Birds of Six Sons Farm
An Ongoing Count
Photos courtesy of Wix and Unsplash
In addition to many native plant species—including a few uncommon ones like native prickly pear cactus—our farm is also home to a large number of bird species. A few we've recently welcomed back after decades without hearing or seeing them. All this, thanks to our well-managed woodland and Dale transitioning most of the crop fields back to grasslands and prairie.
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We started compiling a list of bird species we've witnessed on the farm, and we know there are many more that reside here or migrate through. Seventy-two, so far!
Partridges, Grouse, Turkeys, Old World Quail
Ring-Necked Pheasant
Ruffed Grouse
Wild Turkey
New World Quail
Northern Bobwhite
Pigeons, Doves
Mourning Dove
Cuckoos, Roadrunners, Anis
Black-Billed Cuckoo
Yellow-Billed Cuckoo
Goatsuckers
Common Nighthawk
Eastern Whip-poor-will
Hummingbirds
Ruby-Throated Hummingbird
Cranes
Sandhill Crane
Lapwings, Plovers
Killdeer
New World Vultures
Turkey Vulture
Hawks, Kites, Eagles, and Allies
Bald Eagle
Red-Tailed Hawk
Typical Owls
Barred Owl
Eastern Screech Owl
Great Horned Owl
Woodpeckers and Allies
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker
Red-Bellied Woodpecker
Red-Headed Woodpecker
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Caracaras, Falcons
American Kestrel
Tyrant Flycatchers
Eastern Kingbird
Eastern Phoebe
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Great Crested Flycatcher
Vireos
Warbling Vireo
Jays, Crows
American Crow
Blue Jay
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Chickadees, Titmice
Black-Capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Swallows
Barn Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Tree Swallow
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Waxwings
Cedar Waxwing
Nuthatches
White-Breasted Nuthatch
Gnatcatchers
Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher
Wrens
Northern House Wren
Mockingbirds, Thrashers
Brown Thrasher
Gray Catbird
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Starlings
European Starling
Thrushes
American Robin
Eastern Bluebird
Wood Thrush
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Old World Sparrows
House Sparrow
Fringilline and Cardueline Finches and Allies
American Goldfinch
House Finch
Purple Finch
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Emberizids
Chipping Sparrow
Dark-Eyed Junco
Eastern Towhee
Field Sparrow
Spotted Towhee
Song Sparrow
Blackbirds
Baltimore/Northern Oriole
Brewer's Blackbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
Common Grackle
Eastern Meadowlark
Orchard Oriole
Red-Winged Blackbird
Wood-Warblers
Blue-Winged Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Tennessee Warbler
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Cardinals, Piranga Tanagers and Allies
Dickcissel
Indigo Bunting
Northern Cardinal
Rose-Breasted Grosbeak
Scarlet Tanager
We're Serious About Conservation
And excited! Six Sons Farm has been accepted into Wild Farm Alliance's Farmland Flyways Program, and now appears on their interactive Farmland Flyways Trail Map.
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We're also exploring the Audubon Conservation Ranching Program. If our missions align closely enough, we will work toward achieving "Audubon Certified Bird Friendly Land" status.
We'll continue adding to this list as the seasons roll by. Read about our nesting boxes and sightings HERE.
And learn more about bird identification at Cornell University's All About Birds website. Happy birdwatching!