hello tweets,

i finally have a few minutes to share my bird list from last week, when
i was out of town. i was going to play a little game with you all,
asking you to guess where in the world was i, based upon my list of
birds. however, i will dispense with that and simply list my birdies,
and then i'll tell you where i was, all in the same message! wow, i'll
bet you all are hanging onto the edge of your seats in anticipation.

the birds;

double-crested cormorant
*eastern double-crested cormorant
black-crowned night-heron, HUNDREDS on nests
green heron, many, including one individual on a nest
great egret
great blue heron, including 1 pale individual
mute swan
canada goose
mallard
gadwall
hooded merganser
turkey vulture, more than 27 individuals (this is for you, diann! sorry,
i fell asleep after i counted 27)
bald eagle
osprey
*red-shouldered hawk
red-tailed hawk
american kestrel
ring-necked pheasant
american coot
greater yellowlegs
lesser yellowlegs
solitary sandpiper
spotted sandpiper
*laughing gull, yes they laugh, but they don't giggle
*black-headed gull
ring-billed gull
herring gull
*great black-backed gull
*common tern
rock dove
mourning dove
*eastern screech-owl
*chimney swift, extremely common, moreso than all swallow species combined
*red-headed woodpecker
*red-bellied woodpecker
northern "yellow shafted" flicker
downy woodpecker
*white-eyed vireo
*blue-headed vireo
red-eyed vireo
*blue jay
american crow
*fish crow (voice ID + visual ID)
tree swallow
cliff swallow
barn swallow
purple martin
black-capped chickadee
*carolina chickadee (voice ID + saw)
house wren
ruby-crowned kinglet
*blue-grey gnatcatcher
*eastern bluebird
*wood thrush, wow, what a singer!
swainson's thrush
american robin
*gray catbird, i love their "meows"
northern mockingbird
*brown thrasher
european starling
nashville warbler
*northern parula
yellow-rumped "myrtle" warbler
*black and white warbler
*black-throated green warbler
*black-throated blue warbler
*overbird
*northern waterthrush
common yellowthroat
*eastern towhee
*chipping sparrow
song sparrow
*swamp sparrow
*white-throated sparrow, both tan and white morphs
northern cardinal
red-winged blackbird
*common grackle
*boat-tailed grackle
*baltimore oriole, wow, gorgeous birds!
house finch, introduced from cagebirds
american goldfinch
house "english" sparrow

the beautiful barn swallow was the first bird i saw when the plane
was taxiing towards the terminal at my destination. i decided this
was a good sign, although mostly any bird seen at this time would
be a good sign for this bird-lovin' grrl.

if you wish to guess where i was before i reveal this to you, stop
reading here start guessing!

82 species seen, 33 species added to my life list, in the span of
about three hours of birding in two locations; central park in NYC
and Huntley Meadows in ... virginia? it is located near washington
DC. the birds were fabulous, the weather was wonderful and the people
were kind to me. i am looking forward to returning there this september
as a postdoctoral fellow. of course, there is only one problem with
this fabulous step forward in my career; i have to leave my fair
city behind.

i hope that you all enjoy the local treasures that you have here, such
as the lovely amazing montlake fill. i have had many wonderful adventures
there and i think of the montlake fill as THE jewel of city birding for
this region.

regards,

Deborah Wisti-Peterson, PhD Candidate nyneve at u.washington.edu
Department of Zoology, University of Washington, Seattle, Wash, USA
After September 2002: Chapman Postdoctoral Fellow
American Museum of Natural History, New York City
Visit me on the web: http://students.washington.edu/~nyneve/
Love the creator? Then protect the creation.