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To be truly competitive, we must adhere to a few rules established bythe American Birding Association.  Please read them carefully.  After all, we are women and we do things right, the first time, every time.

RULES FOR BIG DAY COUNT

1.    Birds must be conclusively identified by sight orsound.
2.    Birds counted must be alive, wild, and unrestrained.
3.    Birds attracted to tape-recorders or feeders may be counted.
4.    All counting must be within a single 24-hour period on a single calendar day.
5.    All participants must travel in the same vehicle.
6.    All team participants must remain within direct voice-contact distance except
for time-outs (bathroom breaks).
7.    95% of the birds counted must be seen or heard by everyone on the team.   Only 5%
can be unshared birds, i.e., not seen or heard by everyone on the team.
A bird does not have to been seen or heard by everyone at the same time.
For example, two out of four team members may see a robin in the morning and,
later in the day,  the other two members see one,  making the robin a shared bird.
8.    Teams must make every reasonable effort to avoid receiving bird-finding help
from non-participants.   Phone and radio contacts and pre-arranged field
encounters are not permitted.
9.    When other birders are encountered, participants may not solicit bird-finding
information.  However, any information received prior to the Big Day Count
may be used during the Count.
10.  Each team should strive to maintain proper birding ethics and etiquette at all times.
This includes no speeding tickets!
11.  Have fun. ]]> http://birdingadventuresinc.com/2010/09/all-womens-birding-bust-registration/feed/ 0 http://birdingadventuresinc.com/2010/08/birds-that-use-fruit-from-native-plants-in-georgia/ http://birdingadventuresinc.com/2010/08/birds-that-use-fruit-from-native-plants-in-georgia/#comments Wed, 04 Aug 2010 13:27:16 +0000 Georgann http://birdingadventuresinc.com/?p=1067 Birds that use Fruit from Native Plants in Georgia

 Species                                 Number of Plants Used                             

 Ruffed Grouse                                  3
Wild Turkey                                      5
Northern Bobwhite                          13
Mourning Dove                                  1
Yellow-billed Cuckoo                         3
Red-headed Woodpecker                 20
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker                10
Downy Woodpecker                          6
Hairy Woodpecker                            2
Red-cockaded Woodpecker               1
Northern Flicker                              11
Pileated Woodpecker                       13
Eastern Phoebe                                3
Great Crested Flycatcher                 8
Eastern Kingbird                              9
White-eyed Vireo                             9
Blue-headed Vireo                           2
Red-eyed Vireo                              11
Blue Jay                                          9
American Crow                              10
Fish Crow                                        5
Tree Swallow                                   1
Carolina Chickadee                          5
Tufted Titmouse                              6
Carolina Wren                                 4
House Wren                                     1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet                      4
Eastern Bluebird                            23
Veery                                              9
Gray-cheeked Thrush                      5
Swainson’s Thrush                          7
Hermit  Thrush                             10
Wood Thrush                                  9 
American Robin                             24
Gray Catbird                                 18
Northern Mockingbird                   25
Brown Thrasher                            20
European Starling                           7
Cedar Waxwing                            15
Tennessee Warbler                        2
Orange-crowned Warbler                1
Magnolia Warbler                           2
Yellow-rumped Warbler                  5
Pine Warbler                                  7
American Redstart                         1
Yellow-breasted Chat                     9
Summer Tanager                           12
Scarlet Tanager                             11
Eastern Towhee                             10
Song Sparrow                                  1
White-throated Sparrow                 4
Dark-eyed Junco                              1
Northern Cardinal                          20
Rose-breasted Grosbeak                 7
Blue Grosbeak                                 5
Indigo Bunting                                 5
Red-winged Blackbird                      1
Common Grackle                            8
Orchard Oriole                                8
Baltimore Oriole                             5
Purple Finch                                    5
House finch                                     8
Pine Siskin                                      1
American Goldfinch                         3
Evening Grosbeak                           6

Resource:  The Ecology of Fruit-eating Birds in Georgia.  2009  Ferrari, James and Jerry A. Payne
A GOS Occasional Publication No.18
Available from www.gos.org

     Plant                                                                                    Number of bird species attracted

 Red Mulberry              Morus rubra                                                    36
Flowering Dogwood    Cornus florida                                                  34
Serviceberry                Amelanchier arborea                                      32
Poison Ivy                    Toxicodendron radicans                                  29
Black Cherry               Prunus serotina                                                26
Blackgum                    Nyssa sylvatica                                                26
Hackberry                   Celtis laevigata                                               23
Blackberry                   Rubus spp.                                                      21
Southern Magnolia     Magnolia grandiflora                                        20
Blueberry                    Vaccinium spp.                                                19
Virginia Creeper         Parthenocissus quinquefolia                             19
Grape                          Vitus spp.                                                       18
Elderberry                   Sambucus canadensis                                      17
Beautyberry                Callicarpa americana                                     16
Hawthorne                  Crataegus spp.                                               16
Smilax                         Smilax spp.                                                    16
Persimmon                  Diospyros virginiana                                       15
Pokeweed                    Phytolacca americana                                   14
Sumac                         Sumac spp.                                                     14
Eastern Redcedar       Juniperus virginiana                                        11
Muscadine Grape       Vitus rotundifolia                                             11
American Holly           Ilex opaca                                                       11
Deciduous Holly          Ilex decidua                                                     8
Waxmyrtle                 Myrica cerifera                                                9
Sassafras                     Sassafras albidum                                          7
Devil’s Walking Stick   Aralia spinosa                                                7
Mistletoe                     Phoradendron serotinum                                5
Gallberry                     Ilex glabra                                                     4
Yaupon Holly               Ilex vomitoria                                                 3 

