Monday, March 26, 2012

Whiting WMA 3/26--Eastern Towhee

I took my morning walk in the WMA, paying attention to any stand of trees warmed by the sun. That's where I found most of the birds hopping around. The woods are now a cacophony of bird song--it has to be something pretty different for me to stop, otherwise I'd still be in the woods looking for birds well hidden in the pines.

I heard my first official Eastern Towhee of the year on the rise above the lake. "Official" because I thought I heard one yesterday walking along Sunset Road, but only heard it once and didn't want to list it under such flimsy circumstances. Today's bird was singing "Drink your tea-ee-ee-ee" lustily and loudly; no doubt about. But, of course, I couldn't find it.  This afternoon I heard one singing around the house. They're great the first couple of times, but a whole season of them can be maddening.

I also stop to look for cowbirds because I find their song so pleasing--the male sounds like a drop of water plunking into a bucket. It just doesn't seem like a sound a bird would make.

On the lake yesterday and today I saw 5 Mallard ducklings with their mother--flushed them both times from their hiding place in the reeds along the shore. This seemed very early for duckling to me and after doing a little research on line I found that, like everything else this year, they are early--I'd say by about two weeks.

Twenty-five species today, the numbers keep increasing.
Mallard  8
Ring-necked Duck  2
Mourning Dove  7
Eastern Phoebe  1
Blue Jay  1
American Crow  1
Fish Crow  1
Tree Swallow  3
Carolina Chickadee  20
Tufted Titmouse  4
White-breasted Nuthatch  2
Carolina Wren  1
Eastern Bluebird  2
American Robin  8
Pine Warbler  2
Yellow-rumped Warbler  2
Eastern Towhee  1
Chipping Sparrow  2
Song Sparrow  1
Dark-eyed Junco  4
Northern Cardinal  1
Common Grackle  3
Brown-headed Cowbird  3
House Finch  4
American Goldfinch  3

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