Alison Leary Birdwalk!

Today was Alison's birdwalk and it was a great success! We had beautiful weather and the birds were most cooperative.

I caught up with Alison and her friend Francine in the lower gardens where they were headed down to the Nahanton Street entrance before the walk. We saw a Wilson's warbler and a black & white on the edge of the soccer field. That is definitely a great way to start off!

Black Throated Green

Black & White Warbler

With the group en masse, we walked by the pond and hung out at the soccer field area for awhile. We heard and then saw the red breasted grosbeak and we also heard the wood thrush which we saw a few minutes later. There were two of them and they were beautiful! A black throated blue was heard in the woods but no one ever got to see it. We cut through the path to the upper gardens where we were greeted by a cute little palm warbler. There were lots of tree swallows, cardinals, robins and goldfinches. We saw another black and white and then had a great view of a black throated green warbler in the recently pruned mulberry tree. I heard later that those who missed the black throated green were busy watching a Northern parula instead!

Wood Thrush Singing

The lower gardens were busy with tree swallows, yellow warblers and our regulars. We saw three brown headed cowbirds which Alison informed us often pick on yellow warbler nests to lay their eggs in. What a drag for the little warblers.

Then we headed through the woods near the JCC where we saw a black poll and a yellow rump and then we arrived at Woodcock meadow. Had an excellent sighting of a great crested flycatcher and several viewings of a pair of field sparrows with their little pinky orange beaks. There were chimney swifts flying overhead.

Robin on Nest

And orioles everywhere!

Hope people will join us for the next park activity which is a birding and boating trip down the Charles with birder Pete Gilmore, Saturday, May 21  at 8:00 a.m. at the Nahanton St. entrance. Newton Conservators get a 10% discount from Charles River Canoe & Kayak.