Flickers and Springtime Ants

yellow-shafted Northern flicker

I have seen Yellow-shafted Northern flickers in groups on the ground before; but until today I didn't know why.  In the past at Havenwoods, Barbara and I witnessed about five under a tree in the grass.  When we approached they flew and that was that. I came upon this one on a narrow dirt path along the side of a detention pond near the Milwaukee County grounds.  Because I didn't want to scare it and I wished to get a picture; I stayed plenty far back and observed with my trusty Bushnells.  Even at the distance I was, I could not discern exactly what it was up to.  I assumed that it was eating in some way because it kept spearing its beak at the ground, but until I moved in closer I couldn't tell what.  When it had finished doing whatever it was; it moved away and I moved up.  I discovered the reason it was riveted to the spot; ants!  The bird had been pounding away on the entrance of an ant colony and was busily lapping the creatures up as fast as it could.  As I rounded the corner and down the berm I witnessed another flicker taking a dirt bath on the side of the road near the old cemetery.  I had never seen that before either.

Ant hill meal for a Northern flicker

FOY (first of the year) birds were plentiful on my little bird watching tour of the parkway.  I saw Magnolia, Chestnut-sided, Blackburnian, and Black and white warblers.  Blue-gray gnatcatchers were busy in the trees as well as a wonder opportunity to take a photo of a Rose-breasted grosbeak.  Red-winged blackbirds were by far the most numerous bird in the cattail basin of the detention pond area. Savannah sparrows and Barn swallows were also plentiful.  I stood and watched for about 20 minutes as four small Mallard ducklings with no parental supervision; swam around in circles in the eddy of the Menomonee River.  I was worried about their safety, but powerless to do anything about it as the water was very high and the depth unknown.  I just hoped that they'd have enough sense when they grew fatigued to get to the shore somehow.

The BIRDSTUD in the flesh at the County Grounds of Milwaukee

The next cool thing I witnessed was a FOY Brown thrasher as it worked through its repertoire of double songs of other bird species.  These birds always impress me whenever I am fortunate to hear them. 

Enjoy a few photos I took 

of some of the birds I saw:

American Robin - My Favorite Bird

Baltimore Oriole

Black and white warbler

Blackburnian warbler

Bluejay

The Blue-gray gnatcatcher takes flight

Brown thrasher

Eastern phoebe

House wren

Magnolia warbler on the wing

Magnolia warbler

A red-tailed hawk gets chased by Red-winged blackbirds

Savannah sparrow

Song sparrow

Rose-breasted grosbeak (m)

Here is my (impressive) list of 40 species seen during just 2-1/2 hours of birding after work:

1. Canada Goose
2. Mallard
3. Mourning Dove
4. Chimney Swift
5. Ruby-throated Hummingbird
6. Spotted Sandpiper
7. Ring-billed Gull
8. Black Vulture
9. Cooper's Hawk
10. Red-tailed Hawk
11. Red-bellied Woodpecker
12. Downy Woodpecker
13. Northern Flicker
14. Eastern Phoebe
15. Blue Jay
16. American Crow
17. Tree Swallow
18. Northern Rough-winged Swallow
19. Barn Swallow
20. Black-capped Chickadee
21. House Wren
22. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
23. Hermit Thrush
24. American Robin
25. Brown Thrasher
26. European Starling
27. American Goldfinch
28. American Redstart
29. Magnolia Warbler
30. Blackburnian Warbler
31. Yellow Warbler
32. Chestnut-sided Warbler
33. Savannah Sparrow
34. Song Sparrow
35. Northern Cardinal
36. Rose-breasted Grosbeak
37. Red-winged Blackbird
38. Common Grackle
39. Brown-headed Cowbird
40. Baltimore Oriole

Birde'mon Go

It was only a matter of time.

The weighty question on so many of our (Baby boomer) minds has been, “what was it truly going to take to get kids to play outside again?’ 

