Scaling the North Face and Thumbing Down the Highway

4.29.2006, 900-1145 am
Skunk Cabbage Hollow -> Wallingford Rd. Bridge -> Garden Ruins and Highway

This was another day largely devoted more towards exploring than to birding. The South Crum was relatively quiet, with a possible Eastern Kingbird being the only sighting of merit. In addition, I emerged into the clearing at Hollow Point to find myself staring at two Wood Ducks on a log floating in the creek. With the lighting, the male looked completely black, but with the white chinstrap and dark red eyes. Wood Ducks are incredibly striking even without their colors. The ducks and I stared at each other for about two seconds until the ducks burst into flight screaming.

As I walked the rest of the length of the Crum up to Upper Wister Draw, through the Wister, and up to the Wallingford Rd. Bridge, it became apparent that this was going be a very slow day of birding, and probably not really worth the energy. The North Crum was almost completely silent, with only a few twittering goldfinches, and swallows silently swooping around the bridge. By far the most exciting observation on this entire walk was the sight of 5 freshwater fish attempting to swim their way upstream in some of the shallow rapids just below the bridge. I'm working on an ID as we speak, but it was quite interesting to watch. Not as gripping and dramatic as salmon leaping up waterfalls, but still pretty nifty.

With the birding a lost cause then, I went to explore the opposite shore. I managed to find an amazingly flat fallen log at Wister bend that perfectly spanned the creek. Once on the opposite shore however, I found that there was no way I could simply walk along the creekside, as much of the opposite shore was made up of extremely steep slopes. Somehow, I managed to claw my way up a large rock formation, and onto a hairline path near the top of the hill, which was pretty exhilirating. I took some photos that I hoped would show the steepness of the slope, but they didn't turn out to be especially impressive, so I won't post them, haha.

The small path eventually connected with the much broader trail that is visible from the middle Crum, and so I strolled down towards the railroad bridge. This stretch of trail actually looked like it had the potential to be extremely productive; it reminded me very heavily of Yates Millpond and other areas back in NC, so I will definitely be investigating it more in the future. But today, it was just as quiet as the rest of the Crum, so I moved on to the oxbow swamp, which was similarly silent.

On the way up to the garden ruins however, I suddenly noticed a bright yellow bird flitting around near the ground. I knew what it was before I'd even raised my binoculars, as it's one of the most distinctive birds in the East.

Hooded Warbler, male. For many years, it was my Nemesis Bird, as I had heard it singing numerous times at several locations around NC, but for some reason had never managed to actually obtain a look, as they were always extremely secretive and hiding in dense foliage. I've now come across Hooded Warblers on three ocassions in the Crum, with great looks every time. Photo by Steve Mahurin

The Ruins were far less impressive to me than they were yesterday; for some reason I'd remembered them being much larger. Andrew Frampton and Micaela Baranello informed me that the ruins were never actually the part of a larger structure, but were originally intended to look like ruins. The Crum Stewardship report indicates that they are the remnants of an abandoned water garden, which I can definitely picture. Also, it turns out that the ruins aren't much of a secret after all, a few of the people that I excitedly babbled to somehow already knew about it. In any case, I took a few photos, then headed back out to the highway. This time, instead of swallows, I was rewarded with stunning views of my first Broad-winged Hawk, a beautiful adult with the clear black border on the wings, the banded tail, and all the other characteristic field marks.

For some reason, I felt an urge to walk south to see how things looked. Amazingly, the path soon began to border a retention pond filled with goldfish and koi, right next to the highway! On the way back, I also saw two snakes swimming in the pond as well. I was hoping for kingfishers or herons or ducks, but no dice, I seem to always expect those near any body of water. The trail then ran into a small creek (not the Crum), then careened underneath a highway bridge before terminating at a gravel parking lot. Some of this habitat looked very good, except that they were right next to a highway, and are probably filled with House Sparrows and the like. Regardless, it was fun to spend a morning exploring this side of the Crum.

