Saturday, May 3, 2014

Warblers blowing in!!!!

Yellow Warbler
Got to the park around 6:45 a.m. It was 46 degrees and sunny. A beautiful morning to be out. Ian had reported a Great Crested Flycatcher yesterday and I was hoping to see it for myself!

I was immediately greeted by lots of bird song - especially yellow warblers singing from all over the park! The lower gardens were very busy. Apparently the catbirds had blown in as well and were busy singing their multi-note songs as well as meowing here and there. Tree swallows busy with their nest boxes - almost got dive bombed by one. Baltimore orioles have appeared looking absolutely brilliant. House wrens, goldfinches, jays and song sparrows also busy and titmice called from the woods.

Robin in nest
In the upper gardens were more of the same including cardinals. Saw two or three beautiful Savannah sparrows with bright yellow around their eyes. A single male yellow rumped warbler appeared briefly. A robin was already nesting and very nervous that I was trying to take her picture.

Baltimore Oriole Male
The soccer field was quite busy as well with a male and female Baltimore oriole couple quite intent on devouring whatever they could on an old, scruffy crabapple. At one point, a yellow warbler joined them, but they were oblivious.

Baltimore Oriole Female
I heard a very buzzy call and at first I was a little confused, but then I realized it was some kind of a warbler. It always takes me a while so I thought black & white or parula. I finally found the Northern parula high in a birch tree near the pond, flitting from one catkin to another. It was there for quite some time. It's always fun to see them with their bright yellow throat and blue back.
Catbird

Aside from some daffodils and bulbs, the wild violets are blooming with their delicate lavender purple flowers as well as the bloodroot down near the pond. Spring is really here - dare I say?


4 comments:

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  2. Good sightings, Suzette! Was the Yellow Warbler photographed in the lower garden? If you look carefully, the crown seems orangey. This may be a typical coloration in high breeding plumage males, but it made me think that perhaps this guy has a southern accent.

    I went through the gardens a little later today. In addition to your birds, I found a Winter Wren in the puddle near the circle at the soccer field, several Savannah Sparrows at the front of the upper garden, our hopefully resident Yellow-throated Vireo, and an Eastern Towhee and a bunch of White-throated Sparrows in leaf litter at the far end of Woodcock Field. Also a Palm Warbler.

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  3. Haynes, I'm so glad the towhee is still there. I hadn't seen it of late. Hoping for a batch of little ones. That's so excellent about the yellow-throated vireo and a winter wren. I'm not sure I've seen the winter wren before.

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  4. Is the yellow-throated vireo fidelic to a given location?

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