This morning I decided to sit in the truck by the Farm Island feeders and do some photography. I was actually hoping for a Fox Sparrow to come in, but after a few minutes I briefly saw another bird, from the back, that looked very unusual. I could see it was more brightly colored than the Harris’s Sparrows that were also present, but then it flew off. I sat there wondering, could that have been a Brambling? Nah, couldn’t be. I sat there another 15 minutes or so when all of the sudden there was a Brambling! Wow! I managed to get some photos, despite the thick clouds and low light. I put out some alerts on eBird and the local birder hotline, and within 20 minutes almost every birder I know in the Pierre area was there. Everyone got to see it.
More Birds
I’m still here. The weather is getting colder and the days are shorter. I will need to head south soon. I’m getting my drivers license renewed on Monday and then at the first break in the weather, I will depart. I’m up to 367 species for the year now. Lately, I’ve added a Northern Shrike and a Rough-legged Hawk, both with only poor photos taken. A few days ago, I got three Surf Scoters, also with very poor photos taken from a great distance. I do have some better bird photos to show.
A Comet and More Birds
I’m sure most readers have heard about the recent comet as it has been all over the news lately, C/2023 A3 ( Tsuchinshan-ATLAS). Apparently it was quite bright for a few days after it emerged from the glow of the sun, but I missed it for a long time due to clouds. Finally, one night I went out and set up my camera, and right on schedule more clouds came in. I could still see it but it wasn’t all that great. Compared to Comet Neowise, I would classify it as a dud! However, this comet did have a nice anti-tail and I was glad to capture that.
Northern Lights Surprise
The sun is quite active now. Another powerful X-class flare was reported today and could give us another round of northern lights on the night of the 9th and 10th. Last week, two X flares sent CME’s (coronal mass ejections) toward Earth. Solar storms were predicted on October 5 and 6, but that turned out to be a dud. However, the last two nights, especially last night (Oct. 7), there were unexpected displays of auroras. Last night, I happened to be out there at just the right time.
Today I crossed 350 species for the year. Folks who do ABA area big years consider getting over 700 species to be a good year. To do that one needs to go Texas, Florida, Alaska, California, and other places, and do some pelagic trips. I’m not doing that, I’m happy just birding South Dakota and Arizona and places in between. Anyway, I finally got the two sparrows that the Sparrow Patch is famous for.
More Birds
The weather has been very nice for people but it has not helped with birding. This has been the most dismal warbler migration I can remember. Last spring was bad too and I was hoping to make it up this fall, but it did not work out. I’m missing many species that I should have got, like Northern Waterthrush, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Palm Warbler, to name a few. I guess there is still a chance of seeing some warblers I need but time is running out. Sparrows are starting to pick up though. I’ve added a few more species to my year list, I’m up to 346 species now.
More Birding News
The migration continues, but here in the Pierre area warblers have been few and far between. I think most of them have passed through already and the next wave of warblers will be mostly Orange-crowned and Yellow-rumps. I missed many migrant warblers last spring that I was hoping to find this fall. This will hurt my year list but there is not much I can do about it. The good news is the Corp of Engineers opened two stilling basin tubes for two days and that attracted a lot of gulls, including at least two Sabine’s Gulls.
Fall Birding Report
It has been almost three weeks since I’ve made a report, I will have do better than that! I’m back in Pierre for the foreseeable future. It is not truly fall yet but the birds don’t know that. Migration seems to be in full swing but the weather has been so nice that it is hard to find them. Most of the warblers seem to be just passing through. We need a period of bad weather to ground them. The only new warbler for my year list has been Black-and-White Warbler. Other new species for my list are Blue-headed Vireo, Ruddy Turnstone, and Sprague’s Pipit. I got two Sprague’s Pipits this morning, number 339 for the year.
Lightning and Fire
Yesterday afternoon, there were several thunderstorms that went through the area, with lots of lightning but little rain. The National Weather Service had issued a red flag warning and it was a good warning. It was almost sundown when I saw smoke to my south and more smoke to my west. The smoke to the south was more worrisome, there was lots of it and it was hard to tell how far away it was.
Spectacular Aurora Borealis
Last night, I checked Spaceweather.com and as was predicted, a solar storm was brewing. I drove up to the top of the Antelope Ridge Road where I have an expansive view to the north and east. It was perfectly clear and the moon was setting in the west, excellent conditions. It just so happened that it was also the peak of the Perseid meteor shower, and I did see some bright meteors too.