Science Pipes Winner!

Here is the winner's page for Science Pipes!

Guess who won the Community Choice Award!!!

Anyway, if you are wondering, I'm doing fine. I'll post a few pictures soon.

Southern Illinois!

Yeah, I'm finally in Southern Illinois! It's pretty cool out here! Anyway, just walked ALOT in the woods today, I'm in a rural area next to fields and bottomlands. I'm not going to eBird however, because someone living here already does it. Anyway, all the birds I saw/heard today (no order):

Henslow's Sparrow (this is actually a new lifer for me!!!)
Northern Parula
Bobwhite
Brown-headed Cowbird
Northern Cardinal
Field Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird
American Crow
Fish Crow
Mourning Dove
Eastern Phoebe
Eastern Bluebird
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Canada Goose
Chipping Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Eastern Towhee
Blue Jay
Wild Turkey
Prothonotary Warbler
Louisiana Waterthrush
Red-shouldered Hawk
Turkey Vulture
Carolina Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse

Science Pipes Again, Bird Video

First of all, yay! My Science Pipes are doing well, three of mine made it to the final eight!

Vote!

Second, here is a video. You can't see any field marks on the bird, but can you tell what it is by voice and behavior?

First Songbird Nests of the Year

Woohoo! I haven't gone to my job yet, but I'm already looking for nests to warm up. A few days ago I found an active Blue Jay nest, but it seems to have been abandoned.

Today, I found a couple more active nests though! I know it's frowned upon to take pictures of nests, but I just had too...

Morning Dove Nest, female incubating:


Northern Cardinal Nest, I flushed the female from a brushpile while walking down the road:

In the Yard Today, First Butterflies

I saw two butterflies out and about today! A Cabbage White and a Mourning Cloak!


I did two bird counts today, one at 11:00am and one at 5:50pm, to compare and contrast:

11:00am:
1 Red-tailed Hawk
1 Red-bellied Woodpecker
1 Black-capped Chickadee
1 Tufted Titmouse
1 White-breasted Nuthatch
1 Eastern Bluebird
2 American Robin
1 Song Sparrow
1 White-throated Sparrow
1 Red-winged Blackbird
1 American Goldfinch
2 House Sparrow


5:50pm:
1 Red-tailed Hawk
1 Mourning Dove
2 Blue Jay
1 American Crow
4 swallow sp.
1 White-breasted Nuthatch
2 American Robin
1 Song Sparrow
1 Dark-eyed Junco
1 Northern Cardinal
3 Red-winged Blackbird
1 Common Grackle
2 American Goldfinch

I had to report swallow sp. because they were really high, I wasn't able to focus on them well. They were calling, but I couldn't match it, they for sure were not chimney swifts, I know what those sound like. I got the gizz of Tree Swallow, but I wasn't sure enough to report them as such.

Blue Jays Nest Building

This morning during bird count, I caught a Blue Jay nest building in a white pine tree in the backyard.

Anyway, what's was in or near the yard today:

Morning Dove- 2
American Robin- 3
Downy Woodpecker- 1
Red-winged Blackbird- 3 (I saw a female today)
Black-capped Chickadee- 1
Song Sparrow- 2
Sandhill Crane- 2
White-breasted Nuthatch- 1
Northern Cardinal- 2
Chipping Sparrow- 2
Brown-headed Cowbird- 6 (males courting females)
Mallard- 3 (flew overhead)
Blue Jay- 2 (nest building)
American Goldfinch- 3
Killdeer- 1
House Sparrow- 1
Canada Goose- 2

Easter Goose Nest

Happy Easter! I was at my cousin's house at Easter, with lots of kids. Basically they were messing around near a pond and came and showed me some eggs. Canada Goose eggs to be more specific. The mother goose wasn't too far away, I really hope the kids don't decide to mess with it more. I took a quick picture:

Suspicious Bird Activity, What's in the Yard Today

It's been really warm the last couple of days with highs near 80F. Lots of bird activity, including semi-suspicious activity. A pair of Mourning Doves are messing around in the White Pines in the back of the house. And a pair of Tufted Titmice were hanging around the outside dog (gathering hair?)

Anyway, what's in the yard today, I submitted this to ebird and just copied the list, the number of individuals is now in front of the names, and the names are in taxonomic order now:

2 Canada Goose
1 Red-tailed Hawk
1 Sandhill Crane
2 Mourning Dove
1 Red-bellied Woodpecker
1 Blue Jay
1 American Crow
2 Black-capped Chickadee
2 Tufted Titmouse
1 White-breasted Nuthatch
2 American Robin
3 Song Sparrow
1 Dark-eyed Junco
1 Northern Cardinal
2 Red-winged Blackbird
1 Brown-headed Cowbird