Plants for Hummingbirds 

Bee balm                     Monarda didyma             Blazing star                Liatris spicata
Cardinal flower           Lobelia cardinalis            Great blue lobelia     Lobelia siphilitica
Pink turtlehead          Chelone lyonii                   Bleeding heart         Dicentra eximea
Columbine                   Aquilegia canadensis       Firepink                   Selene virginica
Virginia bluebells        Mertensia virginica        Coral honeysuckle   Lonicera sempervirens
Trumpet vine              Camsis radicans              Cinnamon fern        Osmunda cinamomea 

 Resource:  The Ecology of Fruit-eating Birds in Georgia.  2009  Ferrari, James and Jerry A. Payne
A GOS Occasional Publication No.18
Available from www.gos.org

blue jay–”jay”
American crow–”caw”
Carolina chickadee–”feebee feebay” four notes
tufted titmouse–”peter, peter, peter”
white-breasted nuthatch–”yank yank” soft
brown-headed nuthatch–squeaky toy noises
Carolina wren–”teakettle, teakettle, teakettle”
northern mockingbird–phrases repeated 3 or more times
brown thrasher–phrases repeated 2 times
gray catbird–phrases repeated usually only once, squeaky quality with catlike call
American robin–”cheerup, cheerup, cheerily”
scarlet tanager– similar to American robin but with a hoarsh, burry throat
Eastern bluebird–”cheer, cheerful, charmer”
blue-gray gnatcatcher–”spee spee” baby bird noises
red-eyed vireo–”look-up, over-here, see-me, up-here” repeated over and over
yellow-throated vireo–same as red-eyed but buzzier
blue-headed vireo–same as red-eyed but slower, sweeter
northern cardinal–”what-cheer’, what-cheer’, what-cheer”
eastern towhee–”drink-your-teeee”  trill at end, “jo-reee” call
white-throated sparrow–”poor Sam Pea’body, Pea’body, Pea’body”
American goldfinch–”per-chik’-o-ree”, “babeee’”

 FLYCATCHERS: 

great crested–ascending harsh “wheep, wheep”
eastern phoebe–”fee’-be”
Acadian–”peet’-suh” sneezy
alder–”fee-bee’o”
willow–”fitz’-bew”
least–”che-bek’”
eastern wood pewee–”pee-oo-wee”

 WARBLERS:

 black-and-white–”wheezy, wheezy, wheezy” squeaky wheel
Swainson’s–”deeta deeta-whip’-poor-will” accent on last three syllables
worm-eating–insect-like, dry trill
golden-winged–”bee- buzz, buzz, buzz” last three lower pitched
blue-winged–”beee-buzz” last note lower pitch
Tennessee—“tika-tika-tika, chip-chip-chip,sit-sit-sit-sit” staccato, three parts
orange-crowned—“chip-ee, chip-ee, chip-ee” trill with slower and dropping end
Nashville—“see-bit, see-bit, see-bit,titititititi” loud, two parts
northern parula–”zeeeee-up” buzzy ascending notes tipping over at end
yellow–”sweet sweet sweet, I’m so sweet”
magnolia–”wheet-wheet’eo” slurred phrases with ending note higher in pitch
Cape May—“sing sing sing sing sing” high, thin slurry 5-6 notes
black-throated-green–”zay zay zay zoo zee” all buzzy notes
black-throated blue–”I am lazeee” or “beer beer beer beeee”, buzzy notes, ending accented
chestnut-sided–”please, please, please to meet’cha”
ovenbird–”teach teach teach teach” each louder
Kentucky–”toree’ toree’ toree”
blackburnian—“seep seep seep seep, titi, zeeee” three parts with very high pitched rising ending
yellow-throated—“tweede tweede tweede tweede dee da dit” paired notes with rushed ending
American redstart—“zee zee zee zee zit”  black-and-white wheeze quality with sneezy ending
prothonotary—“sweet sweet sweet sweet” loud, ringing
yellow-rumped—slow musical trill with two parts
hooded–”wheeta wheeta wheet’eo”
prairie “zee zee zee zee zee zee” upscale, buzzy
pine—trill like chipping sparrow, more musical and “lippy”
cerulean—“zray zray zray zray zeeeeee” buzzy ending similar to northern parula’s without tip over
bay-breasted—“teesi teesi teesi teesi” high thin double syllabled
blackpoll “tseet”  high thin notes rapid and very mechanical
palm—“zwee zwee zwee zwee zwee” buzzlike, fast trill
common yellowthroat—“wichity, wichity wichity, wich”  varies
Louisiana waterthrush—“Sweeu sweeu sweeu chee chwit it chit”  loud clear fading ending
northern waterthrush—“twit twit twit twit, sweet sweet sweet, chew chew” jerky loud

