Natural History Wanderings

Here are the results of my backyard bird count in the flatlands in Berkeley, CA.   We had fifteen species versus eighteen last year.  We did get a few species that were new to our own local list:  Northern Harrier and  Say’s Phoebe.   We first thought the Say’s Phoebe was a Western Wood-Pewee but the list of birds in our area did not include it, so Say’s Phoebe was our second choice.   The Northern Harriers were especially interesting as there was a pair and we got to watch the crows chase them for a while.   The Great Backyard Bird Count continues through tomorrow if you wish to take part here is the link. Great Backyard Bird Count.

Checklist:
Northern Harrier – 2
Glaucous-winged Gull – 1
Anna’s Hummingbird – 2
Say’s Phoebe – 1
Western Scrub-Jay (Coastal) – 3
American Crow – 12
Common Raven – 1
Chestnut-backed Chickadee – 2
Bushtit – 4
Wrentit – 1
Hermit Thrush – 1
Northern Mockingbird – 2
Spotted Towhee – 4
House Finch – 3
House Sparrow – 1