A Snowy Day in Raleigh (and btw we moved)

January 23, 2022January 24, 2022Wood Thrush Leave a comment

It rarely snows in Raleigh, North Carolina. It’s “the south” after all. When we moved here last October from the Pacific Northwest, we received a variety of winter tales from North Carolina locals and transplants. It gets cold. But not too cold. Highs in the 50s. Highs in the 40s. It can freeze at night. 60s sometimes. Rarely snow. No snow. Rains a bit. Honestly, I was just glad to not have to suffer another rainy winter in the Pacific Northwest.*

Our Raleigh winter started off really warm and stayed that way. It was really nice. We saw many 70-degree days in December, and I started to think that sitting on our front porch would be a year-round, daily activity. Winter finally showed up in Raleigh earlier this month, and I grudgingly went into the shed to get my bin of winter outdoor layers. Then, we had a winter storm watch, which materialized into freezing rain. This past weekend, we had another winter storm watch, which materialized into snow.

I love warm weather, but I also love snow. I took many photos of our house and the snow like it had been my first time experiencing snow (I am from Ontario, Canada). Here’s a little snowy slide show of our cute new-to-us house and property! It’s close to downtown Raleigh. It was built in the late 1800s and was in the previous owner’s family since 1907. We love it.

I was surprised we got this much snow! It covered the grass, so I give it 3.5 stars. I went outside post-coffee to take some morning snow shots and made sure my birds had plenty of seed. After stuffing my face with blueberry pancakes, I spent my morning taking photos of the birds stuffing their faces with seed.

Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle subspecies)

Dark-eyed Borb, I mean *Junco* (slate-colored)

I went for a neighbourhood walk and found a **Black-and-white Warbler** a few blocks from our house! This was a fun surprise. I had no idea their winter range extended up into Raleigh. I expected to trigger a rare bird alert on eBird.

Black-and-white Warbler, creeping up and down the trunk of a magnolia tree.

Black-and-white Warbler. Never thought I’d ever see one of these birds alongside SNOW.

And perhaps yes, sitting on our front porch can be a year-round, daily activity, as long as I’m dressed for it. I mean there’s no such thing as “bad” weather right? Just “bad” clothing.

* I do miss the PNW though. I loved living there. I miss my friends and neighbours; the giant doug-firs; topography; and the Varied Thrushes, Bushtits, and American Dippers.

New Yard Bird: Red Crossbill!

May 8, 2021May 10, 2021Wood Thrush Leave a comment

This morning, after I got back from my morning forest run, I noticed movement in the tops of one of the Douglas-fir trees in our backyard. My first thought was “Crossbills!?” My second thought was “No, it cannot be.” The birds were very backlit, but their behaviour (voraciously eating seeds from the doug-fir cones), body size, flock size, and body placement while feeding all pointed to crossbills. I still wasn’t convinced until I finally saw a good outline of a bill, and it was crossed. It was CRISSCROSSED BILL.

Not thinking I’d have any luck at all getting photographs, I spent several minutes warbler-necking it in my backyard and simply watching them feed way up high. I haven’t had a new yard bird in many many months. In fact, I could not remember which number I was at. Apparently I’m now at bird #87.

The crossbills stuck around for more than 30 minutes, and after enjoying them through my bins for awhile, I thought I’d at least try to get a photo, even if it was a crappy photo that simply showed a bird’s silhouette. I actually wasn’t sure if the sighting would trigger a rare bird alert, and photos are always appreciated for those.

So I went inside and took some photos from my upstairs office window, and a few of them are not awful. Oh, and it’s Global Big Day, so this sighting seems fitting 🙂

Red Crossbill (male); Camas, Washington; May 8, 2021.

Red Crossbill (male); Camas, Washington; May 8, 2021. This looks like an immature because of the patchy red-yellow.

Female Red Crossbill; Camas, Washington; May 8, 2021. Or at least I think this is a female. I see some red, so this might be another immature male.

I’m still hoping for my first Bullock’s Oriole to visit my yard. I’ve got grape jelly in a feeder, and I have seen this species w/in 5 miles of my house. Somebody also saw one today in Lacamas Park, which is less than 1 mile from my house. I remain optimistic.

Stay tuned for a post about April birding in the Olympic Peninsula!

