[wisb] Wyalusing SP- 5/29
- From: Chris West <little_blue_birdie@xxxxxxx>
- To: "[Wisb]" <wisbirdn@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 30 May 2010 10:15:20 -0500
Hi all,
I spent the entire day yesterday birding Wyalusing. I camped out at the park
on Fri night, sat out at the pigeon monument for a while listening to at least
8 Barred Owls and a few Great Horned Owls calling from the river bottom. A
Cuckoo called from somewhere near my campsite just before I hit the sack for
the night.
I got up at 4:30am on Sat and headed down to point lookout for the awesome
sunrise. The number of birds singing made it almost deafening.
As I headed back to the parking lot, a rather cooperative Kentucky Warbler
popped up and started singing. The poses I got were good, but the light was
still a bit low for any non-grainy shots.
I checked a few other places, then headed back to the point for my 7:30 bird
walk. About 10 people showed up, most of them more beginner birders. Most of
the birds weren't too cooperative, singing at us from behind a tree, but we did
see a few things. A couple of the highlights were when I discovered an Acadian
Flycatcher nest along the road to the monument (excellent looks for everyone)
and when we arrived back at Point Lookout, point blank, eye level views of a
Yellow-throated Warbler.
Then came the most fun part of the day. I headed back to the entrance station
to turn in our bird list for the morning and ran into a couple from Texas who,
after learning from the ranger that I was the local bird expert, promptly hired
me on the spot. The birds quickly became highly cooperative (probably due to
my leaving my camera in my car....).
First stop was at Point Lookout where we got decent views of a Red-headed
Woodpecker among other things. Next stop was at the Acadian Flycatcher nest (a
lifer for them I believe [the bird, not the nest....]) which gave us excellent
scope views. On the way to the monument, I heard a Kentucky Warbler singing
from near the south parking lot. We quickly piled out to find it and were
rewarded with superb scope views of the male sitting in full sunlight from
about 10 ft away (the bird filled the entire view in my scope). A stop up at
the Pigeon Monument was rewarded with excellent, eye level looks at Red-eyed
Vireo and Scarlet Tanager.
At the boat landing, we were rewarded with better looks at Prothonotary Warbler
than I have EVER had before (I took a picture with my cell phone camera with
the bird almost filling the frame.....). At least 6 birds were foraging for
insects under the canoes just as we pulled up and parked (we didn't even have
to get out of the car). Another pair was inspecting a truck and the boat
trailer it was attached to. It was pretty funny to watch them going in and out
of the exhaust pipe....(I later returned with my camera and got some insanely
close shots).
Having seen most of what they were after, we popped back up the road for looks
at a male Redstart, then on to the Campground for Baltimore Oriole.
Our last stop was out at the observatory where we finally managed to find a
Henslow's Sparrow (another lifer for them). The heat of the afternoon had
caused them to fall completely silent earlier but waiting proved to be
worthwhile.
After going back and photographing the Acadian Flycatcher and the Prothonotary
Warblers, I finally left Wyalusing at 6:30pm.
Amazingly, it was one of the best days I have ever had at the park with better
looks at Kentucky, Yellow-throated and Prothonotary Warblers then I shall ever
hope to get again.
I haven't yet tallied my list for the day, but I wouldn't be surprised if it
came out to somewhere around 70 species.
Happy Birding! --Chris W, Richland County
http://swallowtailedkite.blogspot.com/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/swallowtailphoto
"The beauty and genius of a work of art may be reconceived, though its first
material expression be destroyed; a vanished harmony may yet again inspire the
composer; but when the last individual of a race of living things breathes no
more, another heaven and another earth must pass before such a one can be
again."
(From William Beebe's "The Bird: Its Form and Function," 1906)
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