Migratory Black and White Warbler

Children born to those of us currently in our middle 50s grew up battling the temptation to sit like lumps in front of a screen instead of exploring their world outdoors.  Technology came on like gangbusters in the mid 1990s with generation after generation of improvements geared towards making the gaming experience more robust and in turn; all-consuming.  Friendships needed to evolve from cooperative play to parallel play and then to remote-cooperative in parallel play.  Screens became bigger and bigger, and then smaller and smaller.  Graphics starting at an amazing 8-bit have now evolved into high definition and beyond.  All these “improvements” seemed to have sequestered a great segment of young-humanity to their basements with the shades pulled, doors locked, and ovens loaded with high-carb pizza rolls.  Kid’s muscles began to slowly atrophy while their tummies quickly expanded.  Combine this addictive “leisure” activity with the common, every day, and every time method of communication known as texting; and there remained virtually no reason to ever leave the home.

Meanwhile on the other side of the spectrum are traditional activities that have involved being outdoors, using the large muscle groups, and dealing with the elements.  For decades; team and individual sports played merely for enjoyment or competitively have occupied the masses, from backyard games of Red Rover to Little league baseball.  In terms of hobbies that involve getting out of the house; hunting, fishing, hiking and biking have always offered great diversion.  City, county and municipal parks have offered those individuals the chance to get away from it all in a serene setting; while enjoying all that nature had to offer.  As an avid watcher of birds; I relish the opportunity to walk amongst the beauty of the outdoors while seeking my next interesting avian sighting.

 

It was on this particular Sunday in September while in Lake Park on Milwaukee’s lakefront for a morning bird-hike when it hit me.  There were young parents pushing strollers, groups of teens, pairs of bros, young couples, old people, fat people, and geeky people methodically roaming over the landscape in search of something only they could see on their electronic devices.  But; they were OUTside doing it in a communal sense. As I looked around me at the ever-growing masses of fair-weather humans; all slow-walking, staring down at their cell phones and iPads: I realized in that moment that I’ve been “tryin’ to catch ‘em all” long before Pokémon Go ever became a thing!  

Suddenly it was clear.  Anyone who had ever wondered about what I might be up to all decked out in drab clothing, brimmed hat, binoculars strapped on, and carrying a book was now putting themselves out there to pursue something that brought them their own kind of joy.

I guess the only question I have for any of my fellow birding enthusiasts, as well as the bicyclists, hikers, joggers, and runners, that enjoy Lake Park or any other outdoor venue is; "are you OK with sharing your space with this new breed of hobbyists?"  I personally answer; emphatically "YES!"  I say, let them capture their elusive Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle, Megapod and Charizard in their own world of fantasy and wonder as I continue to seek additions to my own life-list of oddly-named avian species.

It's no weirder, no less consuming and no less enjoyable...it's just different.  And hey...I finally captured (uh, sighted) my first Yellow-billed cuckoo today! Hell yes! Oh...I know...how about Pikachu VS Black-capped chickadee on a Poke'-Birde' Battle? Birde'mon-TAStic!

The elusive Yellow-Billed Cuckoo - CAPTURED!

Today's list of sightings:

1. Bluejay
2. Red-bellied woodpecker
3. Bay-breasted warbler
4. Black and white warbler
5. Dark-eyed junco
6. Yellow-rumped warbler
7. Ovenbird
8. Red-breasted nuthatch
9. Gray-cheeked thrush
10. Black-capped chickadee
11. Canada Goose
12. Double-crested cormorant
13. Chipping sparrow
14. House sparrow
15. Downy Woodpecker

Big-Sitting in Milwaukee, WIsconsin

Bird Watcher's Digest Big Sit - 10-10-15

With the tiniest sliver of crescent moon glowing below a brilliant view of Jupiter, Mars and Venus (in an almost straight vertical line); Barbara and I climbed into my truck to drive east.  Today was one of two days that Bird Watcher's Digest had designated for their world-wide BIG SIT team challenge.  I of course chose Saturday, October 10th instead of the day in which all Wisconsinites cherish most; Green Bay Packer Sunday.  Back a few years ago; BWD only gave birders one chance to get in on the competition; that was on a Sunday.  I spent only one of those in 2007 listening to the game on a small transistor radio while standing in a cold rain, on the end of the Black River Marsh boardwalk, conducting an all-day Sit.  No more.  Perhaps there were other football fans that weighed in on making the event a two-day opportunity?  I mean c'mon...a guy has his priorities right?

