Fall is rapidly approaching, but sadly the Coronavirus is not retreating. Many people are still social-distancing and staying near home. So, what does that mean? It means that the amazing Matt Smith has brought back the Yard Squad Challenge for a Fall Edition. It’s similar to the spring competition in that we have teams of players from around the globe – seven teams of ten players each. But instead of limiting each player to their neighborhood patch, each of us were allowed to define a circle with a radius up to five miles. Instead of the snake draft, Matt queried eBird data and threw it all in the Magic Hat which created teams each having the same number of potential species (470). Bonus points will be earned with iNaturalist observations of everything except birds.
Butterflies provided some easy iNat bonus points. Great Spangled Fritillary on Ironweed.
I am on Joost Brandsma’s team again, Yardbirds Remastered. We have two players in England, one in Alaska, and seven of us scattered around the lower 48 states. I choose the smallest possible circle with only a one-mile radius, but it includes my two favorite birding hotspots in addition to my neighborhood. I figured that a larger circle would simply increase my “par” list without significantly increasing my chances of finding additional birds. My list of potential birds has 86 species, which seems achievable since I found 83 species in the spring competition without even leaving my neighborhood.
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
Even though my circle is rather small, it doesn’t have the patch feel of the spring competition. As much fun as that was, I’m happy to have a little more variety. We started on August 24 and this first stretch (of three total) ended on September 13. I have birded every day, sometimes more than once. I also created my brand new iNaturalist account a couple of days before the start of the Yard Squad Challenge. I had been resisting the urge to “moth” again this year because of the time suck, but now I had to do it for the iNat bonus points. I enjoyed it as much as ever and was pleasantly surprised that I found several new species of moths. In my post Summer Nights a few years ago, I described the wonderful peaceful feeling of nighttime on my deck.
A lovely Showy Urola moth with wings that look like satin.
I haven’t seen a single rare or unexpected bird yet, but with close observation, I find that I am always learning something new. I was pleased to get a clear image of a Ruby-throated Hummingbird, but didn’t realize how patchy her feathers were until I looked at the photo. I mistakenly assumed that it was either a juvenile or sick bird, so I posted the photo to my state birding group on Facebook to learn more. An expert hummingbird bander told me that it was an adult female in molt and that most of the females they band at this time of year look like this! I hope she grows new feathers quickly to be in peak condition for her migration south in a few weeks.
Adult female Ruby-throated Hummingbird
I’d like to think that I always pay attention to flora and fauna, but iNat certainly heightened my alertness. An interesting find was this lichen in the woods near my house.
How had I never noticed this before? Tentatively identified as Gray Reindeer Lichen.
And, just as in this post, my attention quickly shifted between plants, birds, butterflies, and other insects as interesting things constantly caught my eye during my outings. Birding has been a bit slower than usual this fall, but I never got bored and always came home with a new iNat observation even when I didn’t find a new avian species for the Yard Squad Challenge. Here are a few of my sightings.
A beautiful Monarch is always nice to see.
This Dun Skipper was a “lifer” for me.
Eastern Towhees are common birds in my circle. This female was accommodating and came to my pishing for a photo.
White-eyed Vireos have been more numerous than ever this year. And, they are still singing which makes them easy to find them.
Widow Skimmers are a common dragonfly in my area.
As a young girl, I played with grasshoppers and I still like them. This one is a Differential Grasshopper, identified by the black chevrons on its “thighs.”
Cicadas, however, are on the short list of insects that I do not like. I’ve been told that they don’t bite or sting, but they still look evil and freak me out.
I’ll end with this sweet little fawn that I saw on a misty gray day. White-tailed Deer.
I found 70 species of birds in the first three-week stretch of the Yard Squad Challenge. The height of migration for my area will be the next three weeks, so I should find new species. There are several large clumps of Devil’s Walking Stick berries in my backyard that are nearly ripe. They are always a favorite of tanagers and warblers. Who will make is easy by just appearing on my deck?
Birding for Life 