lifers

Highlights

Posted on Monday, 13 May 2013 by The Birding Bunch

Psalm 4:
4 Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.
5 Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the Lord.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It’s the birdiest time of year and I cannot keep up!

As of this writing, I have two posts scheduled out and am so very behind on editing photos. I want to do that dreaded task of uploading our photos online for prints. I just learned our bird photo albums have not been updated since November.  Today, I will share a few highlights and I may not be as regular with posting for the next few days.

If you wish to look at our year list, you’ll see our latest birds.  Some are pretty neat, I think.  I still need to get a couple of birds added, but need to have them confirmed.

For my blogging friend in California… We have one of your birds here!  Maybe we can send some of ours your way, just look for the white throat.

A special Butterbutt-
Audubon’s Warbler

We’ve seen a Black-crowned Night-heron (Now what would this Alpha code look like? I’ll find out later), Lark Sparrow, Cape May Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler… The Bobolinks, Baltimore Orioles (five of them), Dickcissels, Red-headed Woodpeckers have returned to the yard. Oh, one of our poor birds has a LISP, the Lincoln’s Sparrow. People say these are not feeder birds… well, I don’t believe that! We have a nice sized group here.

The Kestrels seem finally settled and we’ve seen one Kestrel bringing food to the one in the box. For some reason, they’ve allowed Meadowlarks, Red-winged Blackbirds and Grackles to perch on their box. This seems odd, but I wonder if the one on the nest doesn’t bother with it as it would require getting off the eggs.  A couple of hapless Starlings were flying about the box, but seemed terribly afraid to land. They left.

Thursday, we had a great evening of birding. In one and a half hours, we saw 48 species, all within a mile of home. We left as soon as the rain slowed to a drizzle. (We got 3 1/4 inches that day.) The flooding pasture gave us a new yard bird, Blue-winged Teal.

Saturday, was the once a month field trip and we reached a personal high count for the day. 86 species. I hope to create a page for this list.

What is missing so far is our Ruby-throated Hummingbird. We set out nectar hearing of early reports. Soon, soon…

Sadly, the Ring-necked Pheasants are rebounding and we know what that means… :(   We hear a couple of the males from our house.  Others are seeing them around Iowa as well.

Categories: alpha codes, anti-hunting, bird rarities, di shpatza, lifers, raptors

