2013 and beyond

It's pretty simple: the most birds seen or heard from one's yard during 2013 will be the "winner". Want in? O.k....then do it despite that.

2013 promises to be a lot less mean but still a carbon-free birding competition, even if slightly less exciting than a MEGA x EPIC hybrid.

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Savage Yardbirding


Looked out the bedroom window this morning with my 5x pocket scope and in amongst the Song and American Tree Sparrows was a bird who stood out as being shorter tailed and more contrastingly marked on the face, but in a flash it was gone when a SOSP attacked! Luck was with me though and I was able to confirm with the Big Bins (I like to call them Knockers) that it was a Savannah (savage) Sparrow and a new yard lifer! I also nabbed this digiscope and some digi-noc'd shots for everyone. Really a pretty good bird in the winter around here and not a nester here. If you look at Sibley's Range maps (not known for being all that accurate, but still) you'll see it shouldn't be here. But, there are usually a few around in the winter here in Ohio, the Slagermeister and I had a bunch down in southern OH a week ago. I went for a xC ski trip today and it was beautiful. In the next post I will post pics from the yard for you Ca-put, so you can read it and weep. Other highlights today were a flock of Gulls flying over with an obvious HEGU (No. 43) with the Ringers, Yellow-rumped Warbler(!), Carolina Wren, White-throated Sparrow, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Red-tailed and Red-shouldered Hawks, and Eastern Bluebirds down by the creek. I was getting bummed too since I thought I'd never get a new yard bird, then bam, there it is, my shiny new "yard lifer". Good stuff with due warning. Good luck guys.

5 comments:

  1. Thanks DASL, it was a bit of an early Birthday present.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Still life yardbird for me, and the only real chance I have is to hear it nocturnally during migration. My mic has picked them up (last fall) but I wasn't out there listening at the time...

    ReplyDelete
  3. very nice, bonus pts for the timing.

    I've only had a few of these buggers show up at my place over the years. They just don't seem to feel comfortable here. Heck, I've had more Harris's Sparrows than SAVS's.

    Oh and Ben, here in da Yoop, we call them knockers too....

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hell of a report man. You're gonna kick our asses come April and May. Also, happy birthday, best birthday bird?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Well, this guy was probably the best birthday bird since he was back today, but while I was outback XC skiing, I ran into 3 more Yellow-rumped Warblers, hard to say, all the birds are awesome.

    ReplyDelete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.