Birds, birds, birds

I almost forgot this photo - until I realized I didn't want the cemetery shot to lead. This is a story about feathered creatures.

DH and I decided to start the new year with a bang and participate in one more Christmas Bird Count. Everyone talks about Granger Lake and what a great spot it is for birding so we signed up for the count at Granger Lake.

But where the last count started with a couple of emails and 4 questions, this one started with 4 pages of directions and coordination and 11 pages of detailed maps and notes. I spent 3 hours reprinting the maps so I could read them better as well as typing up the notes and deciphering the shorthand for bird names.* I have no idea how many hours I've spent looking up birds we expect to see and listening to their calls/barks/chirps/songs.

This afternoon we grabbed our gear and headed about 35 miles south where we will spend our waking hours on Monday. We consulted the maps and traversed the northern boundary of "Area 4." These roads are the craziest group of country roads I have ever seen. At home the roads are a sensible grid for the most part. But these twist and turn - sometimes turning back on themselves. After a 90 degree curve or two, the road number might change or not. Thank heavens for the maps! I'm usually good with directions, but even with the sun out and watching, I kept getting turned around as we traveled this  "confusion of roads."

Granger has what appears to be a cemetery at the edge of town. It is actually a group of cemeteries.** We drove into the City Cemetery and immediately found a bird, but not the kind we were seeking.

The Bird family plot***

Then we found three black vultures behind the cemetery. They gently circled the field just beyond what appears to be a drainage ditch, but could easily be the remnants of a creek. [We did hear a few birds hiding in the trees in the cemetery, but they never showed themselves even as we played an owl call or two.]

We left the cemetery and turned right down another county road that took us past a couple of grain elevators/bins. Fields on either side had been planted (winter wheat?) and the fields were full of blackbirds. What kind of bird were they? Well, I did see a couple of sparrows among the blackbirds. I am calling "Vesper Sparrow." The blackbirds? I think grackles, starlings, cowbirds, Red-winged Blackbirds and probably others. [I'll admit it, I was overwhelmed.]

The former music student in me wants to play this.

I've blown the photo up and tried to identify the individual birds.  I'll see who shows up on Monday.

I won't guess, but I can say there are over 100 birds in this photo so that means there were well over 200 birds just along this road.

 

We drove to where the road would take a turn to the left and saw it - another bird.

Yes, we were seeing birds on East Old County Road. I don't think we saw "New County Road."

We turned around once again and continued down a country road that provides one partial boundary of our count area. After winding around a bit we found the park where we will search the trails and check along the shoreline.  [24 Field Sparrows flushed out of the grass along the road as we exited the park.]

Our goal for the trip today was to time our drive and become familiar with the meet-up point. This spot is marked by a gate with cattle guard where yet another paved county road becomes a poorly paved and dirt track into the wildlife management area. We will begin our count here and search for Short-eared Owls in the hours before dawn (if the threatened rain doesn't ruin our plans).

As we arrived at the gate we noticed another vehicle (a pickup truck) was stopped on the cattle guard. His vehicle was in reverse (we could tell by the backup lights), but he was stationary. Before we could even question the behavior of the driver, our attention was diverted by movement down the dirt road where we observed  a large herd of White-tailed deer crossing from one pasture to the next. Amazed, I held my breath as I counted more than 15 deer.

After the deer cleared the fences we do-si-doed with the pickup, driving into the wildlife area to the turn-around and then back to the gate. The herd was gone, but there were birds along the roadway - perched in the trees lining the road.

We decided we were comfortable with our scouting and preparation for the bird count challenge. We will be searching numerous creeks, plowed fields, short grassy areas, wooded tracts, and a large shoreline. I cannot say we are ready, but we are about as ready as we are going to be.

I've already spent hours studying owls, blackbirds, sparrows, and woodpeckers. The blackbirds are calling me back. Then there are all the raptors, the wrens, the longspurs and more. We will be relying on the experts who lead our team, but we will test ourselves as well.

As we returned home and drove through our familiar neighborhoods we passed Birdwell Street. We are taking it as a good omen.


NOTES:

* Don't judge me - The key was simple - first two letters of the bird's first name and the first two letters of the bird's second name. [So, an Inca Dove was a INDO and a Mountain Plover was a MOPL.]