This year I deviated from my past (regular) location at Havenwoods SF and chose a spot more conducive to having company drop in.  The Birdmilwaukee.com team (17-foot circle) was located on the very northeastern tip of County grass (behind the Lake Park, Gun Club rugby field) near the "magic hedge," tucked up close to the big water of Lake Michigan. Easy to find right?  Well...over the period of the 12 hours I stood there; five other bird watchers found me and also "sat" a while.  Barbara sat with me for the initial two hours of the day.  The sun was just popping it's fiery head up above a horizon of cold water when we sat down to eat a breakfast of Egg McMuffins, while sitting in lawn chairs we had packed. It had taken us a couple of trips to drag the day's provisions over to the edge of the rocky shoreline through the dew-wet grass.  The temperature was in the high 40s, and we had smartly dressed in layers, as the sun was predicted to warm up the air to near 70 degrees some time that morning.

Barbara was standing with her back to the lake when a movement in the water caught her attention.  Near the shoreline; but clearly in the frigid water was a man's head.  No, not a dismembered head or anything cool like that; it belonged to the rest of the man swimming in the lake!  Oh yes, about 30 yards south of us, bobbing up and down was the balding head of some old white dude; obviously enjoying a purposeful early morning immersion.  For some reason this just enthralled Barbara as she stood wrapped in her fleece blanket, over her many layers of clothing.  She kept trying not to look; but was nevertheless surrendered to the bizarre nature of this spectacle of human fortitude.  I admit I "looked" with my camera; as this was indeed something rare and comment-worthy - as I have just now proven.  After about 20 more minutes; the guy disappeared from Barbara's view.  She was flustered and  thoroughly convinced that he was a mere figment of her imagination until I spotted the guy walking, covered in a towel, over the crest of the rugby field towards the parking lot.  Note: I later learned from Judith Huf that she's birded many times in this spot in the early morning, and that the "guy" mostly swims in the buff.  Thank goodness he was wearing his trunks this early morning.

Yellow-rumped warbler

The Big Sit circle was strategically positioned just in front of a small group of young trees; keeping the briskly blowing SW wind at bay.  Ring-billed and Herring gulls were the predominant avian species to count; but when you count from one to two you are done...no more are necessary.  Double-crested cormorants, Canada geese, and Yellow-rumped warblers also made their presence known as the sun made its way slowly higher in the autumn sky.  It was about 8:30-ish when a bearded man in a floppy all-weather hat slowly walked towards us along the shoreline from the south.  This turned out to be Jym Mooney, birder extraordinaire; who decided to join the circle in a response to an email I sent earlier to any bird watcher with time to kill, on this particular Saturday.  I really like Jym and appreciate his incredible birding skills along with his willingness to pretty much "go the distance" for the sport of bird watching.  He came into "camp" carrying his scope and a story of how he was out already this morning, seeking the object of a rare, reported Western flycatcher.  Now that's dedicated bird-watching folks!

Jym Mooney

A Merlin had been sitting in a nearby maple earlier; eating another small bird before flying off.  In fact, Barbara and I had seen a pair of them together at one time flying in different directions.  When Jym arrived; it flew back causing Jym to shout out in a way which I have on so many, many occasions when spotting an unexpected bird.  I swear we (birders) don't even know we are doing it, but we do in fact, make some kind of involuntary inhalation noise, or elicit some other excited gasp that communicates our intense passion and enthusiasm for the sport.  I think the day I stop doing that is the day I have truly seen enough birds.  While that is unlikely; it would certainly and sadly signal some inner finish-line having been crossed.  I rue that day; so until then I gasp onward!

