Hi birders,
Today's Birdsong walk was the best of the year to date (that is certainly
true for me personally ---I was gone for two of them in late April---but I
think it's valid as a general statement). Not only was there a really nice
variety and number of birds they were doing us the favor of making
themselves known by their vocalizations which, when leading a walk that
purports to help people recognize and appreciate those vocalizations,....is
quite handy, thank you birds!
And the signs that things were gonna be good started right at the meet-up
spot. We had an adult Bald Eagle come cruising through, low and one of the
resident Red-taileds putting on a display of what can be called "powered
flight" while in pursuit. All the birds were making the eagle's visit
pretty warm for him....get outta here!
Every thing is context-specific and so in Mt. Tabor Park where we get
low-number trickles of, say, MacGillivray's Warbler, wasn't it just decent
of this bird to sing for us and his breakfast. Warbling vireos were
numerous and they....were enacting their name, big time! We had Evening
Grosbeaks and Black-headeds, and Western Tanagers those these last two were
not So cooperative that they'd pipe up while a nearby robin was singing for
a compare and contrast opportunity. Olive-sided flycatchers were numerous,
widespread and shouting for their beers continuously. Western Wood pewees
were obliging...not vocally but for giving us up-close views and
demonstrating some characteristic sally-and -return to perch behavior.
We had warblers: Orange-crowned, BT Gray, Yellow-rumps, Townsend's,
abundant Wilson's, the aforementioned MacGillivray's, Nashville and,
detected by Chris H and his mom Em before we met up, a Common Yellowthroat
(good bird in the park)
Oh, and a singing Swainson's Thrush. They seem to hardly ever do that
here, sing that is, mostly have to settle for liquid whit notes . Not today!
You get the picture--active!
Hope your day was a good one too.
Tom
oh Ps. John P and Toma L had a female Calliope hummer in the park a
couple days ago.
