Pinelands Midwinter Bird Census

Patty and I have participated in the Pinelands Midwinter Bird Census for several years now, and did so again this past Sunday. The best part is that our territory is our yard.*

So we bird from the comfort of our living room.   

Really. One of the target birds is a Barred Owl. The coordinator of the Census sent out a list of eleven sites, with Google Maps coordinates, for folks to get up very early, dive to, and stand out in the cold and listen for the owl. Out in the middle of the Pinelands.

I heard it from my living room couch while enjoying a cup of coffee. The key is the speaker set up I wrote about in this post. I listen and when I hear the owl I go outside to confirm. Had it called earlier, I would have gotten it from my warm comfy bed.

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Other birds we got from the living room included:

Eastern Bluebirds, a male (left) and female getting a drink at our heated bird bath. Note the lack of snow.

A female Purple Finch. A male also put in an appearance.

One of eight Fox Sparrows. 

The snow has started.

A White-breasted Nuthatch, a species which nests in our yard.

A White-throated Sparrow, one of many (and two blurry American Goldfinch).

A non-blurry American Goldfinch, with a droopy wing. It seemed to fly about without issue. This species was also numerous.

A Dark-eyed Junco. The most numerous species of the day.

A male Northern Cardinal.

A Hermit Thrush. 

Full on snowfall now.

Blue Jay.

Three of the four Northern Flickers that were chasing each other around. And one of five woodpecker species we had in the yard for the census.

A Flicker (on top) and a Red-bellied Woodpecker at the Big Feeder.

The ubiquitous Mourning Doves.

Red (Cardinal), White (snow), and Blue (Bluebird).

A Downy Woodpecker joins a Cardinal and a Red-bellied Woodpecker at the Big Feeder.

One of several Tufted Titmouse that call our yard home year round.

Another year round resident, the Carolina Wren.

A Hairy Woodpecker. All of the woodpeckers are year round residents.

The fifth woodpecker was a Pileated Woodpecker, which I saw in our backwoods. Alas, it was obscured by many branches, and flew off without posing for an image. Also while out back in the woods I had a fly over Common Raven, heard and seen.

I had started, with the owl, at 6:00 am. By noon the snow had started, and we headed back home. Overall it was a good day.

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* Well, we've a couple other spots we get out too. But it is our yard, and the woods around us, that are the most productive part of our territory.