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Peregrine over Ellerbe! Little sit results



Hi Carolinabirders,

After yesterdays flurries of migrant landbirds, I was hoping for more of
same today, and set out for a Big Sit on the Ellerbe Creek beaver marsh.
Alas, it was not to be; had only two warblers (Pine and Common
Yellowthroat) and one neotropical migrant (Eastern Wood-Pewee) between my
start at 8 AM, and giving up around 1 PM. What was consistent from
yesterday was that the warblers were outnumbered by Yellow-bellied
Sapsuckers (4). The most commonly *seen* species was Red-headed
Woodpecker, no contest; there were not that many of them, possibly only 4,
but they were flying back and forth every few minutes all morning long,
chasing off Eastern Bluebirds, Northern Flickers, and each other from
their favorite perches.

The real excitement came around 10 AM, after I had gone about half an hour
without adding any new species, and my enthusiasm was starting to wane. I
saw movement over my left shoulder, and turned to see a falcon skimming
away over the treetops! Lucky for me, rather than continuing away, it
curved to the right and re-emerged from behind the trees, allowing me to
confirm it as a PEREGRINE FALCON! First time I've had one away from the
coast. Looking at Avendex, there's one previous October record for Durham
County, and another for Falls Lake.

Anway, that encounter made me recall the sage advice of Dr. Peachey, and I
remembered to look up. My sewer access platform, which I had turned into a
marsh observation deck, was now a slightly smelly hawkwatch! Some puffy
clouds, plowing steadily by from the north, made spotting easier. About
half an hour after the Peregrine, I saw my first American Kestrel of the
fall; a second passed by later. Not long after that, the local pair of
Red-shouldered Hawks, which I'd heard calling intermittently before that,
emerged from the woods and circled lazily upward overhead; as they were
getting high enough to begin looking hazy, I heard a screech, and a pair
of Red-tails started climbing the same thermal! The pairs of hawks were a
pleasant bit of serene coexistence contrasting with the belligerent
Red-headed Woodpeckers. Around 11 AM I tallied the first of my three
Sharp-shinned Hawks, and not long after that the first of my 16 Turkey
Vultures rose above the horizon. Amid all this I also counted 26 Chimney
Swifts.

Unfortunately, in the hour and a half following the Turkey Vultures, I
added no new species and only a few individuals. As the vulture was my
39th species on the morning, a little after noon I decided I would quit,
get lunch, and head home when I picked up #40. Finally, around 12:40, I
bent my head over backwards to stretch my neck and noticed a high-soaring
raptor which had almost gotten past me. In my binoculars I saw the gangly
wings of an Osprey! A good way to end the count.

In non-bird migrants, I noted seven Monarch Butterflies and five Common
Green Darners. But the best non-bird sighting came as I bushwhacked along
the pipe to my observation spot, when I encountered an immensely fat
Garter Snake suspended in the bushes! I think it's out of season for them
to be gravid, so this one must have just recently eaten something big...
Best plant was Devil's Walking-Stick (Aralia spinosa); I had seen two
small ones here before, but now their leaves were turning red in advance
of most of the surrounding trees, allowing me to spot at least a dozen
including two with berries.

Upon getting home, I noticed that Big Sit count circles had to be
registered before the count. Oh, well. Maybe next year... Also after
returning home, after seeing no migrant warblers in nearly five hours at
the beaver marsh, a Magnolia Warbler was flitting around our backyard!

Good birding,

Josh


Joshua S. Rose
Duke University
Department of Biology (Zoology, R.I.P.)

jsr6@duke.edu
http://www.duke.edu/~jsr6/