The Stroud Preserve, 7 February 2013

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It was an average day on the preserve. The bird of the day was a Brown Creeper that I got to watch at pretty close range. It worked the side of a walnut tree probing the cracks and crevices for little bugs. I was close enough to see fairly clearly that it was good at what it does! I saw it turn its head and take a close look at the barks surface, then probe it’s bill into a crack and pull out an insect. A nice skill to have with the temperature is a few degrees below freezing when no insects would be active. 

Brown Creepers have always been a favorite bird of mine and sadly it is not a bird I see around here very often. Back in Washington State it was a common resident on many of my study sites. While it was never one of the species that I studied specifically, I would occasionally catch one in my mist nest. If you have never seen one of these little guys up close you are missing something! Check out photos of one that I caught back in 2003 here.

Start time: 9:30

End time: 12:30

Temp: 27-32°

Wind: none to slight from the east

Skies: overcast

Species Total: 36

  • Great Blue Heron – 1
  • Black Vulture – approximately 10
  • Turkey Vulture – approximately 25
  • Canada Goose – approximately 40
  • Mallard – 13
  • Common Merganser – 3
  • Bald Eagle – 3, 2 adults, 1 unknown (brief look in silhouette)
  • Sharp-shinned Hawk – 2
  • Red-tailed Hawk – 7, 5 adults, 2 immatures
  • Great Horned Owl – 1, on the nest as usual
  • Belted Kingfisher – 1
  • Red-bellied Woodpecker – approximately 8
  • Downy Woodpecker – approximately 10
  • Hairy Woodpecker – 2
  • Northern Flicker – 1, heard only
  • Blue Jay – approximately 10
  • American Crow – approximately 50
  • Fish Crow – 1
  • Carolina Chickadee – approximately 15
  • Tufted Titmouse – approximately 10
  • White-breasted Nuthatch – approximately 10
  • Brown Creeper – 1, Bird of the day!
  • Carolina Wren – approximately 10
  • Eastern Bluebird – approximately 15
  • Northern Mockingbird – 3
  • European Starling – approximately 25
  • Eastern Towhee – 2
  • Fox Sparrow – 2
  • Song Sparrow – approximately 20
  • White-throated Sparrow – approximately 140
  • Dark-eyed Junco – approximately 20
  • Northern Cardinal – approximately 15
  • Common Grackle – 2
  • House Finch – 1, heard only
  • American Goldfinch – 1, heard only