A cold morning warmed nicely to a gorgeous day. Only 37 degrees to start, though, and it didn't really get warm until we were nearly done. It wasn't all that birdy, but things are definitely switching over from winter to summer birds.
Highlights:
Matt heard and saw a SORA at the lake platform well before 6:00 a.m. We searched the area during the normal walk, and saw nothing. However we did get two whinny calls in reply to the iPod.
Other firsts for 2009:
Caspian Tern Matt heard 1 while watching the
Sora
Vaux's Swift 1 or 2 over the East Meadow
Purple Martin 2 checking out the gourds
Yellow Warbler 2 singing males
Wilson's Warbler 2 singing males
We also had the first ducklings of the year, a female WOOD DUCK with 8-9 small ones, seen from the lake platform. (I was going to say they were at the "mouth of the slough", but isn't the mouth the place where a river flows *into* a lake? What's the name for the other end of a lake-to-lake river?)
Lots of BUSHTITS around nesting. We also had 3 looks at HAIRY WOODPECKER.
Otherwise, it was pretty quiet. Most of the ducks are gone, as well as the grebes, and cormorants. No Wilson's Snipe, and only one gull. No Ruby-crowned Kinglets.
Our last bird of the day, though, was a nice HERMIT THRUSH at the Rowing Club.
For the day, 58 species. For the year, we're at at 124.
== Michael
Ollie Oliver's photo of a male Common Merganser
Distant shot of the female Wood Duck with 8-9 ducklings
A slightly better view of the Nashville Warbler
Hugh Jennings' photo of a male Anna's Hummingbird
Maples and fruit trees were in full bloom
Female Hairy Woodpecker in a blooming maple tree
Ollie's photo of same
Ollie's photo of the Red-tailed Hawk on the Odd Snag nest
Ollie's photo of the only Bufflehead we saw all morning, at the Rowing Club
Also at the Rowing Club, a Hermit Thrush
Marc Hoffmann's nice portrait of a pair of Common Mergansers