I arrived back in the Basin yesterday after a month in the field. And it seemed like a good morning to take a couple of walks. Birding today was like going out on January first - almost all of the birds were year birds for me.
The trails at Sapsucker Woods produced a bundle of new birds: Eastern Phoebe (2), Yellow Warbler (4), Palm Warbler (2), Northern Waterthrush (3), Baltimore Oriole, Spotted Sandpiper, Least Flycatcher, Wood Thrush, Swamp Sparrow, and Rusty Blackbird. The Rusty was interesting. It was seen from the Sherwood Platform, displaying ( wings and tail spread) and calling. My second stop was the bottom of Leonard Road. A short walk up and back the road produced a number of singing birds: Brown Creeper (2), Black-throated Blue, Green, and Black-and-White Warblers, Ovenbird, Blue-Headed Vireo, and Swainson's Thrush (2). The Swainson's were foraging in the leaf litter alongside the road, giving a high-pitched whistle call. My main target there was Louisiana Waterthrush - which was surprisingly absent, or at least not singing today. The big surprise was that spring here is not further along. Honeysuckle in leaf, yes, and the willows are greening. But very little red showing on the maples. I guess that there's time still for a few new birds. And so, as I type, two White-crowned Sparrows are scratching under the feeder. Bob McGuire -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
