This bold ASY male Black-throated Blue Warbler was the highlight of the morning. -ECK
The early morning started off rather slow and I was wondering if migrants had simply flown over during the night but when the temperature warmed there was a nice mix of birds moving (mostly) through the treetops. It’s so nice to see and hear long-distance migrants again. On the day we encountered 50 species, some of them firsts for our site for the year: Eastern Kingbird, Least Flycatcher, Warbling Vireo, Nashville Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, and Black-throated Blue Warbler.
Western Palm Warbler. -ECK
We were joined by the Hamilton Naturalists’ Club’s Pipits. This is always a fun time to be able to share banding and birding with this group of keen naturalists and to get some of them involved directly with the birds we’re experiencing. In these of times of Nature Deficit Disorder it’s nice to see folks that are aware of and care about the environment. They helped out by doing the census and a count on the river side of the wetland – always a big help.
Upland Sandpiper. -JB
There is bridge repair work being carried out on River Road necessitating a 4-km detour that runs through the village of Kohler. Although a bit of a pain the road leads by an extensive winter wheat field that has at least 1 pair of Upland Sandpipers hanging out in it. The numbers of these birds is dwindling so it’s always great to see them…making the detour well worthwhile.
Despite the spate recently of inclement weather, a Killdeer pair has managed to eke out a nest, complete with 4 eggs. -RG
I love the quizzical look of this female Tree Swallow seemingly trying to make sense of all the human activity around the site. -RG
Banded 25:
1 Mourning Dove
1 Blue Jay
1 American Goldfinch
2 Chipping Sparrow
1 Dark-eyed Junco
This bright White-throated Sparrow is a “white morph” as opposed to the more drab version, the “tan morph”.-RG
5 White-throated Sparrows
2 Song Sparrows
3 Swamp Sparrows
2 Red-winged blackbirds
1 Brown-headed Cowbird
Male Common Yellowthroat – a common denizen of this wetland. -ECK
1 Common Yellowthroat
Bright male Yellow Warbler. -DOL
2 Yellow Warblers
1 Black-throated Blue Warbler
2 Western Palm Warblers
Western Palm Warbler. -ECK
Species Encountered: 50 spp.
Rick