Big Day and Bird Count

Today was the annual Castlegar and area bird count. I decided to turn it into a big day. But first I'll note the new birds for the big year. The first was a Cliff Swallow (102). They've been around for a while, I just hadn't seen them here yet. Next was a group of sibilant Cedar Waxwings (103). Always nice to have these beauties around. I rode my bike over to the Slocan Pools trail and heard lots of warblers and vireos including a Red-eyed Vireo (104) and Orange-crowned Warbler (105). Also singing were Warbling and Cassins Vireos and Nashville, Townsends, Yellow-rumped Warblers. One Pacific-slope Flycatcher (106) was singing as were several Hammonds Flycatcher. Then, just as I was leaving and riding up the hill to the highway I heard and saw my first MacGillvray's Warbler (107). 

I counted birds for over 12 hours on bike and foot and had 63 species: Willow Flycatcher, Rufous Hummingbird, Northern Flicker, Brewer's Blackbird (nest still active), American Robin, Red-winged Blackbird, Canada Goose, Tree Swallow, Violet-green Swallow, Spotted Sandpiper, American Crow, Bank Swallow, Common Merganser, Song Sparrow, Bullock's Oriole, Mallard, Brown-headed Cowbird, Blue Jay, Belted Kingfisher, Yellow Warbler, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Swainson's Thrush, Cliff Swallow,  Sora, Chipping Sparrow, European Starling, Steller's Jay, Western Meadowlark, Western Tanager, Savannah Sparrow, House Finch, Pine Siskin, Osprey, Horned Grebe, Bald Eagle, Cedar Waxwing, Black-capped Chickadee, Western Kingbird, Barn Swallow, Black-chinned Hummingbird, Red-tailed Hawk, Nashville Warbler, Lazuli Bunting, Vaux Swift, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Hammond's Flycatcher, Townsend's Warbler, Common Raven, Warbling Vireo, Red-eyed Vireo, Cooper's Hawk, Orange-crowned Warbler, Cassin's Vireo, Winter Wren, Merlin, Pacific-slope Flycatcher, MacGillvray's Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Calliope Hummingbird (plus a dead one on the highway), Killdeer, Western Wood-pewee, Mourning Dove.