Trip Highlights

On a beautiful, sunny and cool morning, 12 members gathered to start our walk on one of the new wooden platforms at Lake Wallace. We had good views of Tree and Barn Swallows, Great Blue Herons (1 on a nest), and a few Green Herons. Also present were Wood Ducks, Mallards, many Red-winged Blackbirds, Robins, Mourning Doves, and Canada Geese. We decided to walk the new trail to the back platform, before setting out for the soccer playing field area. Along this trail, we spotted Red-tailed Hawk, Cardinal, Blue Jay, Carolina Wren, and Goldfinches.

Then we got in our cars and headed for the field area on the back side of the lake. There we saw a variety of sparrows; Song, Swamp, White-throated, and Chipping. Dark-eyed Juncos were still present, and we had great views of Eastern Bluebirds posing in the sunlight. Goldfinches, House Finches, and a Warbling Vireo were all seen as we walked the perimeter of the lake. We saw three families of Canada Geese with their goslings. Woodpeckers seen were Red-bellied, Downy, and a few Northern Flickers. Warblers were minimal, seeing only a Yellow, Pine, and hearing an Ovenbird.  

We walked the trail into the woods. Not too much was seen in this area, but we did get Phoebe, Black-capped Chickadees, and a Tufted Titmouse.  Some of the group heard a Virginia Rail before we made our way out. During the rest of our walk, before reaching our cars, we saw a Belted Kingfisher, two pairs of Brown-headed Cowbirds, and an Osprey. It was a great day, though we had hoped for more warblers.

Under cloudy but dry skies, nine of us birded the trails and fields of Longmeadow Flats.  We saw a total of 48 species, including some relatively new spring arrivals, including Yellow and Black-and-white Warblers, Warbling Vireo, Wood Thrush and Rose-breasted Grosbeak.  The highlights were the shorebirds off West Rd, Spotted, Solitary and Least Sandpipers, and the Cliff Swallow, seen well by two members. 

We started the cloudy, cool morning with six participants in the parking lot. The first birds seen were Tree and Barn Swallows, Robins, Red-winged Blackbirds, Grackles, Starlings, Blue Jays, Cardinals, Mallard, Bluebird, and the following sparrows: Song, Swamp, Savannah and Field. We walked the 1.2-mile trail and saw five different woodpecker species: Red-bellied, Downy, Hairy, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, and Northern Flicker.

Also seen were House Wren, Crow, Mourning Dove, Tufted Titmouse, Goldfinch, Brown-headed Cowbird, Catbird, Phoebe, Kingbird, and White-breasted Nuthatch.  Our highlight birds of the morning were Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Brown Thrasher, Eastern Screech Owl, just 20 yards away, and Virginia Rail, which was seen from the platform in the parking lot at the end of the walk and when it started to rain!  The warbler count was low, we only saw one Yellow and about nine Yellow-rumped.

All in all, a great walk gathering 38 species before the rain really started!

The weather was overcast with some rain.  We missed quite a few species that we ordinarily would have seen, but we still saw 42 species. The best birds of the day were the Virginia Rails that we saw and heard, but second to that were a host of others, including Green Heron, Rough-winged Swallow, Northern Parula, Pine Warbler, Louisiana Waterthrush, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Eastern Towhee and Cedar Waxwing. See full list below.

A very bundled-up group (will we ever be able to shed our down coats and boots?) of 16 birders met on a very cool spring morning to look for early migrants.  Ruby-crowned Kinglets were abundant, as were Yellow-rumped and Palm Warblers.  Some participants got good looks at a newly arrived Yellow Warbler after hearing others at a distance.  It sometimes is an advantage to be at the back of a group.   

A first-of-year bird for everyone was a Rose-breasted Grosbeak.  It perched and sang its lovely song almost directly above us - a special treat.  Other new arrivals were a Green Heron flyover as the group was gathering, a Gray Catbird chattering in the tangles, a couple of Eastern Towhees, and several Chimney Swifts.

A lingering Hermit Thrush popped up along the Natti Trail as did several White-throated Sparrows.

Checking the skies, we had a Bald Eagle, Red-tailed Hawks, Red-shouldered Hawk, and a Broad-winged Hawk.

In spite of the chill, there was warm sunshine and plenty of birdsong giving us a total of 39 species.