• 1 Hooded Warbler - male, under Garden Ruins, not singing, but flitting around near the ground and by a fallen log. Really doesn't seem like its typical habitat at all, as very little low vegetation exists on that slope.
• 1 Broad-winged Hawk - adult, soaring over the highway
• 1 Eastern Kingbird - possibly spotted at the floodplain stretch, but good looks weren't obtained. It was obviously a medium-sized bird with black upperparts with white underparts. I may have seen a white-tipped tail. I'm fairly sure that this was a kingbird.
• 2 Wood Duck - pair at Hollow Point.
• 1 Northern Rough-winged Swallow - retention pond
• 1 Gray Catbird - retention pond, looking worried about the snakes
  

Mayaquest Adventures

4.28.2006, 230-440pm
Upper Wister Draw -> Oxbow Swamp -> ? -> Crum Meadow

If yesterday morning was the most relaxing walk I've taken this semester, this afternoon's walk was by far the most ridiculously insane. Absolutely hands-down. What began as another tranquil stroll gradually turned into the most surreal series of events I've possibly ever experienced.

After Orgo lab, I went through Upper Wister Draw trying to relocate the morning's Black-throated Green Warbler and Ovenbird. Neither were successfully found, though the place was swarming with Yellow-rumped Warblers. In the midst of all this, a man was loudly whistling and clapping, with two dogs on leashes calmly sitting at his side. Apparently he lost a third dog. But it was a truly bizarre soundtrack to a birding walk, and the warblers seemed equally perplexed.

In the midst of the Wister Forest, I was able to locate two Belted Kingfishers, and a pair of Mallards. Then, two middle-aged men whose race I was not able to determine began to speak to me in broken english.
- Seen anything interesting?
- Nope.
- Well, maybe you'll see that...woodpecker. Yes, the Ivory one.
- (laughs) I sure hope I'll get that lucky.
After a long walk, I inexplicably ran into them again, in a completely different part of the Crum, nearly 45 minutes later. What.
- Any luck?
- Nope, no luck.
- No luck, no luck...that's how it always is. That's why you need to go back and...get an education.

Because I felt like the lighting could be good, I decided that I'd go hop over to the other side of the creek, and check out the oxbow swamp. Over the ford, I decided to head towards the meadow and see if a path would lead back towards the swamp, and sure enough, I stumpled upon a path that led directly underneath the railroad bridge, and straight towards the swamp. And sure enough, just as the Natural Lands Trust promised, there was a true marsh in the depths of the Crum. A ring of skunk cabbages surrounded a large stand of reeds and cattails.

I began to wonder if there might be a small pond in the center of all this, so I tried to find a way of entering the marsh. I ended up climbing one of the bridge's supports and carefully working my way towards the marsh. While on the supports, a train rumbled overhead, which was an absolutely thrilling/terrifying experience that I (don't) look forward to experiencing again.

I wasn't able to get far enough in, but I doubt there's a pond, only a very small creek that likely tapers out in the middle of the marsh. In the process of discovering this however, I got sucked into the mud several times. On the way back to the main path, I was able to observe several of my very deep footprints throughout the marsh, which made me laugh.

Knowing that I'd heard a singing Wood Thrush opposite Crum Meadow yesterday, I decided to see if I could locate it, and follow the creek down the meadow. Sure enough, the thrush was still singing, and I ended up getting great looks at my first singing Wood Thrush of the year.

Since the lighting was so good, I went to find a path into the floodplain forest opposite the Crum thickets. But the path I followed ended up making a sharp turn up the hill, and I suddenly found myself climbing up an incredibly long and steep hill. It was completely unexpected, and I found myself gasping for breath from the surprising steepness, and I was unable to strain my neck to see the top of the hill. But eventually the ground began to slowly level off, and so I looked up, and was stunned to discover that I was suddenly at the foot of what appeared to be the ruins of a massive stone temple.

What.

Intrigued, I cautiously approached the ruins, and found two stone pillars marking the entrance to a stone patio, which opened up into what looked like a small ampitheater. This was straight out of some videogame like Zelda or Mayaquest, it was so completely hardcore and intense. Working my way around the edge of the ampitheater, up to the top, there was a short path that led to a tall stone wall. Following the wall to its edge, I peeked around, and found myself looking at...the highway, with cars hurtling by 20 feet away.

What.

I just started laughing. Of all the things I was expecting to find on the other side of the creek, I was not expecting to find a nice marsh underneath the railroad bridge, much less a set of ancient stone ruins, much less a path onto the highway leading from those said ruins. Actually, the path had led to a sidewalk that appeared to parallel the highway for quite some distance, and I'm very curious to know how many people use this sidewalk (who takes a long leisurely stroll beside a busy highway?), and whether any of those pedestrians had similarly stumbled upon the ruins. There was a lot of graffiti on the stone wall, but very few on the ruins. Overhead, two Northern Rough-winged Swallows flew in figure-eights over the mouth of the path, a great prize for my discovery. I stood and watched the traffic for a while, including a screaming ambulance hurtling past, forcing every car off to the side, and also watched the two swallows, before beginning my way back home, as it was getting close to dinnertime.