There’s No Such Bird

Posted on Tuesday, 30 April 2013 by The Birding Bunch

Proverbs 20:
5 Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water; but a man of understanding will draw it out.
6 Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find?
~~~~~~~~~~~
Look in the index in any field guide and you will not find one single “Seagull”.  Even Wikipedia redirects you to Gull.   I am sure it is a habit for some of you, but just kick that habit to the nearest compost pile.  :)

Today’s gull is often known as a prairie gull.  It’s name is Frank.    Franklin’s Gull to be exact.


“Frank” is quite pretty with a pale, rosy coloured breast.  This will fade as the breeding season progresses.  These gulls nest in colonies in marshy areas and along inland lakes.   Before no-till farming became the norm, these gulls would follow the tractors around as they plowed up the soil and exposed many tasty morsels.

Bird facts from All About Birds

Categories: lifers

Bugeater

Posted on Monday, 29 April 2013 by The Birding Bunch

Romans 8:
26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

This was amazing.  We saw this bird for the first time near Mosquito Creek Sunday evening. Yesterday (23 April), this bird decided to grace our pasture with its presence.   What an amazing day it was.  That is when we had birds #99 and #100 come to our yard.  You saw bird one hundred already, the Purple Finch.  This was #99.

This is a cool hawk.  The main portion of its diet is grasshoppers.  During breeding season, they will eat other things, but overall they are great to have around for gardeners.  We could have used one here last year. :)   Because they mainly eat bugs, they need to migrate to find their favored foods, going all the way to Argentina. Sadly, the use of pesticide there is causing many of these birds to starve.

Bird facts from All About Birds.

Categories: lifers, raptors

A Little Ice Won’t Stop Us

Posted on Saturday, 27 April 2013 by The Birding Bunch

Psalm 24:
1 The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.
2 For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We went to visit some friends in the Sunflower State.  Based on the weather forecasts we were expecting a lot of thunder and maybe some tornadoes.   Well, weather changes.  By the time we got there it was rather cool.  There was some thunder that evening, but nothing to really give me the nerves.  And the rain turned to ice overnight.

The next morning, it was slick, but that was not going to keep us from gaining a life bird.  :O Actually, we had a couple of places to stop and our short period of birding was a minor detour.  :)

This was the only picture I took of the ice . Maybe they received a total of 1/4 to 1/2 inch, so travel on the gravel roads was not too hazardous.

And here is our life bird…

Do you see that?! We briefly saw two of these monkey-faced beauties.  Ah, well.  The bird has a number, even if the photo is not really identifiable.  Here is a link to a nicer looking Barn Owl.

Categories: lifers, raptors

2012 Bird List

Posted on Monday, 31 December 2012 by The Birding Bunch

I had been keeping a list of all the birds we saw in 2012. Maybe some of you checked it out periodically?  Now that the sun is down, no more can be added.   I will be removing the page, and start a 2013 list tomorrow.   For those who might be curious… the last bird seen on our property in 2012 was a female Northern Cardinal.  She just may be one of the first tomorrow.

Some of you may notice our list will not meet ABA standards.  The one rule I first learned about bird lists, it’s your list, your rules.   There are times when you must meet certain standards, such as the American Birding Association’s, but for our personal list, we do count subspecies.  If it is a separate entity in the field guides, we’ll give it a place on our list.

