Photo: American tree sparrow by Karen Brown
Hello everyone,
Greetings and Happy New Year to all!
Birders braved the cold both on Saturday, when the fog made it feel bone-chilling, and on Monday when it was also cold but not quite as uncomfortable.
No matter what the weather, we always see something nice. A gorgeous pair of Hooded Mergansers were present during both walks. I hope they stick around for the winter. With their appearance we had the Merganser Trifecta with Hooded, Red-breasted and Common all at once.
On Saturday we had a big, handsome Hairy Woodpecker. This bird was so big that there was no mistaking it for a Downy Woodpecker. On Monday we had a nice Cooper’s Hawk perched in a tree near the Music Bridge. It was sitting so still that a passing Crow didn’t even notice it.
BIRDERS:
12/30/2023: Roger, Leslie, Cheryl, Jennie, Mike, Kristin, Mark C., Jim, Eric, Marisa, Mani, Renate, Rob, Marian and welcome to Chiatanya, Christine, Scott, Barbara, Spencer, Glen, Elise and Malcolm.
1/1/2024: Leslie, Cheryl, Mike, Marian, Jennie, Mark W., Renate
TIME: 8:00am to 10:15am both days
WEATHER: Saturday; low 30s, cloudy and foggy. Monday; 34 degrees, cloudy
Compiler: Cheryl
Photographers: Marisa and Eric
12/30/23:
Canada Goose Number observed: 180
Mallard Number observed: 8
Hooded Merganser Number observed: 2
Common Merganser Number observed: 1
Red-breasted Merganser Number observed: 8
Ring-billed Gull Number observed: 4
Herring Gull Number observed: 1
Great Blue Heron Number observed: 2
Downy Woodpecker Number observed: 3
Hairy Woodpecker Number observed: 1
Northern Flicker Number observed: 1
American Crow Number observed: 6
Black-capped Chickadee Number observed: 7
European Starling Number observed: 1
American Robin Number observed: 2
House Sparrow Number observed: 3
American Goldfinch Number observed: 6
Dark-eyed Junco Number observed: 6
Northern Cardinal Number observed: 7
1/1/2024:
Canada Goose Number observed: 254
Mallard Number observed: 4
Common Goldeneye Number observed: 1
Hooded Merganser Number observed: 2
Common Merganser Number observed: 1
Red-breasted Merganser Number observed: 20
Ring-billed Gull Number observed: 4
Herring Gull Number observed: 3
Great Blue Heron Number observed: 1
Cooper's Hawk Number observed: 1
Downy Woodpecker Number observed: 3
Northern Flicker Number observed: 3
American Crow Number observed: 7
Black-capped Chickadee Number observed: 3
White-breasted Nuthatch Number observed: 2
European Starling Number observed: 3
American Robin Number observed: 2
House Sparrow Number observed: 1
American Goldfinch Number observed: 7
Dark-eyed Junco Number observed: 4
White-throated Sparrow Number observed: 1
Song Sparrow Number observed: 1
Northern Cardinal Number observed: 7
If you’d like more information about a bird, check out the All About Birds ID guide:
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/
Corrections, additions and comments are welcome.
Good birding everyone,
Jennie