Mar 1, 2019: Wolf's February 2019 Wildlife Report

This probable 2-year old Cooper's Hawk shows adult chest plumage, but still immature back feathers (many white splotches and a yellow eye).  When I find no or very little bird activity in the backyard I always look for one of the Accipiter species (Cooper's or Sharp-shinned Hawks). (Wolf. Oesterreich, 2/1/9/19)

A total of 38 avian species was recorded this month, ranking this month as the 5^th highest February among 22 years of records.  This total is 11 species less than last month and 16 less than February 2018.  February 2017 with 63 species remains as the highest February total, while February 2001 with only 17 species remains as the lowest.

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 59^th Supplement (2018) to the American Ornithologists’ Union Check-list of North American Birds and the 18^th Supplement to the 7^th Edition (1998).

AVIAN

     CACKLING GOOSE: 5 (3), 9 (3), 11 (2), 16 (1), 18 (2)

     CANADA GOOSE: 1-28

     TRUMPETER SWAN: 1 (11 ad), 3-4 (11 ad), 5 (12 ad), 6 (2 ad), 7 (13 ad), 9 (13 ad),

          11 (13 ad), 13 (13 ad), 14 (11 ad), 15 (24), 16 (23), 17 (13), 18 (16), 19 (20),

          20 (17), 21 (19), 22 (22), 25 (8), 26 (9), 27 (14), 28 (13)

     TUNDRA SWAN: 1 (1 ad), 3-5 (1 ad), 7 (1 ad), 9 (1 ad), 11 (1 ad), 13-16 (1 ad),

          18-22 (1 ad), 27-28 (1 ad)

     GADWALL: 13 (2♀)

     MALLARD: 1-16, 18-23, 25-28

     NORTHERN PINTAIL: 12 (1♂), 18 (1♀)

     GREEN-WINGED TEAL: 9 (2♂), 14 (1♂), 19 (2♂)

     RING-NECKED PHEASANT: 1 (1♀), 4 (1), 5 (3♂), 6 (1♂), 7 (1), 25 (11)

     EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE: 7 (1), 9 (1), 11 (2), 12 (3), 18 (2), 20 (2), 23 (2), 27 (3)

     MOURNING DOVE: 1 (5), 2 (2), 7 (2), 8 (1), 10 (1), 11 (2), 13-14 (1), 16 (4), 18 (14),

         19 (2), 20 (10), 21 (1), 22 (7), 26 (2), 28 (1)

     NORTHERN HARRIER: 1 (1 im), 11 (1♂)

     COOPER’S HAWK: 10 (1 im BY), 17 (1 ad BY), 19 (1♀), 21 (1 ad BY)

     BALD EAGLE: 1 (2 ad), 2 (1 im), 3 (1 ad), 4 (1 ad + 1 im), 5 (2 ad + 1 im),

          6 (4 ad + 4 im), 8 (1 ad), 9 (1 im), 11 (3 ad + 3 im), 13 (1 im), 14 (2 im), 15 (1 ad),

          16 (1 im), 18 (1 ad), 19 (1 ad + 2 im), 20 (1 ad), 26 (2 ad + 1 im), 27 (1 im)

     RED-TAILED HAWK: 1 (3), 2 (1), 4 (4), 5-6 (2), 9 (2), 10 (1), 11 (2), 13 (1), 16 (1),

          18 (1), 19 (2), 26 (1), 27 (2)

     ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK: 9 (1)

     BARRED OWL: 17 (1 BY)

     RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER: 1 (1), 9-10 (1), 13 (2), 17-20 (1), 22-23 (1), 26-26 (1),

          28 (1)

     DOWNY WOODPECKER: 1-6, 9-28

     HAIRY WOODPECKER: 5 (1), 18 (1), 26 (1 BY)

     BLUE JAY: 1-3, 9-14, 16-23, 25-26, 28

     AMERICAN CROW: 1-28

     BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE: 1-28

     WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH: 1 (4), 5 (1), 11 (3), 13 (2), 14 (3), 16 (3), 17-19 (1),

          21-22 (3), 25-26 (1)

     EASTERN BLUEBIRD: 16 (1♂), 19 (4)

     AMERICAN ROBIN: 13 (5), 16 (2), 22 (1 BY)

     EUROPEAN STARLING: 6, 10-11, 13-14, 16-24, 26-27

     CEDAR WAXWING: 3 (22), 10 (74+), 11 (2 BY), 13 (60+), 14 (50+), 18 (42), 19 (2),

          20 (~100), 28 (11 BY)

     HOUSE SPARROW: 1-28

     HOUSE FINCH: 1-7, 9-28

     AMERICAN GOLDFINCH: 6 (2), 13 (1 BY), 16 (4)

     AMERICAN TREE SPARROW: 1-28

     SONG SPARROW: 1 (1), 4 (1), 10 (1 BY), 20-21 (1 BY), 28 (1)

     WHITE-THROATED SPARROW: 2 (1 BY), 6-8 (1 BY), 11 (1 BY), 14-18 (1 BY),

          20-23 (1 BY), 25-28 (1 BY)

     HARRIS’S SPARROW: 11 (2 BY), 12 (1 BY), 17 (5 BY), 19 (2 BY), 26 (5 BY),

          27 (3 BY)

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

     RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD: 26-27 (1 BY)

     NORTHERN CARDINAL: 1-28

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

MAMMALIAN

     VIRGINIA OPOSSUM: 20 (1)

     EASTERN COTTONTAIL: 1-28

     EASTERN FOX SQUIRREL: 1-28

     MEADOW VOLE: 9 (2)

     WHITE-TAILED DEER: 2 (3 BY), 3 (1 BY), 6 (4), 8-9 (3 BY), 13 (7), 16 (2), 19 (4),

          20 (3 BY + 17), 22 (5), 25 (5 + 1♂), 26 (1 BY), 27 (4 BY)

Wolf. Oesterreich