Back at the creek's ford, the water level had inexplicably risen 3 or 4 inches during my excursion, which was not good for my socks and shoes. At least it cleaned off most of the mud. With the adrenaline rush dying down, I didn't even bother to bird Skunk Cabbage Hollow, and just headed out of Crum Meadow, noting that yesterday's House Wren was still singing from the Holly Collection. Telling Luis of my adventures back at the dorm, his response was:
(16:45:27) Luis Hernandez: sounds cool, give me the exact directions and ill take a girl there this weekend, perfect make out place im sure

What a surreal walk that was. I'm exhausted.

The Warblers Just Got Out of Class Too

Somehow Professor Rablen timed his lecture wrong and ended class 10 minutes early, giving me 20 minutes to poke around Upper Wister Draw. Looks like the big migrants are dropping in, as I quickly found a singing Ovenbird and a singing Black-throated Green Warbler, both new species for the spring, and got looks at both without binoculars.

Black-throated Green Warbler, male. One of my most sought-after birds in the Crum, as I never see them in NC, and I think they're pretty cool-lookin.

With those two species as possible indicators of a larger warbler fallout, I'll be checking things out after Orgo lab this afternoon, and undoubtedly tomorrow morning as well.

• 1 Black-throated Green Warbler - Upper Wister Draw, on the turn towards Alligator Rock. In the top canopy, as usual. Singing its slower and more relaxed song, not the faster one.
  
• 1 Ovenbird - foraging in Upper Wister Draw. Silent for a while, then began to sing after a few minutes. I was surprised at how small it was compared to the similar ground-foraging thrushes such as the nearby robins; for some reason I always assumed that Ovenbirds were larger, as I had no nearby birds for comparison.
  

Small Brown Birds Are Exciting, For Once

4.27.2006, 915-1100 am
Cabbage Patch Hollow -> Wallingford Rd Bridge -> Upper Wister Draw

Just when I cast the South Crum off to the wayside, it throws me a pretty nice morning and two new species for the Crum, one a long-expected holdout, and the other a complete shock. This was probably the most relaxing walk I've taken this season, with plenty of time before my class, cooperative birds, and a stomach full of apples from an early breakfast. Apples are so great. I was able to cover almost the entire north-south distance of the Crum, and satisfactorily covered all the major areas. With lower creek levels, I would have explored the opposite bank more extensively, but the recent rains made crossing difficult.

Undoubtedly the most exciting find of the day was a single Swamp Sparrow at the creekside rocks between the swampy bend and Skunk Cabbage Hollow. The species is listed as being a rare migrant on the 1992 checklist, and the DVOC checklist gives it an uncommon status, given that you are even in the right habitat. I wasn't expecting any proper habitat in the Crum for Swamp Sparrows, so this was just a stunning find. I kept trying to doubt my identification, but the bird kept giving me fantastic looks, and in the end there was simply no doubt remaining. When it comes to finding uncommon birds in the Crum, this may be on the top of the list at this point. The only other birds I've seen that are listed as 'rare' on the 1992 checklist are Great Blue Heron, Red-shouldered Hawk, and Louisiana Waterthrush, yet all three are common species in the proper habitat, and I'm still puzzled as to why the Crum isn't attractive enough for waterthrushes in the first place. This was an already uncommon species that was outside of its preferred habitat. What a coup.

Swamp Sparrow. Though it looks quite plain, it's actually one of the most distinctive sparrow species in the East, with its bright rufous wings and contrasting gray head. Photo by Steve Mahurin.

The DVOC checklist has most of the major migrants arriving in the first week of May, perfectly coinciding with Reading Week. With several large papers, this will be a busier Reading Week than usual, but hopefully I'll go out enough to catch most of the better migrants as they arrive.