The Merlin zipped back and forth; putting on a great aerial display as we watched and I snapped my shutter.  Finally deciding to buy a decent camera has been so extremely fun for me.  Ask anyone who takes as many digital photos as I do and they'll probably tell you they have no idea why they do it.  It's just a kick to try to get that one amazing image that both you and others will go, "ooh!" over I guess.  Plus; the images don't cost you anything unless you print them.  It was time for Barbara to take her leave this fine morning; so we kissed goodbye and off she went to get some things done, including to help christen the grand opening of the "ROSS, Dress for Less" store in West Allis.  Jym and I kept "watching" for new bird species.

Blackpoll warbler

We both simultaneously gasped and looked up at a fast-approaching squadron of small birds flying directly overhead.  Swifts? no...Swallows! What kind?  Hmm..not Rough-winged, Tree, not Barn...Cliff!  Cliff swallows; six of them even, flying south at high speed.  Now that would be something interesting to report wouldn't it?  I didn't get the camera into position fast enough to prove it with an image, however the two of us seeing them, would have to do the trick.  The two of us were also treated to another somewhat rare sighting of a Blackpoll warbler still in that area; which I did get a photo of to prove it.  Palm warblers, gulls, and butter-butts were still plentiful along with the occasional Ruby-crowned and Golden-crowned kinglet sighting.  Jym bid me goodbye and left me around 11:30 heading out over the berm of grass to the west.  I ate a meatloaf sandwich and drank a Diet Pepsi.

Jim Toth and Karen Johnson

The next visitors were a pair of really nice people named Jim Toth and Karen Johnson.  They had also responded to the email and decided to carve out a small window of time to "sit" alongside me. Interestingly, their arrival was filled with excitement as they motioned to the "magic hedge" and exclaimed they had just passed a Great blue heron!  I asked them if I could see it from the 17-foot circle if I tried.  Jim walked back and forth a few times trying to see if that was at all possible.  Nope...not just then; it had retreated into the unlikely (water-less) hedges from which it had come.  Don't worry faithful reader; it emerged from the brush and took flight a bit later, making it clearly (and legally) visible to the eye and camera lens from the "official" circle.  <click, click, click>

An hour later and the latest visiting "sitters" needed to leave the circle.  I said goodbye and sat down to dig around in the cooler Barbara had packed for another snack.  Several girl's rugby games were just barely audible up the berm about 300 yards away and I appreciated that it was still very peaceful where I was stationed.  Occasionally there were casual dog-walking people who would stop and inquire as to what I was doing.  I would give a brief explanation of the function and share whatever bird I had just seen when the invariable question of, "so, what have you been seeing?" was posed.  An experimental airplane flew overhead to the south.  An "arrow-shaped" rear-propeller driven airship that seemed to noiselessly float overhead.  I took a few pictures and then some of the constantly passing gulls when I looked northward from where it had come and noticed a tiny bright light in the distance.  It appeared to be hovering about a mile or so to the north and a few thousand feet in the air.  I swung the camera around and clicked off two shots of it.  I assumed that it was some sort of helicopter or something that would be approaching in the next minute or so.

UFO (inset is a close-up)

The experimental aircraft had apparently turned around and was heading back to the north.  I had set my camera down, so I picked it up again to take a few more pictures.  I looked back north to see if that bright light had gotten any closer when I realized that it had completely DISAPPEARED.  I looked left, right, back, up, down, but it had vanished!  Now I'm not a little green man believer; but that was weird!  The images I took are located within this blog - see for yourself and tell ME what it was.

