May 1 - Blue Jay Nest-building Day

May 1, 2008
Roan Mountain, Carter County, Tennessee
American Crow - pond (3); elsewhere (2)
American Goldfinch - feeder (4f, 3m)
American Robin - yard (1); elsewhere (1)
Blue Jay - yard (3) Two were building a nest; pond (2); elsewhere (3)
Carolina Chickadee - feeder
Common Grackle
Dark-eyed Junco - feeder (2)
Eastern Phoebe - heard
Eastern Towhee - feeder (m); elsewhere (m)
European Starling (3)
Hooded Warbler - heard
Indigo Bunting
Mourning Dove - feeder
Northern Cardinal - feeder (m, f); pond (2m); elsewhere (m)
Northern Flicker - heard
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Ruby-throated Hummingbird - feeder (m)
Song Sparrow
Tufted Titmouse - feeder
Wood Thrush - heard
Yellow-rumped Warbler - yard (f)
Pipevine Swallowtail - yard (1); feeder (1)
Tiger Swallowtail (4)
Cottontail
Raccoon - porch

Roan Mountain State Park, Carter County, Tennessee
American Crow

April 30 - Big day in BM-A

April 30, 2008
Roan Mountain, Carter County, Tennessee
American Crow (7)
American Goldfinch - feeder (2m, 2f); elsewhere (f)
American Robin (3)
Blue Jay - feeder (1); elsewhere (1)
Brown Thrasher (2)
Carolina Chickadee - feeder
Chipping Sparrow (2)
Dark-eyed Junco - feeder
Eastern Phoebe (2)
Eastern Towhee - feeder (m, f); elsewhere (1) It's hard to tell gender when the bird is in deep shadow and you can't see if it is brown or black!

European Starling (11)
House Finch (m)
House Sparrow (2m, f) These are new in this area. With so many people building and moving into the neighborhood guess it was inevitable. We have had starlings for several years now. I like having new birds, but there are way too many people!! Sorry folks but I wish you had picked somewhere else to invade. I guess I understand better how some people feel about "invasive" birds, but so far I prefer the birds. *Grumpy Old Man steps down from his stump*

Mourning Dove (2)
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Red-winged Blackbird (4m)
Ruby-throated Hummingbird - feeder (f, m)
Song Sparrow - feeder (1); elsewhere (1)
Tree Swallow (3)
Pipevine Swallowtail - feeder We don't have a butterfly feeder. The Pipevine seems to like to flutter by the bird feeders and scare the goldfinches! Yes, the goldfinches are scared of it. When it flies by they twitter and zoom away!

Tiger Swallowtail

Roan Mountain State Park, Carter County, Tennessee
American Crow (4)
American Robin

Elk Park, Avery County, North Carolina
American Robin
Mallard
Mourning Dove
Red-winged Blackbird (m)

Heaton, Avery County, North Carolina
American Crow
Dark-eyed Junco

Banner Elk, Avery County, North Carolina
American Crow
American Robin
Virginia Opossum - dead

Beech Mountain, Avery County, North Carolina
American Crow (7+)
Barn Swallow
Carolina Chickadee (4)
Chimney Swift (3)
Dark-eyed Junco (2)
Eastern Towhee (m)
European Starling
House Finch (m)
Mourning Dove
Pine Siskin (2)

I don't recall having this long a list for Beech Mountain (Avery) before. Too busy working I guess, but this evening the weather was fine and I took a few minutes break outside and that's what I saw!

April 29 - Day of the Starlings

April 29, 2008

Happy Birthday, Nancy!!

Roan Mountain, Carter County, Tennessee
American Crow - yard (1); elsewhere (3)
American Goldfinch - feeder (m, f)
American Robin
Blue Jay (5)
Canada Goose - heard
Carolina Chickadee - feeder
Dark-eyed Junco - feeder
Eastern Towhee - feeder (m)
European Starling (22+)
Hooded Warbler - heard
House Finch - feeder (2m)
Mourning Dove
Northern Cardinal - feeder (m); elsewhere (2m)
Red-winged Blackbird (4m)
Ruby-throated Hummingbird - feeder (m); elsewhere (m, f)
Song Sparrow
Tufted Titmouse - feeder (2); elsewhere (1)
Wood Thrush - heard (2)
Raccoon - porch
Virginia Opossum - dead

Roan Mountain State Park, Carter County, Tennessee
American Crow (3)

Hampton, Carter County, Tennessee
European Starling (2)

Elizabethton, Carter County, Tennessee
American Crow (4)
American Robin (3)
Chimney Swift (5)
Common Grackle
Eastern Phoebe (2)
European Starling (60+)
House Sparrow (7f, 3m)
Mourning Dove
Rock Pigeon (10+)
Song Sparrow - heard

April 28 - More Hummingbirds

April 28, 2008
Roan Mountain, Carter County, Tennessee
American Crow
American Goldfinch - feeder (2m, f)
American Robin - yard (2); elsewhere (3) including (1) nesting
Blue Jay - feeder (1); pond (1); elsewhere (4)
Brown Thrasher (1-2) separated by more time than space to be certain it was two individuals but I think they probably were.

Carolina Chickadee - feeder
Dark-eyed Junco - feeder
Eastern Towhee - feeder (m)
Gray Catbird
Hooded Warbler - heard
House Finch - feeder (m)
Mourning Dove - yard (2)
Northern Cardinal - feeder (f, m) He flew up to the feeder she was on and she gave him the seed that was in her beak! I've seen a male feed a female several times but I don't remember seeing a female feed a male before.