Bird Songs of Georgia CDs

Black-and-white          “wheezy, wheezy, wheezy” squeaky wheel
Swainson’s                 “deeta deeta-whip’-poor-will” accent on last three syllables
Worm-eating               insect-like, dry trill
Golden-winged            “bee- buzz, buzz, buzz” last three lower pitched
Blue-winged                “beee-buzz” last note lower pitch
Tennessee                  “tika-tika-tika, chip-chip-chip, sit-sit-sit-sit” staccato, three parts
Orange-crowned         “chip-ee, chip-ee, chip-ee” trill with slower and dropping end
Nashville                      “see-bit, see-bit, see-bit, titititititi” loud, two parts
Northern Parula           “zeeeee-up” buzzy ascending notes tipping over at end
Yellow                          “sweet sweet sweet, I’m so sweet”
Magnolia                      “wheet-wheet’eo” slurred phrases with ending note higher in pitch
Cape May                    “sing sing sing sing sing” high, thin slurry 5-6 notes
Black-throated Green  “zay zay zay zoo zee” all buzzy notes
Black-throated Blue    “I am lazeee” or “beer beer beer beeee”, buzzy notes, ending accented
Chestnut-sided           “please, please, please to meet’cha”
Ovenbird                     “teach teach teach teach” each louder
Kentucky                     “toree’ toree’ toree” galloping like a horse
Blackburnian               “seep seep seep seep, titi, zeeee” 3 parts, very high pitched rising ending
Yellow-throated           “neater neater neater, I’m so neat” paired notes with rushed ending
American Redstart      “zee zee zee zee zit”  wheezy quality with sneezy ending
Prothonotary               “sweet sweet sweet sweet” loud, ringing
Yellow-rumped            slow musical trill with two parts
Hooded                        “wheeta wheeta wheet’eo”
Prairie                          “zee zee zee zee zee zee” upscale, buzzy
Pine                             musical trill and “lippy”
Cerulean                     “zray zray zray zray zeeeeee” buzzy ending similar to Northern Parula’s
                                                 without tip  over
Bay-breasted              “teesi teesi teesi teesi” high thin double syllable
Blackpoll                      “tseet”  high thin notes rapid and very mechanical
Palm                            “zwee zwee zwee zwee zwee” buzzlike, fast trill
Common Yellowthroat  “wichity, wichity wichity, wich”  varies
Louisiana Waterthrush “sweeu sweeu sweeu chee chwit it chit”  loud clear fading ending
Northern Waterthrush “twit twit twit twit, sweet” more choppy than Louisiana Waterthrush
Mourning                     “cheerie, cheerie, chorrie, chorrie” two parts, second lower in pitch
Connecticut                 “beecher, beecher, beecher” jerky
Canada                       “chip” followed by staccato series of short notes, last one rising in pitch
Wilson’s                      “chee chee chee” slurred quick notes, dropping in pitch

Bird Songs of Georgia CDs

There are seven birds singing in this habitat.

Chimney Swift Rock Pigeon
Eurasian Collared-Dove European Starling
Purple Martin House Sparrow
Mourning Dove

See if you can identify the seven birds as they sing:

Chimney Swift-Mourning Dove-Chimney Swift-Eurasian Collared-Dove-House Sparrow-
Eurasian Collared-Dove-European Starling-Mourning Dove-European Starling-Purple Martin-
Chimney Swift-Rock Pigeon-House Sparrow

Play CD 4 Track 19 for a chorus of birds singing in freshwater ponds surrounded by thickets on the Coast.

There are seven birds singing in this habitat.

Painted Bunting Yellow-rumped Warbler
Green Heron American Coot
Common Moorhen Gray Catbird
Fish Crow

See if you can identify the seven birds as they sing:

American Coot-Green Heron-Painted Bunting-Gray Catbird-Green Heron-Gray Catbird-Painted Bunting-Common Moorhen-Gray Catbird-Fish Crow-Gray Catbird-Fish Crow-Yellow-rumped Warbler-Gray Catbird-Painted Bunting-Gray Catbird-Green Heron-Gray Catbird-Fish Crow-Gray Catbird- Yellow-rumped Warbler-Common Moorhen

Play CD 4 Track 21 for a chorus of birds singing in coastal saltwater marshes.

There are five birds singing in this habitat.

Clapper Rail Seaside Sparrow
Tree Swallow Boat-tailed Grackle
Marsh Wren

See if you can identify the five birds as they sing:

Tree Swallow-Clapper Rail-Marsh Wren-Clapper Rail- Marsh Wren-Seaside Sparrow-Marsh Wren-Boat-tailed Grackle-Seaside Sparrow-Boat-tailed Grackle-Clapper Rail

Play CD 4 Track 23 for a chorus of birds singing in residential areas of the Coastal Plain.