  1. Blue Jay- 1 Jan.
  2. Slate-colored Junco- 1 Jan.
  3. House Sparrow-1 Jan.
  4. American Tree Sparrow-1 Jan.
  5. Northern Flicker- 1 Jan.
  6. Downy Woodpecker- 1 Jan.
  7. House Finch-2 Jan.
  8. Hairy Woodpecker-2 Jan
  9. Red-bellied Woodpecker- 2 Jan.
  10. European Starlings- 2 Jan.
  11. American Kestrel-2 Jan.
  12. Rock Dove- 2 Jan.
  13. American Crow-2 Jan.
  14. Red-tailed Hawk -2 Jan.
  15. Ring-billed Gull- 2 Jan.
  16. Bald Eagle- 2 Jan.
  17. Canada Goose- 2 Jan.
  18. Mallard- 2 Jan.
  19. White-breasted Nuthatch- 2 Jan.
  20. American Goldfinch- 3 Jan.
  21. Northern Harrier- 3 Jan.
  22. Oregon Junco -4 Jan
  23. Cackling Goose- 5 Jan. (Lifer)
  24. Cooper’s Hawk- 6 Jan.
  25. Mourning Dove- 6 Jan.
  26. Great-horned Owl -7 Jan.
  27. Northern Cardinal – 8 January
  28. Northern Shrike- 12 January
  29. American Crow -13 Jan
  30. Black-capped Chickadee -14 Jan
  31. White-throated Sparrow -14 Jan
  32.  Tufted Titmouse-14 January
  33. American Robin 31 Jan
  34. Western Meadowlark-31 Jan
  35. Red-winged Blackbird-31 Jan.
  36. Common Grackle-2 Febr
  37. Horned Lark- 7 Febr (Lifer)
  38. Snowy Owl – 7 Febr. (Lifer)
  39. Wild Turkey- 11 Febr.
  40. Tundra Swan -16 Febr (Lifer)
  41. Greater White-fronted Goose 17 Feb.
  42. White-crowned Sparrow- 17 Feb
  43. Red-headed Woodpecker-17 Feb
  44. Snow Goose-17 Feb
  45. Purple Finch-18 Feb
  46. Red-shouldered Hawk- 18 Feb (Lifer)
  47. Trumpeter Swan-25 Feb (Lifer)
  48. Killdeer- 28 Feb.
  49. Common Redpoll-4 March (Lifer)
  50. Eastern Meadowlark – 7 March
  51. Brown-headed Cowbird – 7 March
  52. Rusty Blackbird-7 March (Lifer)
  53. Fox Sparrow- 10 March (Lifer)
  54. American Pelican-10 March
  55. Common Goldeneye-  10 March (Lifer)
  56. Ruddy Duck -10 March
  57. Ring-necked Duck-10 March (Lifer)
  58. Golden Eagle -10 March (Lifer)
  59. Northern Shoveler-10 March
  60. Redhead 10 March (lifer)
  61. Bufflehead 10 March (Lifer)
  62. Hooded Merganser 10 March (Lifer)
  63. Common Merganser 10 March (Lifer)
  64. Gadwall 10 March (Lifer)
  65. Herring Gull 10 March (Lifer)
  66. Eastern Bluebird 10 March
  67. Blue Goose/ Dark Morph Snow Goose-10 March (Lifer)
  68. Eastern Phoebe 10 March
  69. Green-winged Teal -10 March (Lifer)
  70. Blue-winged Teal-10 March
  71. Northern Pintail -10 March (Lifer)
  72. Harris’s Sparrow- 14 March
  73. Song Sparrow- 15 March
  74. Great Blue Heron – 15 March
  75. Turkey Vulture- 17 March
  76. American Coot- 17 March
  77. Golden-crowned Kinglet – 23 March (Lifer)
  78. Brown Creeper- 26 March (Lifer)
  79. Chipping Sparrow- 31 March
  80. Eurasian Collared Dove- 31 March
  81. Lesser Scaup- 31 March
  82. Brown Thrasher-6 April
  83. Barn Swallow-6 April
  84. Swamp Sparrow- 10 April
  85. Tree Swallow- 14 April
  86. Wilson’s Snipe-14 April (Lifer)
  87. Greater Yellowlegs -14 April (Lifer)
  88. Lesser Yellowlegs -14 April (Lifer)
  89. Peregrine Falcon- 14 April (Lifer)
  90. Pectoral Sandpiper-14 April
  91. Ring-necked Pheasant-14 April
  92. Pied-billed Grebe- 14 April
  93. Belted Kingfisher-14 April
  94. Yellow-headed Blackbird- 14 April (Lifer)
  95. Double-crested Cormorant-14 April
  96. Great-tailed Grackle- 14 April (Lifer)
  97. Sandhill Crane- 14 April (Lifer)
  98. Field Sparrow- 14 April (Lifer)
  99. Wood Duck-15 April
  100. Myrtle Warbler AKA Butterbutt- 19 April
  101. Cliff Swallow- 19 April
  102. Northern Rough-winged Swallow- 19 April (Lifer)
  103. Ruby-crowned Kinglet- 26 April 2012
  104. Spotted Sandpiper- 26 April 2012
  105. Semipalmated Plover-26 April 2012 (lifer)
  106. Clay-colored Sparrow- 2 May (lifer)
  107. Bobolink- 3 May
  108. Dickcissel- 4 May
  109. Eastern Kingbird- 5 May
  110. Common Yellowthroat 6 May
  111. Rose-breasted Grosbeak-6 May
  112. Palm Warbler-6 May (Lifer)
  113. Swainson’s Thrush- 6 May (Lifer)
  114. Upland Sandpiper- 7 May (Lifer)
