[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Backyard Birding in Columbia, SC...Oh-Oh




We live in the Irmo area northwest of Columbia in Lexington County, SC.
After my backyard report last week, I found several more nice birds,
including Magnolia, Prairie, and Yellow Warblers.  The next couple of days
were slow before I had to leave on a business trip over the weekend.

I returned yesterday afternoon, when the low clouds burned off and it turned
into a gorgeous day.  American Redstarts were the most common warbler.
On the little dam (weir) on Rawls Creek behind our yard, 
I spotted a sandpiper--actually, the Sandpiper was already Spotted--
feeding and teetering.  It fed as it walked across the flat crest of the
dam.  The water flowing over the dam was about 2cm deep.  The Sandpiper 
also walked up and down the edge of the water on the slanting slope that 
the water flows down.  This the fourth straight year that a Spotted Sandpiper 
turned up around this date.

Some birds soared overhead in the late afternoon.  Along with a couple of
Turkey Vultures I saw a couple of Black Vultures--only the second time 
I found Black Vultures in our four years here.  Even higher soared some
more birds.  One was an Osprey, a new sighting for our yard!  With 
Lake Murray less than 1km away, I guess it is not too surprising.

Less than five minutes later, after the birds overhead soared out of view,
I headed back near the creek and was fortunate to discover yet another new
"O-bird" for our yard list:  An Ovenbird was sitting quietly in a grapevine
tangle just a few feet (couple of meters, sorry) ahead of me.  Whereas they 
seem not so uncommon in migration elsewhere around Columbia, I never found 
them here.  They must need more woods than we have (there is a golf course 
just across and a bit up the creek).  Other birds still missing from our 
list that I used to find regularly include Wood Thrush, Swainson's Thrush, 
Veery, Blue-headed Vireo.
----
Last evening at home I was excited to hear Spring Peepers.  But I was a bit 
puzzled since it was a cool evening and since I hadn't heard any at all this
spring.  (I have heard Chorus Frogs mostly.)  So I headed out to the porch
to really take them in--and heard nothing at all!

I went back in and realized that the Peepers I heard were coming from my
laptop.  The sound was being sent to us live from Wisconsin!  We had
been enjoying all day the live streaming video of an active Bald Eagle nest
and not bothered to close the browser window after dark.  Yesterday, we
first saw a baby in the nest.  Dan Tufford alerted us to this wonderful
website,

http://www.americaneagletv.com/

By the way, Dan also pointed us to an interesting lecture/discussion about 
birdsong and behavior, especially concerning research on two pest species, 
Eurasian Starlings and Brown-headed Cowbirds, at

http://www.homepages.indiana.edu/042602/text/conversations.html

Jerry Griggs       j@sc.edu
Columbia, SC