At the abbey today we are socked in the clouds, with poor visibility and
everything dripping wet, so I decided to walk down our river valley to see if I
could get below the clouds. When I got towards the bottom of our property I
found a Louisiana Waterthrush along the river. In fact, if it hadn't started
singing I probably would have missed it. It was singing only the first,
down-slurred, phrases of its song. This is 6 days later than its appearance
last spring, but then on March 20th last year the budbread was just as advanced
along the river as it was today.
There were quite a few Golden-crowned Kinglets around, and with them was one
Blue-headed Vireo, my first of the year. Also with the kinglets were 2 Pine
Warblers. I saw a flock of about a dozen Cedar Waxwings in the red maple trees,
and it looked like they were eating the buds (or maybe it was the flowers). A
few Fox Sparrows and 2 Towhees were with a Chipping Sparrow and the other
regulars at the seed buffet.
Phoebes are everywhere now, and the Juncos and Robins have been singing for
several days now, the whole place sounds like spring.
Father John
Blue Ridge Parkway
Franklin County
37 species
Great Blue Heron
Canada Goose 2
Wood Duck 2
Mourning Dove
Red-bellied Woodpecker 5
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 2
Downy Woodpecker 4
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker 2
E. Phoebe 8
Blue-headed Vireo
Blue Jay
Am. Crow 6
Carolina Chickadee 8
Tufted Titmouse 9
White-breasted Nuthatch 12
Brown Creeper
Carolina Wren 4
Golden-crowned Kinglet 19
E. Bluebird 2
Am. Robin 17
Starling 3
Cedar Waxwing 12
Pine Warbler 2
Louisiana Waterthrush
E. Towhee 2
Chipping Sparrow
Fox Sparrow 3
Song Sparrow 23
White-thr. Sparrow 4
Dark-eyed Junco 88
N. Cardinal 7
Red-winged Blackbird 12
E. Meadowlark
House Finch 2
Am. Goldfinch 34
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