Hate to break it to you Curtis but I'm going to now give both you and FitzG a run for your money. I stepped outside this afternoon with my son (6 months now) to show him his first ever flyover DC Cormies. He was thrilled to say the least. Not a new yard bird but considering that some of these flocks were flying mega high I had high hopes that some other interesting waterfowl would flyover. I had some really distant ducks that were most likely Ring-necked but couldn't call it for sure. No. 29 came with some Brown-headed Cowbirds mixed in with RWBL flocks. No. 30 (#42 yard lifer) was an exceptional salvage if I do say so myself and a new yard lifer...NORTHERN CARDINAL. Never actually seen a cardinal around here because there simply isn't any vegetation but I picked this dude up singing somewhere southeast of here...hmmm...
Most interesting of all is the new yard decor of our neighbor's. Their kid's playset was apparently in need of repair so the guy broke out his circular saw and got busy. The result: a festive yet blinding spray paint job that will put any artist to shame. Check it out...this stuff is glowmaster primo. I'm really hoping for the 'lighthouse effect' with this new development.
Nice on the DCCO's - I've only had one as a flyover last late summer. But NOCA as a yard bird??!! Wow, that really puts your yard into perspective. I'm continually impressed with the showing you have put on so far with merely flyovers! I love the diverseness of our yard habitats. There are advantages and disadvantages to each and it's fun to compare what results.
ReplyDeleteI agree whole-heartedly. I'm really glad I got roped into this blog comp because it really exemplifies what you CAN find if you just look. When Sean asked me to join, I was originally apprehensive but then said, "what the hell" and figured it'd at least be entertaining. We'll see where it brings us.
ReplyDeleteTarget species for the spring: Swainson's Hawk. FitzG and I live just south of the eastern most population of nesting Swainson's. That would be a killer yard bird for the Wastelands!
Oh, and the paint job? I'm imagining that something that neon would not fly with any sort of neighborhood association that you may have in such a community as yours... But it may do me some good in that it may cause a glare to shine in your face to keep you from getting more birds!
ReplyDeleteLighthouse effect -- that's funny.
ReplyDeleteIf you start to stall you should think about getting a ceilometer (it combines well with a nocturnal mic - esp. for the tough id's);
http://www.jstor.org/pss/4157756
here's a better link for the specifics on the ceilometer:
ReplyDeletehttp://elibrary.unm.edu/sora/Wilson/v061n02/p0086-p0090.pdf