There are six birds singing in this habitat

Ruby-throated Hummingbird Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Carolina Wren Eastern Bluebird
Eastern Towhee Northern Mockingbird

See if you can identify the six birds as they sing:

Carolina Wren-Eastern Towhee-Carolina Wren-Ruby-throated Hummingbird-
Eastern Bluebird-Eastern Towhee-Yellow-bellied Sapsucker-Ruby-throated Hummingbird-Eastern Towhee-Yellow-bellied Sapsucker-Northern Mockingbird

Play CD 4 Track 25 for a chorus of birds singing in a freshwater wooded swamp in the Coastal Plain.

There are six birds singing in this habitat.

Red-shouldered Hawk Pileated Woodpecker
Prothonotary Warbler Barred Owl
Northern Parula Wood Duck

See if you can identify the six birds as they sing:

Prothonotary Warbler-Barred Owl-Prothonotary Warbler-Red-shouldered Hawk-Prothonotary Warbler-Barred Owl-Wood Duck-Prothonotary Warbler-Northern Parula-
Red-shouldered Hawk-Northern Parula-Pileated Woodpecker-Northern Parula-Pileated Woodpecker-Barred Owl-Wood Duck

Play CD 4 Track 27 for a chorus of birds singing infreshwater marshes in the Coastal Plain.

There are six birds singing in this habitat.

American Bittern Sandhill Crane
Common Yellowthroat Sedge Wren
Red-winged Blackbird Sora

See if you can identify the six birds as they sing:

American Bittern-Common Yellowthroat-Sedge Wren-Common Yellowthroat-Red-winged Blackbird-Sedge Wren-Sandhill Crane-Sora-Red-winged Blackbird-Sandhill Crane –Sora-Sedge Wren-Sora

Play CD 4 Track 29 for a chorus of birds singing in a bottomland hardwood forest in the Coastal Plain.

There are nine birds singing in this habitat.

Wild Turkey Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Downy Woodpecker Kentucky Warbler
Louisiana Waterthrush Acadian Flycatcher
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Swainson’s Warbler
Yellow-throated Warbler

See if you can identify the nine birds as they sing:

Downy Woodpecker-Kentucky Warbler-Blue-gray Gnatcatcher-Yellow-throated Warbler-
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher-Acadian Flycatcher-Yellow-throated Warbler-Kentucky Warbler-
Downy Woodpecker-Swainson’s Warbler-Acadian Flycatcher-Yellow-billed Cuckoo-Swainson’s Warbler-Blue-gray Gnatcatcher-Louisiana Waterthrush-Downy Woodpecker-
Acadian Flycatcher-Louisiana Waterthrush-Wild Turkey-Yellow-throated Warbler

Play CD 4 Track 31 for a chorus of birds singing in freshwater lakes and ponds in the Coastal Plain.

There are four birds singing in this habitat

Canada Goose Mallard
Great Blue Heron Belted Kingfisher

See if you can identify the four birds as they sing:

Mallard Great Blue Heron Mallard Belted Kingfisher-Great Blue Heron-Mallard-
Belted Kingfisher-Mallard-Canada Goose

Play CD 4 Track 33 for a chorus of birds singing in open country with grasslands and pastures in the Piedmont.

There are nine birds singing in this habitat.

Brown-headed Cowbird Common Grackle
Grasshopper Sparrow Eastern Meadowlark
Bobolink Killdeer
Eastern Kingbird Barn Swallow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow

See if you can identify the nine birds as they sing:

Eastern Meadowlark-Northern Rough-winged Swallow-Killdeer-Common Grackle-
Grasshopper Sparrow-Bobolink-Eastern Kingbird-Brown-headed Cowbird-Barn Swallow-
Brown-headed Cowbird-Barn Swallow-Eastern Meadowlark-Eastern Kingbird

Play CD 4 Track 35 for a chorus of birds singing in an open mature pine forest in the Piedmont.

There are ten birds singing in this habitat.

Red-cockaded Woodpecker Eastern Wood-Pewee
Bachman’s Sparrow Northern Bobwhite
Summer Tanager Red-headed Woodpecker
Great Crested Flycatcher Brown-headed Nuthatch
Pine Warbler Chipping Sparrow

See if you can identify the ten birds as they sing:

Northern Bobwhite-Brown-headed Nuthatch-Northern Bobwhite-Brown-headed Nuthatch-
Red-headed Woodpecker-Bachman’s Sparrow-Red-headed Woodpecker-
Bachman’s Sparrow- Summer Tanager-Chipping Sparrow-Red-headed Woodpecker-Summer Tanager-Chipping Sparrow-Summer Tanager-Brown-headed Nuthatch-
Great Crested Flycatcher-Eastern Wood-Pewee-Summer Tanager-Eastern Wood-Pewee-Pine Warbler-Eastern Wood-Pewee-Red-cockaded Woodpecker-Pine Warbler-Bachman’s Sparrow-Pine Warbler-Red-headed Woodpecker- Great Crested Flycatcher-Red-cockaded Woodpecker

Play CD 4 Track 37 for a chorus of birds singing in an upland pine/hardwood forest in the Piedmont.

There are fifteen birds singing in this habitat.

