I went to the park this morning to bird as the weather was not amenable yesterday. This morning it was sunny with a temperature of 27 and 15-20 MPH wind from the north. So much better than Saturday. I arrived at 8 AM. I found the water at the swamp to be about a foot higher than when I was last here two weeks ago. The most notable find was probably the 2 Blue-gray Gnatcatchers which were about 2 weeks early. I saw small fleeting birds the right color with eye-rings and the white bars along the tail. I can’t think of anything else they could have been. Also got my first Winter and Sedge Wrens of the year. I also saw six species of sparrow including Le Conte’s and Lincoln’s. Left at 10:30 AM.
Species seen or heard:
• Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (2)
• Le Conte’s Sparrow
• Lincoln’s Sparrow
• Song Sparrow
• Field Sparrow
• Savannah Sparrow
• Fox Sparrow
• Sedge Wren
• Winter Wren
• Carolina Wren
• Double-crested Cormorant (200)
• American Robin
• Eastern Meadowlark
• Red-winged Blackbird
• Northern Cardinal
• Eastern Bluebird
• American Coot
• Great Blue Heron
• American Crow
• Blue Jay
• Northern Flicker
• Canada Goose
• Yellow-rumped Warbler
• Red-bellied Woodpecker
• Turkey Vulture
• White-throated Sparrow
• Mourning Dove
• Downy Woodpecker
• Ring-billed Gull
• Carolina Chickadee
• Northern Mockingbird
• Red-shouldered Hawk
• Red-tailed Hawk
Plus one Fox Squirrel, some deer, and one Armadillo carcass suitable for cleaning and mounting. I thought of my 13 year old son and then decided against bringing it home for him.
