Field Orno Day 5: Geprags Community Park

Today we went to Geprags Community Park. Upon arrival at ~6:40 am. the temperature was ~55 degrees F, with ~62% humidity and the wind was blowing East at ~3mph. Upon departure at ~11:30 the temperature was ~76 degrees F, with ~34% humidity, and the wind was blowing S-SW at ~8mph. The habitat here consisted of an early successional forest with shrubby forest edges leading into large grassland areas. Great mix of habitat types! It is also near the Laplatte River.

I was a little discouraged this morning since I did not do well on the last cumulative quiz cause I kind of panicked while taking it. This week has been a bit overwhelming since I started with very little knowledge/experience with identifying birds and have been given so much to remember over a short period of just 5 days. Also, after waking up early and walking outside for 5-6 hours in the sun then trying to study the whole afternoon/night while feeling tired is quite difficult.

However, my experience birding today really changed my attitude because I was able to really see how much progress I have made since day one of this class in the field. Day one I was really only relying on sight since I did not know a lot of bird calls, hence all of the photos. However, today, along with Grace, I was able to hear a bird, ID it by sound only, then follow the sound to go see the bird singing. It honestly was the most rewarding feeling being able to follow the sound to see that it was indeed the bird we identified using only sound. I was also able to get some really great audio clips of most of the birds we heard since we tracked them and got really close. I was very happy that we saw a handful of species that I have never seen/heard in person before! Following the sounds also was also really effective in terms of memorizing them and associating them with the species. I definitely feel more confident in identifying all the birds I heard today by sound now!

Despite the feeling of being a little overwhelmed, this class has been very enjoyable and has gotten me even more excited about birds! I am definitely going to continue birding outside of this class because I feel like I am improving every day! Definitely have become a bird nerd and i'm proud!

Posted on May 22, 2020 10:44 PM by taylorehwa taylorehwa

Observations

Photos / Sounds

What

Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)

Observer

taylorehwa

Date

May 22, 2020

Photos / Sounds

No photos or sounds

What

Ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapilla)

Observer

taylorehwa

Date

May 22, 2020

Photos / Sounds

No photos or sounds

What

Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)

Observer

taylorehwa

Date

May 22, 2020

Photos / Sounds

What

Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis)

Observer

taylorehwa

Date

May 22, 2020

Photos / Sounds

What

Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)

Observer

taylorehwa

Date

May 22, 2020

Photos / Sounds

No photos or sounds

What

Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)

Observer

taylorehwa

Date

May 22, 2020

Description

Female

Photos / Sounds

What

Blue-winged Warbler (Vermivora cyanoptera)

Observer

taylorehwa

Date

May 22, 2020

Description

Saw on two separate occasions, believe it was same individual.

Photos / Sounds

No photos or sounds

What

Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis)

Observer

taylorehwa

Date

May 22, 2020

Photos / Sounds

What

Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas)

Observer

taylorehwa

Date

May 22, 2020

Description

Blue-winged Warbler in beginning of recording!

Photos / Sounds

What

Veery (Catharus fuscescens)

Observer

taylorehwa

Date

May 22, 2020

Photos / Sounds

No photos or sounds

What

Hairy Woodpecker (Dryobates villosus)

Observer

taylorehwa

Date

May 22, 2020

Photos / Sounds

What

American Robin (Turdus migratorius)

Observer

taylorehwa

Date

May 22, 2020

Description

Scarlet Tanager in background of recording.

Photos / Sounds

No photos or sounds

What

Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo)

Observer

taylorehwa

Date

May 22, 2020

Photos / Sounds

No photos or sounds

What

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)

Observer

taylorehwa

Date

May 22, 2020

Photos / Sounds

No photos or sounds

What

Eastern Towhee (Pipilo erythrophthalmus)

Observer

taylorehwa

Date

May 22, 2020

Photos / Sounds

What

Great Crested Flycatcher (Myiarchus crinitus)

Observer

taylorehwa

Date

May 22, 2020

Photos / Sounds

What

Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor)

Observer

taylorehwa

Date

May 22, 2020

Photos / Sounds

What

House Wren (Troglodytes aedon)

Observer

taylorehwa

Date

May 22, 2020

Description

Wild Turkey also in background of audio clip.

Photos / Sounds

What

Chestnut-sided Warbler (Setophaga pensylvanica)

Observer

taylorehwa

Date

May 22, 2020

Photos / Sounds

What

Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina)

Observer

taylorehwa

Date

May 22, 2020

Description

Saw once, heard on two different occasions. Believe it was same individual singing the second time.

Photos / Sounds

What

Brown Thrasher (Toxostoma rufum)

Observer

taylorehwa

Date

May 22, 2020

Photos / Sounds

No photos or sounds

What

Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe)

Observer

taylorehwa

Date

May 22, 2020

Photos / Sounds

No photos or sounds

What

Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)

Observer

taylorehwa

Date

May 22, 2020

Photos / Sounds

No photos or sounds

What

Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)

Observer

taylorehwa

Date

May 22, 2020

Photos / Sounds

What

American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla)

Observer

taylorehwa

Date

May 22, 2020

Description

Also in audio: Northern Cardinal, Eastern Wood-Peewee

Photos / Sounds

What

Red-eyed Vireo (Vireo olivaceus)

Observer

taylorehwa

Date

May 22, 2020

Description

Audio also includes American Redstart, Eastern Wood-Pewee, and Red-bellied Woodpecker.

Photos / Sounds

No photos or sounds

What

American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)

Observer

taylorehwa

Date

May 22, 2020

Photos / Sounds

What

Eastern Wood-Pewee (Contopus virens)

Observer

taylorehwa

Date

May 22, 2020

Photos / Sounds

What

Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus)

Observer

taylorehwa

Date

May 22, 2020

Photos / Sounds

What

Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)

Observer

taylorehwa

Date

May 22, 2020

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