Judith Huf and Jaime

The last couple to stop by was Judith Huf and Jaime.  Judith is another one of my favorite birding people.  She is a no nonsense, tell it like it is, no B.S. woman who'll tell you what she knows about so many bird species, butterflies and plants; if you're smart enough to listen.  I hardly recognized her because she was out of her usual birding garb and dressed up to look at works of art in the Third Ward of Milwaukee.  Unfortunately for the short time they stayed; birds were almost non-existent. Still, it was very nice that she and Jaime stopped by to pay their respects to the guy in the circle on such a nice day.  A single Red-necked grebe floated slowly north as it alternately dove under the waves then swam above for the next 20 minutes, until it had floated out of my viewing area.

I manned the circle faithfully until the sun began to set behind the trees that lined Lake Park up the bluff across Lincoln Memorial Drive.  The temperature began to drop as I packed up all my gear.  I somehow made it to the truck in a single trip with all that stuff and drove home, completely satisfied with the day's successful Big Sit opportunity.

Here's the list of bird species both seen and heard during the sit:

1. Double-crested cormorant
2. Golden-crowned kinglet
3. Merlin
4. Ruby-crowned kinglet
5. Downy woodpecker
6. Canada goose
7. Hermit thrush
8. American robin
9. American crow
10. Red-headed woodpecker
11. Common merganser
12. Ring-billed gull
13. Black-capped chickadee
14. Brown creeper
15. Yellow-rumped warbler
16. Song sparrow
17. Herring gull
18. Belted kingfisher
19. Cooper's hawk
20. American goldfinch
21. Red-bellied woodpecker
22. Blue jay
23. Palm warbler
24. Cliff swallows
25. Blackpoll warbler
26. Great blue heron
27. Red-necked grebe
28. Broadwinged hawk

Red-necked grebe

Herring gull

Ring-billed gull

Ring-billed gull (Immature)

Merlin

Weekend at Weborg

The week after Memorial Day was beautiful.  The weather was mild and sunny, and the rain held off until we needed to leave.  Thankfully, eleven months prior I had decided to set my alarm for a specific time to alert me to the fact that I needed to log into the Reserve America camping reservation site to grab a (highly prized) campsite at Weborg loop; Peninsula State Park, Fish Creek, WI.  These twelve specific State-run campsites are among the most highly coveted in all of Door County.  The reason is that they are more intimately situated far away from the vast majority of the other sites, all electric with their own toilet and shower facility, tout recently upgraded electrical infrastructure, have incredible views of nearby Fish Creek, WI across a beautiful bay, and are (wait for it…) privy to some of the park’s most desirable bird watching ecosystem.

Our site (106) was chosen because it exposed a lovely water-view and was on the “end” nearest the overflow parking lot.  It was a wide open spot with the most available clear, grass and dandelion landscape.  About the only drawback to the site only effects “tent” campers like us.  Unfortunately rules are rules and “camping” (via RV or tent) must only occur on the designated areas.  Well, the State-designated area for any tent is at the end of the gravel drive in a non-descript “circular area” of more gravel; that’s it.  What that means is that in order to have any smooth and soft area under your feet is to layer many tarps down under the tent before you set it up.  The second pain is that you’ll need heavy duty tent stakes (like landscaping nails) in order to anchor the tent corner loops through the hard-packed gravel substrate.  For your information; tent kits don’t generally contain that industrial-grade style of anchoring hardware…good luck.  Rule-followers that Barbara and I are; we complied even though our camp-neighbors didn’t seem to get the same memo.

Firewood is another bugaboo (pun intended) as you are no longer “allowed” by the State to transport any firewood INTO a State Park unless you can certify that it was purchased (according to their website) ten miles or less from that particular Park.  I state it that way, as a sign within the Park listed the (old) distance of 25 miles…go figure.  The rationale is that pesky Emerald Ash Borer and what it can do to a stand of trees if it is accidentally “imported” from one besieged woods to another unsuspecting glade of fresh and vulnerable trees….Mmmwhahahaha…  Anyway, obtaining firewood was now quite “locally” monopolized and everyone must pay the price; regardless.