Red-tailed Hawk Red-eyed Vireo Scarlet Tanager
Swainson’s Thrush Wood Thrush Tennessee Warbler
Magnolia Warbler Cape May Warbler Bay-breasted Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler Cerulean Warbler Hermit Thrush
Black-and-white Warbler Yellow-throated Vireo Nashville Warbler

See if you can identify the fifteen birds as they sing:

Red-eyed Vireo (background)-Black-and-white Warbler-Wood Thrush-Cerulean Warbler-Hermit Thrush-Cerulean Warbler-Wood Thrush-Cerulean Warbler-Swainson’s Thrush-
Scarlet Tanager-Cape May Warbler-Scarlet Tanager-Cape May Warbler-Red-tailed Hawk-Blackpoll Warbler-Yellow-throated Vireo-Red-tailed Hawk-Yellow-throated Vireo-Wood Thrush-Bay-breasted Warbler-Tennessee Warbler-Bay-breasted Warbler-Tennessee Warbler-Bay-breasted Warbler-Nashville Warbler-Magnolia Warbler-Nashville Warbler-Magnolia Warbler

Play CD 4 Track 39 for a chorus of birds singing in residential areas in the Piedmont and Mountains.

There are fourteen birds singing in this habitat.

Pine Siskin Tufted Titmouse White-breasted Nuthatch
Blue Jay American Crow Northern Cardinal
House Finch Carolina Chickadee Eastern Phoebe
Red-bellied Woodpecker Song Sparrow Northern Flicker
House Wren American Robin

See if you can identify the fourteen birds as they sing:

Song Sparrow-American Crow-American Robin-Tufted Titmouse-American Robin-Northern Cardinal-Northern Flicker-Eastern Phoebe-Carolina Chickadee-House Finch-
Eastern Phoebe-Carolina Chickadee-Eastern Phoebe-House Finch-House Wren-Carolina Chickadee-House Wren-Red-bellied Woodpecker-White-breasted Nuthatch-Red-bellied Woodpecker-Carolina Chickadee-White-breasted Nuthatch-Eastern Phoebe-Blue Jay -Tufted Titmouse-Blue Jay-White-breasted Nuthatch-Red-bellied Woodpecker-Pine Siskin

Play CD 4 Track 41 for a chorus of birds singing in overgrown fields with scattered shrubs and mixed pine/hardwood saplings in the Piedmont.

There are nine birds singing in this habitat.

Blue-winged Warbler Orchard Oriole
Golden-winged Warbler Prairie Warbler
Yellow-breasted Chat Field Sparrow
Blue Grosbeak American Goldfinch
Indigo Bunting

See if you can identify the nine birds as they sing:

Yellow-breasted Chat-Blue-winged Warbler-Yellow-breasted Chat-American Goldfinch-Blue Grosbeak-Field Sparrow-Yellow-breasted Chat-Field Sparrow-Yellow-breasted Chat-Orchard Oriole-Blue-winged Warbler-Prairie Warbler-Blue-winged Warbler-Prairie Warbler-
Orchard Oriole-Indigo Bunting-Golden-winged Warbler-Prairie Warbler-Blue Grosbeak-
Golden-winged Warbler-Indigo Bunting-Prairie Warbler

Play CD 4 Track 43 for a chorus of birds singing in shrubs and thickets and trees along stream edges in the Piedmont.

There are six birds singing in this habitat.

Yellow Warbler Baltimore Oriole
Northern Waterthrush White-eyed Vireo
White-throated Sparrow Willow Flycatcher

See if you can identify the six birds as they sing:

White-throated Sparrow-White-eyed Vireo-White-throated Sparrow-White-eyed Vireo-Baltimore Oriole-Willow Flycatcher-Baltimore Oriole-Willow flycatcher-White-throated Sparrow-White-eyed Vireo-Yellow Warbler-Northern Waterthrush-Yellow Warbler-Northern Waterthrush-Yellow Warbler-
White-eyed Vireo

Play CD 4 Track 45 for a chorus of birds singing in woodland margins along roads in the Mountains.

There are six birds singing in this habitat:

Broad-winged Hawk Brown Thrasher
Least Flycatcher American Redstart
Chestnut-sided Warbler Cedar Waxwing

See if you can hear the six birds as they sing:

Brown Thrasher-American Redstart-Brown Thrasher-Broad-winged Hawk-
American Redstart-Cedar Waxwing-American Redstart-Least Flycatcher-Chestnut-sided Warbler-Broad-winged Hawk-Chestnut-sided Warbler-Least Flycatcher

Play CD 4 Track 47 for a chorus of birds singing in mixed evergreen/hardwood forests with rhododendrons in the Mountains.

There are ten birds singing in this habitat.

Canada Warbler Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Veery Common Raven
Black-throated Blue Warbler Winter Wren
Worm-eating Warbler Hooded Warbler
Ovenbird Dark-eyed Junco

See if you can identify the ten birds as they sing:

Winter Wren-Veery-Black-throated Blue Warbler-Veery-Ovenbird-Black-throated Blue Warbler-Rose-breasted Grosbeak-Black-throated Blue Warbler-Dark-eyed Junco-
Rose-breasted Grosbeak-Worm-eating Warbler-Canada Warbler-Common Raven-Hooded Warbler-Common Raven-Worm-eating Warbler-Canada Warbler-Worm-eating Warbler-Veery-Ovenbird-Hooded Warbler-Veery

Play CD 4 Track 49 for a chorus of birds singing old growth hemlock/white pine forests in the Mountains.