** I wonder why we cannot get along even in death. But some of these cemeteries were the result of the building of the dam. Cemeteries that would eventually be flooded were moved to this location (Beard, Machu and Allison "Old Friendship" Cemeteries). In addition to these and the Granger City Cemetery, the Brethren Cemetery and the Holy Cross Cemetery are located at the corner of County Roads 361 and 348.

***Robert Addison and Eliza Estelle Mitchell Bird. Robert was born in Tennessee in 1876 and died in Williamson County in 1959 (aged 83, heart attack). Eliza was born in Alabama in 1876 and died in Williamson County in 1947 (aged 71, cancer). They married in Williamson County in 1896 and were farmers in Granger, Texas. And they had children - Robert W, Irene, (Willie may be Robert W.), Milstid, and Edwin Lee. I wonder what happened to them all.

Save me...

...from the rabid dust bunnies.*

This retirement thing has not exactly gone according to plan. I was supposed to do this cleaning and sorting and divesting much earlier than this. Life and then attitude got in the way.**

So, I had some time this week when I wouldn't be disturbing DH. He hates the vacuum. I  would be at home much of the time as cannot leave Zelda long. She frets and eats the door frames. She hates the crate. So, I have been sorting and boxing up things that need to go away. I have been filling the "shred" boxes as well as the recycling bin. I am starting to see some progress.***

I'm also getting packages ready to mail. Some are only a week late. Others are embarrassingly late.

<Sigh>

When Zelda and I need a break, we have been heading outside for a crunch through the fallen oak leaves littering the side yard.**** On our last trip outside I hid behind a tree as she nosed around for good smells.  She found me and then went tearing off to the front of the house.

Because she was off-leash, I got a little nervous. She could get into all kinds of trouble on our busy corner. [As much as Z frets about loud cars, she is known to step into the street.]

Then, just as I reached the other side of the house, Zelda jumped out of the flowerbed.

"Surprise!"

She had been hiding in the Vinca. Could she be playing hide-and-seek? I guess I started it. I am beginning to think that Ms. Zelda is going to surprise us a great deal.

Now, if she would just take care of those dreaded dust bunnies!


NOTES:

* Dust and cat hair...an old cat with health issues can mean a ridiculous amount of shedding of fur. So perhaps we should call these dusty hairballs? Furry dust bunnies? It is not dog hair as Z is a mix of a couple of varieties of non-shedding breeds.

** There have been a couple of Netflix binging periods we probably shouldn't mention.

*** Why is it that things always look much worse before getting better? Why am I not more organized? Why is the sky blue?

****Yes, I need to mow them up, but the mower died. That's next - yard work.


FINAL NOTE:

The above was yesterday. Today Zelda and Hobbes are chasing around the house. I suppose it is "tag" today. I've called them down twice. Peace for a moment.

Z and Me

DH has been gone for a few days to help a friend.

This meant I had company for almost everything. Z is still pretty anxious when I am out of her sight. So, she came along for most things.

Here she is riding with me as I picked up a friend's newspaper (we didn't even have to get out of the car - just opened the door and scooped up the paper). She was not excited by the outing.

Yes, Z needs a bath and a trim.*

I've done laundry and sorted through STUFF for hours. Zelda napped and followed me through the house. She sat in the hall if I was in the kitchen or bathroom. [She doesn't seem to like the TV so she moves away from the set when it is on.]

If I went upstairs I heard her strange plop-plop, click-click behind me (she has an odd way of climbing and descending the stairs. It is as if  the hind end moves faster than the front end).  She kept heading upstairs and climbing into her bed.  I FINALLY realized that, since she usually naps with DH,** these were the times she was used to taking a nap!

<SIGH>   She is like a two year old following behind me all the time. At least she isn't talking or asking questions. As it is we have heard fewer than a half dozen barks from her. Whimpers, yes.*** Barks, no.

On our way home with the paper the sky was gorgeous. The sun was struggling to show through the gathering clouds. I kept looking for a place to stop. We tried two parks. At one we had the wrong angle on the sky.

Love those trees rooted in the sky.

I missed the "good" shot. **

At the second we were surprised by masses of vultures making their lazy circling glides. I'm not sure anything was dead. They seemed to be enjoying the change in temperature and wind direction. A mild front came in between 6 and 8 this morning.

There was a small sandbar in the river that was covered with birds as well. I didn't wander far from the car.  There was another vehicle in the park and I could not see the driver. Even in our little town, it is not good to hang out in the parks alone. I felt safe with the other dogs, but Zelda is so friendly and passive - she's not much of a deterrent to those with mischief on their mind.

