ZO 501 Ornithology - Spring 2012

 

Sightings

This aspect of the lab is designed to encourage students to become aware of the local avifauna outside of scheduled lab time.  We want you to look for birds on your own.  As an incentive, you can earn bonus points for additions to this list of bird sightings. 

Rules for receiving bonus points

A point will be awarded to the first person(s) who submits a sighting of a new, free ranging, nondomestic, native or naturalized species outside of lab time (hearing a new species also counts).  All submissions for a new species received on the same day will be awarded points. Students are allowed only one submission per day, and the submission must be made within 24 hours of the observation. If your sighting is a "rare" species or a species not normally seen at that time of year, you must also submit a photograph or have your sighting confirmed by a second independent observer. Each student can earn a maximum of two points per week (weeks restart on Monday) for sightings.

In addition, three points will be awarded to the first person to find the first active nest for each species (identified by eggs, chicks, prolonged incubation on nest, or by observing adults bringing food to nest).

A maximum of 25 points total can be accumulated for Sightings and Question of the Week answers for each student.

 

 

Use the form below to submit sightings.

Sighting Form

Your Name:
Species:
Location:
Date:
Sighting or Nest:
Comments :

Species List

  Species Location Date
Sighting or nest
Comments Observer(s)
1 European Starling Cup a Joe 1/09 sighting What a voice Ted
2 House Finch Bagwell St., Raleigh 1/09 sighting Two males singing Eli
3 Northern Cardinal Raleigh 1/09 sighting female foraging around hedges Christon
4 Brown Creeper Vanderbilt Ave, Raleigh 1/09 sighting foraging Shanna
5 Tufted Titmouse My backyard 1/09 sighting peter peter peter! Mary Mack
6 Ruby-crowned Kinglet NCSU-Biltmore 1/09 sighting calling during rain shower Nick
7 Downy Woodpecker hemlock bluffs nature preserve 1/09 sighting feeding on some suet cakes Jessica
8

Eastern Bluebird

 Mary's backyard 1/10 sighting Gorgeous blue this morning Mary Mack
9 Northern Mockingbird Wolf Village 1/10 sighting foraging on the ground near a tree Marie
10 Carolina Chickadee University Suites 1/10 sighting foraging in white oak Nathan
11 Blue Jay Centennial Campus 1/10 sighting sitting in a tree Kim
12 American Crow tree by Wolf Ears 1/10 sighting group flying around tree Shane
13 Red-shouldered Hawk Wolf Village Apartments 1/10 sighting flying around the wet ponds/"wetlands" Jessica
14 Ring-billed Gull Cary Crossroads 1/10 sighting flying over parking lot Shanna
15 American Goldfinch Raleigh 1/10 sighting several along roadside Allie
16 Dark-eyed Junco Clark Avenue, Raleigh 1/11 sighting a flock of 10+ Eli
17 Common Grackle Cameron Village 1/12 sighting noisy flock in tree Nick
18 Carolina Wren Morrill Drive 1/12 sighting signing alongside highway Nathan
19 Turkey Vulture Tryon Road, Raleigh 1/12 sighting group of 8 circling Samantha
20 Canada Goose Cary 1/12 sighting roadside near pond Allie
21 Red-tailed Hawk Centennial Campus 1/14 sighting perched on a building Marie
22 Red-bellied Woodpecker Lake Johnson park 1/14 sighting male and female 'churrrr'ing Natalie
23 Mourning Dove Morrill Drive 1/13 sighting flying parallel to road by softball field Samantha
24 Red-breasted Nuthatch Lake Johnson Park 1/15 sighting hopping around and "meeping" Natalie
25 Double-crested Cormorant Wrightsville Beach, NC 1/15 sighting sitting on a dock Alex
26 American Robin trees outside apt compex 1/16 sighting group foraging Mary Mack
27 Cedar Waxwing Everett and Bagwell 1/17 sighting flock Eli
28 White-breasted Nuthatch Havelock, NC 1/17 sighting hopping up and down pine tree in backyard Samantha
29 Yellow-rumped Warbler Oberlin Rd. x Fairview 1/17 sighting foraging in oaks Nick
30 Mallard Wolf Village Apartments 1/17 sighting   Jessica
31 Gray Catbird Western Blvd 1/18 sighting along sidewalk Mary Mack
32 Eastern Towhee NCSU - Tompkins Hall 1/18 sighting calling from shrubs Nick
33 Pine Warbler Shepherd Street 1/17 sighting Foraging in Pines Eli
34 American Kestrel Schenck Forest 1/18 sighting Sitting on fencepost surveying a pasture Nathan
35 House Sparrow NCSU -- near the Atrium 1/19 sighting foraging on the ground Shanna
36 Bufflehead Lake Raleigh 1/19 sighting Male and female pair swimming together Marie
37 Chipping Sparrow Carmichael Gym bus stop 1/19 sighting flock eating fruit/trash around bushes Jessica
38 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Prairie Ridge 1/20 sighting sitting in tree Megan
39 Great Blue Heron Lake Johnson 1/20 sighting a resident of lake johnson Dylan
40 Killdeer Raleigh 1/21 sighting in grass near road Allie
41 Winter Wren Lake Raleigh 1/22 sighting foraging in leaf litter Natalie
42 Wild Turkey Harris Lake Game Land 1/22 sighting flock of 5 Alex
43 Belted Kingfisher Lake Raleigh 1/22 sighting male perched by trail Samantha
44 Bald Eagle Butner Gamelands 1/22 nest two bald eagles sitting at a nest

