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Spring 2011
Hannah Suthers
Again, the one-word summary of spring was 'early'. The vernal
puddles were iced over on March 3, but on 6 March there were hundreds
of Wood Frog egg masses. Spotted Salamander spermatophores appeared on
March 7, egg masses on March 10, along with singing Spring Peepers,
compared with March 18 last year. Heavy rain on March 10 was followed
by snow, sleet, rain, on April 1, then 60ยบ on April 3. The spring
ephemeral wildflowers started their succession of bloom on April 14. A
Cabbage White Butterfly was seen on April 20, a Spring Azure on April
24, Tiger Swallowtail on 6 May. A brown bat was over the puddles on
April 24. Green Frogs appeared on April 27.
By mid-March large, mixed flocks of blackbirds were coming through.
The resident and temperate migrant breeding birds started nesting
early. The Neotropical migrants were a few days early, but again
appearing after early bud-break was well underway. Fourteen species of
Warblers appeared on May 5. Bird species lists at the Featherbed Lane
Bird Banding Station were large, expanding from 30 species in March,
to 69 species by April 30, 59 species on our Birdathon day May 14,
accumulating 84 species in May and 99 species over the three months.
The groups are: 3 remaining Overwinter, 28 Residents, 24 Temperate
Migratory Breeders, 19 Neotropical Passage Migrants, and 25
Neotropical Breeding Migrants. Arrival/sighting dates are as follows:
Great Blue Heron | frog pond, April |
Turkey and Black Vulture | roost dispersed in March |
Northern Harrier | male March 29 |
Sharp-shinned Hawk | March 1, (pair) April 7 |
Cooper's Hawk | May 3 |
Red-shouldered Hawk | (pair) April 7, (1) April 30, May 19, 20 |
Red-tailed Hawk | throughout |
Wood Duck | lost duckling on May 14 |
Wild Turkey | April 23 |
American Woodcock | March 4, increasing to 8 |
Eastern Screech Owl | March 1, May 22 |
Woodpeckers: Red-bellied, Downy, Hairy, | |
Flicker, Pileated | throughout |
Willow Flycatcher | April 27, May 28 |
Eastern Phoebe | May 5, nest material May 9 |
Great-crested Flycatcher | April 30 throughout |
Eastern Kingbird | May 14 (nearby hayfields) |
Chimney Swifts | (3) in old tree May 5, 14 |
N. Rough-winged Swallows | May 5 |
Barn Swallows appeared | April 11 increasing to 5 pair |
Tree Swallow nest | April 24 |
Black-capped Chickadee | through April |
Carolina Chickadee | throughout |
Hybrid Chickadee | nest May 3, food May 14 |
White-breasted Nuthatch | nest May 9, food May 30 |
Carolina Wren | 1 (5 singing males in 2010) |
House Wren | April 20 throughout |
Ruby-crowned Kinglet | April 10 |
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher | May 1, building nest May 3 |
E. Bluebird | nesting May 3 |
Veery | May 5 |
Swainson's Thrush | May 8 |
Hermit Thrush | April 21, 22 |
Wood Thrush | April 27 |
American Robin | throughout |
Gray Catbird | April 24 |
N. Mockingbird | throughout |
Brown Thrasher | May 14 |
Cedar Waxwing | (6) April 20 |
European Starling | throughout |
White-eyed vireo | May 3 |
Yellow-throated Vireo | May 7, 28, 29 |
Philadelphia Vireo | April 10 |
Red-eyed Vireo | May 3 |
Black-and-white Warbler | May 14 |
Blue-winged Warbler | April 30 |
Nashville Warbler | May 5 |
Northern Parula | May 5 |
Yellow Warbler | April 20 |
Magnolia Warbler | May 22 |
Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warbler | last seen May 5 |
Black-throated Green Warbler | May 5 |
Black-throated Blue Warbler | May 5 |
Blackburnian Warbler | May 5 |
Chestnut-sided Warbler | May 5, 14 |
Bay-breasted Warbler | May 5 |
Blackpoll Warbler | May 6, 14, 21 |
Pine Warbler | April 5 |
Prairie Warbler | May 22, 29 |
Ovenbird | April 24 |
Louisiana Waterthrush | May 5 |
Northern Waterthrush | May 22 |
Common Yellowthroat | April 24 |
American Redstart | May 5, 14, 22 |
Scarlet Tanager pair | April 26 |
Northern Cardinal | throughout |
Rose-breasted Grosbeak | April 26 |
Indigo Bunting | May 5, 14, 22, 29 |
Rufous-sided Towhee | April 8 |
Chipping Sparrow | April 6 |
Field Sparrow | April 8 |
Fox Sparrow | April 3 |
Song Sparrow | throughout |
White-throated Sparrow | last seen April 25 |
Slate-colored Junco | last seen April 25 |
Common Grackle | March 15, large flocks |
Brown-headed Cowbird | March 19 |
Red-winged Blackbird | flock March 15 |
Rusty Blackbird | (150) March 15, (1) March 17 |
Bobolinks | May 9, 14, (nearby hayfields) |
Baltimore Oriole | April 28 |
Purple Finch | last seen April 22 |
House Finch | throughout |
American Goldfinch | throughout |
House Sparrow | throughout |
Hannah Suthers and the Featherbed Lane Banding Station Crew
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