Mid Summer

Lilies

7:45 a.m. and it was already 75 degrees and hazy. You can tell it's going to be a scorcher. The same little stand of purple liatris I've been seeing year after year is in bloom as well as the white fleabane and yellow St. John's wort in the meadow. A phoebe was perched on one of the large rocks. The house wren greeted me as I entered the lower gardens with his cheerful, bubbling song. Beautiful,lilies were in full bloom in someone's garden. What a miracle of nature.

I was distressed to see the large house sparrow family hanging around. Having had success this year, I fear they will be back next year for sure. Saw lots of robins and their young ones, catbirds, a flicker, female and young red wing blackbirds, song sparrows, yellow warblers, and a mourning dove.

Poor baby catbird

The upper gardens was fairly quiet, although I managed to catch a quick glimpse of a blue gray gnatcatcher. While trying to hone in on the gnatcatcher, I discovered a common yellowthroat male! A beautiful yellow swallowtail butterfly floated by but disappeared into the woods. Downy woodpeckers
and a house finch family were busy looking for food. Then I saw a dead baby catbird on the path, the 2nd dead baby I've seen in a couple of weeks, the other being a baby robin. I'm not sure what happened to it. Very sad...

Young female grosbeak

As I headed down to the soccer field, I came across two birds who seemed most interested in a clump of knotweed. A young female oriole was flitting around as well as a young female grosbeak! The female grosbeak seemed to follow me as I walked along edge of the soccer field. She moved along from tree to tree until I left to look at the pond. I was hoping for a heron, but only heard the frantic screams of frogs as they jumped in the pond, fearing for their lives as I approached. I heard bits and pieces of a wood thrush singing. A vireo was also singing. I didn't hold high hopes of finding it, but surprisingly, it appeared on a bare branch where I could actually see him open his beak and sing! What a concert.

On their own...

Goldfinch

Got to the park around 7:00 a.m. Wanted to beat the heat. It was already 75 degrees, but somehow feeling a little more pleasant than the last few mornings. However, the mosquitos were quite annoying.

The wildflower meadow is looking quite nice. There are now black-eyed susans (rudbeckia) and purple cone flower (echinacea) in bloom along with the white fleabane. Saw this goldfinch happily munching on
some seeds.

As I entered the lower gardens, I saw a mourning dove fly into a tree with some nesting material, but couldn't see where it went. However a second dove sat resting nearby. I was distressed to see Mr. House sparrow, perched on a garden fence, looking like he owned the whole park. I'm terribly afraid he has already bred this summer as I saw several house sparrows on the mulberry tree last week. There is a nest in the box in the upper gardens

Mourning dove

Gloriosa Daisies

as Haynes has pointed out, which definitely has a sparrow nest in it. Saw at least 3 rabbits and 2 robins gathered together - looked like they were having a little party! Thought I might have heard some kind of a warbler other than a yellow, but couldn't see it or quite identify the song. Heard the house wren and a yellow warbler and then came across these gloriosa daisies on the side of the path in the lower gardens. They look like escapees from someone's garden - one of those miracles of nature that make Nahanton

Native Day Lily

Park so much fun. I saw a woodchuck, who immediately noticed me. He tipped his nose up in there and started sniffing and as soon as I got my camera pointed, he was completely gone. You have to admire their speed - surprising for such fat, fluffy, logy looking creatures.

Headed to the mulberry tree where the birds were enjoying a feast! Saw lots of young birds today, but now they're on their own, no one to feed them anymore or watch out for them. A young oriole was in the mulberry, along with cardinals, a warbling vireo, song sparrows etc. There's still a tree swallow hanging around the next box near the parking lot, but on the whole, didn't see very many today.

Mushroom

Down at the circle near the soccer field, I saw baby chickadees looking for bugs in the tree bark and a
few juvenile female blackbirds. The pond was full of bull frogs that leapt into the water as I approached. Couldn't see much and far too buggy but I did hear a strange two-part whistle from high up in a tree that was non-stop and interesting. At times, there were clearly two birds whistling. Looked and looked and couldn't see anything, although at one point I thought I saw a bird fly to the next tree top. Was it a red winged blackbird or something else?

Saw these beautiful, tiny little mushrooms. Not sure what they are, but I'd like to call them fairy mushrooms because they were so dainty.

During the Heat: 4th of July Birding

Eastern Cottontail

 I think Haynes had the right idea with an early start today; 10:30am was already on the warm side and like this rabbit, sitting in the shade sounded best. In addition to Haynes' list, I had a Red-Bellied Woodpecker and a Ruby-throated Hummingbird. The ruby-throat was in the upper gardens, my first for the year. While this hummer's back was towards me and at some distance, I was reminded how stunningly colored they are in just the right light.  Notably I missed the black-and-white warbler and common yellowthroat.