• 1 Swamp Sparrow - Swampy bend, calmly foraging around a fallen log. At one point, it flew to my side of the creek, within about 6 feet of me, which was stunning. I've spent hours looking for these things in wet and muddy swamps throughout the South in the coldest winters, often without success. Great looks at the bright rufous wings, sooty gray head, rufous cap, white throat, clean underparts, etc. You couldn't ask for a better study of a Swamp Sparrow.
• 1 House Wren - singing in the Holly Collection. This was once one of the most abundant species in the Crum, rivalling even robins or crows, and yet in my two years here this was the first one I've ever encountered. Apparently they used to breed in the dense thickets of invasive Japanese Knotweed that was once all over the Crum, but recent attempts to remove the Knotweed have also decimated House Wren breeding locations. Honestly, I think that's for the best in the long run.
• 1 Belted Kingfisher - female calling at Wallingford Rd. Bridge.
• 1 Red-eyed Vireo - singing on the opposite bank at the hemlock bluff.
  
• 3 Gray Catbird - Wallingford Rd. Bridge, and Holly Collection
• 8 Yellow-rumped Warbler - Wallingford Rd. Bridge, Upper Wister Draw. All in breeding plumage, and singing at this point. I barely pay them any attention when they're drab and brown in the winter, but I really love seeing them in the spring, they have such dramatic plumage, and they've just got so much character.
  
• 2 Wood Thrush - singing in the distance somewhere in the woods between Crum Meadow and the highway, and a lone bird in Upper Wister Draw.
• 2 Wood Duck - flew over Hollow Point, calling frantically
• 7 Barn Swallow - now relatively easy to find at the Wallingford Rd Bridge
• 1 Black-and-white Warbler - Reported by Ben Ewen-Campen in Upper Wister Draw
• 1 White-breasted Nuthatch - on an oak along Magill Walk, I think the same branch that the short-lived swing was on, R.I.P.
  

Some of the birds that I began to find a few weeks ago have now become quite abundant, so I don't feel obligated to report Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, Chipping Sparrows, goldfinches, or flickers any longer. In fact, I think the goldfinches and flickers have actually been abundant all long, but I've only learned their calls and songs this spring.

On a random sidenote, the Philadelphia Enquirer recently ran a article in which they polled six leading ornithologists on what they thought the most beatiful North American birds were. The article can be found here and the results are:

1. Scarlet Tanager
2. Blackburnian Warbler
3. Golden-winged Warbler
4. Prothonotary Warbler
   
5. Baltimore Oriole
   
6. (tie) Green Jay, Swallow-tailed Kite, Wood Duck
7. Harlequin Duck
8. Chestnut-sided Warbler
9. Magnolia Warbler
10. (tie) Hooded Warbler, Ivory-billed Woodpecker, Northern Cardinal, Painted Bunting

Of the 15 birds on the list, I've found 5 in the Crum (Scarlet Tanager, Baltimore Oriole, Wood Duck, Cardinal, and Hooded Warbler), and in my life I've seen 10 (those in the Crum plus Blackburnian, Prothonotary, and Chestnut-sided Warblers, Green Jay, and Painted Bunting). Magnolia and Golden-winged Warblers are certainly a possibility in the Crum, and I hope to track them down soon enough. I've found Chestnut-sided Warblers in the mountains of NC as well as at a local state park, but they may also occur in the Crum during migration, so I'll keep an eye out for them as well.

I think it's quite a good list, Scarlet Tanager would probably be my top choice as well. I'm surprised that Painted Bunting is so low, and that Ivory-billed Woodpecker even made it considering that so few people have (possibly) seen it. I'd probably add Western Tanager, American Redstart, and King Eider to this list, and maybe some others that I can't think of at the moment, but otherwise, not a bad a list at all.

Lost Birds

With some spare time before classes, I headed out into the woods for a quick survey of the South Crum. Having gone on walks exclusively in the mostly quiet afternoons, I'd almost forgotten what it was like to go birding in the mornings, and the riot of birdsong and the crisp air was absolutely exhilarating. I've heard it said that birding gives the same sort of spiritual emotion as writing poetry or hearing great music, and I can totally believe that. Those pale, bookish English majors don't know what they're missing.

I also had a new piece of equipment with me - a hat! I used to absolutely despise hats; I thought I looked incredibly stupid with them on. Recently I realized that I look pretty stupid anyways. So it couldn't hurt to wear one just for the sun-blocking and contrast-enhancing qualities. We'll give it a shot.

