Project FeederWatch - Week 14

Nothing terribly exciting or truly notable to report for this week's observance for Project FeederWatch. Most noteworthy aspect of today's watch was the somewhat sizable numbers of the Northern Cardinal (5), Tufted Titmouse (7) and the always noisy, feisty and aggressive House Finch (12). Still hoping one day one of those wily, elusive and nomadic winter finches will come along (ie Common Redpoll, Pine Siskin or White-winged Crossbill), but I don't hold out much hope. As always, below is the full list of my time spent admiring the local birds. Happy birding everyone!!

Mourning Dove	2
Downy Woodpecker	2
Hairy Woodpecker	2
Blue Jay	2
Black-capped Chickadee	6
Tufted Titmouse	7
Red-breasted Nuthatch	1
White-breasted Nuthatch	1
White-throated Sparrow	1
Dark-eyed Junco	5
Northern Cardinal	5
House Finch	12
American Goldfinch	3

Project FeederWatch - Week 9

Gonna be short with this week's observance for Project FeederWatch. As expected, all the usual suspects, nothing terribly unusual or uncommon. Highlights being as follows: 8 Northern Cardinals (all couples), the high number showing up at dusk; a good group of 16 House Finches causing a ruckus; 2 Carolina Wrens going back and forth between the front and back yards; the European Starling that showed up last week was present again at the suet feeder; and 2 faves of mine, that being 1 gorgeous male Red-bellied Woodpecker and the lone, ever-present Red-breasted Nuthatch! Below is the full listing, happy birding everyone!!

Mourning Dove	4
Red-bellied Woodpecker	1
Downy Woodpecker	2
Hairy Woodpecker	1
Blue Jay	4
Black-capped Chickadee	6
Tufted Titmouse	5
Red-breasted Nuthatch	1
White-breasted Nuthatch	1
Carolina Wren	2
European Starling	1
White-throated Sparrow	1
Dark-eyed Junco	2
Northern Cardinal	8
House Finch	16
American Goldfinch	5

Project FeederWatch - Week 6 (12/26/2010)

During the beginning stages and the prelude to this holiday weekend's big snowstorm/blizzard (or as the media calls it: "The Blizzard of 2010"), I continued my participation with Project FeederWatch. And it surely was not disappointing. The birds knew something big was going down, for they were everywhere and in good numbers! And as soon as it started to snow steadily and the winds picked up some, they hunkered down and the activity dropped off dramatically late in the afternoon!


6 Northern Cardinals (4 males, 2 females) were around all day long; 9 Dark-eyed Juncos were meandering around the bushes on the ground, trying to dig up goodness with their feet; 13 Mourning Doves flew in together, again scaring all the other diners off; a gorgeous Red-bellied Woodpecker (mature male) scared off a pair of Blue Jays out front so he could get at the suet cakes; and most notably, 3 Purple Finches and a good grouping of 16 House Finches kept all other comers at bay for the privilege of eating at the main tube feeder full of sunflower seeds.


All in all, quite pleased with yesterday's observance of 16 bird species, totaling 77 birds altogether. As always, the full listing is below.....happy birding everyone and good luck digging out from this storm....we had 12 inches here in Littleton, and I know many other places got much more!

Mourning Dove	13
Red-bellied Woodpecker	1
Downy Woodpecker	1
Hairy Woodpecker	1
Blue Jay	5
Black-capped Chickadee	5
Tufted Titmouse	5
White-breasted Nuthatch	2
Carolina Wren	1
American Robin	1
White-throated Sparrow	3
Dark-eyed Junco	9
Northern Cardinal	6
Purple Finch	3
House Finch	16
American Goldfinch	5

Project FeederWatch - Week 5

Today in Week 5 of my participation in the 2010-2011 Project FeederWatch program featured the highest number of birds seen at any one time during the course of my observance today, that being 46 total birds compared to 43 from last weekend. The pair of boisterous and wicked cutesy (yes, I said cutesy) Carolina Wrens showed up today, eating all 3 varieties of birdy-goodness available (the black sunflower seeds in the main tube feeder; the suet cakes and Nyjer from the Nyjer seed tube feeder).


Woodpeckers were prevalent today, where 2 Red-bellied Woodpeckers made an appearance today, though only 1 can be counted for both were not together at the same time, unfortunately. 3 Downy Woodpeckers and 2 Hairy Woodpeckers also showed up.....too bad a Northern Flicker or Pileated Woodpecker didn't show up, or a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker for that matter (one had been seen a couple days ago in Framingham at a feeder).


