What birds are you hearing or seeing today?

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

Since retiring last year, I have become interested in hearing and sometimes seeing our local bird population. Mostly I listen for birds, using the Merlin app to help identify who is calling. This is especially fun this time of year, with so many birds migrating through or arriving to hang out for the season.

Today here in Black Mountain, North Carolina I spent much of the morning and early evening listening for birds with help from the Merlin app and have recorded a whopping total of 44 different birds just today in our yard. Here is the list:

Eastern towhee, Carolina wren, Red-shouldered Hawk, Hermit thrush, Downy woodpecker, American Goldfinch, Cedar waxwing, Grey catbird, Swainson’s thrush, White-throated sparrow, Northern yellow warbler, Tufted titmouse, Red-winged blackbird, Ruffed grouse, Veery, Wood thrush, American crow, Red-eyed vireo, American redstart, Blue jay, Eastern bluebird, Broad-winged hawk, Magnolia warbler, Northern cardinal, Yellow-rumped warbler, Chimney swift, Common yellowthroat, Eastern wood peewee, White-breasted nuthatch, American robin, Carolina chickadee, Hooded warbler, Black-and-white warbler, Song sparrow, Scarlet tanager, Swainson’s warbler, Eastern phoebe, Red-bellied woodpecker, Northern parula, Ruby-throated hummingbird, Barn swallow, Wild turkey, Pileated Woodpecker, and Barred Owl.

The Barred owl was especially cool because I have never heard one here before.

So where do you live and what birds are you hearing? Do you have a spring chorus of birds early morning at this time? Please share.

2

Wow, that’s a lot of different birds. I have a chorus, too, but i didn’t think it’s as much as a dozen species.

Maybe I’ll try to jot down what i see on Monday.

3

I’m hearing about the same as you.

Different:

Pileated woodpecker

Canada goose. We actually have a pair nesting.

Chuck o’ the willow..or as we call them whipporwill.

Yes I’m loving it too. Gives a nice peaceful feeling to the day.

4

Where are you located Beckdawrek? I have not heard a whipporwill here.

5

I bet you find there is a lot more variety out there than you believe. I often hear many different birds at 8am than I heard at 7am and that I will hear later in the morning.

6

Here in central Massachusetts, the hummingbirds have returned to the feeder. We also have a family of Baltimore orioles enjoying some oranges and grape jelly. But my favorite is the red-headed woodpecker.

Last summer I was biking on a local rail trail and came face-to-face with a barred owl. He was sitting on a branch no more than 20 feet from me. We eyeballed each other for a while, then went our separate ways.

7

North Georgia: what we can see at our feeders include cardinals, woodpeckers (usually two varieties), mourning doves on the ground, various finches and titmouse, and our newest visitor starting this week: rose breasted grosbeak.

We usually have American Goldfinches stop by but not yet this year.

8

Blue-winged Warbler. (West-central Wisconsin).

9

My crow family I give peanuts to is always around. Carolina wren that made a nest in my pool shed had her babies so I hear them. Cardinals are always around. Scared an Eastern Bluebird out of one of my birdbaths today on accident. Haven’t really looked outside for birds much today but there’s usually chickadees and other small birds and stuff around.

And currently perched on a stand next to me is my African Grey Parrot.

10

Sort sort of owl that hangs around dad’s Assisted Living place.

11

Here in Sydney’s eastern suburbs we’ve been feeding sulphur-crested cockatoos on our back deck for decades. In recent years they’ve been joined by both little and long-billed corellas, rainbow lorikeets, and both crested and wonga pigeons. And more lately we’ve had a number of carnivores start coming too: kookaburras, Australian ravens, magpies, and occasionally butcher birds.

We see yellow-tailed black cockatoos go over in season (which is now in fact) but they never stop for a feed unfortunately!

12

Sorry. South Arkansas.

Bobwhite, whipporwills and “Chuck o’ the Willow” are apparently related to each other.

13

Enjoying my coffee this morning I either saw or heard:
Cardinal
Chickadee
Carolina wren
Downy woodpecker
House sparrow
Tufted titmouse
Nuthatch
Cowbird
Robin
Mourning dove
Red bellied woodpecker

ETA: I’m in northwest NJ near the NY state line

14

Merlin says the birds i heard when i woke up were bluejay, a cardinal, and some goldfinches. All are common around here, in the northeastern US.

Except for the cowbird, and the red bellied woodpecker, we have all of these. We also have hairy woodpeckers, and flickers, in the woodpecker family. And house finches come to the bird feeder, along with the gold finches. The gold finches are really pretty at this time of year.

15

Ooh! Now the Carolina Wren is singing. I assume there is a pair, but I’ve only ever seen one.

We have two pairs of Cardinals that seem to be coexisting. We’ve never had more than one before. I wonder if they are related.

16

We put out nigella seed socks to attract finches - they love them!

Cowbirds fascinate me - they are brood parasites and lay their eggs in the nests of other species. It’s not unusual around here to see a chickadee or cardinal feeding a young brown headed cowbird.

Red bellied woodpeckers are a weird misnomer - their bellies aren’t red at all, but their heads are. They’re fairly common visitors to our suet feeder (along with downies and hairies).

17

I didn’t have my phone nearby at the time, but some kind of bird was being very loud outside my window around 4:30 this morning. It’s not unusual for me to hear a dozen different birds in a five minute period. Off the top of my head, some common ones are: Carolina Wren, Song Sparrow, House Sparrow, American Crow, Fish Crow, American Robin, Northern Cardinal, Eastern Towhee, Chickadee, Mourning Dove, Red Bellied Woodpecker, and Red Shouldered Hawk.

18

Here in Pennsylvania, our feeder has been attracting an unprecedented number of goldfinches this year. They’re everywhere. Whole flocks of them. This has never happened before. We have the usual wrens, cardinals, and one robin who has taken a particular liking to our back yard. We also have a couple of ducks who have nested in the neighbor’s bushes. That’s never happened before.

19

Where are you located P-man?

20

Latter two yes, former is related to chickens.