As great as the morning was however, I couldn't find any particularly exciting birds. Though in the past I've seen some great birds in the South Crum, such as Redstarts, Orioles, and Wood Ducks, it's simply not measuring up to the great diversity that I've been able to find in the Wister Forest. The Crum Meadow and the floodplain forest around Skunk Cabbage Hollow seem to have the potential for some great birds, including some like Indigo Bunting and Orchard Oriole that I wouldn't expect to find in the Wister. But that potential has always been frustrating for me, as I always find many common birds in the South Crum, but few of the exciting neotropical migrants that give me a rush of adrenaline every time I'm in the depths of the Wister Forest. Crum Meadow is the most unique habitat available in the woods, yet that unique habitat doesn't seem to bring a unique species distribution along with it. I almost wonder if I'm wasting precious morning hours in the South Crum, when those hours could be spent chasing exciting warblers and vireos elsewhere.

Indigo Bunting, a perfect bird for the meadows and floodplains of the South Crum, yet never found. Photo by Bill Schmoker.

Janet Williams' original route truly puzzles me now, as very little of her route has proved to be particularly productive for me. Is this because of changes in the Crum itself over the years? Was it simply a convenient route for the group? I'm amazed that over 100 species could be found along such a route, especially birds such as Gray-cheeked Thrush that would seem to prefer the undisturbed forest of the Wister to the landscaped ampitheater area or traffic-heavy meadow, and even then have eluded my excursions so far. Janet Williams must've been an incredible birder. Hats off to her.

Most of the maples, tulip poplars, and other early leafers are almost fully leafed out now, with the numerous oaks and beeches to hopefully follow soon.

• 1 Wood Thrush - Upper Wister Draw this morning, in a quick stop before class. Probably an early arrival who isn't singing yet.
• 4 Chimney Swift - first heard, then seen wheeling above Sharples at dusk. The DVOC checklist says that this is extremely early for them, but not unlikely. I have some doubts that my sighting was accurate, they could easily have been swallows, but I did hear their characteristic twittering, and the flight style seemed consistent. This is why I really need to have binoculars with me 24/7.
• 1 Ring-billed Gull - lone bird flying over the athletic fields in the rain. Possibly the most puzzling aspect of the 1992 checklist is how these were 'common' in the Crum. Where's the habitat for them? This was obviously just a transient bird, and such an occurence can't be considered 'common'.
• 2 Mourning Dove - building a nest near the railroad bridge
  

Around the Bend

4.19.2006, 145-230, 300-415 pm
North Crum loop, Wister Forest

Sneaking out of Plant Bio lab, I made a quick trip into the north Crum, which I hadn't really explored this semester. Specifically, I was looking for Blue-headed Vireos, as several were reported from Ridley Creek yesterday afternoon, and also for breeding swallows at the Wallingford Rd. bridge. Heading straight for the bridge, only two swallows were seen high in the air, but neither were bridge residents. Since it was almost time to check back in on my still-running experiment back in Martin, I headed back, but at Wister bend I suddenly ran into some exciting birds, with two species new to my Crum list and three species new for the spring. I will never tire of seeing Pileated Woodpeckers, ever.

Blue-headed Vireo. Formerly considered a subspecies of Solitary Vireo along with the drabber Cassin's Vireo of the Pacific coast, and the mostly gray Plumbeous Vireo of the Rockies and Great Basin.

After the surprisingly successful lab, Ben Ewen-Campen and I headed out to see if we could relocate any of the birds. The two Palm Warblers were still in the same location, but otherwise things had quieted down significantly.

• 1 Pileated Woodpecker - female, Wister bend.
• 2 Palm Warbler - scrub pile in Wister forest. Both individuals very brightly plumaged, with obvious rufous cap. Were very active, constantly tail-pumping, close to the ground.
• 1 Blue-headed Vireo - Wister bend. Very obvious white spectacles.
• 1 Yellow-rumped Warbler - Wister bend, in bright breeding plumage.
• 1 Hermit Thrush - Upper Wister draw. Thrush species with light spotting, no spectacles, and not light enough to be a Veery. That leaves Hermit and Gray-cheeked/Bicknell's, and due to time of the year and general abundance, I'll call this a Hermit.
  
• 2 Swallow spp. - High above Wallingford Rd. bridge, probably not Barn Swallows.
• 2 Belted Kingfisher - reported by Ben Ewen-Campen in the hemlock bluff area.
• 1 Red-tailed Hawk - immature, in cypresses outside Mertz
  

Also, a few days ago, I went to check out the Oxbow Swamp on the other side of the creek, under the railroad bridge. It wasn't close to being a 'marsh' as outlined by the Natural Lands Trust, but it looks like decent habitat that could yield some interesting stuff. I'll swing by again when I have some extra time on my hands.

