Eastern-Wood Phoebe

Hey guys - I got a very nice surprise in the form of an Eastern-Wood Phoebe singing down the street this morning.  I can't believe it's back nesting under an eave after spending the winter in Ecuador!  I heard it (after carefully eliminating the similar sounding Alder Flycatcher) and told myself I need to go out tonight in some scrub-shrub habitat and listen for the twittering wingbeats of peenting Common Nighthawks soon!
March is the new May, why not!?

Chase Place in the race

Tired and lazy and overwhelmed with project but I'm still trying to be a yard bird fiend... the Chase Place added 20 species during the last week or so - nothing crazy but a nice mix of stuff. The Swamp Lair is also trying to hold its own but I have not been motivated to work the marsh as in past years and I kinda like hang low with my fellow Yoopers...

Chase Place = 47

Swamp Lair = 38.

End of days continue in the North Woods

So my predawn year-yard tick came in the form of a singing Winter Wren from the back of the Haas Tract. This is not a regular visitor to the Hill, I think its been a few years since I've had one here, a fact some of you might think is unusual, till I saw no one else even has this bird yet this year and I'm the most northerly participant of this little Fete we run here. 

So what is really amazing is, that I'm reporting this bird on March 25 from Marquette. Had not a couple other local birders had a WIWR early last week from the local lake-side park, my little brush-troglodyte would be the earliest MQT County record by several days, with only one previous March record in the last 8 years (ie, the duration Ive been keeping a FOS arrival database...).

Having just returned from a bird conservation conference, I may be laying it on a bit thick here, but I'm depressed with all that has happened to bird populations and all the work we have yet to do, and as wonderful as the sound of a singing Winter Wren is, I just can't help but feel the sadness that there are changes afoot that could of been avoided had we just had some foresight in regards to climate change.

oh yeah, that's right we did. That intell has just been ignored or discredited for the last 20+ years....

Ok- Im off the soapbox... lets get back to making fun of Caleb!

I'm gaining on you, Skye

Three new birds this morning: B. Creeper, Fox Sparrow, N. Cardinal.

Eastern Phoebe

Had an Eastern Phoebe in my yard today. 21 March. 82 degrees. Just under a mile from Lake Superior. Not a trace of snow left on our property. End-of-times bizarre up here.

Crossbill & Creeper

Sorry Putty,

you don't get to claim winter finches over Yoopers for too long. Had a calling Red Crossbill go over the Haas Hill yesterday. Been getting them north of town too when I hawk watch.

Woke up to a Creeper singing away the other morning. I can't remember if it was last year or the year before I missed this spp in the yard.

I gots you in my eye Fitzy....

Oooh! I can play at spring migration too....

The gap is closing Putty....

Robin, Bald Eagle, BH Cowbird, Ring-billed Gull, Song Sparrow..... ugh

I'm already boring myself...

Three new year birds for the yard today

A. Robin, Red-winged Blackbird, and Purple Finch. Yipee!

Weird day: it was 82 degrees as I was watching about 150 C. Redpolls devour my niger thistle. Not often that you get to watch redpolls from your living room with your windows open. 150 redpolls make a lotta noise.

Caleb, Jr.?

I was pleasantly surprised to find out that Fitz had a little Caleb at the end of Feb.- not sure how that slipped through the cracks but didnt want the event to go unnoticed here. Congrats Fitzs, you may have the only a legitimate excuse of why you are showing so poorly against another dude named Caleb (though I expect a good showing from you for nocturnal stuff this year). All the best to you and the family Fitz and thanks for keeping this in perspective for us. Some people take this yard birding way to serious. How silly.

Happy St. Paddy's day too... i'm looking for a green tow-hee

85/112

83/111

This is possibly my best yardbird of 2012, behind NSWO I think, esp. given the 'salvage' aspect of the story. Wow:

Just to clarify, this photo was taken from down on the shoreline. I found her while scanning the RNDUs from my vantage on my property but was unable to get a good photo b/c she went behind the trees to the SE corner of Amazie. Later in the day she returned to where I could more easily see her from my vantage, with 1 LESC and the 20something RNDUs:

And after working hard on these guys as flybys during the rain, it was nice to get a couple on the water

Quick note: my life yarbird lists were 2 behind all this time since I forgot to include Mute Swan and Tree Swallow, hence this is 111 not 109

another mystery sound

Any ideas? Recorded just before 11PM, March 14.

On a sidenote: I did score one very good bird today: MERL (81/108). Not easy for my yard and for some reason not hanging out on Whitefish Lake like I thought one might. Also added EAPH (82) which sang briefly but then left.