There are eight birds singing in this habitat

Brown Creeper Golden-crowned Kinglet
Blue-headed Vireo Red-breasted Nuthatch
Hairy Woodpecker Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Blackburnian Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler

See if you can identify the eight birds as they sing:

Black-throated Green Warbler-Red-breasted Nuthatch-Brown Creeper-Black-throated Green Warbler-Hairy Woodpecker-Brown Creeper- Red-breasted Nuthatch-
Blue-headed Vireo-Black-throated Green Warbler-Blue-headed Vireo-
Black-throated Green Warbler-Blue-headed Vireo-Golden-crowned Kinglet-Blue-headed Vireo-Ruby-crowned Kinglet-Blue-headed Vireo-Blackburnian Warbler-Hairy Woodpecker-Blackburnian Warbler-Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Play CD 4 Track 51 for a chorus of birds singing at twilight in an upland mixed pine/hardwood forest in the Piedmont.

There are six birds singing in this habitat.

Great Horned Owl Whip-poor-will
Chuck-will’s-widow Eastern Screech-Owl
American Woodcock Common Nighthawk

See if you can identify the six birds as they sing:

American Woodcock-Eastern Screech-Owl-American Woodcock-Chuck-will’s-widow-
American Woodcock-Chuck-will’s-widow-Eastern Screech-Owl-Chuck-will’s-widow-Great Horned Owl- Whip-poor-will-Common Nighthawk-American Woodcock

Results of the 2009 Amicalola CBC
Five parties with 35 participants began birding from 6:15AM until 5:30PM for a total of 46 hours, drove 221 miles and walked 10 miles.

Canada Goose 6
Ring-necked Duck 9
Mallard 12
Hooded Merganser 5
Wild Turkey 7
Pied-billed Grebe 2
Great Blue Heron 4
Black Vulture 18
Turkey Vulture 47
Cooper’s Hawk 2
Sharp-shinned Hawk (count week) 1
Red-shouldered Hawk 19
Red-tailed Hawk 21
American Kestrel 8
Killdeer 64
American Woodcock 1
Mourning Dove 115
Eastern Screech-Owl 1
Belted Kingfisher 2
Red-headed Woodpecker 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 36
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 14
Downy Woodpecker 21
Hairy Woodpecker 3
Northern Flicker 14
Pileated Woodpecker 11
Eastern Phoebe 48
Blue-headed Vireo 1
Blue Jay 52
American Crow 835
Carolina Chickadee 116
Tufted Titmouse 69
Red-breasted Nuthatch 1
White-breasted Nuthatch 45
Brown-headed Nuthatch 24
Brown Creeper 1
Carolina Wren 229
Golden-crowned Kinglet 84
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 57
Eastern Bluebird 149
Hermit Thrush 16
American Robin 28
Northern Mockingbird 9
Brown Thrasher 7
European Starling 230
Cedar Waxwing 47
Yellow-rumped Warbler 32
Pine Warbler 95
Palm Warbler 1
Eastern Towhee 15
Chipping Sparrow 289
Field Sparrow 119
Vesper Sparrow 5
Song Sparrow 128
Swamp Sparrow 8
White-throated Sparrow 72
White-crowned Sparrow 6
Dark-eyed Junco 257
Northern Cardinal 121
Red-winged Blackbird 120
Eastern Meadowlark 61
Purple Finch 11
House Finch 18
American Goldfinch 231
House Sparrow 1

CD Features

• Introduction that describes the characteristics of bird voices to help you learn and remember them.
• Each species has a track that describes the habitat, location and song characteristics.
• Each song is on a separate track for quizzing yourself.
• Helpful mnemonics and phonetics of songs and calls are given.
• `Sound alike` songs are recorded together to better compare and learn them.
• A unique section of `habitat` tracks from 18 different locations across the state of Georgia.The birds in these habitats are identified on subsequent tracks so you can listen for and identify each bird.
• Forty two page booklet describes songs, habitats and locations for each bird.

ORDER FORM

Download the “cheat sheet” for the Habitat Tracks on the 4th CD here.

$35.00 plus 7% tax (Georgia residents) plus shipping and handling To order this 4 set CD series, send in the order form or contact Georgann Schmalz

Robin Peterson 5/08
“I wanted to let you know what a good time I`ve had with your CD that I bought. Disc 4 has been great fun and of course good learning. Some of the areas I`ve done pretty well on, others are dismal. Just reminds me how much work I need to do on a subject I thought I was getting fairly good at. Thanks for doing all the work it takes to put something like that together.”

Beth Giddens 2/1/08
At first, I counted more than nine birds in the group (sometimes 10 and sometimes 11) because I was mixing up the start and stop points of different birds. By the time I had spent about 30 minutes listening to the track over and over, I could get nine species and distinguish repeats, but that came after I had listened to most of the birds separately on CDs 1-3. So even this relatively easy exercise was a challenge. I got the Downy, Turkey, Cuckoo, and Gnatcatcher right away as very distinct, but I mixed up and over-counted warblers.

