Category: Birding

I went to Two Rivers Park Sunday morning in hopes of finding winter sparrows.  I parked at the kayak launch so that I could walk up the backwater with the Sun to my back instead of in my eyes, then through the big field, and finally the horse trail loop.  I saw 29 species in all. not counting deer and butterflies, including Field Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Lincoln’s Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, both Kinglets, Yellow-rumped Warbler, and an American Kestrel who seems to be hanging out at the horse trailer parking lot ( I saw him there before).  It was a beautiful fall morning, not that we couldn’t use the rain.

I visited Gillam Park Sunday morning. I walked down to the lake via the paved trail and then back via the orange trail. I saw my FOS Hermit Thrushes and a migrant Swainson’s Thrush but nothing else particularly notable.

Species seen or heard:

Wood Duck
Blue-winged Teal
Great Blue Heron
Red-tailed Hawk
Mourning Dove
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker
Blue Jay
American Crow
Fish Crow
Carolina Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Carolina Wren
House Wren
Winter Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Swainson’s Thrush
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Brown Thrasher
White-throated Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird

I visited Two Rivers Park Saturday morning starting at 7:25 for about 2.5 hours.  While there I saw first of season White-crowned Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, and Yellow-rumped Warbler.  Also perhaps last of season Eastern-Wood Pewee and Barn Swallow.

Plus one mysterious small dark sparrow that likes to hang out on the ground below tall grass and aggravate birders by flying fifty feet and then disappearing into the base of some other tall grass.

I also noticed the Eastern Towhees are getting vocal again.

Species seen or heard:

Canada Goose
Great Blue Heron
Mourning Dove
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Eastern Phoebe
Blue Jay
American Crow
Barn Swallow
Carolina Chickadee
Carolina Wren
Winter Wren
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Eastern Bluebird
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Eastern Towhee
Field Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Eastern Meadowlark