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Sam and I went on ASCA’s field trip to Pinnacle Mountain State Park Saturday morning.  It was chilly but sunny and fun. In all we saw 42 species of bird including migrant Tennessee, Yellow, and Bay-breasted Warblers plus a first of season Acadian Flycatcher.

Later we went to the monthly CAAS meeting.  It was mostly cloudy but we did get see a -5 magnitude Iridium flare and I heard two FOS Chuck-will’s Widows before leaving.

Sunday morning, I went to Gillam Park and walked the main paved trail and the orange trail.  I saw a Great Horned Owl, that’s twice in recent weeks there, and a FOS Least Flycatcher, as well as a Swainson’s Thrush and a Wood Thrush and a Magnolia Warbler.

I birded TRP Monday morning, walking parts of the Three Eagles, paved, and Horse trails and the big field to see what I could turn up.  At the swampy area at the start, I saw a FOS Yellow Warbler and on the Three Eagles trail a FOS Bell’s Vireo.  I also heard two Swainson’s Thrush, a Magnolia Warbler, Yellow-breasted Chat, and saw several sparrows of which at least one was a Lincoln’s Sparrow and I think the others were as well. In all, I saw 43 species and one Coyote.

I went to BKNWR Sunday morning hoping the storms had forced migrants to seek shelter.  One thing is for sure, the area has much more water than it did last weekend.  The gravel roads were passable but soft in places and many fields had standing water.  The creek that runs through there was close to overflowing. It looked like shore bird heaven to me but there weren’t really that many shore birds there.  I saw 45 species in all with the FOS Dickcissel, Bobolink, and Blue Grosbeak being the best. The two Wilson’s Phalarope that have been seen there were still there.  I also saw one Great Blue Heron work a snake to death or close before swallowing him and another with a fish.  I saw about 200 Bobolinks in the swampy area where we see the night-herons on a regular basis but don’t drive in there unless you want to walk out.

My original plan had involved Treadways & Saul’s but eBird indicated that BK had 5 times as many species in May as they did so that decided it.