Late Success

     Well, March was an awesome month, now with migration about to hit its peak! I'll give you the rundown:



March 28-

    While out doing yardwork on a boring Saturday, I casually check my phone, to check my email. I read an email that reads: bla bla bla Red-necked Grebe bla bla bla Merry Bros. Brickyard Ponds bla bla bla. I am about to delete the email, thinking that another Georgia has just spotted another rare bird somewhere far away when I realize

         


Merry Bros. Brickyard Ponds is 20 minutes away!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


After a few hours of begging, I finally get out the door and am on my way, nervous and wondering if the bird is still there... Finally we arrive, find a SUPER SECRET (not really) dirt road to get closer, and find this:

Red-necked Grebe! Richmond Co. Year-bird #112

American Kestrel

We were also lucky enough to see lots of Common Loons in breeding plumage and a Kestrel! But the best part was the Grebe, which just happened to be LIFER # 250!

Common Loon

3 species

On the way back we stopped by a local horse barn and saw Purple Martins- #113 on the year for the county.

  

The next day I once again wen to Phinizy to try and pick up some of the migrants that had been seen, and was successful. However, the first bird I saw was the one I have been looking for all winter!

Rusty Blackbird - Richmond Co. Year-bird #114

I later saw a Little Blue Heron and a Cattle Egret, 2 FOTYs for the county.

Cattle Egret- Richmond Co. Year-bird #116

Little Blue Heron- Richmond Co. Year-bird #115

Also saw an Osprey apparently preparing to nest!

Osprey

Osprey













Finally, 2 nights ago, I heard then saw a Chimney Swift fly over my house, another year-bird.







So now, Richmond County Yearlist- 117

March-birding: A BIG MONTH!

      March has been my favorite month this year yet, getting lots of new county birds and now beginning to experience SPRING MIGRATION!  Here is some of the news from this current month:

March 1-

            Drove by Merry Bros. Brickyard Ponds on the highway and saw the Common Loon that has wintered here in Augusta through the window! No pictures, but county year-bird #100!!!  

After seeing that species, I realized that I was 50% through with my goal! I was a little bit behind my mark for that #, as I wanted to be at 100 by the end of January. But, I made up for the slacking with some good year-birds this month. Later that day at Bluff Plantation, I not only saw more Greater Yellowlegs, but also Lesser Yellowlegs! A year-bird!

Lesser Yellowlegs- Richmond Co. Year-bird #101

March 2- 

    I heard a Fish Crow call above my house, which meant #102.

March 9-

   Went to Phinizy Swamp and saw an American Bittern.

American Bittern- Richmond Co. Year-bird #103

March 22-  

         A beautiful Saturday, but no one to drive me anywhere. So, I decided to improvise, walking to one of my secret birding spots (which may or may not be on private property) near the neighboring golf course. I went in with 103 and came out with 105. 

     Blue-gray Gnatcatcher- Richmond Co. Year-bird #104
     Northern Parula- Richmond Co. Year-bird #105

   This was a sign that SPRING WAS HERE!!!!!





March 23- MOVING DAY


         Went to Phinizy Swamp on bikes with my Dad. Very birdy day with dozens of Northern Parulas, Yellow-throated Warblers, and White-eyed Vireos singing. Before even pulling into the park we saw what made us blink twice:  MISSISSIPPI KITE! The earliest record for Georgia EVER! Was seen circling in an airfield. This find pumped up our adrenaline for the rest of the day. We ended up seeing 3 new year-birds, but got pictures of none of them... Which didn't matter in the end. Cause' I finally got pictures of King Rails! After 3 straight trips with incredible looks at these super-secretive birds, and with no camera, I now was able to gets shots of them!

Pair of King Rails

King Rail Closeup

King Rail

I also got a good one of another American Bittern.

American Bittern

On another note, we also saw 16 different snakes, 3 different species, and 11 within 10 sq ft of each other!

-13 Cottonmouths

Baby Cottonmouth

Nasty Cottonmouth

-2 Rat Snakes

Rat Snake

           -1 Red-bellied Water Snake

Year-birds were: 

Mississippi Kite- Richmond Co. Year-bird #106

Tree Swallow- Richmond Co. Year-bird #107

Sharp-shinned Hawk- Richmond Co. Year-bird #108     (a crucial year-need picked up just in time)

March 26-

     On the way home from school I saw 2 Eurasian Collared-Doves.

Eurasian Collared Dove- Richmond Co. Year-bird #109

March 28-

       On a rainy afternoon, I went fishing in my neighborhood pond. I was surprised to see 5 Wood Ducks and 2 species of swallow. Both swallows were year-birds.

