It was cold at 9:00 AM but with a clear sky the sun slowly began to warm up the
20 or so hardy souls who attended the regular first Saturday of the month bird
walk at the Beaver Lake Bird Sanctuary. Simon Thompson led and with Chris
Kelly in attendance, we had 2 outstanding birders to find the birds. And I
think they found just about every bird that was around this morning - a very
respectable 29 species although many of the birds were heard but not seen. We
started in the meadow and Simon immediately spotted the Wilson’s Warbler that
has been hanging around for the last 6 weeks. Unfortunately most of us did not
get a good view and despite revisiting the meadow several times, the Wilson’s
did not reappear. Another skulking bird present this morning was a Fox
Sparrow, a winter resident in western NC but one that is rarely seen. Several
folks had passable views - although not this observer. White-throated Sparrows
were everywhere and we did see a single Swamp Sparrow. A highlight for
everyone was a Red-Shouldered Hawk that patiently posed for excellent views
with a telescope. Oddly, no ducks on the lake - must still be warm further
north.
The Full List:
Mallard
Pied-billed Duck
Red-shouldered Hawk
Mourning Dove
Red-bellied WP
Downy WP
N. Flicker
Pileated WP
E. Phoebe
Blue Jay
A. Crow
C. Chickadee
T. Titmouse
Brown-headed Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
Winter Wren
Golden-crowned Kinglet
W. Bluebird
A. Robin
Mockingbird
Starling
Wilson’s Warbler
E. Towhee
Fox Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
N. Cardinal
A. Goldfinch
