This is the second diary in a four day series about my adventures doing the annual Great Back Yard Bird Count. For more information and how to participate over the next two day read these previous diaries and follow the wonderful group posted below.
To learn more about The Great Back Yard Bird Count sponsored by Cornell University and the Audubon Society read Citizen Science, This Weekend, Do It , by enhydra lutis, and my previous diary "Home Science-Backyard Bird Count"
Be sure to follow or join us at the Birds and Birdwatching Group. Or go directly to university's easy to use website HERE.
Today was a full day of birding. It began with a Beginning Birding Class held at the Nisqually Wildlife Reserve this morning at 9:00. I plan to use the class as a spring-board for a series of 5 or more diaries on that subject. The weather was beautiful so I walked the reserve and took pictures for a photo diary of my favorite place on earth that will follow sometime when I have the energy to put it together.
I didn't count at the reserve because I know much more qualified people were doing it but I couldn't help but notice some great birds. The highlights were, a resident peregrine falcon, an American kestrel, American bittern, yellow rump-ted warbler, a couple of bald eagles and thousands of fresh water ducks of all descriptions and of course Canada geese.
It was Sunny and 42 F with a light NE breeze at about 1:30 PM when I began counting three small lakes in Lacey city that adjoins Olympia. Goose lake turned out not to have any geese but it did have 184 A. Wigeons which politely swam three and four abreast along the shoreline just like a parade so I could get and accurate count.
For the record there are 25 species of ducks common to this area and only one quacks like a duck, the mallard. Each species has its own voice and some seldom vocalize at all. Wigeons make a delightful whistling sound which sounds a lot like laughter when a bunch of them are doing it. You can see and here A. Wigeons at the Cornell Lab Website website. Then bookmark the site. Cornell probably has the most comprehensive birding site in the world because they are the top university in the field of Ornithology in the country.
Then I moved across town to Mud Bay which an estuary that is the southern terminus of the 125 mile long inland sea known as the Puget Sound. Like all estuaries Mud Bay is a hot spot for birding yet I never see anyone else there. (Oops now the secret is out. Haha.) For this old fart it was a long day but it was thoroughly enjoyable, and it feels good to contribute to knowledge that will be useful to any number of scientists throughout the world.
It took 20 minutes to enter the data and make my comments today.
Remember, you can count for as little as 15 minutes and every report is valuable. Good luck and happy birding.
Report 1
Locality: 98503, Lacey, Thurston County, WA
Observation Date: FEB 19, 2011
Start Time: 1:30 PM
Snow Depth: No snow was present
Total Birding Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Location Type: City or County Park
Party Size: 1
Skill: excellent
Weather: excellent
Habitat(s):
deciduous woods
coniferous woods
scrub
grassland
urban
freshwater
Number of species: 10
All Reported: yes
Species Count
American Wigeon 184
Mallard 16
Ring-necked Duck 5
Lesser Scaup 3
Bufflehead 7
Pied-billed Grebe 1
Double-crested Cormorant 1
gull sp. 5
American Crow 16
Red-winged Blackbird 2
Comments:
Sunny, Wind NE 7-10 MPH, Temp 41F. Observations of three small lakes in Lacey Wa. Lois Lake, Goose Pond,and Hicks Lake and the surrounding area. All three were observed from city parks.
Report 2
Record ID: S7652276
(You will need to refer to this number if you wish to correspond about your data.)
Locality: 98502, Olympia, Thurston County, WA
Observation Date: FEB 19, 2011
Start Time: 3:30 PM
Snow Depth: No snow was present
Total Birding Time: 1 hour
Location Type: City or County Park
Party Size: 1
Skill: excellent
Weather: excellent
Habitat(s):
deciduous woods
coniferous woods
scrub
suburban
salt water
Number of species: 10
All Reported: no
Species Count
Lesser Scaup 3
Surf Scoter 2
Bufflehead 36
Common Goldeneye 1
Barrow's Goldeneye 12
gull sp. 10
American Crow 3
American Robin 1
European Starling 8
Song Sparrow 2
Comments:
Sunny, Temp 35F, Wind W-5MPH, Tide High. There was a group of 4 shore birds sitting on a rock that were too far away to identify. Mud Bay is the estuary formed where McAlister Creek enters Eld Inlet which is the southern terminus for the Puget Sound. Observations from the Mud Bay road bridge and the county park walking trail.