Date: 5/8/25 3:28 pm From: KevinMcG via groups.io <kmcgrath...> Subject: [hmbirds] Thursday Group
This morning, 9 birders headed out from the Pine Bush Discovery Center parking area along the blue perimeter trail. It was a mostly gray mild (55-60 degree) morning with occasional sunshine with the invigorating aroma of a wet spring morning.
The Towhee, Catbirds, Mockingbird, Field Sparrows, and Prairie Warbler, we’re abundant along with occasional titmice, chickadees, Goldfinch, both nuthatch, Flicker, RedBelly and Bluebird.
About 10 minutes down the trail we ran into a birder coming the other way who told us there was a mixed flock of Warblers working the trees near the swamp viewing platform. When we got to the indicated spot, we were not disappointed!
A mixed flock of Warblers was foraging the upper canopy of a line of tall deciduous trees. The height, gray background, and whirling flightyness of the flock made it very difficult o sort through the Yellow Rumps and find all the other species we could hear clearly. Slowly we would find , fix, and share our sightings with each other until we had all seen all the birds in the mix.
Almost everyone got really good looks of the Yellow, Black & White, Chestnut sided, Tennessee, Pine, Blackburnian, Cape May, Parula, Yellowthroat, and Yellow Rumps. It was a wild flurry for about 20 minutes until we were certain we had seen them all.
The rest of the walk was less eventful with Green Herons, Bald Eagle, Black Vultures, Brown Thrasher and Orchard Oriole to add to the tally. The air got heavy on the last leg and a light misty rain started as we got back to the cars. We left with a tally of 61 for the morning just as the deluge arrived.
David Massa has offered to lead next week as Karen and I will be away.
