4/10/2020 - 4/12/2020
It is just shy of mid-April, and migration is moving along; even if it seems everything else is not. Of course migration means a few different things, depending on who you are. For people around here, it means you get to see birds you have not seen for a while. For the birds, it means breeding season is near. The early migrants are getting here, and that is exactly what they have in mind. It was not too hard to find a bird that was wearing a fake mustache; even if they call it nesting material.
I had some time to bird Friday morning and headed out to Eagle Creek Park. I was happy to find that the Pine Warblers were still there. Their song is loud and clear, and it makes it easy to track them down. It's even easier when they are hopping around on the ground by your feet. If I thought I was lucky to have Pine Warbler hopping around on the ground, you can imagine my excitement when I found my first-of-year Yellow-throated Warbler doing the same. My luck did not hold, though, and most of my shots were off. They hop around a bit quicker than the Pine do. The only other excitement from the day was a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. He was the quickest of them all.
Saturday was my official "jumping the gun" day or the year. I headed south to Brown Co. to look for warblers. I had visions of early migrants bouncing around in every tree and bush. I had very little of anything. A little more patience is in order. Louisiana Waterthrush and my first-of-year Norther Parula were the highlights. The Waterthrush were building a nest. I love the way they strut.
Sunday, well, Sunday I did not exactly expect to be birding. The forecast called for rain and a lot of it. But the sun was shining when I woke up, and I could not resist a run to Eagle Creek. Tons of Yellow-rumped Warblers were spread across the park. I heard my first-of-year Black-throated Green Warbler. The Pine Warbler was still hopping on the ground. And I even managed to pish down a Northern Parula for some shots. Yellow-throated Warbler and Louisiana Waterthrush stayed out of sight or up in the trees. But, they made six species of warbler for the day; so, it's hard to complain. Bigger numbers will be here sooner than you know it. The Virginia Rail peeked its head out for a shot at the Ice Skating Pond. From the deck at the Ornithology Center, you could see an imm. Neotropical Cormorant and American White Pelicans while listening to the mumbling of Gadwall down below. It's a crazy time of year when you just cannot be sure what you will see. So, get out and do some birding, but leave the fake mustache for the birds.
Thanks for reading,
Mike
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