Back Yard Bird Race & Daily Bucket - November listings.

Good morning, afternoon or evening (as applies to you.)  Welcome to the monthly segment of our birders personal challenge.  Please look over the first “block of directions” to get an idea of our purpose today.

There are no “rules” for the Bird Race beyond what you set for yourself. Some ideas for information that you might share here as part of the conversation, any combinations of: A total list or count of birds you have seen: monthly, year to date, life New birds you have seen, since the last tally Interesting behavior you have seen Any patterns or changes in patterns General location in the country Type of habitat Bird ID sites or articles you have found helpful, general or bird family specific Equipment you use, how you use it, why you got it, where you got it, how to maintain and care for it Photo processing tips and storage/display sites If you move or travel during the year, it would be very interesting to compare the backyard birds you see in different settings!

You can see there is a lot of wiggle room for your own level on interest.  2n10 has also gathered a fine list of links to help increase your birding experiences.  Here are some great sites for you to explore.

Linksville                                                                                                                                                             Cornell Lab of Ornithology eBird How to Photograph Fidgety Warblers Yellow-rumped Warbler: "Myrtle" vs "Audubon" National Audubon Society Kingbird Identification Junco species and subspecies The Warbler Guide Bird Hybrids ID Red-tail Hawk forms More ID Red-tailed Hawk forms Distinguishing Cackling and Canada Geese Harlan's Hawks (Red-tailed Hawk form) Harlan's Hawk Krider's Hawk (Red-tailed Hawk form) The Owl Pages Gull IDs Liam Singh's gull ID chart Immature, Hybrid Gull IDs

John (2n10) also included this handy guide to help us be specific about our sightings.

Terminology Patch — A favorite area to bird usually not your immediate backyard                                   Observation — Seeing or hearing a bird that you can positively ID

All of my November Lifers (first ever observation) were gathered at the Waterfowl Wildlife Refuge at Sardis Lake, Mississippi.

Nov. 5     Saw Whet Owl (audio recording which I thought was a fox).

Nov. 4     Baird’s Sandpiper (thanks nookular for the id help).

Baird’s Sandpiper — Calidris bairdii

Nov. 2     Black-bellied Plover (another nook id assist).

I did get a first of season photo of a Loggerhead shrike on Nov. 24th.  I was hunting Sandhill Crane that had been reported by the Mississippi Ornithology Society.

Loggerhead Shrike — Lanius ludiviciarus

A took a photo (not even a good one) of an American Pipit.  It is the first shot of the bird I had on file.

American Pipit — Anthus rubescens

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My list for 2023 has:  202 species,  40 lifers and  162 first of season birds. 

My life list has 243 species

Home — 61 species for 2023

Patches (Sardis Lake, Enid Lake, Grenada Lake, Noxubee Wildlife Refuge, Ship Island on the Gulf of Mexico and Friar’s Point on the Mississippi River) — 141 species for 2023

Exotic species seen at the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans (all lifers) — 19 species for 2023

The Daily Bucket is a nature refuge. We amicably discuss animals, weather, climate, soil, plants, waters and note life’s patterns. We invite you to note what you are seeing around you in your own part of the world, and to share your observations in the comments below. Each note is a record that we can refer to in the future as we try to understand the phenological patterns that are quietly unwinding around us.  To have the Daily Bucket in your Activity Stream,visit Backyard Science’s profile page and click on follow.

Now it is you time to give us your lists, opinions, interesting observations or other thoughts.  Thanks for your time here with us today.