For me, the biggest surprise of today's count was the number of Northern Cardinals that were around, 5 in all (2 males, 3 females) all at one particular moment in time during the course of my time watching the birdiness today. No matter how many times you see a Cardinal, I can always revel in the rich and bright redness of the male and the brown and subtle redness of the female!


Below, as always, is the full listing of birds seen....happy birding to all!!

Mourning Dove	5
Red-bellied Woodpecker	1
Downy Woodpecker	3
Hairy Woodpecker	2
Blue Jay	3
Black-capped Chickadee	8
Tufted Titmouse	7
Red-breasted Nuthatch	1
White-breasted Nuthatch	1
Carolina Wren	2
Dark-eyed Junco	5
Northern Cardinal	5
American Goldfinch	3

eBird Report - Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge--IBA, 4/7/10 - Phoebes, Chipping Sparrows and a Palm Warblah!!

A most fantastic day hiking/birding at the Assabet River NWR today. Was out there from 11 am to about 3:20 pm. I personally have never seen so many Eastern Phoebes, most of them right out around the parking lot and trailheads near the entrance off of Hudson Road. Also found 3 of the 4 Chipping Sparrows I came across there, 2 of which poking around the information kiosk. The lone FOY Palm Warbler I observed was along the section of Harry's Way Trail that is between White Pond Road and Towhee Trail. One Red-breasted Nuthatch was observed amongst the pines on White Pond Road before you come across the fields there. All in all a great day!

Here are general directions to Assabet River NWR: There are currently two parking areas on the Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge. The main parking lot is on Hudson Road in Sudbury, MA, three miles west of the Sudbury Town Center. The north gate parking area is off White Pond Road, reachable from Rt. 117 in Stow, MA. 

I hope everybody has been able to get out at some point and enjoy this gorgeous day! Good luck and happy birding to all!

Location:     Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge--IBA
Observation date:     4/7/10
Number of species:     26

Canada Goose - Branta canadensis     12
Mute Swan - Cygnus olor     1
American Black Duck - Anas rubripes     4 (Puffer Pond)
Mallard - Anas platyrhynchos     5
Great Blue Heron - Ardea herodias     1 (among the reeds along northeastern shore of Puffer Pond)
Red-tailed Hawk - Buteo jamaicensis     1
Mourning Dove - Zenaida macroura     4
Belted Kingfisher - Megaceryle alcyon     1 (near jct. of Otter Alley Trail and Taylor Way Trail)
Red-bellied Woodpecker - Melanerpes carolinus     1
Downy Woodpecker - Picoides pubescens     4
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) - Colaptes auratus [auratus Group]     1 (also in same area is Palm Warbler)
Eastern Phoebe - Sayornis phoebe     9
Blue Jay - Cyanocitta cristata     3
Tree Swallow - Tachycineta bicolor     7 (skimming Puffer Pond near northeastern edge)
Black-capped Chickadee - Poecile atricapillus     X
Tufted Titmouse - Baeolophus bicolor     X
Red-breasted Nuthatch - Sitta canadensis     1
White-breasted Nuthatch - Sitta carolinensis     6
American Robin - Turdus migratorius     15
Palm Warbler (Yellow) - Dendroica palmarum hypochrysea     1
Chipping Sparrow - Spizella passerina     4
Song Sparrow - Melospiza melodia     1
Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored) - Junco hyemalis hyemalis/carolinensis     X
Northern Cardinal - Cardinalis cardinalis     2
Red-winged Blackbird - Agelaius phoeniceus     3
American Goldfinch - Carduelis tristis     6

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org/massaudubon/)

eBird Report - 83 Hartwell Avenue, Littleton, MA 01460 , 3/5/10 - Very vocal Carolina Wrens!

