Reliable Birds

I was curious as to which birds I most consistently see. Which birds are the gimmees, birds I'm certain to see every month? Pigeons, House Sparrows, starlings, & Mallards are the first ones that come to mind. After them I was surprised to find another 26 species that I come across month after month. Of the 30 "most reliable" species from 2012 I've already logged 22 since yesterday. It's almost as if they shouldn't count.

BIRDS I SAW EVERY MONTH IN 2012:

Canada Goose

Mute Swan

American Black Duck

Mallard

Double-crested Cormorant

Great Blue Heron

Turkey Vulture

Ring-billed Gull

Herring Gull

Great Black-backed Gull

Rock Pigeon

Mourning Dove

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Downy Woodpecker

Northern Flicker

Blue Jay

American Crow

Carolina Chickadee

Tufted Titmouse

White-breasted Nuthatch

Carolina Wren

Eastern Bluebird

American Robin

European Starling

Song Sparrow

Northern Cardinal

Red-winged Blackbird

House Finch

American Goldfinch

House Sparrow

 The doves, chickadees, nuthatches, titmice, jays, cardinals, sparrows and finches I can see everyday just looking out my windows to the feeders.   Just about any pond will turn up the ducks and geese.  The gulls vary in number season to season, sometimes almost all Ring-bill, sometimes almost all Herring, but scan a big flock and you'll usually find both plus the Great Black-back Gull. I'm sure to find at least one Great Blue Heron every month--unlike their cousins, the egrets, they don't make themselves scarce in the winter. Robins are not a  harbinger of spring, at least not anymore. I read once that blackbirds are actually a signal that spring is on the way but I see them all year too.

The most delightful bird on the list for me is the Eastern Bluebird. I remember when it was a thrill to find a few every year--now a walk in the Whiting WMA will turn them up half the time. Today I saw a couple by the pond on Schoolhouse Road. Carolina Wren: if I don't see tone every time I'm out I almost always hear one.    And then there are the ever present Turkey Vultures, high in the sky, low in the sky and sometimes startling me when I come across a few roosting in a tree.    

It will be interesting to see how long it takes me to get all 30 of gimmees this month and if the pattern holds for the year.