Nov. / Dec. birding observations

One observation from the field for November and December of 2010 has to be the lack of transition weather from Fall to Winter. It was relatively warm until around late November or Thanksgiving and then a harsh cold winter settled in to the Lowcountry. As far as the species of birds sighted this served to concentrate the birds as they gathered at the separate feeding stations of peanuts, suet, black sunflowers and birdseed. Of course the biggest attractant of all is bird baths, and I try to keep three in use. The challenge during prolonged cold weather is that the birdbaths freeze up and the songbirds tiptoe across the surface of the ice pecking at it with curiosity. My solution is to keep one birdbath underneath a spigot in the yard that is set to drip continuously, thus keeping it free of ice.

Birds observed included red-bellied woodpecker, cardinal, tufted titmouse, hairy woodpecker, carolina chickadee, yellow-belied sapsucker, chipping sparrow, pileated woodpecker, robin, white-breasted nuthatch, catbird, cooper's hawk, carolina wren, white-throated sparrow, mockingbird, towhee and yellow-rumped warbler.

Migratory waterfowl sightings include gadwall, wood duck, black duck, ringneck, hooded merganser, shoveler and Canada geese.

For the Sept.-Oct. '10 birding blog entry click here.

PhotoByJeffDennis: With the exception of the evening grosbeak, the Birds of the Garden poster accurately depicts what is most common amongst my observations