Myriad Updates

October 17, 2020May 8, 2021Wood Thrush Leave a comment

With the train wreck of events that are and have been taking place these past several months, I have not been impelled to write or post. So, what brings me back?

I’m a volunteer editor for the Oregon Birding Association, and our fall journal was just published! I include a URL to my blog in my “Letter from the Editor”, so I may have visitors. What do you do when you visit somebody’s blog and they have not updated it in several months? You probably never visit again. So … I wanted to light a small fire under my blog because my blog is about birding and I am still always birding. It’s not like I don’t have content and photos to share. I could probably post daily.

Let’s start with some recent photos. I’m in Ontario, Canada, now visiting my family, so here are some of the highlights from this trip so far : ) Note that this post is a bit “drafty” because I don’t have strong enough WiFi here to slave over this.

Bay-breasted Warbler; Ojibway Park; Windsor, Ontario, Canada; October 2020.

Blue-headed Vireo; Ojibway Park; Windsor, Ontario, Canada; October 2020.

Blackpoll Warblers (I believe); Point Pelee National Park; Ontario, Canada; October 2020.

Blackpoll Warbler (I believe); Point Pelee National Park; Ontario, Canada; October 2020.

Blue Jays; Point Pelee National Park; Ontario, Canada; October 2020.

Cedar Waxwing; Hillman Marsh Conservation Area; Ontario, Canada; October 2020.

Black Oak savannah; Ojibway Prairie Provincial Nature Reserve; Windsor, Ontario; October 2020.

Cooper’s Hawk; my parents’ backyard; Windsor, Ontario, Canada; October 2020.

Eastern Phoebe; Hillman Marsh Conservation Area; Ontario, Canada; October 2020.

European Starlings; Hillman Marsh Conservation Area; Ontario, Canada; October 2020.

Hermit Thrush; Ojibway Prairie Provincial Nature Reserve; Windsor, Ontario, Canada; October 2020.

Monarch butterfly; Point Pelee National Park; Ontario, Canada; October 2020.

Painted turtle; Point Pelee National Park; Ontario, Canada; October 2020.

Point Pelee National Park (from new tower); view facing south; October 2020.

Point Pelee National Park; the tip; Ontario, Canada; October 2020.

Semipalmated Sandpipers; Point Pelee National Park; the tip; Ontario, Canada; October 2020.

Song Sparrow; Point Pelee National Park; the tip; Ontario, Canada; October 2020.

Tufted Titmouse; Ojibway Park; Windsor, Ontario, Canada; October 2020.

White-throated Sparrow; Ojibway Park; Windsor, Ontario, Canada; October 2020.

Quarantine Yard List Tally

May 1, 2020May 1, 2020Wood Thrush 1 Comment

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

The Endless Big Sit

April 26, 2020April 26, 2020Wood Thrush 1 Comment

Our yard continues to yield new “quarantine” bird species almost every day. A few of these have been new yard species, too. We have been at this location for almost 1 year.

Yesterday on the way back from my daily morning coffee walk around my neighborhood, I saw a Chipping Sparrow in our next-door neighbour’s flowering dogwood tree. I slowly walked past the tree and onto our driveway. Chipper was still in the tree! Bam! Yard bird #78! Sadly I have no photograph of Chipper because I don’t bring such luxuries as a camera on my morning coffee walk. I’m fresh out of bed and ~~usually~~ in my PJs.

Last weekend, a new and quite surprising yard bird, a Greater Yellowlegs, flew along Lacamas Creek and wadded around long enough for me to get a few terrible photos from my office window.

Other highlights from this past week included my yard’s second Lincoln’s Sparrow and yard’s first Brown-headed Cowbird.

As of yesterday, my total yard count is at 79 species and my quarantine list is at 58 species.

Here is a photo blog update of some of the birdy highlights, new and old, from our yard over the past week and a half.

White-crowned Sparrow. I *believe* this is the Gambel’s subspecies because of its pale lore. If this is correct, I suspect most of the WCSPs in my yard right now are Gambel’s. Camas, WA. April 2020.

My second yard Lincoln’s Sparrow. Camas, WA. April 2020.

Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon’s), probably a female. **New yard bird #74.** I’ve had little flocks of 12 to 30 pass through our yard this past week. Camas, WA. April 2020.

Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon’s), probably a female. I’ve had little flocks of 12 to 30 pass through our yard this past week. **New yard bird #74.** Camas, WA. April 2020.

