Despite seriously windy weather, I was able to find 55 species of birds at the landfill yesterday for the 2010 Beckham Bird Club Bird-a-thon. We raised $82.50 that will go to bird conservation and education. All donations came from donors whom have never pledged before and will go a long way to help Kentucky birds. Thank you to all who donated.
With the windy weather it was difficult to even see birds let alone photograph them, but I was able to get a few shots of those that cooperated. Barn Swallows were quite numerous yesterday and found a spot where they were coursing for insects and collecting mud to construct or repair their nests. Several were perching on a piece of rebar jutting out from the garbage. It made a rather nice place to rest from the busy work of catching insects buzzing over the trash.
A rather common bird but nonetheless beautiful is the American Robin. This guy was standing on a concrete post next to a gas well head yesterday.
Several Baltimore Orioles were seen and heard singing from the treetops. These birds construct nests that look like
baskets hanging from the branch. The female builds the nest by weaving dead plant material together with her beak like a seamstress uses a needle. If you wish to attract orioles to your yard you can slice an orange in half and impale it on a stick. This will entice the birds into your yard as they enjoy the juicy treat.
The only sparrow I was able to photograph was this Savannah Sparrow. These birds usually winter in KY but a small part of the population stays in Kentucky around Lexington year round and actually breed in the state.
The following is a full list of the species seen on the Bird-a-thon at the landfill. Thanks again to those that participated.
Number of species: 55
Canada Goose 1
Mallard 3
Blue-winged Teal 2
Great Blue Heron 2
Great Egret 1
Black-crowned Night-Heron 1
Turkey Vulture 2
Red-tailed Hawk 3
American Kestrel 1
Killdeer 8
Spotted Sandpiper 1
Ring-billed Gull 1
Rock Pigeon 1
Mourning Dove 20
Chimney Swift 6
Hairy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 2
Willow Flycatcher 1
Eastern Kingbird 3
White-eyed Vireo 1
Blue Jay 1
American Crow 2
Horned Lark 1
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 2
Barn Swallow 40
Carolina Chickadee 2
Tufted Titmouse 2
Carolina Wren 3
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 2
American Robin 30
Gray Catbird 3
Northern Mockingbird 3
Brown Thrasher 1
European Starling 125
Yellow Warbler 5
Bay-breasted Warbler 1
Common Yellowthroat 6
Vesper Sparrow 1
Savannah Sparrow 1
Grasshopper Sparrow 1
Song Sparrow 12
White-throated Sparrow 1
Northern Cardinal 4
Blue Grosbeak 3
Indigo Bunting 15
Dickcissel 5
Red-winged Blackbird 100
Eastern Meadowlark 12
Common Grackle 40
Brown-headed Cowbird 25
Orchard Oriole 1
Baltimore Oriole 3
House Finch 2
American Goldfinch 20
House Sparrow 1
10:35 PM
Ryan Ankeny
