Bird Board
TAS walk at AD Barnes 9/6--If You Missed It, Kick Yourself!
Approximately 15 birders - experienced and novice alike- met at AD Barnes for the 1st Sunday walk of the Fall. A good portent of the day was a FOTS Cape May Warbler feeding in a fig at our meeting spot.
As we rounded in towards homeless hammock, we checked Black-and-white Warbler, Northern Parula, Prairie Warbler, American Redstart, and an Ovenbird. Before everyone got on the Ovenbird, Jack found a Prothonotary Warbler feeding high in Virginia Creeper, which gave some good looks to everyone. As we rounded the hammock, we got good views of several Hill Mynas in an Australian Pine, plus a single Osprey.
At the nature trail things were quiet and humid until we got close to the LAC buildings. First we flushed 2 Chuck-will's-widows, one of which flew right over our heads and then circled back and landed, which gave everyone a chance to see it on a branch. As we got behind the LAC buildings, we quickly added Black-throated Blue Warbler, American Redstart, and Yellow-throated Warbler. Several birders noticed an odd looking warbler, and on tracking it down Brian and I found a preening bird which turned out to be a male (immature) Cerulean Warbler! After following it and eventuaklly losing it, Jeanette got back on the bird she had seen earlier, which was a female Cerulean Warbler! TWO Ceruleans made for a banner day......but we weren't done!
Making our way back down the unpaved path from the waterfall, Jack & I were following several intriguing birds in the treetops. As we watched, I had a good angle on one as it turned its head----"GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER!" I shouted, and for the next 10 minutes it worked its way down the path, giving everyone great views of this REALLY hard to find migrant.
At the end of the trip, we did a brief "extension" back out to homeless hammock, and on the return we added several birds to the day's list, including a FOTS Summer Tanager.
The Day's List:
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Common Gallinule
Killdeer
Rock Pigeon
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Mourning Dove
Red-masked Parakeet
large parakeet sp.
Chuck-will's-widow
Ruby-throated Hummingbird - FOTS
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Great Crested Flycatcher
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
Fish Crow
Barn Swallow
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Northern Mockingbird
Hill Myna
Golden-winged Warbler
Northern Parula
Cape May Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Yellow-throated Warbler
Prairie Warbler
Cerulean Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
American Redstart
Prothonotary Warbler
Worm-eating Warbler
Ovenbird
Summer Tanager
Northern Cardinal
Comments
Congrats on an awesome bird walk Bill! This is what birding during migration should be like. I hope everyone that participated appreciates the good birds you found. Though I wasn't there, I shall live vicariously through you and enjoy a Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA in your honor. Usually, I live vicariously through myself.
Bill did anyone get a photo of the Cerulean Warbler ?
You can add Chestnut-sided Warbler to this impressive (especially for early September) list. It was first winter individual feeding in the LAC building vicinity. We could not track down the Cerulean Warblers.
We did see the male Golden-winged Warbler in between the LAC buildings and the large water feature beside the nature center.
Well done,
Alex
This is the second time in the last few years that the Barnes walk in early September has scored a Cerulean...
photo of the cerulean on my Flickr site---best i could manage
https://www.flickr.com/photos/joelnrosenthal/21193756802/in/dateposted-public/
The bird in your photo, Joel, is a Chestnut-sided Warbler, not a Cerulean. We misidentified this bird in the field. I believe the first bird that Bill and I saw, which we never relocated after shifting focus to what we thought was a second Cerulean, was in fact the only Cerulean seen. That first bird was bluish above and had streaking on the flanks.
which is why i will continue to refuse to learn to identify warblers-or rely on the "expert advice" of those around me. Flickr photo in the process of being renamed...
thanks
Leave a Comment