Date: 4/28/25 4:14 pm From: Greg D. Jackson via groups.io <g_d_jackson...> Subject: [ALbirds] Robert of Lincoln
AL Birders,
Just a heads up that numbers of Bobolinks have arrived at Choccolocco Park
in Oxford. There were at least 20, all but two sparkling males, in the big
field west of the big Native American mound site. They were singing and
calling like crazy, flying about the dense area of vetch under the high
tension lines. Experiencing these is always a joyful rite of spring!
I spent most of the morning walking throughout the park. Flowers are
gorgeous in the fields now, alive with colors. It was fun to watch several
Grasshopper Sparrows, and a pair was easily seen at the gravel road to the
back area near the "soccer pitch." When I arrived the male was feeding at
point blank range in the open at the road edge, and even sang from the road
- of course my camera was still in the back of the vehicle! Later he was
singing on thistle tops nearby, still easy to see and hear from the car.
Passerine transients were rather slow today with only a few noted. Decent
numbers of swallows were feeding over the fields, mostly Cliffs and Barns.
Multiple Baltimore Orioles were scattered about the park in treetops which
was nice to see and hear (only saw males).
No migrant shorebirds were on the dry grass this morning, and I found the
same at the big sod farm farther east off US 78 (a Mississippi Kite was over
the fields, though).
Habitat at the park is looking great, and it was encouraging to see the
management plans are being applied nicely. I hadn't fully walked the
relatively-new loop trail through the west side woodlands until this
morning, but really enjoyed it. The trail is wide and easy to walk, but tick
precautions would be advised as there is a bit of vegetation in the trail
(of course you're walking in grass anyway in the fields).
