Kinglets and Palm Warbler

It was about 53 degrees, cloudy and somewhat cool as I arrived at the park this morning. Was immediately greeted by tree swallows all over the meadow area at the Nahanton Street entrance. Saw 2 flickers as I drove in and lots of robins, blue jays etc. Saw goldfinches, chickadees, juncos, nuthatches, titmice and mockingbirds. Heard those red-bellied woodpeckers and saw one down by the river in an old, dead tree. I can't believe the leaves are coming out on the trees already. It seems early.

The swamp has receded and the path by the Charles has dried up dramatically. It's amazing how fast that happened.

The tree swallows are everywhere and have staked out practically every nestbox in the whole park. No sign of our bluebirds today. I worry about them getting pushed out. I guess we'll have to see what happens. It looked so promising the last few weeks, but the tree swallows were only  just arriving. They're quite a force to be contended with.

My big thrill today was much time spent watching a ruby-crowned kinglet(s)? in the upper gardens. These guys are awfully hard to photograph as they rarely sit still for a second (photo above left). I finally got to hear what it sounds like really clearly. But I'm also excited because I saw something else that I was sure was a warbler but not sure which one. I thought it might be a palm warbler, but it wasn't as dramatic looking as I've seen - yellow breast, olivey back, and yellow streaks above (and below?) eye. Luckily, I met a couple of very experienced birders afterwards and we discussed and decided it had to be the palm warbler.

Can't wait to see what else turns up….