Thursday, 8 May 2008 @ 8.10 PM
Looking for Warblers
I headed over to Springbrook Nature Center with Sarah this afternoon after reading about 6 different Warbler species being sighted there earlier in the morning. The weather was not too ideal with it being overcast and slightly breezy. The sky looked like rain, but I was not too worried about it opening up with showers.
As soon as we got there, we spotted some Canada Geese, Chickadees, a pair of Northern Cardinals, and a few Warblers were could not identify.
The city finally put up some signs for hikers with all the trail designations and markings. After being there dozens of times in the past, I now know where all the trails go, but the signs are better late than never, especially for newcomers to the park.
Below is a bird species list from the trip as best as I can remember:
Great Blue Herons (1)
Great Egrets (1)
Bald Eagle (1)
American Robins (4+)
Northern Cardinals (3+)
Blue Jays (1)
Northern Flickers (1)
Downy Woodpeckers (2)
Red Winged Blackbirds (many)
Common Grackles (1)
Canada Geese (many)
Mallards (many)
Black and White Warblers (1)
Yellow Warblers (1)
Yellow Rumped Warbler (3+)
Common Yellowthroat (1)
Black Capped Chickadees (2+)
Tree Swallows (many)
Barn Swallows (many)
The above list is only sighted birds. We did hear a lot of birds we could not see or find in the trees, especially Crows, Blue Jays, Chickadees, Sparrows, and Nuthatches.
We saw the most activity in the wetlands area of the park. The Swallows were feasting on the insects over the open water and the waterfowl were moving about; some were even docile enough to look to us for some food. The Grackle, Red Winged Blackbirds, and some Warblers were in the reeds. The Common Yellowthroat was also in the reeds, but did not sit still long enough for me to get a photograph of him. After looking through the Sibley Guide, I am convinced that is what we saw (and not a Golden Winged Warbler or Magnolia Warbler). There was also a few Painted Turtles swimming in the murky water, occasionally coming up for air (where I was ready to take a few photographs of them).