Yellow Warbler

This Yellow Warbler in the lower gardens had just finished taking a bath in the puddle by the water tap. He looked quite damp and was busy preening and shaking water from his feathers.

House Finch

Juvenile Chipping Sparrow

This little House Finch just held still and posed for me, showing off his bright red coloration.
















Am I correct in identifying this as a juvenile Chipping Sparrow? Sparrows are always a little confusing to me.

White-tailed Deer

Sometimes its hard to tell who is more startled at a given encounter, myself or the animal . But today I am certain that I was more startled when I looked up and found this deer just barely into the woods.

Before the heat sets in

I walked through the park before the heat of the day. Breezy, partly overcast .... I've been trying to learn lepids and odonts. I managed to identify

Common Whitetail
Blue Dasher F
Cabbage White M & F
Dark-banded Owlet

There was also a deer in the Wildflower Meadow. Didn't see any weasels. Here's the bird list.

Mourning Dove  5
Downy Woodpecker  1
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted)  3
Eastern Wood-Pewee  1
Eastern Phoebe  3
Warbling Vireo  1
Red-eyed Vireo  3
Blue Jay  2
Tree Swallow  10
Barn Swallow  2
Black-capped Chickadee  4
White-breasted Nuthatch  1
House Wren  6
American Robin  25
Gray Catbird  15
Black-and-white Warbler  1     heard at circle
Common Yellowthroat  1
Yellow Warbler  3
Chipping Sparrow  2     juv
Song Sparrow  12
Northern Cardinal  6
Rose-breasted Grosbeak  3     incl 2 ad M
Red-winged Blackbird  12     many on soccer field
Common Grackle  2
Baltimore Oriole  1
House Finch  1
American Goldfinch  8
House Sparrow  2     at box at upper garden. Nest but no eggs or nestlings

Settling down...

Baby Barn Swallow

It was 67 degrees and sunny. I was greeted in the parking lot by some cute, crisply marked chipping sparrows - their caps bright, rufous red. They were foraging the grasses along with robin parents and babies and red-winged blackbirds.

In the lower gardens, I saw a couple of baby barn swallows perched on fencing looking on as their parents were preoccupied with a puddle under the water faucet. By the way, the garden contents are looking quite delicious - vegetables and flowers alike! Saw many of our regulars like the catbirds, song sparrows and cardinals and lots of families - an oriole dad and baby, and warbler dad and baby. I thought I caught a glimpse of a red-eyed vireo, but it was so brief I couldn't be certain.

Tired chippy!

The white fruited mulberry is a hot spot right now. From squirrels, to house sparrows, titmice, mourning doves, grosbeaks, song sparrows, catbirds, orioles, goldfinches and eastern kingbirds, it was quite attractive. As I stood watching, a tiny weasel appeared from the meadow and ran across the path. Then Mary Lou who had appeared saw it with something small in it's mouth! Instant replay of a few weeks ago - carrying babies from one location to another. Is this another family of short tailed weasels? Duane has even seen them in his driveway. Amazing how we've never seen them before and now three sightings in a couple of weeks!

The upper garden was fairly quiet. The noisiest faction being the house wrens. I saw this chipmunk

lying indolently on this fence beam. I wondered if it might be a young one because it looked totally exhausted. No self-respecting chipmunk would let me get this close!

Headed down to the soccer field where I could only hear a downy, red-bellied woodpecker and peewee. Did catch a glimpse of a yellow warbler and baby and also, strangely a female hummingbird.

Other than that, it was pretty quiet.

Father's Day!

Mother robin

It was 57 degrees and sunny at 7:00 a.m. A beautiful day to go birdwatching and not a soul at the park.

I was immediately greeted by a cowbird in the parking lot. Our lower garden sentinels were there - the tree swallows and house wren neighbors rearing young in the boxes by the path. I wouldn't be surprised if the tree swallows are on a 2nd brood at this point.

Baby Yellow Warbler

Saw catbirds, song sparrows, downy woodpeckers and mourning doves. I discovered a robin's nest in the small tree at the corner where the path starts to curve around the gardens. She was very still.

I saw a baby tree swallow on a post with it's proud parents, basking in the sun. It's coloring was more of a gray then the beautiful metallic blue. A large group of house finches were foraging together in one of the gardens. I love how they are so family oriented. As I rounded the bend to head up to the upper gardens, I came across this rumpled, funny colored baby and was pretty sure it was a baby yellow warbler. It looked like it was fresh out of the sac (urrrr, nest that is). Eventually, dad (see it was Father's Day after all), came and fed the baby and they sat together for a brief moment (apologies for the fuzzy picture).