Greater Yellowlegs, taken from my office window. **New yard bird #78.** Lacamas Creek. Camas, WA. April 2020.

Steller’s Jay, after sending a pile of American Goldfinches off into the trees. Camas, WA. April 2020.

Brown-headed Cowbird. **New yard bird #77**. Camas, WA. April 2020.

Birding in Place

April 15, 2020April 15, 2020Wood Thrush 2 Comments

Quarantined birding for me isn’t much different from non-quarantined birding. We live on a bluff overlooking a creek, river, and ash-dominated floodplain, and I’ve worked from home full-time, in this location, for nearly 1 year. It’s backyard birding as usual except that now it’s spring, so the migrants are passing through (north [or up]) and the residents are setting up territories and building nests.

My office view of my backyard; April 14, 2020; Camas, WA.

On March 24, 5MR Jen kicked off a yard challenge. This generally means counting birds you see or hear in or from your yard. Because I work from home, this feels like one very long birding point count, but with long, nighttime breaks for sleep and many breaks during the day for cheese and crackers (many).

I’ve been participating in this yard challenge since March 24. My office window faces our backyard and my feeders. During the day, I catch what I can while I’m working. After work, I sit outside and catch the late afternoon/evening bird activity.

As of today, April 14, my yard challenge list since March 24 is 47 species.

Here’s a selection of yard birds that I was able to capture with my pretty basic camera. Check out my YouTube channel for videos of a Varied Thrush and a Fox Sparrow.

White-breasted Nuthatch; Camas, WA; April 2020

Golden-crowned Sparrow; Camas, WA; April 2020

California Scrub-Jay; Camas, WA; April 2020

Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon); Camas, WA; April 2020

Black-capped Chickadee; Camas, WA; April 2020

Chestnut-backed Chickadee; Camas, WA; April 2020

White-crowned Sparrow; Camas, WA; April 2020

Fort Myers, Florida, 2020

February 16, 2020March 15, 2020Wood Thrush Leave a comment

Last month, I put on my snowbird training wheels for the second time and flew to Fort Myers, Florida, to visit my snowbird parents and to, of course, bird. This year’s trip doesn’t necessarily top last year’s trip because last year’s trip resulted in a waterfall of lifers. This year’s trip did involve the following:

Visiting some of my favourite birding spots
Visiting some new birding spots
Complaining about the humidity
Enjoying the ubiquitous serenade of the Northern Mockingbird
Joining the Caloosa Bird Club on a visit to Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge
Joining the local Audubon chapter on a visit to Caloosahatchee Creeks Preserve
Seeing five lifers: Limpkin, Mottled Duck, Magnificent Frigatebird, Monk Parakeet, and Crested Caracara
Spending time with my incredible family, including my nephew

What follows are out-of-order photos of my trip, followed by a link to some birding videos.

Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park, Florida, February 2020.

Caloosahatchee River, North Fort Myers, Florida, February 2020.

Boat-tailed Grackle, Cape Coral, Florida, February 2020.

Full Moon, February 9, 2020. North Fort Myers, Florida.

Green Heron, Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge, Florida, February 2020.

Yellow-throated Warbler, Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge, Florida, February 2020.

Reddish Egret, Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge, Florida, February 2020.

Snowy Egret (background) and a White Ibis (foreground), Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge, Florida, February 2020.

Spotted Sandpiper, Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge, Florida, February 2020.

Little Blue Heron, Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge, Florida, February 2020.

Prairie Warbler, Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge, Florida, February 2020.

Anhinga, Lake County Park, Florida, February 2020.

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Lakes Park, Florida, February 2020.

Limpkin, Harns Marsh, Florida, February 2020.

White Ibis, Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park, Florida, February 2020.

Laughing Gull, Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park, Florida, February 2020.

Little Blue Heron, Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park, Florida, February 2020.

Willet, Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park, Florida, February 2020.

Magnificent Frigatebird, Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park, Florida, February 2020.

Ruddy Turnstones, Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park, Florida, February 2020.

Yellow-crowed Night-heron, Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge, Florida, February 2020.

Blue-winged Teals and American Coots, Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge, Florida, February 2020.

North Fort Myers overlooking the Callosahatchie River, Florida, February 2020.

Kayaking at Marsh Point, North Fort Myers, Florida, February 2020.

