Wednesday, May 11, 2005

A BIG bird day

Last night the winds were from the southwest. ,Everyone was expecting a big bird arrival today and we were not disappointed. It was a thrilling day. Below is a list sent in by one of the bird-walk leaders from the American Museum of Natural History, Joe DiCostanzo. I've taken the liberty of emphasizing a few birds that were especially exciting:

Double-crested Cormorant
Great Egret
Green Heron
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Canada Goose
Mallard
Spotted Sandpiper (The Lake)
Rock Dove
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift
Black-billed Cuckoo (West of Maintenance Meadow/north of Tupelo)
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Least Flycatcher (Calling sw of Willow Rock)
Eastern Kingbird (east side of Tupelo)
Warbling Vireo (Hernshead and Azalea Pond)
Red-eyed Vireo
Philadelphia Vireo (south of Belvedere/north of Tupelo Field; singing)
Blue Jay
Tree Swallow
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
House Wren
Swainson's Thrush
Veery (numbers; including singing birds)
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Cedar Waxwing
European Starling
Nashville Warbler (Maintenance Meadow)
Yellow Warbler
Northern Parula (many)
Chestnut-sided Warbler (several)
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler (Belvedere and Maintenance Meadow)
Prairie warbler
Black-and-white Warbler (many)
Bay-breasted Warbler (east of Tupelo)
Blackpoll Warbler
American Redstart
Worm-eating Warbler (Maintenance Meadow)
Ovenbird
Northern Waterthrush
Common Yellowthroat
Wilson's Warbler (male northeast of Azalea Pond)
Chipping Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Scarlet Tanager (males and females all over)
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak (numbers scattered throughout Ramble)
Indigo Bunting
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Baltimore Oriole
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

PS -- I didn't see the Philadelphia vireo, a much-desired sighting.On the other hand Joe seems to have missed the Great Crested Flycatcher. The Early Birders saw two of them in Shakespeare Garden.