Birding Journal Observations / July - August 2013

Female summer tanager from August 20, and I also viewed the male nearby

Rainfall remains a key player in birding activities, with nearly 20-inches of rain recorded in the Lowcountry over July and August. Bird feeders have been drenched time and again, and it becomes very difficult to keep them clean. Rotting seed will not attract birds, and just what is that nasty substance that grows in the peanut feeder when it stays moist for too long - yuck! The majority of my observations were our most common birds, a good mix of woodpeckers, and a few migratory birds that summer in the Lowcountry. The ever present buzzing about of the ruby-throated hummingbirds is always a treat during July and August. The end of August brought a slightly drier climate and observations picked up for me accordingly on August 20 with a female summer tanager, Northern parula warbler and a pair of bobwhite quail all visiting that day. August the 26 was notable with a yellow-billed cuckoo in the mix and a blue-grey gnatcatcher too. Any birds that eat bugs and mosquitoes are doing a brisk business this year with all of the wet conditions in the woods and ditches that are favorable to bug production. Other sightings include: dove, cardinal, Indigo bunting, white-breasted nuthatch, red-headed woodpecker, blue grosbeak, blue jay, bluebird, Carolina wren, red-bellied woodpecker, tufted titmouse, hairy woodpecker, brown thrasher, pileated woodpecker, Carolina chickadee with Canada goose and wood stork sightings at a nearby pond.

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