For The Birds (And The Kids)

On 12 May 2012, Lindsay and I participated in the annual May Bird Count.  Our survey area includes much of the western third of Potato Creek State Park in St. Joseph County, Indiana.  We started the day with a Barred Owl at 4:30 a.m., and recorded our last bird at 2:00 p.m., after walking a total of approximately 6.3 miles.  We then added three additional species on our property later in the afternoon.

Lindsay birding

The count was conducted as part of the South Bend-Elkhart Audubon Society Bird-a-thon. Members of the chapter solicit sponsors for Bird-a-thon, and the money raised is used to purchase Audubon Adventures, an environmental education program for local schools. 

Eastern Towhee

We had some misses, including Hooded Merganser, Cooper's Hawk, shorebirds, Blue-headed Vireo, Swainson's Thrush, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, Ovenbird, Northern Waterthrush, White-throated Sparrow, and Orchard Oriole.  For the day, however, we still tallied the following 89 species:

Canada Goose - 55
Wood Duck - 13
Mallard - 2
Blue-winged Teal - 2
Wild Turkey - 4
Great Blue Heron - 9
Green Heron - 8
Turkey Vulture - 4
Osprey - 2
Red-shouldered Hawk - 2
Red-tailed Hawk - 2
American Coot - 1
Sandhill Crane - 2
Killdeer - 1
American Woodcock - 2
Ring-billed Gull - 2
Mourning Dove - 5
Black-billed Cuckoo - 1
Eastern Screech Owl - 1
Barred Owl - 2
Chimney Swift - 2
Ruby-throated Hummingbird - 1
Red-headed Woodpecker - 2
Red-bellied Woodpecker - 7
Downy Woodpecker - 7
Hairy Woodpecker - 1
Northern Flicker - 2
Pileated Woodpecker - 2
Eastern Wood-Pewee - 8
Acadian Flycatcher - 8
Willow Flycatcher - 4
Least Flycatcher - 1
Eastern Phoebe - 3
Great Crested Flycatcher - 4
Eastern Kingbird - 2
White-eyed Vireo - 5
Yellow-throated Vireo - 2
Warbling Vireo - 5
Red-eyed Vireo - 4
Blue Jay - 32
American Crow - 14
Tree Swallow - 52
Northern Rough-winged Swallow - 2
Barn Swallow - 1
Black-capped Chickadee - 6
Tufted Titmouse - 6
White-breasted Nuthatch - 4
House Wren - 9
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - 10
Eastern Bluebird - 5
Veery - 5
Wood Thrush - 4
American Robin - 15
Gray Catbird - 43
Brown Thrasher - 3
European Starling - 20
Cedar Waxwing - 42
Blue-winged Warbler - 9
Tennessee Warbler - 7
Northern Parula - 3
Yellow Warbler - 36
Magnolia Warbler - 2
Yellow-rumped Warbler - 7
Black-throated Green Warbler - 1
Blackburnian Warbler - 4
Palm Warbler - 1
Bay-breasted Warbler - 2
Blackpoll Warbler - 3
Cerulean Warbler - 1
American Redstart - 18
Louisiana Waterthrush - 3
Common Yellowthroat - 38
Yellow-breasted Chat - 5
Eastern Towhee - 30
Chipping Sparrow - 6
Field Sparrow - 20
Savannah Sparrow - 1
Song Sparrow - 13
White-crowned Sparrow - 1
Scarlet Tanager - 4
Northern Cardinal - 23
Rose-breasted Grosbeak - 6
Indigo Bunting - 15
Red-winged Blackbird - 25
Common Grackle - 1
Brown-headed Cowbird - 25
Baltimore Oriole - 7
House Finch - 2
American Goldfinch - 27