Yesterday my friend and relatively new birder Daryl Owens came up to try to get
some lifebirds from among the migrants passing through our property, and he
wasn't disappointed. In spite of a couple of rain showers we logged 39 species
and Daryl got 3 lifebirds, the Tennessee Warbler, Cape May Warbler and our FOS
Magnolia Warbler. Can you imagine having two lifebirds, the Tennessee and the
Magnolia, sitting in the same bush at the same time within a foot or so of each
other? Other warbler species were Northern Parula, Yellow-throated Warbler,
Black-and-white and Hooded.
Earlier, just after dawn, I had heard the distinct "chink" note of a FOS
Rose-breasted Grosbeak, though I never saw it.
In the neighbor's pasture the resident flock of 11 Wild Turkeys foraged among
the Yellow winged-stem (locally known as Stick Weeds). We could see 4 of the
young "gray" ones that, thanks to Cecelia Mathis of Sparta, NC, we now know is
called "Smoke phase".
We also had a couple of Eastern Wood Pewees and an unidentified Empidonax.
While taking a break for lunch a very large bird suddenly flew past our glass
dining room door. It was the recently arrived juvenile, Great Blue Heron
dropping in to try his/her luck at the yard pond. It concentrated on the fish
and frogs in the pond but as in the past few weeks went away without success.
The pond is too deep for it to wade and the fish go to the bottom and stay
there. There are several farm ponds in the area where I'm sure it is finding
food more accessible.
Following is the day's complete species list.
Roger Mayhorn
Compton Mt
Buchanan County
39 species
Great Blue Heron 1
Wild Turkey 11 (4 smoke phase young)
Turkey Vulture 1
Mourning Dove 5
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 6
Red-bellied Woodpecker 2
Hairy Woodpecker 1m
Northern Flicker 2
Pileated Woodpecker 1
Eastern Wood Pewee 2
Empid sp? 1
Red-eyed Vireo 2
Blue Jay 2
American Crow 1
Carolina Chickadee 2
Tufted Titmouse 2
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
Carolina Wren 3
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 4
Eastern Bluebird 4
American Robin 2
Brown Thrasher 3
European Starling 33
Cedar Waxwing 15
Tennessee Warbler 3
Northern Parula 1
Magnolia Warbler 2 (FOS)
Cape May Warbler 2f
Yellow-throated Warbler 2
Black-and-white Warbler 2
Hooded Warbler 1m
Scarlet Tanager 3 (1m, 2f)
Northern Cardinal 8 (3m, 5f)
Rose-breasted Grosbeak 1 (FOS)
Indigo Bunting 1
Eastern Towhee 5
Song Sparrow 4
House Finch 1f
American Goldfinch 3