Kayaking in the mangroves at Marsh Point, North Fort Myers, Florida, February 2020.

For Florida 2020 birding videos, including one with the Reddish Egret’s serious dance moves, visit my YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/user/lburfitt/videos?view_as=subscriber

Shorebird Confusion at the Coast

February 3, 2020February 13, 2020Wood Thrush Leave a comment

We no longer live 1 hour from the coast. It’s more like 2 hours now, so we have yet to make the trip since we moved north. In late January, we decided to head to Cannon Beach, the birthplace of our PNW love.

We started (birding of course) at Ecola State Park, which was a new stop for both of us. It was mostly be accident. When we entered the town of Cannon Beach, we turned right at some point, then drove down a very long road through an enchanting forest to Ecola State Park.

This park is breathtaking, and I’m happy that it’s the closest part of the coast to our house.

I need to visit the coast more often because my shorebird ID needs some work. Almost every time I see shorebirds, it’s like I’m starting over in bird ID. I guess that keeps things interesting, and I’m glad I have a decent camera that allows me to bring home bird ID homework.

Surfbirds that I originally thought were Black Turnstones.

But there were a few Black Turnstones! They just were not *ALL* BLTUs. Compare this individual’s bill colour to the Surfbird’s in the previous photograph. Eh? The Surfbird’s bill has orange at the base. This guy? All black.

Medley of both Black Turnstones and Surfbirds.

I believe these are mostly Surfbirds taking off because they *lack* the white stripe on their backs (that Black Turnstones have).

Some Surf Scoters getting testy with each other.

Black Oystercatchers looking ridiculous as always

You Down with PPP (Yea You Know Me)

February 2, 2020February 2, 2020Wood Thrush 1 Comment

Go ahead and roll your eyes at me. I’ll give you a few minutes. Don’t run out of eye rolls though, because once I define this marvelous abbreviation for you, you’ll be back at it again.

PPP = the Philomath Poo Ponds, aka the Philomath Sewage Ponds.

Note: Access to these ponds is restricted! You need to have a permit, which is available free of charge from the Philomath Public Works Department.

It’s been several months since I’ve birded the PPP because it’s now more than 2 hours away. But, enter the Willamette Valley Birding Symposium in Corvallis, plus a visit from my birding sister Lindsay, and I’m back down in arguably the best birding area in Oregon (IMHO). The symposium was on the Saturday, and we birded on Sunday. We planned on birding the PPP and Finley, but hitting both in 1 day is difficult when the sun sets at 4:30-ish and you’ve slept in and had a lazy morning birding your AirBNB property.

Views of the Coast Range from the Poo Ponds.

And sometimes, you get a rainbow over the sewage ponds. But … where are all of the birds?

There are six cells (ponds). We found the birds. This cell is boiling over in Northern Shovelers. We counted approximately 930 individual shovelers. No that’s not a typo.

A possible Eurasian x American Wigeon (hybrid)? https://ebird.org/checklist/S63844912

An Eared Grebe with a robust dust ruffle!

The cacophony that is the PPP seed pile. Check out my video here, if only just to hear the juncos and their crazy 80s video game-themed calls.
https://youtu.be/uTbaCbODsZI

This Lincoln Sparrow was a nice highlight at the seed pile.

A White-crowned Sparrow nestled in a small depression. I’m guessing he’s full of seed.

A Northern Harrier flying in for some afternoon preening. See video here:
https://youtu.be/pJ6j_TJBBcU

Alfred the Greater Sage-Grouse at the Willamette Valley Symposium with pals Lindsay and Linda.

The traditional post-symposium beers and burgers at Squirrels in Corvallis.

The Full Dipper Experience

January 19, 2020January 20, 2020Wood Thrush Leave a comment

I ventured out my front door today to find the American Dippers that are regulars, at least for now, above and below the Lower Falls in Lacamas Regional Park.

The streamflow in the creek today was fast, and as soon as I got to the bridge, I found one dipper, dipping and bobbing on a big mossy rock on the side of the creek. The water was rough today, but Dipper took to the air and masterfully dived into the creek and returned to the mossy rock seconds later with a tasty treat. I was close enough today to get a video capturing the full dipper experience (FDE)! It’s short and worth it! Check is out at the following link, especially if you’ve never seen the FDE: https://youtu.be/4VwPwQJws_g