Mar 1, 2015: Wolf's February 2015 Wildlife Report

One to five Song Sparrows have been found along the lakes trail this month.  They were usually feeding in exposed grass areas along the edges of the trail.  They would flush when approached and fly to denser vegetation. 2/15/15 (Wolf. Oesterreich)

A total of 30 (plus 1 sp.) avian species was recorded this month, ranking this month as the 6^th highest February among 18 years of records.  Surprisingly, not a single American Robin was observed this month.

Listed below, following the species’ names, are the date(s) of sighting(s), plus the occasional miscellaneous information regarding numbers, gender (♂=male, ♀=female), age (im=immature, ju=juvenile, abp=adult breeding plumage, ad=adult, anb=adult non-breeding), color phase (b=blue, w=white), and location (BY=back yard, FY=front yard).  The order follows the 55^th Supplement (2014) to the American Ornithologists’ Union Check-list of North American Birds and the 14^th Supplement to the 7^th Edition (1998).

AVIAN

     CACKLING GOOSE: 2, 5-7, 9, 20 (1)

     CANADA GOOSE: 1-28

     TRUMPETER SWAN: 3 (12 ad + 3 ju), 4 (6 ad + 3 ju), 5 (5ad + 3 ju), 7 (2 ad),

                                    14 (2 ad), 15 (6 ad + 3 ju), 18 (4 ad), 19 (2 ad), 21-22

                                    (6 ad + 3 ju), 27 (2 ad), 28 (6 ad + 3 ju)

     MALLARD: 1-28

     COMMON MERGANSER: 9 (1♂)

     RING-NECKED PHEASANT: 2, 24, 26 (6)

     BALD EAGLE: 2 (1 ad), 4 (1 ad), 11 (1 ad), 14 (1 im), 15-16 (1 ad), 17 (1 im), 19 (1 im),

                                    20 (1 ad), 22 (1 ad + 1 im), 24 (1 ad), 26 (1 ad), 28 (1 ad)

     SHARP-SHINNED HAWK: 9 (1)

     COOPER’S HAWK: 1 (1 ad BY)

     Accipiter sp.: 25 (1 BY)

     RED-TAILED HAWK: 3 (1), 5-6 (1), 10 (1), 12 (1), 13 (2), 16-19 (2), 20 (1), 23-24 (1),

                                    28 (1)

     ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK: 20 (1 dark adult)

     MOURNING DOVE: 2 (1 BY)

     BELTED KINGFISHER: 3 (1)

     RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER: 5, 7, 16-17, 23, 28

     DOWNY WOODPECKER: 1-4, 6-7, 9-20, 22-28

     HAIRY WOODPECKER: 28

     NORTHERN SHRIKE: 4 (1), 19 (1), 27-28 (1)

     BLUE JAY: 1, 9, 14-16, 18-20, 22, 26-28

     AMERICAN CROW: 2-11, 13-17, 19-20, 22-24, 26-28

     BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE: 1-2, 4-20, 22-28

     WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH: 7, 13, 16 (3), 17, 20, 23, 28

     EUROPEAN STARLING: 1, 3-5, 7-20, 22-25, 28

     AMERICAN TREE SPARROW: 1-8, 10-15, 20, 23, 26

     SONG SPARROW: 2 (4), 3 (5), 4 (1), 5 (5), 6 (4), 7 (3), 8 (2), 9 (4), 10-12 (2), 13 (1),

                                    14 (2), 15 (4), 16 (3), 17 (1), 18-19 (2), 20 (1), 22 (1), 23 (2),

                                     26 (4), 27 (2), 28 (4)

     SWAMP SPARROW: 2 (1), 3 (2), 5 (2), 6 (1), 8 (1), 13 (1), 26-27 (1), 28 (2)

     DARK-EYED JUNCO (Slate-colored): 1-28

     NORTHERN CARDINAL: 1-28

     HOUSE FINCH: 1-28

     AMERICAN GOLDFINCH: 1-2, 4, 7, 9-10, 13, 15-18, 24, 25 (4), 28 (2)

     HOUSE SPARROW: 1-28

Unless indicated otherwise, the White-tailed Deer were antlerless. 

MAMMALIAN

     WHITE-TAILED DEER: 3 (3), 9 (2 BY), 22 (1 BY)

     FOX SQUIRREL: 1, 4, 6-8, 10-16, 19-22, 24-26, 28

     EASTERN COTTONTAIL: 1-4, 6-20, 22-28

Wolf. Oesterreich