A few of the vultures perched in the tree.

I'd like to say that Zelda was good when I got out of the car for photos...so I will. If I stayed within a few steps of the car, she was fine. If I wandered too far, I could hear her starting to fret.

It is all good. It is all in aid of teaching her to stay and helping her understand that we will come back. We WILL.

She is a work in progress. Aren't we all?

NOTES:

*We are planning a "puppy trim" soon.

**She goes upstairs and gets in HER bed and sleeps while he naps. She is NOT allowed on the furniture although I understand she sneaks into my chair when I am gone and DH is not paying attention.

***Whimpering in dogs = whining in kids

All is Calm

I love Sunday morning walks. No one is about. That it's Christmas means hours more of quiet on our street.

Zelda and I headed down the still-dark road.

Peaceful. Lovely.

Soft light of morning breaking around the clouds. Streetlights glowing.  Crickets' droning. Morning birds singing.

Two walking at dawn...

No only insects and bird songs and us...nothing else stirring.

The only deer we saw.

Merry Christmas Y'all!

The Bur Oak

When I was a girl, my uncle brought us some Bur Oak Acorns from Victoria, Texas. It is a lovely thing - giant with a hairy cap. I've been fascinated by them ever since.

The Bur Oak tree is a massive thing, but they are slow-growing. You must have patience.* The leaves are lobed. I don't think it is as pretty in the fall as the red oak, but there is something about the acorn...

A few weeks ago I took Zelda for a walk in San Gabriel Park. Bur Oaks were all around and the acorns were scattered on the ground. I gathered some. I suspect I was thinking about planting some, but they stayed in the black plastic bag.

This morning I was starting on clearing a little clutter and decided to transfer them into a clear bag and store them with the other seeds I've been saving for the motivation to garden. It seems the Burs won't wait. Of eleven acorns, 7 sprouted while resting in the moist darkness of the "doggy bag."

I'll finish breakfast, find 7 plastic pots, and get these in the ground.

Let's see what happens.

Bur Oak acorns - unwilling to wait for me to plant them.

NOTES:

* Our former neighbor across the street planted two when he was a child. He has been gone many years so I know the trees are older than me and they are still pretty small, for oaks. We planted one in the side yard about 20 years ago and I suppose I would consider it still a sapling. I've seen one acorn on it. We decided on a Bur Oak because of the acorns and because they are oak wilt resistant.

10-26-21 UPDATE

A few trees grew from these acorns. I refused to plant any in the ground. I wanted to move and saved plants in pots for the "new yard." We moved in 2020 in the middle of the pandemic. We "built" a garden with the help of friends and siblings. One of the Bur Oak trees was planted first - part of the skeleton, the structure of the wild space in the small back yard. It grew from about 2 feet to 6 foot tall in a year. It's an anchor and will help me to stay here.

Last Amphibian Watch for the Year

The sky over Berry Springs Park

A cold front was coming, but we enjoyed "shorts weather" most of the day. We were also enjoying the practical joke planned for the evening.

A few years ago I cast some ceramic frogs for an environmental installation. They have lived in a cardboard box since. We found them a month or so ago as we were cleaning out and a scheme began to develop - because frogs can be scarce in the winter months, why couldn't we "plant" these frogs around the pond and stream at Berry Springs Park?

We knew TH and HY would "get it" and hoped our joke would not offend the citizen scientists we join each month.

Arriving about 30 minutes early we were not surprised to find TH and HY already bird-watching in the park. We let them in on the joke and walked the routes the team usually takes for the watch, carefully placing frogs where the creatures would be "hidden" but discovered.

DH joined the group in the parking lot and I "guarded" frogs at the pier (met a lovely young man - EJ, who caught a fish just as his parent's arrived to pick him and his brother up from their afternoon of fishing).

As the frogging group arrived at the pier I could tell they had enjoyed finding a new species - Frogus ceramicus, the Christmas Frog, (AKA tellus ranae - ceramic frog). [They found all 10 and, best of all, took them home! One less box at our house.]

Nice catch, EJ! Redear Sunfish.

The rest of the Amphibian Watch was also productive. We recorded a Rio Grande Leopard frog, caught a Blanchard's Cricket frog, photographed an American Bullfrog, and captured an American Bullfrog tadpole. Who knew we would see anything on this winter (soon to be frigid) evening?