Northern Flicker (m, f) mating in a large poplar tree.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird - feeder (m, f); elsewhere (2m, f) for a total of (5) individuals - new high count

Song Sparrow - feeder (1); elsewhere (1)
Tufted Titmouse - feeder (2)
Wood Thrush - heard
Bullfrog - pond
Raccoon - on the porch sometime after midnight. There were two on the porch this evening but by the time I got there one had scampered and I only saw one.

Millipede (1/2 - 2/3) Same kind as yesterday only a little slimmer and missing it's head and then some.

April 27 - Year Bird #104 Gray Catbird

April 27, 2008
Roan Mountain, Carter County, Tennessee
American Crow - yard
American Goldfinch - feeder (m)
American Robin - yard (2); elsewhere (2) one of them nesting
Blue Jay - feeder (2); elsewhere (7)
Brown Thrasher - heard
Carolina Chickadee - feeder (2)
Dark-eyed Junco - feeder (2)
Eastern Phoebe - yard (1); elsewhere (1)
Eastern Towhee - feeder (m); elsewhere (f, m)
European Starling - yard
Gray Catbird - pond - year bird #104
Hooded Warbler - heard
Mourning Dove - feeder (1); elsewhere (2)
Northern Cardinal - feeder (m, f); elsewhere (2m)
Northern Flicker - heard
Ruby-throated Hummingbird - feeder (m, f) FOS female
Song Sparrow (2)
Tufted Titmouse - feeder (2)
Wood Thrush - heard (2)
Yellow-rumped Warbler - yard (3); elsewhere (2+)
Bullfrog - pond
Small frog - pond
Pipevine Swallowtail
Water Strider - pond
Raccoon - porch
Millipede - I brought it home and took the photo below. Actual size is 2 inches long.

April 26 - Year Bird #103 Indigo Bunting

April 26, 2008
Roan Mountain, Carter County, Tennessee
American Crow (8)
American Goldfinch - feeder (m); elsewhere (1)
American Robin (2)
Barn Swallow
Blue Jay - feeder (1); pond (1)
Brown Thrasher (2)
Carolina Chickadee - feeder (1); elsewhere (1)
Dark-eyed Junco - feeder
Eastern Towhee (2) and heard at least (2) more
European Starling (3)
Indigo Bunting - feeder (m) - year bird #103
Northern Cardinal - feeder (f); elsewhere (f)
Pine Siskin
Red-winged Blackbird
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Song Sparrow
Tufted Titmouse - feeder
Wood Thrush - heard (2)
Bullfrog - pond (2)
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail - (3)
Pipevine Swallowtail (3)
Raccoon - porch

April 25 - Year Bird #102 Barred Owl

April 25, 2008
Roan Mountain, Carter County, Tennessee
American Crow (2)
American Goldfinch - feeder (3m, 2f)
American Robin (2 nesting) I've been trying to get a good enough look at a nesting bird to identify it. Finally today I got to identify it.

Barred Owl - heard - year bird #102
Blue Jay - feeder (1); elsewhere (2)
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Carolina Chickadee - feeder
Carolina Wren
Eastern Phoebe (2)
Eastern Towhee - feeder (m)
European Starling
Mourning Dove - heard
Northern Cardinal (m)
Northern Flicker - heard
Pine Siskin - feeder
Song Sparrow - feeder
Tufted Titmouse - feeder
Wood Thrush - heard (2)
Yellow-rumped Warbler - yard (3+); elsewhere (8-10)
Bullfrog - pond
Pipevine Swallowtail - yard
Water Strider - pond

April 24 - Close encounter with a glowing bat

April 24, 2008
Roan Mountain, Carter County, Tennessee
American Crow (3)
American Goldfinch - feeder (2m)
American Robin - yard (1); elsewhere (3) one nesting
Blue Jay - feeder (1); yard (3); pond (1); elsewhere (1)
Brown Thrasher - pond
Carolina Chickadee - feeder (1); elsewhere saw (1) and heard another
Carolina Wren
Chimney Swift
Dark-eyed Junco - feeder (1); elsewhere (1)
Eastern Phoebe
Eastern Towhee - feeder (m); elsewhere (m, f) and heard another. The male was displaying for the female, tail-fanning etc.

Hooded Warbler - heard - year bird #100
Mourning Dove
Orchard Oriole (m) - year bird #101
Pine Siskin - feeder
Ruby-throated Hummingbird - yard (1); elsewhere (m)
Song Sparrow - pond (1); elsewhere (1)
Tufted Titmouse - feeder (2)
Wood Thrush - heard
Yellow-rumped Warbler (4)

Bullfrog - pond (4) new high count. I had spotted two and was about to leave when I heard a croak, the first of the year. Rescanning in the direction of the croak I spotted two additional bullfrogs. They gave themselves away!

Salamander - pond (2)
Damselfly - pond (1) very pale blue damselfly about 11/2 inches long making egg-laying motions around the edge of a broken lily pad. From what I can find I think it was probably a bluet of some sort.

Pipevine Swallowtail - pond
Water Strider - pond (3)
American Red Squirrel - yard
Eastern Red Bat - year/life mammal - I heard something flying toward me from behind and whirled around in time to see an orangeish bat swoop to within about four feet of my head. I was in a small meadow about 40 feet from the edge of a small grove in bright sunlight at 4:35 pm. The fur on this bat seemed to glow in the sunlight and I watched it fly around the meadow and head towards our driveway through the woods at the upper end.

Raccoon - porch