I was standing next to the end of the obligatory State Park campsite-picnic table cooking bacon the first  morning in camp when I had an idea.  There was this old Coleman, white gas, single burner contraption that my friend Dave Dombrowski gave me; and I thought I’d see if it worked.  Dave, a habitual rummage-saler and scrounger; picked it up “cheap” somewhere and never used it.  He gave it and some other cool camping stuff to Barbara and me during a visit to their home.  Well, (I reasoned) it was kinda-sorta like the Coleman lantern I had along on this trip; pump it up to add pressure to the liquid gas so that it atomized at the point of flame contact.  How hard could it be to resurrect the old contraption?   I “pumped it up” and turned the gas valve to let the pressurized gas flow to the burner.  I held a stick lighter there and a small flame began to sputter.  I watched and thought, “oh, this may actually work as a small stove burner…,” when that sputtering flame began to build, and build, and flow underneath the burner to the gas tank, and build…I shut off the valve…it got bigger and bigger and bigger.  I panicked and grabbed the entire fire-engulfed thing and flung it to the grass behind me.  Just then I heard a sweet but concerned female voice call out, “Are you OK?”  Then, for whatever God-blessed reason, the antique rummage-sale-deal / turned-conflagration, blessedly self-extinguished as it tumbled along the lawn.  Whew!  I answered, “I am now,” in a sheepish but grateful voice as I looked over to the tent window where Barbara stood watching the exciting scene unfold.

One important factor that (in hindsight) I wish I’d been briefed upon, was the fact that clouds of mosquitos had recently hatched and were now hungrily awaiting fresh camper-grade hemoglobin.   This interesting factoid of nature is one that is not difficult to understand; birds eat lots of bugs = lots of bugs bring lots of birds.  The hard part of that simple equation is that undesirable bugs also enjoy bothering humans and pets while waiting being eagerly eaten by our desirable avian friends.  Enter Deep Woods Off wipes…LOTS of them!  Long pants and sweatshirts also help; but the temps predicated (at least my hot persona) the wearing of shorts and short sleeve shirts.  No problem, as the trade-off was the great outdoors and plentiful quantities and varieties of birds…just don’t accidentally lick your fingers…yuuuck!

I have written before in this blog about Peninsula StatePark, so I won’t belabor and regale you with rehashed specificities regarding the layout or amenities, as you can read about that yourself.  What I will say is that we both thoroughly enjoyed our time in camp for various reasons.  One such enjoyable time came on one early morning, when Barbara and I accidentally wandered into a “Nature Walk” that was about to start near the Weborg Marsh trail.  A small group of four women (three of which appeared to have on “official-looking” uniforms) stood talking near the roadway as we approached.  Two of the officials finished up their brief nature-walk primer to the third (youngest of the three) and the four of us (now) wandered east into the woods on a small grass and weed path led by that one remaining official State Park representative.  Her name is Katie and she explained to Barbara, me and the third nature-walk attendee that she was “new” and would do her best to impart some basic forest and avian knowledge.   She did fine.  Was she as knowledgeable as I am with birds?  No, but I am 52 years old and have been birding since 2003.  The few feathered facts she did know were more than enough for a casual camper to be fascinated with.  I did learn some plant and species information such as, what “Bloodroot” looks like and that a pretty, purple, smallish flower was called a “Dwarf-like Iris.”  I also remember something about a “Canada May-something-or-other” and that there are several types of Solomon’s seal varieties depending on the bloom; but she’d have to get her book to know which one.  I think I also know what Poison Ivy looks like compared to another plant which looks like Poison Ivy.  At least I hope I can tell the difference.  The tour lasted about 45 minutes and ended with all four of us chatting in the roadway next to our campsite.  Overall; Katie was youthfully delightful and energetically adequate as a tour guide in her wide-eyed “newness.”