As for your second exercise of following the birds along in order of their songs. This process was also challenging. At first, I did not hear the Acadian Flycatcher at all. I could tell I was missing this bird, so I went to its single song track, which helped lots. But even after I familiarized myself with the fycatcher, I had to listen several times to really hear this one; he blended in with the warblers and waterthrush. I suppose that after I listened to the track about 15 times, I could follow the order with confidence that I was hearing each bird distinctly. I liked doing this; the process was like putting a puzzle together. And I think that if I repeat this process, I can really learn the songs.

Mnemonics of Eastern Warblers
Learning Bird Songs
Mnemonics of Atlanta birds

Rat-a-tat,rat-a-tat.  “What is that lousy bird doing up there?”

Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap. “It`s six o`clock in the morning, for crying out loud!”

It happens everyl ate winter and spring and the calls start coming in.  “What do I do about the woodpecker drumming on my gutters?” or “How do I keep the (expletive deleted) woodpeckers from destroying my house?”

Both are fair, sensible questions, but with unsatisfactory answers and solutions.

Drumming on gutters is a territorial behavior performed mostly by male woodpeckers.  It serves the same purpose that singing does for male songbirds.  In late winter and spring, territories are decided and
maintained by male participants using gutters to resoundingly announce their dominion and vigor,
sending their drumming far into the air waves.  It`s testosterone at its finest moment and there`s really not a whole lot that can be done about it except waiting for him to become more occupied with his family.

Drumming on wood surfaces, on the other hand, is usually done in search of food. Cedar siding and
wood trim are favorite places for carpenter bees, beetles, and other wood boring insects.  Woodpeckers
have learned that cedar siding and window or door frames are plentiful places to find these insects and their larvae .  Woodpeckers area ctually doing us a favor by removing these critters from the wood, but it`s a favor that`s hard to appreciate when it appears that the house is being destroyed.

Actually, the house is being destroyed either way; the insects are much moresubtle.  Very little is effective in divert a woodpeckers`s attention from the wood trim or siding of a house.  Nearly everything imaginable has been tried, usuallyt o no avail; slimy rubber snakes, scary plastic owls, glittering aluminum strips, smelly moth balls, pictures of hawks , or just standing there and waving your arms.  Eventually, most woodpeckers simply move on to your neighbor’s house, leaving you with some homework.

Who`s to blame for all this damage to eardrums and wood?  There are seven common species of woodpeckers that live in the southeastern United States including Georgia and the Atlanta area.  The most common resident woodpeckers are Downy, Red-headed, Red-bellied, and Northern Flicker.  Hairy and Pileated Woodpeckers are not quite as commonin the metropolitan area.  Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers are fairly common winter residents.  Any of these birds can, theoretically, drum on a house, but the most inclined culprits are Red-bellied, Downy woodpeckers and Northern Flickers.

Woodpeckers are placed, phylogenetically, in their own order, Piciformes.  Most of them have adapted their lifestyles to tree trunks and branches. Generally, they cling to trees using well-hooked claws arranged on short zygodactyl feet, two toes pointing forwards and two toes pointing backwards.  Their stout tails end in stiff barbs which solidly brace the bird as it hitches up the tree trunk. Using their chisel-like bills, woodpeckers excavate nesting cavities in trees which, when vacated, serve as cavities for songbirds, screech owls, tree frogs, flying squirrels, and other animals.

That same beak can peck away, probe, or drill into the bark of tree trunks, branches,twigs, fallen logs, and cedar siding.  The shock of pounding into wood all dayis absorbed by a thick-walled skull, a narrow space between the tough outer membrane of the brain and the brain itself, and the strong muscles of skull and bill.

Their long tongues are sticky and barb-like and can easily reach into holes and tunnels, searching snakelike
for a tasty insect.  The hyoid bone of the skull helps to support the tongue which, when retracted, curves
around the back of the skull and attaches to the base of the nostrils.

In addition to their characteristic pecking and drumming, woodpeckers can be easily recognized by their overall black and white color pattern, infrequently interrupted by splashes of bright red.  Red-headed Woodpeckers have the most red feathers which entirely cover their heads, while Northern Flickers are mostly brown with only a small sliver of red on their nape.  Red-bellied Woodpeckers seem to be misnamed until examined in hand, and, even then, only the male shows a suggestion of a red belly.  Neither female Downy nor Hairy woodpeckers display red feathers.  Female Pileated and Red-bellied Woodpeckers have gray foreheads unlike the red forehead oft he males.
These are noisy woodpeckers, easily identified by their repeated soft, scolding,”chrrrr, chrrrr”.
Red-bellies` drumming is similar to that of the red-headeds`, but often interrupted with the distinctive, “chrrrr”s.

Not an especially shy bird, Red-bellies frequent urban yards and gardens with sunflower seed or suet feeders.  They also eat insects, wild fruits, nuts, berries, and acorns.  Like the Red-headed, Red-bellies will store nuts and seeds in bark crevices for the winter.

