On the Mississippi (1 Viewer)

Tero · Sep 23, 2003

I figured anyone actually on the Mississippi could post, as long as you were only a few miles from it. I am in Missouri.

I go for walks along the river, as it is the only nature I can get to at lunch. In the spring, so lots of Red Winged Blackbirds and flycatchers. All year you see Eurasian Tree Sparrows, now in small flocks.

After not much anything for weeks, saw a heron today. Probably a Little Blue Heron. It observed me for a minute and flew along the water lazily to a a post further away.

A male and female Downy Woodpecker were having an argument about a particularly appealing long crack in a tree.

OK, no more.

My other postings could be further from the river.

these days I see more House Finches now than all summer. Some Purple Finches.

Tero · Sep 24, 2003

Well, it was pretty empty today. The sasme regular birds, with one Mocking bird guarding his junk yard territory...

Karl J · Sep 24, 2003

Hi Tero, I know absolutely nothing about the area or US birds except what I see in books ( ..... but obviously I've heard of the Mississippi)

It'd be good to hear a bit more about it

Tero · Sep 25, 2003

Hmm. The Mississippi is not that wide, maybe 300-500m. There are not as many birds on it as on the Missouri, which has more turns and inlets and wetland along it.

I walk along a bike path that has a small piece of nature around it, with fields and industrial wasteland next to that.

In certain spots along the river you can see birds of prey, but not this close to a downtown area.

Have seen lots of Common Grackle, Red Winged Blackbirds, flycathers from spring to September. Shorebirds not common on this steady flowing navigated river.

If there is someone that can post more info by the Minnesota end, please add!

Tero · Sep 27, 2003

Out here in the suburbs, quite a lot of bird activity. Saw a pair of thrushes. I marked it down as Wood Thrush, but have not seen those very often. The less likely ID would be Hermit Thrush in migration. Only saw them for less than 5 seconds.

Dave G · Sep 28, 2003

300-500m

Since when have you guys gone metric

Love the report, gets me very busy trying to work out what kind of bird you are listing, and like Carlos would love to hear more.

Tero · Sep 28, 2003

I used metric for quite a while, and feet and yards make no sense to me, after 30 years. I can think in miles and tenths of miles, though. 60 miles is about an hour's drive. Temperatures above 20 C are OK for me in F, but again, temperatures below freezing make no sense in F. My outside thermometer reads both.

No really strange birds today, or maybe one, an American Kestrel. Too far to tell sex.

Karl J · Sep 28, 2003

Hmmm ??? Bit lost here .... had good old MS Encarta out on this one to clarify where you are talking about, but only resulted in more confusion.

I sort of assumed from the name 'Mississipi' you were in the southern part of the USA ... guess I just didn't realise how far the river runs for.

But your post above says you're in Missouri ..... Ok .... Looking at the map - the Mississipi river forms the border between Missouri and Kentucky & Illinois states (right???) ... And about half way along that piece of border the Missouri & Illinois rivers both join up near St Louis ..... Am I right so far ?

So ..... which bit of river are you nearest to ?

Tero · Sep 29, 2003

I am in suburban St Louis, and work in downtown, so the Mississippi and Missouri are both near us. Some lakes in our parks drain to the Missouri river.

Because of the stranege two river intersection, the oldest most run down parts of town are in the North. The parts that got flooded the most in the old days..

Karl J · Sep 29, 2003

Gotcha ...thanks .... steep lesson in US geography there !

What are your most common 5 or 6 species ?

Tero · Sep 29, 2003

Should be from this list: Starling, House Sparrow (European), Robin, Cardinal, Mocking Bird, Mourning Dove, Red Winged Black Bird (probably most common, if rural areas included). Have never seen a Top 10 list for all of US...

Right along the river, Killdeer are very common in summer.

Tero · Sep 30, 2003

The pictures of birds here
http://www.wildbirds.com/identify_feederbirds.htm
are all common at bird feeders, Dark Eyed Juncos only in winter

East coast banded birds
http://www.westol.com/~banding/Fall_2003_Daily_Banding_List.html
nearly all of those that have numbersin the table can be seen here, have not seen all

More specific to Missouri
http://bayless.mints.more.net/Boyer/99-00student pages/coreymissouribirds/birds_of_missouri.htm

looks like a school project, but those are sketches of the common birds

Tero · Oct 1, 2003

I was hoping someone else would post more about some other part of the Mississippi.

Much more accurate than my observations about Missouri is this other ongoing thread
http://www.birdforum.net/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=7803

Karl J · Oct 1, 2003

Hi Tero, thanks for the links. I'll have a proper look at the weekend when I've a bit more time spare

Tero · Oct 6, 2003

A bit further away from the river saw a Kingbird, which were common by the river in early summer. [Have concluded it must have been an Eastern Kingbird, perhaps on its way south from Canada, lost from its group.]

Have seen black and white 5-6 inch bird, in migration? The bird had no brown or yellow at all.
More white on it than
http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/Infocenter/i6750id.html
and a black bill.

Perhaps this, top right photo, under tail just like that.
http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/Infocenter/i6610id.html

Charles Harper · Oct 6, 2003

How about Black-and-White Warbler, Tero?-- a little more common in migration, I think, and Blackpolls don't look so b&w post-breeding.

Looks like Eurasian Tree Sparrows have finally started to spread. For years and years, they were barely holding their own in the country around Jacksonville, Illinois.

Tero · Oct 6, 2003

Thanks Charles, I was trying to decide what it was, and I was settled on a warbler. Having not seen any of those warblers, I was too stunned to burn that image in my head before I got home to the books. I will put it down as Black and White.

Tero · Oct 12, 2003

from my other post

Another point for Birds of North America (a Golden Field Guide from St Martins Press.,originally by Robbins, Bruun and Zim, revised many times.)

I was out for my walk and saw a Grosbeak. We don't see many here, only one listed in Birds of Missouri. BUT..only this book had a picture of the first year male, which allowed me to ID it by the brown on the head as a Pine Grosbeak, a bit far south.

http://birds.cornell.edu/BOW/pingro/images/pingorimm635-3.jpg

Even Sibley, usually good for juvenile birds, failed me here.

I guess the bird is allowed to wonder south, as it is a slightly clueless First Year!

Hmm, I may be off on this, as it only goes as far South as the Northern edge of IOwa:
http://www.kidzone.ws/animals/birds/images/PineGrosbeakCBCMapUsgs.gif

Now the Grosbeak has turned into a Mystery Bird, as it was only Cardinal sized, so maybe not the pretty rare in the south Pine Grosbeak. I have leafed thru all my books now. Probably was a female Grosbeak, Bunting or other conical beak bird.

Andrew · Oct 12, 2003

Do either the Sandhill or Whooping Cranes use the Mississipi? I thought they might do if there are lots of shallow fringes filled with reeds seving as stop over points on migration.

(PS : Send us some of your Tree Sparrows!)

Tero · Oct 12, 2003

Cranes more common on the Missouri West of here.

My tree sparrows took a while to settle here, now pretty well established, no more migration, sorry.

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