Blanchard's Cricket Frog

American Bullfrog tadpole

Closeup of the tadpole.

American Bullfrog was trying to hide - probably from the bad weather coming. You can just see his eye here. Trust me.

Here a few photos of the evening before the cold front hit (dropping the temperature 20 degrees) and frog watchers headed home:

Recording the cricket frog. Note tellus ranae captured and resting on the bench.

Recording the tadpole.

One shot at capturing the bullfrog.

A valiant effort, but the bullfrog was having none of it this evening.

 Wild things and observations:

A Great Egret flew away from the pond area as we first approached. I did not get a photo, but have become fairly familiar with this bird. There were waterfowl in the pond - probably Pie-billed Grebes (HY had identified some before we got there). The grackles were present in quantity - a few hundred. And one titmouse led me on a merry chase. I was capturing audio and followed the raucous sound coming from that little guy. There are always a number of turtles. We see their heads pop up, but the did not get close to shore this day.

Grackles

Waterfowl

Brackets on native pecan.

I love watching the sun go down here.

Photo of the new frogs by KM:

"

Our First Christmas Bird Count

Once upon a time, when women were birds, 

there was the simple understanding 

that to sing at dawn and to sing at dusk was to heal the world through joy. 

The birds still remember what we have forgotten, 

that the world is meant to be celebrated.

~ Terry Tempest Williams, When Women Were Birds: Fifty-four Variations on Voice

See the birds? No? Just wait.

 Should we start with confessions?

1. We like birds but are not experienced "birders."
2. We have never been on a Christmas Bird Count (CBC) before.
3. It was an experiment. [Would we enjoy birding? Would we be any good at it?]
4. We are not terribly detailed or structured people. [Would we be able to remain attentive to the birds? Or would one of us be off looking at other things?]
5. At least one of us is a "challenging personality." [Would we be the most irritating people on the count?]

At our age, we don't usually worry about much, but this was such a new experience and we were a little nervous. We prepared as best we could: dressing for the weather, packing snacks, and bringing talismans (Mom's bird guide and Dad's binoculars).

As we headed out into the dark and cool Texas morning I thought back to early mornings with Dad - stopping at the Steak House for breakfast before a chilly hike to a deer blind or stand. He and Mom were definitely riding along with us today. I said a little prayer of thanks for their gift of a love of the wild.

Our leader for the count, JM, was prepared - he knows what he's doing. What do I mean by that? He knows birds, their dances, songs, and the minute differences between those pesky "little brown birds." JM also knows the area and where to expect (and attract) individual species. He'd covered this area for years and he had been out at the beginning of the week to take a look. He was not too optimistic reporting he had seen little and only one species unusual for the time - a cattle egret. But he had a plan and we were there to execute it.

Most importantly, JM is a patient guy. He taught us quite a bit about birding. He explained differences between birds. He repeated the counts for me if I missed something. He pointed out individual birds. And he encouraged us to go to the compilation at the end so we would see the whole count, start to finish.

DH rode shotgun. I took the clipboard and pen. Once familiar with the list I was to register the count of each species as we went along. 

It was a marvelous trip. We traveled down highways, county roads, caliche roads and a few dirt tracks. We stopped and listened. We called and waited. We checked fields, ponds and creeks. There was even a stop at a quarry for a bird that hangs out in the pallets of rock.

Yes, I did get distracted by grasses, deer, milkweed and such things. But our main focus was the birds and they did not disappoint. We laughed with JM as we prepared to head home. As we thanked him for letting us come along and teaching us so much, DH said, "I hope we weren't too much trouble."
JM assured us it was good to have "extra eyes" and other kind things, I interrupted with, "Well, I guess we will know how well it went by whether or not we get invited to join him next year."

I hope so.

I. The journey:

The guys were in the front seat. I tried to keep the count in back. We did some watching from the car, but got out a good deal as well.

Half the battle was becoming familiar with the list. JM knew where we were going and marked my map so I would know for documenting in some databases.

Down some dirt roads...

...and some caliche roads...

We took care to be good neighbors.

We learned about "pishing" - making a scolding bird noise that sounds like  psh-psh-psh-psh - to draw out birds so we could see and identify them.

By invitation on one large tract of land that included a creek, woods, and prairie.

We were careful along the roadways - here a county road. [Our purple Jeep chariot in the background]

I am relying on DH to have absorbed a great deal of birding knowledge.