Location:     83 Hartwell Avenue, Littleton, MA 01460
Observation date:     3/5/10
Notes:     Definitely the first time I have seen 2 Carolina Wrens on our property at the same time! Always a pleasure! The 4 House Finches (2 m, 2 f) have been the first ones I have seen since December. All in all a fairly active morning at our home in Littleton.
Number of species:     17

Mourning Dove - Zenaida macroura     3
Downy Woodpecker - Picoides pubescens     3
Hairy Woodpecker - Picoides villosus     3
Blue Jay - Cyanocitta cristata     3
American Crow - Corvus brachyrhynchos     2
Black-capped Chickadee - Poecile atricapillus     7
Tufted Titmouse - Baeolophus bicolor     6
White-breasted Nuthatch - Sitta carolinensis     3
Carolina Wren - Thryothorus ludovicianus     2
American Robin - Turdus migratorius     4
Song Sparrow - Melospiza melodia     1
White-throated Sparrow - Zonotrichia albicollis     2
Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored) - Junco hyemalis hyemalis/carolinensis     3
Northern Cardinal - Cardinalis cardinalis     2
Red-winged Blackbird - Agelaius phoeniceus     3
House Finch - Carpodacus mexicanus     4
American Goldfinch - Carduelis tristis     1

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org/massaudubon/)

eBird Report - 83 Hartwell Avenue, Littleton, MA 01460, 3/3/10: Red-wings = Sign of Spring!

Location:     83 Hartwell Avenue, Littleton, MA 01460
Observation date:     3/3/10
Notes:     After having come home to a raucous of varying bird calls (most notably the flock of Red-wings), I decided to spend some time observing all the feeders as well as the property itself around the house. I am so very excited to hear/see Red-wings....a true sign that spring is close-at-hand!
Number of species:     12

Mourning Dove - Zenaida macroura     2
Red-bellied Woodpecker - Melanerpes carolinus     1
Downy Woodpecker - Picoides pubescens     1
Blue Jay - Cyanocitta cristata     2
Black-capped Chickadee - Poecile atricapillus     6
Tufted Titmouse - Baeolophus bicolor     4
White-breasted Nuthatch - Sitta carolinensis     1
American Robin - Turdus migratorius     2
Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored) - Junco hyemalis hyemalis/carolinensis     3
Northern Cardinal - Cardinalis cardinalis     2
Red-winged Blackbird - Agelaius phoeniceus     26
American Goldfinch - Carduelis tristis     1

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org/massaudubon/)

eBird Report - 83 Hartwell Avenue, Littleton, MA 01460 , 2/7/10 - Focus on Feeders Watch

Location:     83 Hartwell Avenue, Littleton, MA 01460
Observation date:     2/7/10
Notes:     This eBird Report is of my list of observed birds for Mass Audubon's "Focus on Feeders" program. The Eastern Towhee has been a regular visitor for approximately 3 weeks during the last 2 weeks of December and the first week of January. It hadn't been seen since until yesterday in the late morning (stayed underneath the Holly near our back porch, then would pop out over to underneath the main feeder to scrounge around for fallen sunflower seeds. This is about 15 feet from our main feeder (Black Sunflower seeds). It would stick around until about Noon time, then fly off.
Number of species:     15

Mourning Dove - Zenaida macroura     1
Red-bellied Woodpecker - Melanerpes carolinus     1
Downy Woodpecker - Picoides pubescens     3
Hairy Woodpecker - Picoides villosus     1
Pileated Woodpecker - Dryocopus pileatus     1
Blue Jay - Cyanocitta cristata     3
Black-capped Chickadee - Poecile atricapillus     6
Tufted Titmouse - Baeolophus bicolor     5
White-breasted Nuthatch - Sitta carolinensis     1
Eastern Towhee - Pipilo erythrophthalmus     1
Song Sparrow - Melospiza melodia     1
White-throated Sparrow - Zonotrichia albicollis     2
Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored) - Junco hyemalis hyemalis/carolinensis     3
Northern Cardinal - Cardinalis cardinalis     2
American Goldfinch - Carduelis tristis     3

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org/massaudubon/)

eBird Report - 83 Hartwell Avenue, Littleton, MA 01460 , 1/13/10

Location:     83 Hartwell Avenue, Littleton, MA 01460
Observation date:     1/13/10
Notes:     The Eastern Towhee has been a regular visitor for the past 3 weeks, especially in the early morning and in the late afternoon/early evening hours flitting back and forth from underneath our porch which is surrounded by snow, holly bushes and lilac bushes to the backyard feeder, picking off fallen black sunflower seeds that other birds have dropped.
Number of species:     13

Mourning Dove     2
Downy Woodpecker     3
Hairy Woodpecker     2
Blue Jay     5
Black-capped Chickadee     7
Tufted Titmouse     6
White-breasted Nuthatch     1
Eastern Towhee     1
White-throated Sparrow     10
Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored)     6
Northern Cardinal     3
House Finch     1
American Goldfinch     2

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)