Kim
45 Eastern Phoebe Raleigh 1/22 sighting trees near pond Allie
46 Northern Flicker Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve 1/23 sighting calling at dusk Jessica
47 White-throated Sparrow NCSU - near Brickyard 1/24 sighting perched in thick shrubs Nick
48 Brown Thrasher Yates Mill Pond 1/24 sighting digging through leaf litter Samantha
49 Brown-headed Nuthatch Schenck Forest 1/24 sighting calling from high above in loblolly pines Nathan
50 Purple Finch Vanderbilt Ave. 1/24 sighting perched on a roof Shanna
51 Great Horned Owl Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve 1/24 sighting one individual flying through the woods at dusk Jessica
52 Song Sparrow Rocky Branch Greenway 1/26 sighting 1 singing and others foraging on the ground Nick
53 Cooper's Hawk Duke Forest 1/26 sighting freaked the lemurs out Dylan
54 Pileated Woodpecker Swift Creek 1/27 sighting flying across highway Nathan
55 Herring Gull Centrum, Cary 1/27 sighting several flying around Megan
56 Brown-headed Cowbird Cary 1/29 sighting at a feeder Shanna
57 Wood Duck Pocosin Lakes NWR 1/29 sighting very skiddish Eli
58 Swamp Sparrow Pocosin Lakes NWR 1/29 sighting foraging on ground at water's edge Eli
59 Brown Pelican Topsail Beach 1/29 sighting flying over shallow water Allie
60 Rock Pigeon Downtown Raleigh 1/30 sighting walking around downtown Dylan
61 Hermit Thrush Duke Forest 1/31 sighting a very pretty song Dylan
62 Golden-crowned Kinglet NCSU - Morrill Drive 2/1 sighting calling from pines Nick
63 Ruddy Duck Yates Mill Pond 2/2 sighting pair of females Samantha
64 American Woodcock Delmar, Halifax Co. 2/4 sighting multiple birds peenting and giving display flight Nick
65 Black Vulture off 40 2/5 sighting drove past it perched on tree branch Shane
66 Barred Owl dog park 2/6 sighting chasing a hawk that had something in its talons Mary Anne
67 Loggerhead Shrike Hwy 701 S of Clarkton, NC 2/7 sighting perched on utility line beside highway Nathan
68 Northern Bobwhite Clarkton, NC 2/8 sighting Covey flushed out of CRP Nathan
69 Rusty Blackbird Beech Swamp, Halifax County 2/12 sighting Flock perched in snag Nick
70 Fish Crow Hillsborough 2/21 sighting calling and flying overhead Shanna
71 Field Sparrow Brickhouse Rd. near Butner Gamelands 2/23 sighting Lone bird near flock of White-throated Sparrows Nick
72 Ring-necked Pheasant Chesapeake Farms, Maryland 2/26 sighting in native grasses Allie
73 Black-capped Chickadee Prairie Ridge 2/28 sighting several individuals at site, but none together Megan
74 Fox Sparrow Clarkton, NC 2/28 sighting foraging on ground under feeder Nathan
75 Tundra Swan Nags Island 3/5 sighting three in a pond before Bodie lighthouse Ian
76 Hairy Woodpecker Cary, NC 3/6 sighting foraging near a feeder Shanna
77 Laughing Gull Nags Head, NC 3/7 sighting   Mary Anne

