Registrar: Debbie Mullins
Participants: 9
Weather: 89 degrees Fahrenheit, sunny, northerly winds 4 mph
Bird Species: 25
This was the Linnaean Society’s first field trip to Brookfield Park. Once a landfill, the park has undergone remediation and is now a beautiful grassland with miles of trails, small ponds, marshes, and creeks. Many thanks to our expert leader, Maya, who possesses a wealth of knowledge about both birds and bugs. She pointed out various butterflies and other insects, caterpillars, and spiders as we walked along, and discussed the symbiotic relationships they have with various native plants. The plants we saw included Purple Loosestrife, Evening Primrose, Swamp Mallow, Queen Anne’s Lace, Birdsfoot Trefoil, American Senna, Mullein, Milkweed, and Giant White Clover. Shorebirds were present in the smaller ponds, and herons and egrets were seen in the marshes along Richmond Creek. Barn Swallows were especially prevalent, with several dozen perching on a building near the parking lot. This park certainly warrants a return visit, perhaps in winter when Short-eared Owls and Northern Harriers are present.
After leaving Brookfield Park, the group travelled to Oakwood Marsh to look for the immature White Ibis that had been seen there for several days. Unfortunately, the ibis did not make an appearance while we were there.
Species List
Birds
Mallard
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Semipalmated Plover
Least Sandpiper
Spotted Sandpiper
Laughing Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Black-crowned Night Heron
Yellow-crowned Night Heron
Black Vulture
Osprey
Tree Swallow
Barn Swallow
European Starling
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
American Goldfinch
Song Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird
Butterflies
Monarch butterfly
Viceroy larva
Furcula family caterpillar
Spicebush Swallowtail
Pearl Crescent butterfly
Eastern Tailed Blue butterfly
Moths
Hummingbird Moth (Clearwing Moth)
Odonates
Black Saddlebags bragonfly
Carolina Saddlebag
Green Darner
Leafhopper
Spotted Lanternfly
Insects and Arachnids
Tortoise beetle
Cucumber beetle
Large Milkweed bug
Swamp Mallow beevil
Carpenter bee
Carolina grasshopper
White-banded Crab spider
