A Lazy Man's Birding Report

A couple of new birds to add to this year's Aerie list:

The Ovenbird and it's "Teacher, teacher, teacher" call was heard today for the first time. And the Black -and-white Warbler's squeaky wheel; "wee-see-wee-see-wee-see" was heard during lunch. I (very) briefly heard what I thought might have been a Wood Thrush early this morning, but it sang only once and didn't repeat its song for me to be sure. Yesterday I did hear a Black-throated Green Warbler as it sang "zoo-zee, zoo-zoo-zee" repeatedly from the woods. Never did get a look at him though.

The Ovenbird is one of those you can hear and never see as it stays very close to the forest floor seldom singing from more than three feet above the ground. And it's olive-drab back and streaked breast blend into the shadows and shades of the understory very well. That and they seem to be ventriloquists. Even when you're 100% sure you've got their location, they may be 10 feet away from where the sound is coming from. We've had a couple of these nesting in the area over the last few years. They're ground nesters and there's enough stone ledges and tree trunks to provide protective roofing for them.

The Black-and-white Warbler is easy to spot among the tree tops--if you don't mind getting warbler-neck. It's distinctive appearance make it difficult to misidentify even when the bird you're looking at is busy searching for bugs and not singing. When it's singing, you can't miss it at all.

We continue to have a pair or more of Eastern Towhees in the woods around our clearing. They too have a very distinctive call that sounds like a command: "Drink your tea! Drink your tea!" They've nested here before and will probably do so again. Like the Ovenbird, the Towhee is a ground nester and you nearly have to stumble upon the nest to find it. I must have come pretty close this afternoon while looking for the Ovenbird as a pair of Towhees suddenly appeared no more than 10 feet away from me and seemed a tad concerned about my presence.

A couple of male Rose-breasted Grosbeaks have been coming to the feeder fairly regularly. They haven't been singing until today, however. Perhaps they're hoping to convince a female that this would be as good a place as any to raise a family.

Add those to the American Robin, Northern Flicker, Blue Jay, American Crow, Mourning Dove, Dark-eyed Junco, Pine Siskin, Black-capped Chickadee, American Goldfinch, Purple Finch, Red-winged Blackbird, Chipping Sparrow, and White-throated Sparrow and I've a pretty decent list for sitting on the deck this morning. [I forgot to add Turkey Vulture to the list.]

A friend from over near Hills Creek State Park reported having a Ruby-throated Hummingbird in her yard for the first time yesterday, so I've mixed up some sugar solution (1 cup sugar to 4 cups water) and put two feeders out.  Her husband, Gary, also said he saw some Pine Warblers at the park so it seems things are heating up on the birding migration as well the thermometer.


Last evening I heard several Woodcock "peent"ing out their love call and performing their aerial ballet.