Morning Birding Species List | November 8, 2015

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Tuesday, November 8, 2015, 7:30AM – 10:30AM
Weather: sunny
Location: Hallam Lake and North Star Nature Preserve

Species Identified
Mallard Red-tailed Hawk Broad-tailed Hummingbird Belted Kingfisher Northern Flicker Northern Shrike Black-billed Magpie American Crow		Black-capped Chickadee House Wren American Robin Sage Thrasher Cedar Waxwing (pictured above) Yellow-rumped Warbler Chipping Sparrow Song Sparrow

Comments:

 

Most of the outing took place at North Star because the birds were so active and watchable. Highlights that held our attention for some time were the pair of Norther Shrikes and the Sage Thrasher. We were able to study them with the scope for a luxurious amount of time in excellent light and at a fairly close distance. This enabled us to see the subtle field marks that differentiate Northern from Loggerhead Shrike, including the slight white above the narrower black mask, the relatively smaller head, and the larger hook on the bill. We observed them interacting with each other, vocalizing, and going to the ground for presumably insects. For the Sage Thrasher, we took in the consistent streaking on the breast, the light-colored iris, subtle eye ring, small but crisp white wing bars, and its overall size and shape. Fall is in the air, with more flocking, foraging, and food-caching behaviors. And many more days of great birding to come! Join us next week at Rock Bottom Ranch.

~ Rebecca Weiss, ACES Bird Guide