Water in the bay on one of many sunny mornings sparkled like a million diamonds with the slight breeze encouraging it.  Bird watching (particularly warbler-watching) was amazing by late-May standards in Wisconsin.  I was fortunate to see many FOYs during the few days we camped.  The two of us (and sometimes Opie) saw birds while hiking and biking.  At one point; we even took a side trip into “town” (about six blocks) to a small hardly-used Town Park, to walk (with Opie) along the serpentine trail that extended out the back of the grounds.  On another day-trip we rode our bikes up a paved road in the State Park to the very peak of altitude to look from Sven’s Bluff, out onto Green Bay and the islands that can be seen from there.  I heard an unfamiliar bird sound.  Tracking it down eventually yielded a lovely Mourning warbler that was in the woods opposite the overlook.  Black-throated green warblers could also be heard high in the quickly leaf-advancing tree-tops.  The forest floor here was (in large patches) almost completely covered with Lily of the Valley and the beautifully cloying scent of them (my favorite scented flower) filled the air as we rode.  Trillium dotted the landscape and in certain areas had already turned to the signature pink shade as they had aged.  Garlic mustard seemed to be handled in most areas of the Park; however they still had large swaths to eradicate.  Poison had been sprayed on some sections and marked accordingly alongside the paved road as bicyclists of varying prowess and intelligence (the groups without any helmets) rode both their personal and rented machines.

Wood frogs and toads began to strike up their cacophonous marshland band just as the sun began to set along the Sunset Trail.  Spring peepers joined in and crickets happily added their voice to nature’s evening chorus.  The air was cool enough for us to run the electric “milkhouse heater” that Thomas Devereaux (my father) had gifted to us the fall before.  We were glad to have had it packed along for this spring trip.  Each night after a time in front of the campfire sipping adult beverages; we climbed aboard the S.S. Air-Mattress and attempted to overcome the permanent (gravel-provided) downhill list.  This meant dragging yourself incrementally uphill throughout your night to keep from falling off and or/being uncovered by the sheets.  Opie didn’t help either as he is always (middle-up) in-between us, as his place of preferential sleeping/security position.  Either way; through exhaustion or necessity, one finally does eventually drift off to sleep regardless of the unending natural noise, or pitch of the mattress.   Ahhh...all the creature comforts of home…and we paid good money to live like this for a time.

Here's our birding species list for the four days:

1. Least flycatcher
2. Eastern kingbird
3. American redstart
4. Black-capped chickadee
5. Black and white warbler
6. Red-winged blackbird
7. Baltimore oriole
8. Common yellowthroat
9. Yellow warbler
10. American white pelican
11. American robin
12. Blue jay
13. Red-breasted nuthatch
14. American crow
15. Common grackle
16. Northern cardinal
17. Eastern phoebe
18. Herring gull
19. Northern flicker
20. Mourning dove
21. Common merganser
22. American goldfinch
23. Red-eyed vireo
24. Cedar waxwing
25. Song sparrow
26. Gray catbird
27. Turkey vulture
28. Northern rough-winged swallow
29. Great egret
30. Chestnut-sided warbler
31. Blackburnian warbler
32. Ovenbird
33. Indigo bunting
34. Black-throated Green warbler
35. Common loon
36. Great-crested flycatcher
37. Double-crested cormorant
38. Common nighthawk
39. Chimney swift
40. Chipping sparrow
41. Canada goose
42. Eastern wood pewee
43. Killdeer
44. Least flycatcher
45. Scarlet tanager
46. Wild turkey
47. Ruffed grouse
48. Barn swallow
49. Bald eagle
50. Hairy woodpecker
51. Ring-billed gull
52. Alder flycatcher
53. Red-bellied woodpecker
54. Common tern
55. White-breasted nuthatch
56. Pileated woodpecker
57. Solitary sandpiper
58. Mourning warbler