Barn Swallow- Richmond Co. Year-bird #110

Northern Rough-winged Swallow- Richmond Co. Year-bird #111

So, as of now, the Richmond Co. Year-list is at 111.

Thanks for keeping up with the blog! I promise to stay up to date!

Richmond Co. Yearbirds from February

Quick post on some new yearbirds from last month.

At Phinizy Swamp-

White-eyed Vireo-  Richmond Co. Year-bird #98

Later that day at Bluff Plantation-

Greater Yellowlegs- Richmond Co. Year-bird #99

That was it for February birding. It was a slow month. Recent March-birding is next!

Snow Day in Richmond Co. 2/12/14

     Sorry, I know I have not posted in a long time. But let's forget all the apologies and get down to business... Now, where were we???.......oh yes, ICEQUAKEPOCALYPSE 2014! The snow/ice back in February brought lots of hungry birds to my yard. I was lucky enough to have this occur during the GBBC. (Great Backyard Bird Count) I spent most of the days trying to get good pics of the birds in the snow. Here are some of them.

Yellow-rumped Warbler

White-throated Sparrow

  

Mourning Dove

Hermit Thrush

Dark-eyed Junco

Chipping Sparrow

Eastern Bluebird

American Goldfinches

House Finches

All of these were cool birds to see, but nothing was cooler than the new yard-bird I got!

FOX SPARROW

FOX SPARROW!!!!!!




Not 1, but 2!

Fox Sparrows

To end the day, this Chipping Sparrow decided to put a smile on its face!

Happy Chipping Sparrow






No new yearbirds, but a great experience!

Recent News

         Sorry, I would have posted earlier but we have had a power outage for a few days... I went to see the Western Tanager for the second try and once again, I DIDN'T SEE IT!!! 5 minutes after I left, the homeowner called to say that the bird was on the feeder....... No matter, I went to chase some White-crowned Sparrows that had been reported earlier and found them, so that was a yearbird!

        Later that day I went out to Phinizy Swamp in hopes to finally pick up that King Rail I had kept missing. It was a good day overall, as I didn't stay long and found 53 species, including year-birds Sora and, yes, King Rail! On the next day I went out to Bluff Plantation again and found Wood Ducks and Hooded Mergansers.

Turkey Vulture from Bluff Plantation

        The 5 year-birds on the weekend have brought me to:

COUNTY YEARLIST-     97


        The power at my house is still out, but as soon as it comes back on I will post a report on all of the birds that came to my yard during this ice storm! Here is a preview of what has been in the yard lately...

Hermit Thrush

American Goldfinch

Mourning Dove

Recent News

        I saw a Cooper's Hawk downtown 2 weeks ago, so that brings my county yearlist to 92.

        I am not able to go birding almost at all during the weekdays. I have basketball every day after school, and baseball is soon coming up... I will try and focus my birding in my own county during the weekends.I might finally get a chance to see the Western Tanager that is 25 minutes away this weekend, as I dipped 2 weeks ago...

                                                                   Later,
                                                                               Sam

Sullivan' Island Trip cont.

          So the trip was 2 1/2 days long. On the morning of the second day, we tried a place called Pitt Street Causeway a second time, because the first time the tide was too far out, and we couldn't see the birds! This time the tide was dead high!!! We just couldn't get the tide right. I did get 3 year-birds though. (Horned Grebe, Cooper's Hawk, Tree Swallow)

Coop

Horned Grebe

Horned Grebe

           In the afternoon, I decided to walk from Station 17 to Station 30 and back. (About a 5 mile walk along the beach.) It was very exciting! I got to see a Red Knot with a flag on its leg!(A form of a band) I was able to get close enough to him to read the tag #. Later I saw a Piping Plover with bands on his legs too!

Piping Plover

Piping Plover - Sunset

            I reported the two birds to banding websites. Maybe I'll get a response saying where they were banded! THE BEST PART of the walk was the Lifer! After 2 sightings of a loon sp. out in the water, finally I noticed a loon about 50 yards out. I grabbed the binocs, and soon noticed the intricate plumage on its back, the amount of white on the face, and the overall small size. All signs pointed to Red-throated Loon! An awesome experience! On the way back, as the sun set, I tried to take a picture with my crummy little phone since the camera decided to stop working again, and it didn't turn out too bad!

Sunset

          The next day, I saw 5 more year-birds before I left at noon. ( Semipalmated Plover, Least Sandpiper, Gray Catbird, Clapper Rail, and Purple Sandpiper) The Purple was a Lifer! It was basically the last bird I saw before leaving, as I finally got the tides right and found it hanging out with another trio of Purps and some RUTUs and REKNs.   

Purple Sandpiper!

Laughing Gull

Red Knot

Willet

So, trip totals:

    5: Lifers

    29: Year-birds

    1: Awesome experience!