Cedar Creek Birding

February 15, 2020

February 14, 2020

Woods walk today with birding friends Steve McInnis and John Ebert. Highlights of the day were beautifully sunlit views of two soaring Red-tailed Hawks, Cedar Waxwings, and a Blue-headed Vireo. Overall we reported 33 species and 161 individuals to Cornell University’s ebird database.

So far, the life-time list for our place, Horse Creek Farm, on ebird is 107 species. (Big Cedar Creek runs along the edge of our property, however smaller Horse Creek runs through the property, and the farm is named for the latter–although we don’t use the name “Horse Creek” except for ebird and a few “farm” bills.) Below is the total list to date from several years of birding:

Horse Creek Farm Bird Species List


1	Canada Goose – Branta canadensis
2	Wood Duck – Aix sponsa
3	Hooded Merganser – Lophodytes cucullatus
4	Wild Turkey – Meleagris gallopavo
5	Pied-billed Grebe – Podilymbus podiceps
6	Eurasian Collared-Dove – Streptopelia decaocto
7	Mourning Dove – Zenaida macroura
8	Yellow-billed Cuckoo – Coccyzus americanus
9	Black-billed Cuckoo – Coccyzus erythropthalmus
10	Eastern Whip-poor-will – Antrostomus vociferus
11	Chimney Swift – Chaetura pelagica
12	Ruby-throated Hummingbird – Archilochus colubris
13	Double-crested Cormorant – Phalacrocorax auritus
14	Great Blue Heron – Ardea herodias
15	Little Blue Heron – Egretta caerulea
16	Cattle Egret – Bubulcus ibis
17	Green Heron – Butorides virescens
18	Black Vulture – Coragyps atratus
19	Turkey Vulture – Cathartes aura
20	Osprey – Pandion haliaetus
21	Mississippi Kite – Ictinia mississippiensis
22	Sharp-shinned Hawk – Accipiter striatus
23	Cooper’s Hawk – Accipiter cooperii
24	Bald Eagle – Haliaeetus leucocephalus
25	Red-shouldered Hawk – Buteo lineatus
26	Red-tailed Hawk – Buteo jamaicensis
27	Great Horned Owl – Bubo virginianus
28	Barred Owl – Strix varia
29	Belted Kingfisher – Megaceryle alcyon
30	Yellow-bellied Sapsucker – Sphyrapicus varius
31	Red-headed Woodpecker – Melanerpes erythrocephalus
32	Red-bellied Woodpecker – Melanerpes carolinus
33	Downy Woodpecker – Dryobates pubescens
34	Hairy Woodpecker – Dryobates villosus
35	Pileated Woodpecker – Dryocopus pileatus
36	Northern Flicker – Colaptes auratus
37	Merlin – Falco columbarius
38	Eastern Wood-Pewee – Contopus virens
39	Acadian Flycatcher – Empidonax virescens
40	Eastern Phoebe – Sayornis phoebe
41	Great Crested Flycatcher – Myiarchus crinitus
42	Eastern Kingbird – Tyrannus tyrannus
43	White-eyed Vireo – Vireo griseus
44	Yellow-throated Vireo – Vireo flavifrons
45	Blue-headed Vireo – Vireo solitarius
46	Red-eyed Vireo – Vireo olivaceus
47	Blue Jay – Cyanocitta cristata
48	American Crow – Corvus brachyrhynchos
49	Fish Crow – Corvus ossifragus
50	Carolina Chickadee – Poecile carolinensis
51	Tufted Titmouse – Baeolophus bicolor
52	Golden-crowned Kinglet – Regulus satrapa
53	Ruby-crowned Kinglet – Regulus calendula
54	Red-breasted Nuthatch – Sitta canadensis
55	White-breasted Nuthatch – Sitta carolinensis
56	Brown-headed Nuthatch – Sitta pusilla
57	Brown Creeper – Certhia americana
58	Blue-gray Gnatcatcher – Polioptila caerulea
59	House Wren – Troglodytes aedon
60	Winter Wren – Troglodytes hiemalis
61	Carolina Wren – Thryothorus ludovicianus
62	European Starling – Sturnus vulgaris
63	Gray Catbird – Dumetella carolinensis
64	Brown Thrasher – Toxostoma rufum
65	Northern Mockingbird – Mimus polyglottos
66	Eastern Bluebird – Sialia sialis
67	Swainson’s Thrush – Catharus ustulatus
68	Hermit Thrush – Catharus guttatus
69	Wood Thrush – Hylocichla mustelina
70	American Robin – Turdus migratorius
71	Cedar Waxwing – Bombycilla cedrorum
72	House Sparrow – Passer domesticus
73	House Finch – Haemorhous mexicanus
74	Purple Finch – Haemorhous purpureus
75	Pine Siskin – Spinus pinus
76	American Goldfinch – Spinus tristis
77	Chipping Sparrow – Spizella passerina
78	Fox Sparrow – Passerella iliaca
79	Dark-eyed Junco – Junco hyemalis
80	White-throated Sparrow – Zonotrichia albicollis
81	Savannah Sparrow – Passerculus sandwichensis
82	Song Sparrow – Melospiza melodia
83	Eastern Towhee – Pipilo erythrophthalmus
84	Orchard Oriole – Icterus spurius
85	Baltimore Oriole – Icterus galbula
86	Red-winged Blackbird – Agelaius phoeniceus
87	Brown-headed Cowbird – Molothrus ater
88	Common Grackle – Quiscalus quiscula
89	Black-and-white Warbler – Mniotilta varia
90	Nashville Warbler – Leiothlypis ruficapilla
91	Common Yellowthroat – Geothlypis trichas
92	Hooded Warbler – Setophaga citrina
93	American Redstart – Setophaga ruticilla
94	Northern Parula – Setophaga americana
95	Blackburnian Warbler – Setophaga fusca
96	Black-throated Blue Warbler – Setophaga caerulescens
97	Palm Warbler – Setophaga palmarum
98	Pine Warbler – Setophaga pinus
99	Yellow-rumped Warbler – Setophaga coronata
100	Yellow-throated Warbler – Setophaga dominica
101	Summer Tanager – Piranga rubra
102	Scarlet Tanager – Piranga olivacea
103	Northern Cardinal – Cardinalis cardinalis
104	Rose-breasted Grosbeak – Pheucticus ludovicianus
105	Blue Grosbeak – Passerina caerulea
106	Indigo Bunting – Passerina cyanea
107	Painted Bunting – Passerina ciris

2 Replies to “Cedar Creek Birding”

Steve McInnis says:
February 16, 2020 at 5:49 pm
I am envious of your 108 species list for Horse Creek Farms! It was fun birding at Horse Creek Farms yesterday, with Leland. We also go great looks at 17 Cedar Waxwings. It was a good fellowship too!
1. Leland Ferguson says:
  February 18, 2020 at 10:23 pm
  Thanks, Steve. Many of those 108 species are due to you and Susan! Also, its only 107. I thought the Blue-headed Vireo we saw Friday was the first we had seen out here, so I added to a the list I printed from ebird. Turns out we had seen one previously, and it was included in the list. Yesterday we had cedar trees filled with even more Robins and Cedar Waxwings than when you were out; there were hundreds in several trees here in the backyard. And, a solitary Mocking Bird was trying to chase them off–like trying to hold back the tide. The birding is indeed good fellowship. I always enjoy our walks!