Backyard Big Year

Female Eastern Bluebird, note how brown she can appear depending on lighting and angle.

Eastern Bluebird  (Code 1)  1 Jan 2015

Area: Fairly common in open woodlands and agricultural fields in the county.

Yard: Common permanent resident, a few birds seen most days with effort.  Occasionally come to feeders, but usually seen in front or side yard, often feeding on grapes or fruit when in season.

Bluebirds aren’t always blue–when they are turned just right, the blue is not reflected.

Audio:

Screen shot of video, 8 Jan 2015

Ring-billed Gull (Code 1) 1 Jan 2015

Area: Abundant local non breeding resident, with huge flocks often congregating at Spruce Run for the evening and flying to a landfill in Pennsylvania each morning. Often seen on local fields, strip malls, and other bodies of water. Usually the most numerous gull in Hunterdon County.

Yard: Common flyover species, especially in the morning when small groups and occasionally larger flocks fly directly over house as move out into daytime foraging sites. Huge flock visible in distance leaving Spruce Run each morning to fly to Pennsylvania.

Screen shot of video, 8 Jan 2015

 Audio: Birds moving overhead started calling in mid-March.

Flyovers, 21 March 2015

Blue Jay (Code 1) 1 Jan 2015

Area: Common permanent resident and abundant fall migrant.

Yard: Common resident, usually a daily visitor, with up to five birds sometimes showing up at a time. During migration, hundreds can be seen passing through on a single day, especially in the fall.

Audio:

Jay, Jay calls (1 Jan 2015)

Downy Woodpecker (Code 1) 1 Jan 2015

Area: Common anywhere with trees in Hunterdon County.

Yard: Common permanent resident, with at least one pair spending much of the day in my yard. Frequently visits suet and black sunflower seed feeders.

Audio:

Pik call (15 Jan 2015)

Trill (15 Jan 2015)

Song Sparrow (Code 1) 1 Jan 2015

Area: Common permanent resident in woodlots and along creeks and waterways.

Yard: Fairly common permanent resident, there is at least a pair of birds usually hanging around in the side yard, though they are easily overlooked unless they come out to feed on the edge of the lawn or are singing during breeding season.

Audio:
Song–3 Feb 2015

Hairy Woodpecker (Code 1) 1 Jan 2015

Area: Uncommon local resident, they are scattered across the larger wooded areas of Hunterdon County.

Yard: Uncommon local resident, there is at least one male bird that sometimes shows up in my yard, either to visit the suet feeder or the trees in the side yard. Seen sporadically in the first 3 years that we lived in this home, but seen almost daily with increased coverage during the Backyard Big Year. The male bird shows up for only a few minutes at a time and can be easily missed.

Hairy Woodpecker hanging out briefly on our patio.

 Audio:  Hairy Woodpecker “peek” call on 23 Feb 2015.

Pileated Woodpecker (Code 1) 1 Jan 2015

Area: Uncommon to fairly common, present in larger patches of woods in Hunterdon County.

Yard: Fairly common resident, a pair is frequently seen in my side yard or flying over the neighborhood.

Audio:
15 Jan 2015

Northern Cardinal (Code 1) 1 Jan 2015

Area: Common resident throughout Hunterdon County.

Yard: Common permanent resident, there are often a pair or several birds in the yard each day.  They occasionally feed on spilled seed under the feeders or on seed thrown on ground by side yard.

Audio
Partial song, 4 Feb 2015

House Sparrow (Code 1) 1 Jan 2015

Area: Fairly common but local resident, scattered colonies found throughout the county, mostly in towns and around farms.

Yard: Fairly common to uncommon resident, there seems to be a local colony in the neighborhood, perhaps associated with the farm on Old Farm Rd.  The birds are not always found in my yard, and I can go weeks or months without seeing them.

Audio:
Group of birds in side yard, 10 Jan 2015.