This is the humble beginning of what I hope I will be able to document as I go along. If I get behind, you can always check the eBird lists, all of which contain clips of calls.
The NFC microphone, an OldBird 21c, is mounted on the garage roof, runs 24-7, and records in 2-hour increments to Raven Lite on my laptop. Except for a two-week stretch in early March when I will be gone, I intend to pick up the recordings every day or two and keep up with the analysis.
These accounts will provide the highlights, with links to the calls.
Evening of Feb. 23
The temperature is cooling down from a high around 70 today.
5:22. Dark-eyed Juncos, which roost in the forsythia around the garage.
6:07. Eastern Towhee, reeping softly from close to a quarter mile away at the edge of the field.
6:29. White-throated Sparrow chips, the last diurnal bird to vocalize today. After this it’s all NFCs and local night birds.
7:38. A Barred Owl sets to howling. The well-known and comforting “Who cooks for you?” call is only one of the this species’ many vocalizations, often unearthly and frankly, as you will see later in the year, somewhat terrifying.
10:52. Ring-billed Gull, FIRST NFC OF 2023! I kind of expected this species to be moving at night already, and I wasn’t disappointed. The crisp quality of the call is uninterrupted by the amphibian and insect noise that plagues later nights in the Spring.
11:03. Another Ring-billed Gull, spectacularly loud.
11:58. I interpret this as a Wood Duck and a single Tundra Swan. If anyone has other ideas, please let me know.
Morning of Feb. 24
2:16. Sounds like the ticks of a Song Sparrow?
2:23 and 3:53. I didn’t upload what might be American Woodcock overhead; the definitive arrival will be tonight.
4:06. Local Song Sparrow again?
4:13. This is a more typical Wood Duck. (I have to be careful - with the heavy wind there have been many tree squeaks and creaks tonight that sound somewhat like this.)
6:20. Dawn chorus begins with Song Sparrow ‘seeps’ and song.
6:48. Dark-eyed Juncos are quite vocal now, in full courtship mode, I believe. An American Robin calls as well.
6:57. Here’s a nice 3-part Tufted Titmouse series.
Evening of Feb. 24
5:31. A wonderful multipart Great Blue Heron, croaking overhead with heavy wingbeats (you can hear juncos in the foreground). Because the microphone is so sensitive, it picks up a lot of bird noise that our mere human ears cannot. This GBHE is likely several hundred feet overheard.
5:50. A Mourning Dove wing whistle; perhaps it’s leaving for the day.
5:58. Canada Geese around sunset.
6:57. More Canadas.
9:40. The first of many Tundra Swans tonight.
10:03. An American Woodcock can be heard in flight. At dawn in a few hours, I hear this or another one ‘chuckling’ up on the powerline.
10:46. Here’s 10 minutes of what I take to be a Barred Owl, given the four-part calls. It doesn’t sound like a typical ‘Who cooks for you?’ but then many of this species’ calls don’t. There is also a random call note in between which I believe is this owl.
Morning of Feb. 25
12:18 AM. I have no idea what this is. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Is it even a bird??? I have also submitted it to an online forum and Blue Jay has been suggested.
1:17 - 3:07. Multiple flocks of Tundra Swans go over, some close and some distant. In some recordings, you can even hear the heavy wingbeats.
3:41. An interesting Canada Goose and etc. flyover. Prior to the obvious Canada, there are quacking sounds and wing whistles, which could come from ducks. Any suggestions welcome.
5:23. American Woodcock. No peenting yet; we will need more to return for courtship to begin.
6:28. Dawn is later today because it’s cloudy.
6:47. A nice American Crow call.
6:55. White-breasted Nuthatch, Mourning Dove, and Tufted Titmouse can be heard.
7:10. Another WBNU call type.
Evening of Feb. 25
5:33. An excellent Pileated Woodpecker.
5:50. Here’s a better Mourning Dove wing whistle than yesterday.
6:09. In this clip, White-throated Sparrows are returning to roost, I believe here in the forsythia or somewhere else close. You can see their flight calls and chip calls. There are also Song Sparrows, Mourning Doves, and other species in the background.
7:39. Tundra Swan. With a change in the wind direction, swans are scarce tonight. These sound a bit off, almost like gulls or Snow Geese.
10:25. Ring-billed Gull.
Note: ANY of these that you think aren’t right, please let me know! NFC identification is an arduous and rather mind-bending task, and we often make mistakes.
Morning of Feb. 26
5:33. Some White-throated Sparrow chips an hour ahead of wake-up calls.
6:12. A beautiful Killdeer series and the only NFCs since late last night.
6:27. Contrasting Carolina Wrens - one nearby and one at the corner of the field. You can also hear Song Sparrows.
The mercury is around 19 degrees right now.