Day 17.075: Counting the birds

It sometimes seems that we see many fewer birds on our Project FeederWatch counting days (Saturday and Sunday) than we do on normal week days. So much so that we have recently considered switching our days to get a more representative sample. In the first weekend in March, we saw exactly one bird over the whole weekend - a solitary goldfinch. 

This weekend may have made up for all that. On Saturday alone, we counted 100 individual birds (PF rules allow birds of the same species only if they are seen at the same time regardless of sexual dimorphism or other distinguishing features. By the end of our count, we had clocked up sixteen species. Our assumption is that the late but widespread and fairly heavy snow cover forced many birds to look for easy options suspended clear of the new snow pack. 

Here are some birds in the snow with our associated counts.

American goldfinch - we counted a season's best twenty of them at one point (there were probably more but they are tricky to count)

Eastern bluebird - one of our most reliable visitors - 3 this weekend (season's best is 4)

Downy woodpecker (just one this weekend)

Northern cardinal (two this weekend - equaling the season best)

House finch - two, season's best is five

European starling - we saw five (previous best was two)

Common grackles - our first sighting in the backyard as far as I know

At one point we counted 35

Mourning dove - two this weekend

American robin - another season first - and we counted ten

And yet another first for the season - red-winged blackbird - we saw 8 - several times in mixed groups with the grackles

Not pictured: red-bellied woodpecker, American crow, black-capped chickadee, tufted titmouse, white breasted nuthatch and eight dark-eyed juncos.