2003 KAVAS Birdathon Species List – 4/27/03

*Denotes first time Birdathon sighting

American Coot

American Crow

American Goldfinch

American Robin

Bald Eagle*

Barn Swallow

Belted Kingfisher

Black Vulture

Black-crowned Night-Heron

Blue Jay

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

Blue-winged Teal

Brewer’s Blackbird

Brown Thrasher

Brown-headed Cowbird

Canada Goose

Carolina Chicadee

Carolina Wren

Chipping Sparrow

Chimney Swift

Common Flicker

Common Grackle

Cooper’s Hawk

Double-crested Cormorant

Downy Woodpecker

Eastern Bluebird

Eastern Meadowlark

Eastern Phoebe

Eastern Kingbird

European Starling

Field Sparrow

Great Blue Heron

Greater Yellowlegs

Green Heron

Hairy Woodpecker

Henslow’s Sparrow*

Hermit Thrush

Herring Gull

House Finch

House Sparrow

Kildeer

Laughing Gull*

Mallard

Merlin*

Mourning Dove

Northern Cardinal

Northern Mockingbird

Northern Shovelor

Palm Warbler*

Pied-billed Grebe

Pileated Woodpecker

Purple Martin

Purple Finch

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Red-eyed Vireo

Red-headed Woodpecker

Red-shouldered Hawk

Red-tailed Hawk

Red-winged Blackbird

Ring-billed Gull

Rock Dove

Rufous-sided Towhee

Solitary Sandpiper*

Tennessee Warbler*

Tree Sparrow

Tree Swallow

Tufted Titmouse

Turkey Vulture

White-breasted Nuthatch

White-crowned Sparrow

White-throated Sparrow

Wild Turkey

Wood Duck

Wood Thrush

Yellow-billed Cuckoo*

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Yellow-Shafted Flicker

Yellow Warbler

2003 Knob and Valley Audubon Birdathon Report

While last year’s Birdathon was the wettest on record, this year’s weather had to be the nicest. In spite of that, we actually saw fewer – but still a respectable total of 78 species. This is the latest we have held the Birdathon in recent memory, and we managed to miss both the Ducks migration and many of the Warblers this year. Additionally (or subtractionally) there were quite a few common species that just didn’t make a show. Catbirds eluded us this year as well as House Wrens, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, and some of my favorites – the Kinglets.. You will see from the list that we had a few first-times for our Birdathon. Chris “Tech Talker” Lang pulled us out of the bushes to see a magnificent adult Bald Eagle passing over us at Muscatatuck. Roger “Sparky” Reese after stepping on a wild turkey, sited our first Merlin, a beautiful small falcon, which was making its way to Canada for the summer. The Turkey survived, Sparky almost stroked out on us. Mick “Bird Lips” Edelen tried to convince us that the cat in the tree was a Cat Bird, but we weren’t buying. He did find the Yellow-rumped Warbler for us in Silver Hills and the Northern Shovelor, and Yellow-billed Cuckoo behind the old Mosier Tannery in New Albany. Rod “Bird Beagle” Goforth brought home a crowd of Solitary Sandpipers (which we found a bit suspicious) and a Laughing Gull from the flood plains below Alicin Lane in Jeffersonville. “Dapper Dick” Maxwell found our Red Shouldered Hawk at Indian Creek Woods outside of Corydon. He would have seen more, “but the wild flowers were so distracting.” I was excited to get a great look at a Henslow’s Sparrow at Muscatatuck – not flashy, but a fairly rare little critter with an olive green head.

It was a great day of Birding. Thank you, Contributors. Without your support it would have been just fun. With you, it is also contributing to the environmental health and awareness of our community. Special Thanks to “Big Money” Mary Coyte for her fundraising and the use of her very comfy 4 door car. And to Tech Talker who is likely still cleaning up after the Birder’s Banquet.

Sincerely,

David “Are You Going to Eat That” Coyte

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2003 Birdathon Pledge Invoice

Dear

Your donation to the Knob and Valley Audubon Society 2003 Birdathon amounts to _______________. Please make your check out to KAVAS Birdathon and mail it to:

KAVAS, POBox 556, New Albany, IN 47151-0556. This donation is tax-deductible.

Thank you.