Four to five white eggs are laid in a cavity as high as 120 feet above the ground in tree trunks.  Lower nests
are excavated in fence posts, telephone poles, and tree stumps. Unusual for woodpeckers, Red-bellies have
been known to use an individual cavity in succeeding nesting seasons or another woodpecker’s cavity.

Both sexes incubate the eggs for 12 – 14 days.  The fledglings, without thebright red napes, are fed for a few weeks away from the cavity, butwhile clinging onto tree trunks, begging for food.  They often follow their parents to bird feeders, watching and learning how to effectively extract sunflower seeds.

The smallest woodpecker in North America is the six inch Downy Woodpecker
Male Downies are easily distinguished from females by the red patch on the back of thei rheads.  Through careful observation, individual birds can be told apart by their black and white facial patterns.  Downies closely resemble Hairy Woodpeckers but can be distinguished by smaller size, smaller bill (see below), softer calls, and black spots on the outer tail feathers.

The call of this woodpecker is a downward whinny of successive notes which helps to remembert he name of the bird; a downward spiral for downy woodpecker. They also have a soft “pik” note.  The Downy`s drumming is a steady staccatoof even-paced bursts, often 12 – 15 per minute, trrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

Before nesting, male and female Downy Woodpeckers have little to do with each other, preferring the company of chickadees, titmice, nuthatches and Blue Jays.  Once spring arrives and hormones begin to flow, the male begins to court his prospective mate.  The dedicated pair travels closely together inspecting various trees for a suitable nesting site.  They may begin to excavate one or two cavities until a final one is chosen where she will lay 4 – 5 white eggs.  Incubation is about 12 days after which both parents feed hundreds of insects to their hungry family for 25 days.  Fledglings look similar to their parents, but slightly whiter breasted and fuzzier vent feathers.  Interestingly, a fledgling male has a pale red patch on the crown of his head.

In the wee hours of the frosty morning in Gordon County,   just north of Rome,Georgia, people were gathering to   witness history: the first flight in centuries of the Whooping Cranes in the eastern United States.

OperationMigration, Inc. and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife   Service began the crane breeding project in 1999  .  Earlier this summer, on July 9, ten young Whooping Cranes arrived at Wisconsin’s Necedah National Wildlife Refuge from USGS Patuxent Wildlife Reserach Center.

Their mission was to imprint to a “whooping crane”  ultralight and follow it to Florida.

The Whooping Cranes were imprinted to the sight and sound of the Ultralight even before they hatched. While in flight, the aircraft`s loudspeaker frequently emits adult Whooping Crane calls. The pilot, covered in a loose-fitting costume to camouflage human features, even has a carved crane head which he uses to entice the young cranes to follow.

Three ultralights were used; one as the lead and the other two to fetch any wayward cranes that didn`t cooperate by following. One crane, in particular,had an attitude and would some times start off in the wrong direction,needing   to be lured back to the group.

In 2000, ultralights led a Sandhill Crane migration between Wisconsin and Florida taking 40 days and establishing the route and landing points for this year`s Whooping Crane migration project. Ten of the 11 ultralight Sandhills Cranes that wintered at St. Martin`s Marsh Aquatic Preserve in Florida started the spring migration on February 25, 2001.

The young cranes spent the night in a pen located in thef ield behind the tall trees on the left. An early morning departure on Thursday, 15 November, from Plainville, Georgia was delayed due to heavy ground fog. After the sun burned off the fog and the ultralights`wings were de-iced (it was 31 degrees), the lead aircraft flew low over the pen, the birds were released and took flight. We were asked to hide behind the cars and trailers if the flock decided to fly directly above us. The birds are afraid of people and view us as predators.

All six Whooping Cranes were airborne and cooperating this morning. We heard cranes calling,but weren`t sure if the sound was coming from the birds or the loudspeaker of the aircraft.

Either way, they looked excited to be stretching their wings. One of the research biologists explained that these youngsters had not learned to used thermals very well and would only flyf or two hours, putting down at the next stop perhaps only 75 miles away.

Once in their pen again, they are fed a mix of corn, grain and protein pellets. Eventually, they will be able to forage for themselves.

The ultralights looked and sounded like angry bees  buzzing past us. We hardly noticed them though since we   were totally absorbed by the awesome event  occurring in front of us.

Like a scene from ET, the flock became silhouetted  against the early morning sun. The seventh bird   that began flying from Wisconsin was being carried to Florida.

This scene took place every morning in good weather during the four to six week journey from Necedah to Florida.

To see the cranes` pathway and more information
on Whooping Cranes go to their website

It only took about four minutes for the birds to pass overus and disappear through the tree ops on their way
south.

They will complete their 1250 mile journey when hey reach Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge on the
Florida Gulf Coast.

Events at Chassahowitzka NWR in Florida to get ready for the wintering cranes ncluded field trips in March and May to select a release site. Planswere made to construct a release pen and carry out prescribed burns to make the habitat more attractive for the cranes.

It is hoped that these ultralight Whooping Cranes will over- winter in Florida and return to Necedah NWRon their own in spring 2002. Plans call for the same procedure to be used for four more years or until a self-sustaining flock of migrating whooping cranes is established. The recovery goal is 25 nesting pairs.