Enjoyed a nice mid-morning bird walk around Oakland Lake Park. The lake edge, especially the southern side, was pretty active with a variety of early Spring migrants. Had quite a few individuals of both Kinglets, one Blue-grey Gnatcatcher, half a dozen Palm Warblers, same for Yellow-rumped, and two Pine Warblers. I watched as one of the Pine Warblers spent several minutes eating a cheez-it cracker! (I admonished the bird for its slovenly diet habits but it paid no mind). Also watched a pair of Black-capped Chickadees excavating a nesting cavity at the end of a broken off branch in a willow along the water's edge. Over by the blooming bloodroot (what a wonderful spring ephemeral!) a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker was climbing a hickory. Nearby I could see a raccoon sleeping in a very large open cavity in an oak tree.
There were reports of a Louisiana Waterthrush frequenting the southern lake edge earlier in the morning but I didn't see it. All-in-all a very pleasant way to spend a morning. John Turner -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
