Great Backyard Bird Count
The Great Backyard Bird Count is here again! This weekend, February 13th- 16th, you can join millions of enthusiastic birdwatchers around the globe in a worldwide bird count! Sounds complicated? It might be easier than you think!
Photo by Eli Haislip
This bird is not actually missing a leg, it was simply drawing one of its legs up into its warm, well insulated down feathers for warmth!
The process is simple! Step one is simply picking where you’d like to watch birds. Don’t do like I do and overthink it for half the morning. Your bird feeder and favorite chair count as your bird watching location! Step two is to spend 15 minutes or more watching (and or listening) at LEAST once during the 13th-16th. You CAN use Merlin as your bird ID tool. Lastly, submit your findings on either eBird, or through the Merlin Bird ID app. I will link here to a video that goes into more detail about the process.
Do you like the idea of keeping track of the birds you are seeing, but want to leave smartphones and computers out of it? We completely understand, and have paper copies of the Field Checklist of Tennessee Birds, courtesy of the Tennessee Ornithological Society available at the counter just for you.
Photo by Eli Haislip
Despite the ice, this Goldfinch was still able to find seeds to feed on!
Sandhill Cranes Sightings
Over the last week, many people have reported to us that they have been observing large flocks of Sandhill Cranes flying overhead. They are often heard before they are seen, with their unmistakable bugling calls seeming to sound the start of the Spring Migration.
Photo by Eli Haislip
The V formation doesn’t just look cool, it is also an effective way for the birds to keep in visual contact with one another while flying AND conserve energy by flying in the draft of the bird in front.
Sandhill Cranes are large birds, roughly the size of a Great Blue Heron, although far bulkier. They are already beginning their long migration to their breeding grounds in the northern U.S. and Canada, with some going as far north as the Arctic Ocean. Let that sink in for a moment. The graceful V shaped formations we have been observing in the skies above Bellevue, Pegram, Dickson and Green Hills could be on their way to beyond the Arctic Circle!
Impressively, Sandhill Cranes are able to reach speeds of 50mph and often fly at altitudes between 5,000 and 15,000 feet!
More Sandhill Cranes
Sandhill Cranes are capable of reaching speeds over 50mph, and covering hundreds of miles a day.
Update:
In last week’s blog I discussed Jamie and I going out in search of the Red-throated Loon that was being seen at J. Percy Priest Lake. While we weren’t able to see it that day, I returned to the Cook Day Use Area the following Saturday, and with the help of a friendly birder armed with a spotting scope, I was able to find the Red-throated Loon! Thanks, Paige! Unfortunately, it was so far away that even with the 150-600mm lens on my camera, it was too far for a photo.
There have also been confirmed sightings in the same area of a Pacific Loon which we were unable see, so it looks like I will be going back out there when I next get a chance. Maybe, though, on a warmer morning!