May 16, 2014: Erv's Field Notes #66

The Red-winged Blackbirds are easy to spot right now on any walk through the park. These three were photographed near wetland H in the southwest part of the park. 5/13/13 (Kevin Kane)

May 16, 2014. 1:30-3:30 PM. Sunny, hazy, no wind, temperature 55 degrees F.

Parked in the southwest lot and walked to the bluff area and back. I saw a white-tail doe and quite a few birds. The first bird I saw at the parking lot was a Savanna Sparrow which looks a lot like a Song Sparrow but with lots of yellow on the face and head. Two pairs of Canada Geese and a pair of Mallards were in the nearby pond.

Along the path I saw: Song Sparrows, Chimney Swift, Tree Swallow, Red-winged Blackbird (many), Common Grackle, Yellow Warbler, Robin, Great Blue Heron, Blue-winged Teal (pair). At the bluff area I looked for the White-eyed Vireo that Wolf Oesterreich reported seeing yesterday but I didn’t find it. He also saw a Blue-winged Warbler in this area recently. Both are new records for the park. I saw four thrushes feeding on unripe mulberrys. I first identified these as Gray-cheeked Thrushes but Wolf (who I met on the trail) convinced me they were Swainson’s Thrushes. Then, after I got home and checked my field guides I think they were Veerys. Hopefully Wolf can find these later and confirm the identification. While we were standing talking on the trail, we spotted a female Baltimore Oriole enter a nest in the tree above us.

Erv Klaas