Swallows' Day Parade

• Barn Swallow - lone bird coursing over baseball and softball fields
• 2 Swallow spp. - yesterday, two birds flew past the railroad bridge, but I had no binoculars and the lighting wasn't great.
• Brown Thrasher - reported by Ben Ewen-Campen over by the Barn.

Brown Thrasher would be a new campus species for me, so it's great that they're still around.

The famous swallows of Capistrano are usually said to arrive on St. Joseph's Day, March the 19th. It's interesting that it's taken nearly a month for them to arrive at this latitude.

illustration of Barn Swallow, from neotropicalbirds.org

The Heat of Winter

4.11.2006, 1245-200 pm
Wharton -> Backyards -> Fieldhouse

With temperatures in the high 60's, and birds singing everywhere, it truly felt like spring, but the best birds present were of the winter variety, moreso than yesterday, which paradoxically was a slightly cooler day. Only my 2nd Brown Creeper ever observed on campus was seen in the woods today, with the only other observation inexplicably coming from Parrish Circle during my first visit to the campus, while still a junior in high school (has it really been four years since then?!).

In addition to the unusual sightings, the common residents are beginning to change, with nearly every Robin now in song. Carolina Chickadees at the hemlock bluff were also giving very unusual vocalizations that are probably unique to the breeding season.

I tried to find a means of accessing the supposed 'marsh' that's adjacent to Skunk Cabbage Hollow, as outlined by the Natural Lands Trust habitat map, but wasn't successful. I need to take a closer look at the map, and also possibly explore the oxbow swamp on the other side of the creek, via the ford under the railroad bridge.

edit: There was a short path I explored in the Hollow which led to some man-made works, possibly irrigation/drainage ditches and a concrete cap. Surprisingly, this location corresponds exactly with the small 'marsh' on the map, even though it didn't look any different from the floodplain forest and thickets surrounding it. This is probably another change in the Crum since the drawing of those maps. In addition, looking at the maps, it doesn't like like there's trails leading into the oxbow swamp, as it's likely a sensitive area. I'll explore the nearest path anyways, just to see the habitat, and if any sightlines are possible.

• 1 Brown Creeper - behind Danawell, spiral feeding pattern, flew to bottoms of trees and worked its way up as usually described
• 1 Hairy Woodpecker - behind Danawell. No binoculars, but obviously in the Downy/Hairy complex, and appeared quite large and long-billed. I'm fairly confident that it was a Hairy
• Carolina Chickadee - giving unusual vocalizations at the hemlock bluff, including a Gnatcatcher-like jumble, and a two-note song
• 2 Wood Duck - probably a breeding pair, first sighted from the ford, and later good looks were obtained from the hairline path below hemlock bluff. Birds bobbed their heads while swimming and were constantly edgy, unlike motionless Mallards.
  
• 2 Mallard - Crum Meadow. These have been encountered consistently for the past few days, and are probably not a highlight-worthy species any longer
• 2 American Goldfinch - heard only at swampy bend
• White-throated Sparrow - singing loudly at backyards past Skunk Cabbage Hollow
• Chipping Sparrow - seen singing above Sharples
  

Wood Duck, male. Photo by Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

Quiet Anticipation

4.10.2006, 400-445 pm
Lang -> Fieldhouse

The woods were extremely quiet, probably just due to the time of day, as a lot of bird activity was going on silently. The first few migrants are beginning to arrive, but none of the spectacular neotropicals yet, and so the silence of the woods was really striking, since in a few weeks the woods will be absolutely chaotic. Most of the trees in the woods are budding, though none have leaves yet.

• 2 White-breasted Nuthatch - below ampitheater, a likely breeding pair feeding together on a dead snag
• 1 Red-tailed Hawk - heard only, from below ampitheater
• 2 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - hemlock bluff and crum thickets, singing.
• 2 Mallard - below hemlock bluff, male/female pair
• 2 Chipping Sparrow - heard only both above and below Sharples
• American Robins - now in full song

White-breasted Nuthatch, photo by Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

After the Crum Regatta

4.9.2006, 1100-1130 am
Crum Meadow -> Fieldhouse

A short walk, but fantastic views of flickers and goldfinches in great light. I really wonder where I could go and what I could see if I had a waterproofed canoe.

