Friday, March 05, 2010

Need Help with Bird ID



Our son, Andrew, who lives in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, sent me this bird photo. He couldn't find it in his bird book. Anybody have any ideas? You can get an idea of the general size of the bird as it is standing on the ground near their garden hose.

Wednesday, March 03, 2010

24 Birds in 24 hours

I have been trying since December to observe 20 bird species in one day in my backyard. I keep a checklist on the frig, and tick them off as I see them each day. Many times I've seen 17 or 18 per day, and more than once I've seen 20 in a weekend. But today I saw 24 different species in the backyard! Of course, it is migration season, so that's why I'm seeing so many different ones. The only ID I was a bit uncertain of was the Bewick's Wren. I also saw a Carolina Wren, but I'm not sure if I know the difference between Bewick's Wren and House Wren. Here's my list (which I'm keeping on Birdstack):
1. Chipping Sparrow
2. Bewick's Wren
3. Brewer's Blackbird
4. Common Starling
5. Common Grackle
6. House Sparrow
7. Brown-headed Cowbird
8. American Robin
9. American Goldfinch
10. Cedar Waxwing
11. Ruby-crowned Kinglet
12. Carolina Wren
13. Carolina Chickadee
14. Blue Jay
15. Downy Woodpecker
16. Tufted Titmouse
17. Field Sparrow
18. Red-bellied Woodpecker
19. Dark-eyed Junco
20. Yellow-rumped Warbler
21. Mourning Dove
22. House Finch
23. Northern Cardinal
24. American Crow


Apparently I have not enough to do. And spend too much money on bird seed!

Sunday, February 28, 2010

Birdstack: +1


I identified a new bird yesterday on the way home from a pleasant 24-hour stay in Granbury. It was a ring-necked duck, though I did not see a ring around its neck. (I guess the same guy who named the red-bellied woodpecker named this bird too.:-) Not a rare bird, but a new one for my life list. There was another duck species in this particular pond, but I was unable to ID it.

This morning I saw an Inca Dove in my back yard. I bet that is a sign that spring is coming. I keep hoping to get up to 20 species in my back yard in a single day. Many times I've hit 17 or 18, and a few combined weekend totals were up to 20, but I'm trying for 20 in one day.