2015 Backyard Big Year Update--March 2015

A nice Eastern Bluebird that spent a few sunny moments on my front porch

 After averaging just over 20 species a day in my yard during February, by mid-March I was almost always getting over 30 species a day--including migrant waterfowl and blackbirds telling me spring was on its way!

Here's a link to a more detailed update of Backyard Big Year March 2015 highlights.  I added 20 new birds to the year list, including 5 new to my overall yard list.  My review post also has links to some cool audio recordings of American Woodcock from my yard--these guys call and display in my yard most mornings and some evenings during late March.

Meanwhile, here are some photo highlights from the month.

Not always welcome at feeders, where they clear out a lot of seed in a hurry, the migrant flocks of grackles and blackbirds are at least a welcome sign of spring in an otherwise bleak snowy early March!

Forget robins, migrant Red-winged Blackbirds are a more sure sign of spring in Central New Jersey.

An action shot of a little male Sharp-shinned Hawk that spent a few moments in my spruce tree terrorizing the sparrows attracted to the seed at my sparrow slick next to the tree.  Here he is diving out of the tree before taking off for greener--or at least more easily hunted--pastures.

Frequently seen soaring over my yard or in the neighborhood, this was the first photo I was able to get of a Red-tailed  Hawk this year--an adult sitting in my side yard for a few minutes while being harassed by local crows.

A welcome addition to my yard list--a Common Redpoll!  On my Backyard Big Year blog you can read how I lured it into the yard during a snowstorm with recordings of a feeding redpoll flock.