78

 Sharp-shinned Hawk Off I-95 in Virginia 3/7 sighting flying with wings held forward Natalie
79 Boat-tailed Grackle Daytona Beach, FL 3/7 sighting foraging beside the street Marie
80 American Oystercatcher Charleston, SC 3/8 sighting Foraging in the oyster beds in the marsh Lauren
81 Sanderling Daytona Beach, FL 3/8 sighting group of three foraging on the beach Marie
82 European Magpie Marie Antoinette's Hamlet, France 3/8 sighting small flock in trees Samantha
83 Scissor-tailed Flycatcher Domitila Wildlife Reserve, Nicaragua 3/8 sighting Flying over a pasture

Nathan
84 Striped Cuckoo Finca Esperanza Verde, Nicaragua 3/8 sighting Perched in tree beside toucan cottage Allie
85 Osprey Lake Johnson 3/10 sighting Soaring over the lake Morgan
86 Hooded Merganser Lake Johnson 3/10 sighting Swimming Paul
87 Red-winged Blackbird My backyard in PA 3/11 sighting Flew onto bird feeder Shane
88 White-necked Puffbird Montibelli, Nicaragua 3/11 sighting sitting on a tree limb Nathan
89 Three-wattled Bellbird Selva Negra, Nicaragua 3/11 sighting sitting on tree limb in cloud forest Allie
90 Glossy Ibis Pea Island Reserve 3/11 sighting saw one here every day during Spring Break Ian
91 Great Egret Lake Raleigh 3/12 sighting resting on the shoreline Lauren
92 Pied-billed Grebe Lake Raleigh 3/12 sighting swimming and diving Lauren
93 Common Nighthawk On way back to NC State 3/17 sighting flying around Shanna
94 Louisiana Waterthrush Lake Johnson 3/18 sighting in a mixed species flock along the lake shore Nathan
95 Yellow-throated Warbler Lake Johnson 3/20 sighting In a thicket of bushes James
96 White-eyed Vireo field site, Centennial Campus 3/22 sighting near the ground in thick shrubbery Mary Mack
97 Blue-winged Teal pond behind Art Museum 3/22 sighting swimming with some mallards Marie and Ian
98 Northern Parula Council, NC 3/24 sighting Singing it's little heart out in the top of a Carya tomentosa Nathan
99 Black-and-white Warbler Chowan Swamp Game Land, Hertford Co. NC 3/24 sighting Singing from tall pines Nick
100 Common Yellowthroat Clarkton, NC 3/25 sighting in a younjg pine plantation with a few swamp sparrows and a couple other yellowthroats Nathan
101 Blue-gray gnatcatcher Lake Johnson 3/26 sighting calling loudly for a long time at the top of large privet shrub Jessica
102 Palm Warbler Taylor Street 3/26 sighting two in a crepe myrtle Eli
103 Prairie Warbler Snow Camp, NC 3/28 sighting singing by brush and field Allie
104 Ovenbird NCSU - Rocky Branch Greenway 3/29 sighting singing from just off path east of Morrill Rd. Nick
105 Red-headed Woodpecker Raleigh 3/29 sighting eating at a feeder behind my house Dylan
106 House Finch my lab 3/30 nest Mom and dad and little blue eggs! Dylan
107 Rock Pigeon Harris Teeter sign 3/31 nest chicks crying and mom feeding Dylan
108 Willet Topsail Beach, NC 3/31 sighting walking along the shore looking for a meal Allie
109 Great Blue Heron Abbotts Creek Greenway 3/31 nest A pair of Great Blue Herons nesting in the top of a Pinus taede Nathan
110 Broad-winged Hawk Apex, NC 3/31 sighting   Natalie
111 Ruddy Turnstone Carolina Beach, NC 3/31 sighting foraging on sands Paul
112 Northern Cardinal my neighborhood 4/1 nest 2 eggs! Parents chipping while walking the dog Mary Mack
113 House Wren my apartment porch 4/2 nest very angry parents when I go outside Dylan
114 Carolina Wren Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve 4/4 nest nesting in a Bluebird box Jessica
115 American Robin Dan Allen at Western 4/3 nest one parent sitting on the nest, the other close by Allie
116 Red-bellied Woodpecker Hymettus Woods 4/3 nest group of three birds, one went in cavity and stayed there incubating for awhile Shanna
117 Barn Swallow Lake Johnson Dam 4/3 sighting flying over water Morgan
118 Bluebird Winston Salem 4/3 nest my grandparents bluebird box Dylan
119 Acadian Flycatcher Swift Creek Bluffs 4/3 sighting calling loudly from sugarberry tree overlooking stream Mary Mack
120 Carolina Chickadee Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve 4/4 nest nesting in bluebird box, 2 white eggs with brown spots Jessica