• 4 Northern Flicker - Bottom of Crum Meadow, creekside, calling
• 2 American Goldfinch - Cabbage Patch Rock, male and female in fresh spring plumage.
• 1 Mallard - meadow bend
  

American Goldfinch, male

The Swarthmore List

I'd like to keep this post as a running list of all the species I've observed on campus or in the Crum during my time at Swarthmore.

Updates:
05.05.2008 - added Spotted Sandpiper
03.18.2008 - added Cedar Waxing, off misses list
11.13.2007 - added Fox Sparrow, added Northern Goshawk to Possible ID List, removed Purple Finch and added to Misses list
10.25.2007 - added Purple Finch
10.16.2007 - added Red-winged Blackbird
09.24.2007 - added Nashville Warbler, off possible list, and Pine Warbler.
09.20.2007 - added Tree Swallow, off misses list
09.16.2007 - added Brown Thrasher, off misses list
11.19.2006 - added Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, off misses list
11.01.2006 - added Field Sparrow and Northern Harrier
10.28.2006 - added Winter Wren
10.27.2006 - added Eastern Phoebe, off misses list
10.26.2006 - added Gray-cheeked Thrush to possible ID list, off misses list

1. Great Blue Heron
   
2. Canada Goose
3. Wood Duck
   
4. Mallard
5. Turkey Vulture
6. Northern Harrier
   
7. Sharp-shinned Hawk
8. Broad-winged Hawk
   
9. Red-tailed Hawk
10. Killdeer
11. Spotted Sandpiper
    
12. Ring-billed Gull
    
13. Rock Pigeon
14. Mourning Dove
15. Common Nighthawk
16. Chimney Swift
17. Ruby-throated Hummingbird
    
18. Belted Kingfisher
    
19. Red-bellied Woodpecker
20. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
    
21. Downy Woodpecker
22. Hairy Woodpecker
    
23. Northern Flicker
24. Pileated Woodpecker
25. Eastern Wood-Pewee
    
26. Acadian Flycatcher
27. Least Flycatcher
28. Eastern Phoebe
    
29. Great Crested Flycatcher
30. Eastern Kingbird
    
31. Blue-headed Vireo
32. Red-eyed Vireo
33. Blue Jay
34. American Crow
35. Fish Crow
36. Tree Swallow
    
37. Northern Rough-winged Swallow
    
38. Barn Swallow
    
39. Carolina Chickadee
40. Tufted Titmouse
41. White-breasted Nuthatch
42. Brown Creeper
43. Carolina Wren
44. House Wren
45. Winter Wren
    
46. Golden-crowned Kinglet
47. Ruby-crowned Kinglet
48. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
49. Eastern Bluebird
50. Veery
51. Gray-cheeked Thrush
    
52. Swainson's Thrush
    
53. Hermit Thrush
54. Wood Thrush
55. American Robin
56. Gray Catbird
57. Northern Mockingbird
58. Brown Thrasher
    
59. European Starling
60. Cedar Waxwing
    
61. Northern Parula
62. Nashville Warbler
    
63. Magnolia Warbler
    
64. Black-throated Blue Warbler
65. Yellow-rumped Warbler
66. Black-throated Green Warbler
67. Palm Warbler
68. Pine Warbler
    
69. Black-and-white Warbler
70. American Redstart
71. Ovenbird
72. Northern Waterthrush
    
73. Louisiana Waterthrush
74. Common Yellowthroat
    
75. Hooded Warbler
76. Scarlet Tanager
77. Eastern Towhee
78. Field Sparrow
    
79. Chipping Sparrow
80. Fox Sparrow
    
81. Song Sparrow
82. Swamp Sparrow
    
83. White-throated Sparrow
84. Dark-eyed Junco
85. Northern Cardinal
86. Rose-breasted Grosbeak
87. Red-winged Blackbird
    
88. Common Grackle
89. Brown-headed Cowbird
90. Baltimore Oriole
91. House Finch
92. American Goldfinch
93. House Sparrow

Possibly seen/heard, but ID not confident:

• Cooper's Hawk
• Northern Goshawk
  
• Red-shouldered Hawk
• Chestnut-sided Warbler
  
• Canada Warbler
  

Significant misses:

• Great Horned Owl
• White-eyed Vireo
• Yellow Warbler
  
• Blue-winged Warbler?
• Blackburnian Warbler
  
• Blackpoll Warbler
• Indigo Bunting?
• Purple Finch
  

Birds with question-marks are listed as being relatively common on the 1992 checklist, but I am skeptical that suitable habitat still exists, or that they remain common.