A little pre-frontal action

Well boyz, we've now had 3 nights of DEAD radar in Grand Rapids, and until this morning no new birds. This morning was strange- I ended up having lots of warblers doing the morning reorientation flight thing, several of which eventually settled near the bath alongside other new Neotrop migrants: 

Then around 3:30PM, this cold front which has been slowly working our way from the plains finally reach me:

So I went outside to see if anything was getting knocked down, and was surprised to have 2 BWHAs

 1 SSHA, and then, by far most surprisingly, a Common Nighthawk (it's been weeks since the last, and it's starting to get late):

Passerines of all stripes were also shuffling around up there in response to the hit of northern air, including this warbler sp. which Sam Galick is going to ID for me (if it's Blackburnian, I will be THRILLED since I am about to miss it for the year) 

This oddity is actually just a wing-molting AMGO, but I thought it looked funny in flight:

and one of dozens of AMROs flying by

Get ready for tonight, boyz, I am anticipating a MASSIVE push of neotrops, and probably 3-5 hours on the roof calling out NFCs. If I am extremely lucky, I hope to add WIWA by NFC, YBCU, CAWA (though this would be exceptionally late), HETH (should be a gimme if a movment occurs), and even some stuff like GRSP and SAVS may come into the picture. We'll see.

So, get up on those roofs beeches!

don't forget the memory card!

Well at least the point blank shot I missed due to leaving the card in the computer wasn't a Connecticut. Instead it was the only nonresident species to come into my lure just now: a spanking Philly Vireo. Let's hope I see it again. Camera is ready **with** card. 175/176

HETH, when I get it in the next week, will finally even out the discrepancy in my year and life yard lists. 180 here I come. 185 would be a nice way to end the year, don't you think?

Yard Lifer #100

Once again, being on the phone while you're working at a home office does wonders for yard birding prospects.  Had a conference call with my boss this afternoon.  Looked out side to see an abnormally-jizzed woodpecker land on the maple out back.  Turned out to be this guy!  Year bird #84

Feels good to join the yard century club, fellas!  I'm livin' the high life...

Wilson's Warbler

Here's a shot of a Wilson's Warbler, in the rain on Friday, my first of year for the yard:

so freakin close

So I have been trying so hard for GWWA the past week, multiple attempts daily to flesh out the warbler/passerine flocks out back (it is not IDable from BWWA by flight call, hence the daytime effort). Well I had written it off as it is now Sept 7 which is pushing the late date for this latitude. I just looked out and saw a GWWA/BWWA coming into the bath and was fully expecting a GWWA, but the bird had to do this to me:

Another highlight from today is a Black Duck which flew by with 2 MALL:

Been doing the Higbee dike thing and trying to get flight shots, in prep for some rare flyby passerine, with my results getting better and better, slowly but surely.

 Finally, a couple other interesting birds from today:

 

#83 - what will be lifer #100?

PHVI is #83 for the year.  Was Cheddarlands #99.

Another RBNut showed up outta nowhere too.  Now bring on the RECRs!  That would be a pretty kick-ass #100!

Nick of time

Nice to add this before its migration window ends (174/175)... I only wish CAWA and GWWA had followed suit!

first warbler in the bath

easy does it.

Like at my previous residence, it took this single brave vanguard to open the floodgates. Since then multple TEWA have come down, and a single NAWA as well. I cannot WAIT to see what the next 2 weeks brings...

Massive score

Wait for it......................

(173/174) The long-awaited, extremely rare migrant: CSWA!! Amazing I got this bird at all, let alone as early as September.

Translation: WTF took so long?!? Same for you HETH. Here's still hoping for a final chance at YBFL, GWWA, and CAWA (windows slipping).

Finally. . .

. . . after three plus months of nothing new, a good wave of migrants passed through the yard this weekend, including my FOY Nashville Warbler, Bay-breasted Warbler, and Yellow Warbler. Finally.

#75

Cape May Warbler was #78 a couple of days ago.  Was a County and Yard Lifer!

The reason we set up the bath

Nearly had a heart attack when I noticed this Oporornis inching close to becoming my first ever warbler IN the bath just now. 

Actually, it proved not to be Oporornis, but Geothlypis (thanks AOU!), but this still reminds me of the reason for going to the trouble of maintaining this thing in the first place. What a cool bird. Note the undertail covert which is poking up between the rectrices like a little yellow dorsal fin.

 

And here are a few additioanl highlights from the past few days. Though it's been slow, there are a few new migrants around each day. Still waiting on OSFL, WIWA, CAWA, GWWA, YBFL, and ALFL. Not too much time left to get these, so here's to hoping.

NOT a Western Tanager (Scarlets can have wingbars, contrary to books and popular belief)

My first BHCO for the yard's daily checklist since probably mid June- a juv. skulking in the undergrowth in the backyard.