II. Water:

Berry Creek

One of our first stops was along Berry Creek. A pickup stopped and a father took his two small children to the edge of the bridge "to see the water." He asked what we were doing and repeated "Christmas birds?" I explained we counted all birds we identified and it just happens at Christmas. Then I talked to the children, telling them they were lucky to have someone to take them out to the wild.

This runoff from a field ran right into...

...this stream that feeds a large willow tree...

Intermittent stream with Bushy Bluestem - All through the day the grasses called out to me. I never even thought about grasses until this fall. Now I'm kind of fascinated. Of course I brought some seeds home. But some didn't make it - shaped like dousing rods they worked their way through my pocket (seed bags left in the car) and it felt like I had a pocket full of fire ants!

We stopped at a few ponds. Some had birds. Some were empty.

After so many years of drought, it is wonderful to see the streams running.

You can just see the creek beyond these trees and undergrowth.

Another view of Berry Creek - one of the boundaries of our area.

III. Birds: (Yeah, I know - this was the point of the trip. I only have a few "OK" photos.)

Great Egret left the pond just after we arrived. See it flying?

At first the day was so grey and overcast - I believe these were some of the ridiculous number of Robins we saw.

Another confession: I was able to call out Cardinal, Turkey Vulture, Mockingbird,  Chickadee (shown here) and Snipe - only because JM told me what to look for in the area where he expected a Snipe. It flew up in front of me. Surprised us all.

Yes, there's a bird here... a cardinal. He posed for a number of photos. Once DH got out of my way, I got some good enough for this trip.

See! It was as if he was addressing us.

And a little profile. Now THIS is a Christmas bird.

We saw few vultures at first, but their numbers picked up as the day grew warmer and brighter.

See the Rock Wren?

JM said they are true to their name. We found 2 at the quarry, among the pallets of rock.

There are sparrows on this fence line. One is a Grasshopper Sparrow. I saw him through Daddy's binoculars.

I got out of the Jeep at one spot and saw this dead tree. I took a photo of it and thought, "It would be perfect if I got a silhouette of a bird on top of this tree." And this Mockingbird cooperated.

You have to love a Mockingbird...

We saw many nests, abandoned in the naked, shivering trees.

IV. What else?

Loads of color!

A banner year for prickly pear - beautiful fruit for someone who wants to mess with it.

Lichen

Lichen

Remains of roadkill - once an armadillo. Reminder to be careful.

A little promise of spring to come. Bluebonnets are coming.

Fungus/bracket of some kind growing on dry piece of Ashe Juniper. The color was stunning.

Tomatoes of the Silver-leaf Nightshade.

Lovely grass - not the demon "pocket full of fire ants."

Field of mostly KR Bluestem (look it up).

Horses observing the bird counters.

At the edge of a field, the milkweed made its presence known.

There it was - the remains of the seed pod. It was a reminder to try and gather some seeds at our hiking spots at home.

More wildflowers making promises.

Thick poison ivy vines grew in may places.

V. The sun broke through eventually, giving us some beautiful moments throughout our day:

The end of the day.

VI. Add 'em up!

JM filled out the final paperwork.

Adding up the totals.

[My goal for between now and the next CBC is to take a detailed look at the birds we saw in the guides.  Compare those pesky swallows, doves, and wrens. Listen to some of the songs and calls. Check a list for the next count and take a look at some of the birds expected there we may not know.]

I used Dad's binoculars to see birds, but also to demonstrate the size of this, um, fungus?

And Mom's guide book.

Technical/Procedural Details (Details, Details)
[I put this at the end in case anyone wants to know more]

A. Getting ready:

Get on a team. We exchanged emails with JM for about a week. We were worried we wouldn't get on a team. But we also wanted any team leader to know we are neophytes... [It is a good idea for newbies to team with a patient expert. We got lucky. JM was amazing and very patient.]

Then we received a few questions from our team leader (my answers are given below each question):

Birding experience?
     BE HONEST! Our birding experience would be rather basic. We are beginners. I come from a family of outdoor people, but have always relied on my parents and brothers who were advanced birders. I can recognize the easy birds - Cardinals, Blue jays, Caracara, Mocking Bird, White winged doves. I cannot tell a Crow from a Raven by call although I have tried. I recognize many shore birds as I grew up on the coast. I know enough to realize I had a rare bird in Uvalde County when I saw a Spoonbill in a pond there. But I didn't know a Red-naped Sapsucker was rare for Uvalde County (I didn't even know it was a Red-naped Sapsucker - my brother and eBird helped there). I know a screech owl when I hear one. Oh, I cannot tell a downy from a hairy woodpecker.
     Does that help? My husband has less experience than me, but he is a quick learner.