121 Eastern Kingbird Council, NC 4/4 sighting on powerline above a farm pond Nathan
122 Summer Tanager Cary, NC 4/4 sighting male singing loudly from the top of a tree Marie
123 Prothonotary Warbler Clarkston, NC 4/5 sighting singing right above my head in brown marsh swamp Nathan
124 Magnolia Warbler High Island, TX 4/5 sighting in scrubby area in some vines Allie
125 Eastern Phoebe Eagle Rock, VA 4/5 nest above the garage light fixture Natalie
126 Mourning Dove Huntersville 4/6 nest two eggs in the nest Shane
127 House Sparrow southpoint mall 4/6 nest nesting in a sign on a pole Shanna
128 Tri-colored Heron Pine Knoll Shores 4/7 sighting wading in shallows, hunting fish Samantha
129 Common Gallinule Neuse River Greenway Trail 4/7 sighting present for at least 1 week, loc. called "Bridges Lake" on Google Nick
130 Loggerhead Shrike Clarkton, NC 4/7 nest nesting pair of shrikes around 20 ft up in loblolly pine. Watched them for around an hour constantly feeding and leaving/entering Nathan
131 Pine Warbler Council, NC 4/8 nest single pine warbler had a nest high in the top of a loblolly. It left to feed and came back to sit usually 10-15 minutes before leaving again Nathan
132 Canada Goose Stoneville, NC 4/8 nest in a horse pasture, near a farm pond David
133 Neotropic Cormorant The Rookery, High Island, TX 4/8 sighting on little shrubby island with roseate spoonbills and egrets Allie
134 Blue Jay Duke Forest 4/8 nest very loud parents Dylan
135 European Starling Polk Hall 4/9 nest nesting in a ledge on the side near Harrelson Hall Shanna
136 Ruby-throated Hummingbird Houston, TX 4/9 sighting flying around happily at a state park Allie
137 Mallard NC Museum of Art 4/11 nest the nest hatched 8 ducklings! Ian & Marie
138 Northern Rough-winged Swallow Lake Johnson 4/12 sighting at least 12 flying over water Morgan
139 Killdeer NC Museum of Art 4/12 nest only one egg in the nest Ian & Marie
140 Swan Goose Lake Johnson 4/12 sighting a very funny looking bird! Dylan
141 Green Heron Yates Mill Pond 4/13 sighting perched on a snapped tree in shallows Samantha
142 American Coot Bridges Pond, NC 4/13 sighting lonely in the marsh Natalie
143 Great-Crested Flycatcher Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve 4/13 sighting calling from the Swift Creek Jessica
144 Common Tern Lake Norman - Troutman, NC 4/14 sighting fishing/diving on the lake Lauren
145 Purple Martin Duke Forest 4/15 sighting first time seeing one of these guys - a true acrobat Dylan
146 Red-cockaded Woodpecker NC Sandhills Gamelands 4/15 sighting & nest poking head out of artificial nest hole Natalie
147 Brown-headed Nuthatch NC Sandhills Gamelands 4/15 nest one feeding the other in the nest cavity Natalie
148 Eastern Towhee Raleigh 4/15 nest three little chicks in a bush, mom left angrily when I walked by Allie
149 Northern Mockingbird my neighborhood 4/16 nest low in a dense shrub Mary Mack
150 White-breasted Nuthatch Raleigh 4/18 nest nesting in side of a house Allie
151 Red-eyed Vireo Cameron Village, Raleigh 4/19 sighting signing fromm large willow oak Nick
152 Red-tailed Hawk Castle Hayne 4/20 nest on the edge of a farm in a massive oak tree Dylan
153 Black Skimmer Wrightsville Beach 4/21 sighting flock of about 40 birds James
154 Least Tern Wrightsville Beach 4/21 sighting nesting in a restricted area, but a bunch flying over with food James
155 Whimbrel Wrightsville Beach 4/21 sighting group of 5 flying over water Samantha
156 Anhinga Green Swamp, NC 4/21 sighting perched over swampy area Natalie
157 Worm-eating Warbler Rocky Branch Greenway 4/25 sighting   David
158 Wood Thrush Apartments around Cary Crossroads shopping center 4/25 sighting   David
159 Eastern Tufted Titmouse Cary, NC 4/28 nest male flew into nest hole with food Marie
160 Blue Grosbeak Yates Mill Pond 4/29 sighting male calling from treetop in marsh area Samantha
161 Northern Waterthrush Umstead Park 4/29 sighting looked like he was dancing! Natalie
162 Lesser Yellowlegs Umstead Park 4/29 sighting preening on a floating log in an ephemeral pond Natalie

 

 

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