2009 was the first full year I’ve been thorough in keeping track of my yard birds. We always looked idly out and enjoyed them, especially since Lissa built me a pond a while back for my birthday. But in 2009, I kept lists. Sometimes it was an hour on a summer evening sitting at the patio table. Sometimes it was a few minutes with a warm cup of coffee on a cold morning, sitting on the back stoop. Sometimes it was jotted notes of the birds I saw when I looked up from my work in my home office, which looks out on the pond and the feeders. I try to get at least one set of observations a week, though as you’ll see below I averaged nearly three.
That’s Speedy, the roadrunner that took up residence in fall 2008 and was around through last August. Sadly, we haven’t seem him around lately. He was great fun. I’d see the yard birds take flight, up to the telephone wires, and immediately start looking for Speedy on the prowl. The coolest thing was the day I saw him get an unsuspecting sparrow. Snapped the little bird’s neck and swallowed it whole after picking off the feathers (and a few gratuitous whacks on the ground to make sure it was dead.)
Herein, then, the Heineman-Fleck family home 2009 yard list:
The number is the percentage of lists submitted each month to eBird in which the named bird appears.
43 species of birds identified, 153 observations submitted.
Species Name |
Jan2009 |
Feb2009 |
Mar2009 |
Apr2009 |
May2009 |
Jun2009 |
Jul2009 |
Aug2009 |
Sep2009 |
Oct2009 |
Nov2009 |
Dec2009 |
Sharp-shinned Hawk |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
7 |
Cooper’s Hawk |
6 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
6 |
6 |
— |
8 |
— |
— |
Accipiter sp. |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
7 |
Rock Pigeon |
12 |
27 |
25 |
33 |
25 |
33 |
17 |
35 |
6 |
8 |
17 |
20 |
Eurasian Collared-Dove |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
8 |
6 |
18 |
19 |
23 |
6 |
47 |
White-winged Dove |
62 |
73 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
83 |
76 |
69 |
100 |
89 |
93 |
Mourning Dove |
25 |
18 |
25 |
67 |
75 |
100 |
89 |
59 |
69 |
38 |
56 |
53 |
Inca Dove |
— |
— |
— |
50 |
— |
8 |
28 |
24 |
19 |
46 |
33 |
33 |
Budgerigar |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
6 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
Greater Roadrunner |
25 |
— |
25 |
17 |
— |
17 |
6 |
6 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
Common Nighthawk |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
8 |
— |
6 |
6 |
— |
— |
— |
Black-chinned Hummingbird |
— |
— |
— |
33 |
50 |
58 |
33 |
29 |
50 |
— |
— |
— |
Calliope Hummingbird |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
6 |
19 |
— |
— |
— |
Broad-tailed Hummingbird |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
6 |
— |
— |
— |
Rufous Hummingbird |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
39 |
41 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
Red-naped Sapsucker |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
6 |
— |
Ladder-backed Woodpecker |
6 |
9 |
— |
— |
— |
8 |
6 |
6 |
6 |
8 |
6 |
13 |
Northern Flicker |
6 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
6 |
15 |
17 |
33 |
Olive-sided Flycatcher |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
6 |
— |
— |
— |
Western Scrub-Jay |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
31 |
22 |
— |
American Crow |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
8 |
11 |
47 |
Cliff Swallow |
— |
— |
— |
— |
25 |
17 |
6 |
12 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
Mountain Chickadee |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
6 |
7 |
Bushtit |
— |
9 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
6 |
6 |
6 |
8 |
6 |
7 |
Brown Creeper |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
6 |
— |
— |
— |
Bewick’s Wren |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
27 |
Ruby-crowned Kinglet |
— |
— |
— |
— |
25 |
— |
— |
6 |
— |
— |
6 |
— |
American Robin |
31 |
45 |
75 |
83 |
75 |
50 |
17 |
— |
19 |
8 |
33 |
60 |
European Starling |
6 |
9 |
— |
— |
— |
8 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
6 |
7 |
Yellow-rumped Warbler |
— |
9 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
23 |
17 |
7 |
Western Tanager |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
6 |
— |
— |
— |
Green-tailed Towhee |
— |
— |
— |
— |
25 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
Spotted Towhee |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
13 |
Chipping Sparrow |
— |
— |
— |
17 |
— |
— |
— |
12 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
White-crowned Sparrow |
— |
— |
— |
17 |
25 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
15 |
11 |
— |
Dark-eyed Junco |
44 |
36 |
50 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
23 |
94 |
113 |
Black-headed Grosbeak |
— |
— |
— |
— |
50 |
— |
— |
6 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
Great-tailed Grackle |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
6 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
Bullock’s Oriole |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
8 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
House Finch |
50 |
73 |
75 |
83 |
100 |
92 |
83 |
76 |
75 |
85 |
83 |
87 |
Lesser Goldfinch |
25 |
36 |
25 |
33 |
25 |
42 |
39 |
53 |
19 |
15 |
17 |
13 |
American Goldfinch |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
12 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
House Sparrow |
44 |
55 |
75 |
83 |
100 |
100 |
83 |
53 |
50 |
85 |
83 |
87 |
Impressive!
That’s almost as much as I used to get in Western WA, but then I didn’t have a hummingbird feeder, either. and I didn’t do ‘spp’ ;o)
Other than the jealous quibbling, I’m envious. Nowhere near that many out here.
Best,
D