Five birders braved a hot and humid day to join me for today's edition of the
Dyke Marsh Sunday morning walk. It was rather slow with disappointing misses,
such as Baltimore Oriole. However, it wasn't a total wash. Highlights consisted
of a fledged Great Crested Flycatcher fledgling being fed a preying mantis by
an adult in an area Jay Keller and I felt a nest might be located during the
breeding bird survey, and 4 active Osprey nests with an accumulated total of 8
nestlings. Kurt Gaskill reported Forster's Terns yesterday, but we only came up
with a solitary Caspian Tern. Although most songbirds were silent, 3 Warbling
Vireos persisted in song, 1 in the picnic area and 2 on the Haul Road
peninsula.
Now today's totals
Canada Goose 27
Mallard 65 (including a hen with 5 week-old ducklings in tow)
Great Blue Heron 12
Great Egret 13
Osprey 19 (including 8 nestlings)
Ring-billed Gull 300
Herring Gull 2
Great Black-backed Gull 3
Caspian Tern 1
Mourning Dove 6
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 5
Downy Woodpecker 4
Northern Flicker 2
Great Crested Flycatcher 4 (including 1 fledgling)
Eastern Kingbird 1
Warbling Vireo 3
Blue Jay 1
Fish Crow 3
crow sp 1
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 2
Barn Swallow 40
Carolina Chickadee 10
Tufted Titmouse 2
White-breasted Nuthatch 4
Carolina Wren 14
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 2
American Robin 2
Northern Mockingbird 1
Brown Thrasher 2
European Starling 30
Common Yellowthroat 5
Song Sparrow 2
Northern Cardinal 5
Indigo Bunting 1
Red-winged Blackbird 16
Common Grackle 1
Orchard Oriole 2
House Finch 5
American Goldfinch 9
House Sparrow 3
Larry Cartwright
prowarbler@xxxxxxxxxxx
