On October 10th, 23 people found 41 species of birds during the monthly bird walk at Banshee Reeks. The highlights of several different raptor species included a single Merlin. We were surprised by how few sparrows there were; we also didn’t find a single warbler in sprite of visiting several suitable locations for both.
There were a lot of Northern Flickers, Blue Jays, and American Robins moving around throughout the preserve as well as at least six dif. Eastern Phoebes. We did find two thrushes along a stream near the Goose Creek that we were unable to identify as we never got to see their faces. Both were dull and appeared to be either Gray-cheeked or Swainson’s.
Here’s the full species list: Canada Goose, Wood Duck, Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Osprey (1), Bald Eagle (1), Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper’s Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, American Kestrel, Merlin (1), Rock Pigeon (2), Mourning Dove, Chimney Swift (6), Belted Kingfisher (1), Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Pileated Woodpecker, Eastern Phoebe (6), Blue Jay, American Crow, Tree Swallow (1), Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Carolina Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet (2), Eastern Bluebird, American Robin, Gray Catbird (1), Northern Mockingbird, European Starling, Cedar Waxwing, Eastern Towhee (3), Field Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Northern Cardinal, Brown-headed Cowbird, American Goldfinch