Father and Son/Daughter?

The white mulberry tree next to the bath is fruiting now. Squirrels were draped over branches, gorging themselves. Catbirds and others were having a field day. I saw one bird that I couldn't quite make out and then I saw a bright red patch that was positively glowing in the sunlight! Turned out to be the rose-breasted grosbeak.

Foxgloves (Digitalis)

The upper gardens are starting to look quite lush and delicious. Many flowers are in bloom, including some bright pink foxgloves pictured below. The vegetables are growing rampant and the crisp, white flowers of the raspberries will soon become yummy fruit. The tree swallows are attending to their families and the house wrens are also busy raising their young too. I heard a phoebe calling from the woods. The baby bunny I saw last week has almost doubled in size. These creatures sure are on the fast track! The yellow warbler nest where we had seen babies, looked destroyed by all the rain. I sure hope they are o.k. I wouldn't have thought they would be old enough to leave yet.

The soccer field and pond were very quiet, save for the song of the wood thrush wafting through from the woods. I heard the witchety, witchety of the common yellowthroat that seems to be nesting somewhere there.

Short tailed weasels at Nahanton? You bet!

Common Yellowthroat

Got to the park early at 6:30 a.m. It was 58 degrees and pleasant.

Although it's not exactly a field full of color, the meadow is gaining wildflowers each week. The sunny yellow of the coreopsis is in bloom along with white fleabane and purple vetch. I was greeted in the lower gardens by robins, tree swallows (of course!), house wrens, mourning doves, song sparrows, yellow warblers, catbirds and a female oriole chasing a grackle. Maybe it got too close to her nest. The yellow warbler was in her nest, hidden in some scrub. All you could see was a little dark eye and beak poking out. Haynes and Ian showed up and we walked around together. The best sighting was not a bird, but a ferret (which Haynes identified later as a short-tailed weasel). It was quite small and colorful and fast as lightning. At first we thought it had caught some prey, as it had something the size of a large field mouse in it's mouth. It carried it from the scrub into the gardens and disappeared. As we stood in disbelief, it came back towards us and back into the scrub, reappearing with another bundle in its mouth. After several more times of this same pattern, we finally realized that it was moving it's babies to a new location! It's so fast, I couldn't get a picture, even though I stood with my camera at the ready.

Babies everywhere!

The white mulberry on the way to the upper gardens is starting to bear fruit. Just the beginning, but soon the birds will be gorging themselves, especially since the blue mulberry was taken down this spring.

It's baby time all over the park and in the upper gardens, it was apparent. There were baby robins learning how to forage. A yellow warbler was feeding her babies in the nest as we quietly watched in amazement. Even a baby bunny appeared and though it's hard to tell from this picture, it could not have been more than four inches long. It was hard to believe it was real! A common yellowthroat suddenly appeared near the birch tree in it's striking patterns. It chased a house wren around and around. A redwing blackbird flew overhead. We found the rose-breasted grosbeak nest incredibly difficult to see. She was in her nest and like the warblers, all you could see was her beak and distinctive white eye stripe. Ian spotted a hummer zipping by and it predictably flew to a bright red honeysuckle vine, dipping into each trumpet shaped flower. We could hear peewees calling from the woods.

Common Whitetail

As we headed to the soccer field, Haynes pointed out the chickadee nest in a very small dead trunk and Common Whitetail and is very common in North America. We got to see them going in and out to feed and check on their babies. We heard a warbling vireo and a common yellowthroat (pictured above). As we neared the pond, we heard a very loud, scratchy call that  we all agreed was some kind of heron. Haynes thought it was probably a black-crowned night heron, but when we got there, it was not to be seen. I've included a picture of a dragonfly that I saw the day before. It was quite eye catching. When I researched it, I discovered it is called the

The river was fairly quiet as was Woodcock meadow. The woods bordering the JCC were pretty quiet too, although we heard the red-bellied woodpecker, saw a pair of nuthatches and got a nice look at a peewee on a bare branch.

Additional sightings not mentioned above are pulled from Haynes' list for the day:

Empidonax sp.  1     Lower garden. Silent, brief look.
Eastern Phoebe  1
Eastern Kingbird  1

Red-eyed Vireo  1

Blue Jay  2

Northern Rough-winged Swallow  1

Barn Swallow  4

Cedar Waxwing  5

Northern Cardinal  2     Feeding BHCO

Brown-headed Cowbird  5

House Finch  5

American Goldfinch  2

House Sparrow  2     M and F in different locations; M again on empty box at upper garden