I appeared to have the entire park to myself today. It could have something to do with the 20 degree drop in temperature and the rain. Whatever the reason, no one was there.
Birding started off with a bang when I heard and then saw an Osprey as I started off. Normally, I might see one Osprey per year but I’ve seen three in as many weekends. They could conceivably be the same one but since they are migratory that doesn’t seem likely.
The birds, like people, were subdued by the rain but I did see a larger than normal groups of Scissor-tailed Flycatchers and Eastern Bluebirds. Usually, I see just a few and not in big groups. I also saw about 50 Chimney Swifts overhead. They won’t be here much longer and maybe they were heading not East but down river. I don’t know what their migration path is.
The coolest thing I saw was a House Wren. It was unusual in that it has flank stripes and a weak eye stripe. Those features could be a sign of a Winter Wren but this bird had a longer tail than a WIWR, a bifurcated bill, and was the right color for a House Wren. It was in the east-most of the two big plum thickets north of the paved trail.
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Species seen or heard:
- Double-crested Cormorant
- Great Egret
- Osprey
- Cooper’s Hawk
- Red-shouldered Hawk
- Chimney Swift
- Red-bellied Woodpecker
- Eastern Phoebe
- Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
- Blue Jay
- American Crow
- Carolina Chickadee
- Tufted Titmouse
- Carolina Wren
- House Wren
- Eastern Bluebird
- Northern Mockingbird
- Brown Thrasher
- Common Yellowthroat
- Song Sparrow
- Indigo Bunting
- Red-winged Blackbird
