Introduction

Part of our Wildlife Management Plan includes doing an annual bird count for the farm. On December 31, 2011, Joni and I started our 24-hour count at 3:15 p.m. We finished it mid-afternoon, January 1st, 2012.

Here's the list of birds we saw during that 24-hour period:

1. Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)

This was the first bird we saw, driving in on the right-of-way.

2. American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)

Ever present.

3. Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)

The Northern Cardinal is probably the most common bird seen on the farm.

4. Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)

The sound of Mourning Dove's flapping wings is very distinctive. We both heard and saw many during the bird count.

5. American Robin (Turdus migratorius)

The robins are always migrating through during our December bird counts.

6. Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe)

I heard an Eastern Phoebe as we sat on the pier at the pond late evening. And Joni saw one just in front of the cabin the next morning.

7. Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Genus species)

I got a quick glimpse of a Ruby-crowned Kinglet down by the pond on Sunday morning.