Where do you live?
     (Just north of the area for this count) [Be on time. Know where you are going!]

Are you good for the entire day (roughly 7am-6pm) or would you likely want to do half day?
      We are good for the entire day. *

Are you okay getting in and out of a Jeep?
     We are good for the jeep. DH is a cross-fitter (and spent most of his life getting in and out of jeeps). I am not as fit as he is, but will keep up.

B. The Night Before:

Be prepared. I reread the email to make sure I had phone numbers and directions and started working on our gear.** DH is the binocular guy. I take care of most of the other stuff (well, I never really know what he has in his kit until I need something - a hat, a handkerchief, a bandage or a tourniquet. He will reach in and hand me almost anything I ask for). I printed out a bird list, grabbed a guidebook,*** and made our snacks.

C. Day: 

Stop periodically along the roads and streams (and near ponds) on your map. Note the number and variety of birds. Sometimes calls are played.

Stop when you need to and make sure you eat and drink or you will "fall out." 

Total your list.

D. Evening: 

Meet up with the rest of the teams and log in your numbers.****

E. FINALLY - Do not swipe your team leader's snacks. We unloaded our stuff and discovered nuts that we did not buy. Looks like we stole JM's snacks.  We owe him for far more than that.


NOTES:

*I did worry about this - especially because we had another CBC the next day (we cancelled a few days earlier) and an Amphibian Watch after that.

** Gear List:
     cell phones
     binoculars - one pair was Dad's (DH got them repaired last year)
     camera (didn't bring one after all - figured I should pay more attention)
     notebook
     snacks
     water
     bird list
     guide

[I should mention that DH also had folding chairs, ground pads (in case we were to sit on the ground) and one extra pair of binoculars (what happens if someone shows up without?)]

***Not just any guide - my mom's  A Field Guide to the Birds of Texas and Adjacent States. I figured it might bring us luck.

**** Our count: [This is the list for the group. I will edit the version on my eBird (http://ebird.org/content/ebird/) account to only list those I saw. I will also add the few photos I took that are identifiable. I did not see all these individual birds, much less identify what I was looking at. But I can count many. I was concerned about how this works, but eBird has it figured out! Hurrah!]

Georgetown CBC Area 4, Williamson, Texas, US
Dec 16, 2016 7:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Protocol: Traveling
95.0 mile(s)
60 species (+1 other taxa)

Ring-necked Duck  3
Great Blue Heron  2
Great Egret  1
Black Vulture  18
Turkey Vulture  16
Northern Harrier  1
Cooper's Hawk  1
Red-tailed Hawk  2
Killdeer  24
Wilson's Snipe  1
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)  12
Eurasian Collared-Dove  18
White-winged Dove  34
Mourning Dove  43
Great Horned Owl  1
Belted Kingfisher  1
Red-bellied Woodpecker  4
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker  1
Ladder-backed Woodpecker  2
Downy Woodpecker  2
Northern Flicker  2
American Kestrel  13
Eastern Phoebe  8
Loggerhead Shrike  9
Blue Jay  4
American Crow  24
Carolina Chickadee  12
Black-crested Titmouse  18
Rock Wren  2
House Wren  1
Carolina Wren  5
Bewick's Wren  3
Golden-crowned Kinglet  1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet  17
Hermit Thrush  2
American Robin  224
Northern Mockingbird  11
European Starling  135
American Pipit  5
Cedar Waxwing  180
Orange-crowned Warbler  2
Yellow-rumped Warbler  12
Grasshopper Sparrow  1
Chipping Sparrow  12
Field Sparrow  13
Dark-eyed Junco  1
White-crowned Sparrow  3
Harris's Sparrow  2
White-throated Sparrow  4
Vesper Sparrow  15
Savannah Sparrow  13
Song Sparrow  6
Lincoln's Sparrow  1
Spotted Towhee  5
Northern Cardinal  42
Red-winged Blackbird  210
Western/Eastern Meadowlark  98
Brown-headed Cowbird  130
House Finch  4
Lesser Goldfinch  9
House Sparrow  1