Just another day at the farm

The doomed farm across the street continues to surprise me with great birds. Last weekend I spent four hours exploring the weedy fields and wood edges around the perimeter of the farm property and tallied 49 bird species in addition to four mammal species (white-tailed deer, red fox, eastern chipmunk and gray squirrel). During the first hour there was a good flight of American Pipits and Horned Larks while the mid-day brought a strong hawk flight with several kettles of Red-tailed Hawks and Red-shouldered Hawks streaming southwest. A late Osprey, a Barred Owl, several Purple Finches, Pine Siskins and Red-breasted Nuthatches were additional highlights of the day!

American Goldfinch

 American Kestrel with grasshopper in talons

 American Pipit

 Male Red-breasted Nuthatch

 Male Dark-eyed Junco

 Juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk

 Song Sparrow

 Yellow-rumped Warbler