Monday, April 26, 2010

Two new BIGBY birds: Hooded and Kentucky Warblers

The weather wasn't exactly cooperative this morning on the Indiana University cross country course. Light drizzle, pushed by a stiff northerly breeze, with 50 degree temps. It was basically too wet to spend much time in the woods. And the birds didn't seem especially cooperative...only 35 species. But I did come up with two new first-of-year and BIGBY species.

Some highlights:

* Kentucky Warbler - FOY bird, and BIGBY species #115 for 2010.
* Hooded Warbler - FOY, and BIGBY species #116 for the year. Odd experience with eBird for the Kentucky and Hooded Warblers. Brock's "Birds of Indiana" shows these two species with southern Indiana average arrival dates of 4/25 and 4/22, respectively, meaning it shouldn't be surprising to run into them now. But in eBird I had to click on "Rare Species", and then confirm them, to get them into eBird. Makes me curious about how eBird assigns cutoff dates during migration?
* Peregrine Falcon - Circling high above Fountain Park Apartments.
* Winter Wren - Singing!! That may be the last one I see for the season, since Brock's departure date for southern Indiana is today!
* Northern Parula - 1
* American Woodcock - Flew rapidly past me from the southern edge of the XC course. About ten seconds later it flew rapidly by me again, back in the direction it originally came from.

Finally, my bird-of-the-month to look for right now is Great Crested Flycatcher. Earlier this month it had been White-eyed Vireo, and then Eastern Kingbird, but I've checked them off this month now. Right now, whenever I think I hear a Great Crested Flycatcher it turns out to be an Eastern Towhee calling. :-)

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