  115. Great Egret- 7 May (Lifer)
  116. Yellow Warbler- 10 May (Lifer)
  117. Tennessee Warbler-11 May (Lifer)
  118. Ruby-throated Hummingbird -11 May
  119. Baltimore Oriole- 12 May
  120. Sora- 12 May (Lifer)
  121. Solitary Sandpiper- 15 May (Lifer)
  122. Indigo Bunting- 15 May
  123. House Wren -16 May
  124. Bank Swallow- 18 May (Lifer)
  125.  Black-bellied Plover- 19 May (Lifer)
  126. Northern Mockingbird-19 May (Lifer)
  127. Osprey- 19 May
  128. Purple Martins -19 May
  129. Dunlin- 22 May (lifer)
  130. Orchard Oriole- 28 May
  131. Eurasian Tree Sparrow- 2 June (Lifer)
  132. Chimney Swift – 2 June
  133. Gray Catbird- 2 June
  134. Willow Flycatcher- 2 June
  135. Yellow-breasted Chat – 9 June (Lifer)
  136. Cedar Waxwing- 9 June
  137. Yellow-billed Cuckoo – 9 June
  138. Eastern Wood-pewee- 9 June
  139. Vesper Sparrow- 7 July
  140. Northern Bobwhite- 10 July (Lifer)
  141. Sedge Wren- 11 July
  142. Grasshopper Sparrow- 23 July (Lifer)
  143. Carolina Wren – 11 August  (Lifer)
  144. Red-eyed Vireo- 11 August
  145. Warbling Vireo- 11 August (Lifer)
  146. American Redstart- 11 August  (Lifer)
  147. Least Sandpiper- 11 August
  148. Short-billed Dowitcher- 11 August (Lifer)
  149. Least Flycatcher- 25 August (Lifer)
  150. Black and White Warbler- 1 September (lifer)
  151. Common Nighthawk – 2 September (Lifer)
  152. Lincoln’s Sparrow- 4 September
  153. Roseate Spoonbill- 8 September (Lifer)
  154. Buff-breasted Sandpiper- 8 September (Lifer)
  155. Semipalmated Sandpiper- 8 September
  156. Caspian Tern – 8 September
  157. Henslow’s Sparrow- 12 September (lifer)
  158. Merlin- 14 September (lifer)
  159. Red-breasted Nuthatch- 15 September
  160. Nashville Warbler- 19 September (Lifer)
  161. Orange-crowned Warbler- 19 September (lifer)
  162. Savannah Sparrow- 21 September (lifer)
  163. Eastern Towhee- 22 September
  164. Hermit Thrush- 12 October (lifer)
  165. Le Conte’s Sparrow-  28 October (lifer)
  166. Pine Siskin-  29 October (lifer)
  167. Pileated Woodpecker- 9 November
  168. Sharp-shinned Hawk
  169. Red-breasted Merganser (lifer)
  170. Snow Bunting (lifer)
  171. Rough-legged Hawk (lifer)
Categories: di fekkel, lifers

Waves

Posted on Wednesday, 14 November 2012 by The Birding Bunch

Job 38:
22 Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow? or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail,
23 Which I have reserved against the time of trouble, against the day of battle and war?
~~~~~~~~~~

Do you see anything here?  We’re looking for birds.

I’m a hungry seed-eating bird.

Nope?
Well, how about this one?

We’re over here!!

Still nope? Try another…

I’m out in the open… Don’t you see me?

Well…

It’s time to go, they never saw us.

These are some cool birds and weren’t they so well camouflaged? (Probably the easiest to spot bird (Other than those in flight) was right in the center of the second photo.  Did you see its head poking up? A couple more were near the top left. )

The Snow Buntings (AKA Snowflakes) are a seed eating bird that will find seeds in the strangest places. In the book, Birds Every Child Should Know, the author states, “Delighting in icy blasts and snow storms, flocks of these irrepressibly cheerful little foragers fatten on a seed diet picked up where other birds would starve.”

Here we saw them right along the water’s edge.  When the temps turn cold, they move away from the water and into the fields. Then when the snow covers the fields, they make their way to the gravel roads to forage on what happens to be found there. They will not be found near any trees, but out in the barren country.

Here’s a much closer picture for you all.

We braved the wind and mighty cockleburs at the Saylorville Lake to see these birds. Yes, it was worth it. :D

Categories: bird facts, lifers

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