Annual BWD "Big Sit" Oct. 12th

[Russ Emmons]

Reminder annual "Big Sit" coming soon Oct. 12

www.birdwatchersdigest.com/bwdsite/conn ... =migration

[siouxzq_24]

Russ, are you registered? It would be cool if it were somewhere reasonably close. Sounds like fun!

[Russ Emmons]

Sioux: We do this count every year here from the end of our driveway out by the road where we have almost 360 degree view. There are many Big Sit Michigan circle sites. Click on the "Circle" page to see all of them listed everywhere. We don't do that well here at this spot since we are only flat farmland with woods behind us. Those sites that are on or adjoining water do real well and there are several in SE MI. (Our pond here is always dried up this time of year ) Some use gazebos at a Marsh, Out on a dock at a lake, top of a hill overlooking a river, lake, or marsh. Water is the key to seeing birds! Anyone can do this count anywhere--just register!

Russ Emmons, (Camp Remote )

[Russ Emmons]

Our "Big Sit" count will be Sunday the 13th. However if we don't get at least our regular yard birds back again we won't do well at all. I've cleaned & filled the feeders several days ago and they are still full and barely touched. This has never happened to this degree ever at any time We did get a slight fall out of migrants a few days ago--the first of this season ! Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, Yellow rumped Warblers, both Kinglets, scads of Robins, and hundreds of Grackles--which usually do pass through here every year about this time.

Russ Emmons

[Russ Emmons]

10/13/13 Big Sit here: The weeather was beautiful, clear, sunny, mild, no wind but as I feared our absent birds still were not present--even & especially our usual feeder birds which we rely heavily on. This years count was about the worst ever. I noted other counts were way down in numbers and even less circles participating this year. Michigan had only 5 circles registered with none in the UP & only one in the NLP As I said previously the counts anywhere that are on water do real well. Our list this year:

Blue Jays 4
Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers 3
Crows 4
Mourning Doves 6
White breasted Nuthatch 2
Grackles 25
Downy Woodpecker 3
Red-bellied Woodpecker 2
House Sparrows 12
Goldfinch 4
House Finch 3
Blk. Capped Chickadees 2
Robins 6
Cardinal 4
Canada Geese 3
Eastern Screech Owl 2

Total 16 species ( ) Our usual totals for this count is 25 to 35 !

Conspicuous by their complete absence were such species as Starlings, Tufted Titmouse, Red-tail Hawk, RN Pheasant, Wild Turkeys, Song Sparrow, White Throated Sparrow, Juncos, Hairy Woodpecker, E. Bluebird, Cedar Waxwings , Killdeer, etc. etc.

Russ Emmons (Camp Remote)