melodia
53	Lincoln’s Sparrow – Melospiza lincolnii
54	Spotted Towhee – Pipilo maculatus
55	Red-winged Blackbird – Agelaius phoeniceus
56	Brown-headed Cowbird – Molothrus ater
57	Orange-crowned Warbler – Leiothlypis celata
58	Common Yellowthroat – Geothlypis trichas
59	Yellow-rumped Warbler – Setophaga coronata
60	Townsend’s Warbler – Setophaga townsendi
61	Western Tanager – Piranga ludoviciana
62	Black-headed Grosbeak – Pheucticus melanocephalus