Registrar: Miriam Rakowski
Attendees: 10
Weather: Temperatures, 50-63 degrees; winds NE 3 mph changing to SE 10 mph, with gusts.
Bird Species: 50
We began our walk at the marshes, where the first flock to welcome us were Pine Siskins, high up in the trees. This is an irruptive year for Pine Siskins. Certainly, the numerous twittering flocks we kept seeing were the highlight for many.
Another interesting encounter was with Savannah Sparrows. Though it had gotten quite windy by then, we were able to watch four of them feeding down in the grass. One of these sparrows- very pale and grayish, was considered to be a possible Ipswich type, a subspecies of the Savannah Sparrow. After sending Jacob Drucker, a few pictures of the birds he wrote the following: “Proportions are basically the same, and grayish birds like this aren’t that uncommon.” An additional surprise was a Red-throated Loon.
The siskins were the last flock of birds we came across. Happily, they were feeding at eye level in the shrubbery at the edge of the water so we could enjoy good looks at these small birds. We clearly saw the yellow wing and tail markings on some of them, their slender bills, and their small, cute, notched tails.
It was great fun to go birding with both old and new Linnaean members.
Species Lists
Birds
Canada Goose
Mallard
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Red-throated Loon
Double-crested Cormorant
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Cooper’s Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
American Kestrel
Eastern Phoebe
Blue-headed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Golden-crowned Kinglet
European Starling
Gray Catbird
Brown Thrasher
Northern Mockingbird
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
House Sparrow
House Finch
Pine Siskin
American Goldfinch
Chipping Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
White-crowned Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Nelson’s Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Lincoln’s Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
Common Grackle
Common Yellowthroat
Palm Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Northern Cardinal
Butterflies
Red Admiral
Monarch
