It has been a month of birdly discoveries around Valentine where there are many places to watch birds. Among those localities with records contributing to the month's tally are the city of Valentine including especially the Valentine Livestock Market facility, the Mill pond, along the estates of Lake Shore Drive on the north side of the pond, and the Ward Place with the bluebird shack.
Many of the species noted were seen just outside the north window vantage point at the shack. Some of the more notable observations were:
- Turkey Vulture: numbers were distinctly greater at the end of the month. These birds apparently roost on the tree snags at Water Tower Ridge, where a wild fire years ago left behind numerous tree snags. Vultures were regularly seen coursing westward in the morning and usually counted as they passed. The largest count including birds in passage and those still circling around the roost site.
- The osprey was probably resident for several days, enjoying fish from the pond.
- Eurasian Collored Dove are common within Valentine, with about ten present at the livestock market, with pairs present at about four-five other spots within the city limits. They also occur among the estates north of the Mill Pond.
- Common Nighthawks were numerous as migrants early in the month, but then not seen again, despite time taken to look for them.
- The Chimney Swift was most numerous in the chimney of the Sawyer Memorial Library, along main street.
- Both red-shafted and yellow-shafted varieties of the Northern Flicker present.
- Blue Jays are resident with a few usually heard or seen on a daily basis. A truly distinct observation was 37 jays flying southward in a loose flock, on the 28th. It was apparently a migratory group. This sort of activity had not been previously observed during past years of bird watching.
- A group of House Wren were present early in the month, but their extent decreased to a single bird active each day about the bluebird shack.
- A nice bunch of Eastern Bluebird were seen each day, with several foraging from vantage points on the utility wires or fencetops. Adult and juveniles were present.
- House Finch were the most common birds. They were present each day, flying from amidst the pines to forage in the cattle pen or to gather on the utility wires. Numbers seen each day would vary, but they could be quite abundant at times.
 |  |
There 45 species noted on different days during the month. In many instances the records for a particular date were just for a unique species, but a few times each month, all species observed were noted and entered into a database. The number given is a sum of the number seen at, perhaps, different sites on a particular date (i.e., julian date as shown in the table).
| Common Name | 245 2nd | 246 | 248 | 250 | 251 | 253 | 254 | 255 | 258 | 259 | 260 | 261 | 262 | 264 | 265 | 266 | 267 | 268 | 270 | 271 28th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada Goose | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 2 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 8 | 6 |
| Wood Duck | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 2 | - - | 9 | - - | - - | 10 | - - | - - | - - | - - | 16 |
| Wild Turkey | - - | - - | - - | 9 | - - | - - | - - | 8 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 8 |
| Double-crested Cormorant | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 28 | - - | - - | - - | - - |
| Turkey Vulture | - - | 2 | 16 | 7 | - - | - - | - - | 4 | - - | - - | - - | 4 | - - | - - | 2 | - - | 1 | - - | 8 | 46 |
| Osprey | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 1 | 1 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 1 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 1 | - - | - - |
| Red-tailed Hawk | - - | - - | - - | 1 | - - | - - | - - | 1 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 1 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - |
| Killdeer | - - | - - | 1 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 1 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - |
| Rock Pigeon | - - | 10 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 3 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 20 | - - | - - | - - |
| Eurasian Collared-Dove | - - | 4 | - - | 2 | - - | 4 | - - | 4 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 12 | - - | 2 | 1 |
| Mourning Dove | - - | 9 | - - | 3 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 1 | - - | - - | 1 |
| Eastern Screech-Owl | 1 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 1 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - |
| Common Nighthawk | 22 | 34 | 67 | 1 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - |
| Chimney Swift | 3 | 181 | 20 | - - | - - | - - | - - | 30 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - |
| Belted Kingfisher | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 1 |
| Downy Woodpecker | - - | - - | - - | 1 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - |
| Hairy Woodpecker | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 1 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 1 | - - | 1 | 1 |
| Northern Flicker | - - | 1 | - - | 2 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 3 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 2 | 1 | - - | 3 | - - |
| Eastern Phoebe | - - | - - | - - | - - | 1 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 1 | - - | - - | 1 |
| Blue Jay | - - | 6 | - - | 2 | - - | - - | - - | 2 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 2 | - - | - - | 43 |
| American Crow | - - | 2 | - - | 2 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 1 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 1 | - - | - - | - - | 2 |
| Black-capped Chickadee | - - | - - | - - | 3 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 2 |
| Red-breasted Nuthatch | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 2 | - - | - - | - - | - - | 2 | - - |
| White-breasted Nuthatch | - - | 1 | - - | 1 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 1 |
| House Wren | - - | 3 | - - | 4 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 3 | 3 | - - | - - | - - | 1 | 1 | 1 | - - | 1 | 1 |
| Eastern Bluebird | - - | 4 | - - | 6 | - - | - - | - - | 6 | - - | 6 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 8 | - - | - - | 7 |
| American Robin | - - | - - | - - | 3 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 2 | 6 | - - | - - | 2 |
| Gray Catbird | - - | - - | - - | 1 | - - | 1 | - - | 1 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - |
| Brown Thrasher | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 1 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - |
| European Starling | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 1 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 5 | - - | - - | - - |
| Cedar Waxwing | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 17 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - |
| Yellow-rumped Warbler | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 1 |
| Mourning Warbler | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 1 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - |
| Spotted Towhee | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 2 | - - | - - | - - | 2 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 1 |
| Chipping Sparrow | - - | - - | - - | 6 | - - | 5 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 2 | - - | - - | - - |
| Clay-colored Sparrow | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 2 | - - | 1 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 1 | - - | - - | - - | 4 |
| Lincoln's Sparrow | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 1 | 3 | - - | - - | 1 | 1 | - - | - - | - - | 1 |
| White-crowned Sparrow | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 1 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - |
| Northern Cardinal | - - | - - | - - | 1 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 2 |
| Indigo Bunting | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 1 | - - | - - | - - |
| Common Grackle | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 6 |
| House Finch | - - | 14 | - - | 16 | - - | 35 | 60 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 10 | 27 | - - | 64 |
| American Goldfinch | - - | 2 | - - | 3 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 3 | - - | - - | 8 |
| House Sparrow | - - | 20 | - - | - - | - - | 3 | - - | 5 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 15 | - - | - - | - - |
A probable addendum to this list would be the Red-headed Woodpecker, as it was prominent at a couple of the locales during the latter days of August.
Notably missing from this tally were the meadowlark (despite the extensive grassland at the Water Tower Ridge). There were no Red-winged Blackbirds seen at the Mill Pond. Not a single swallow has been seen, though the Barn Swallow, et al., would be expected to be present any day of the month.
