Morning Birding Species List | March 3, 2015

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Tuesday, March 3, 2015, 8AM – 11AM
Weather: Partly sunny
Location: Hallam Lake

Species Identified
Canada Goose Mallard Red-tailed Hawk Wilson’s Snipe (pictured above) Northern Flicker Steller’s Jay Black-billed Magpie American Crow		Black-capped Chickadee Mountain Chickadee Red-breasted Nuthatch White-breasted Nuthatch American Dipper Song Sparrow House Finch

Comments: Spring is in the air as the dawn chorus begins to sound again. We heard the songs of dippers, house finches and song sparrows, as well as the vocalizations of both red- and white-breasted nuthatches. Focusing on learning bird songs is good to practice in early spring when there are only a few species singing. Of particular interest was a dipper that had caught a sizable fish (about 3″ long), and subdued it by whacking it against a rock before swallowing it whole. We observed a red-tailed hawk basking in the sun, through the scope, and learned about the changes in eye-color that indicate whether the bird is young or an adult. We also noticed it holding one foot up in its fluffy belly feathers to warm it. As side-lights, fresh beaver, elk, pine squirrel, coyote, and raccoon tracks were spotted in the preserve.

Join us for the next Birding with ACES class on April 7th! 

~ Rebecca Weiss, ACES Bird Guide