There are a number of different species of birds identified in Owl Alley during the Fall (August through November). Here are a few that are frequently seen.
Carolina Wren, Thryothorus ludovicianus, is very common year-round in dense brushy tangles within woods. Insects and spiders are their food of choice including caterpillars, moths, flies grasshoppers and leafhoppers. Its song is a rolling chant of rich phrases pidaro pidaro pidaro or TWEE pudo TWEE pudo TWEEP. It is 5.5″ in length with a wingspan of 7.5″ and weighs 0.74 oz.
Dark-eyed Junco, Slate-colored Variant, Junco hyemalis, can be seen year-round, though more frequently in the Fall and Winter. Juncos eat insects including beetles, caterpillars, ants, wasps, and flies. It also likes seeds in the Winter. Its call is a very high, smacking stip and has very warbling phrases in Spring. Its flight call is a sharp, buzzy tzeet. It is 6.25″ in length, with a 9.25″ wing span and weighs 0.67 oz.
Downy Woodpecker, male, Picoides pubescens, can be seen year-round. It often forages on twigs and weed stems. Its calls are a short, flat pik and a slow rattle call beginning slow and squeaky, ending lower and faster from kikikikikiki to twi twi twi; its drum is a simple rapid roll. It eats mainly insects, including beetle larvae that live inside wood or tree bark. It is 6.75″ in length, a wing span of 12″ and weighs 0.95 oz.
Brown-headed Nuthatch, Sitta pusilla, can be seen on pine trees, eating pine seeds. Its song is a high, sharp, nasal KEWde, followed by a harsher KEWdodododo teew, better described as a squeaky toy or rubber ducky. It is 4.5″ in length, a wing span of 7.75″ and weighs 0.35 oz.
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Sphyrapicus varius, is common in woodlands. It drills small shallow holes in tree bark feeding on sap and insects attracted to the sap. Its contact call is a nasal squealing or mewing neeah. In flight it sometimes gives a nasal geert. Its drum is a burst of about five rapid taps followed by gradually slowing with occasional double taps. It is 8.5″ in length, a wingspan of 16″ and weighs 1.8 oz.