Post Breeding Visit Posted on August 2, 2009 at 12:57:49 PM by Norm Murr
Good Morning
Yesterday I visioted the Carden Alvar at Kirkfield thanks to Carol and Ian Cannell and besides the usual good company we did come up with a few nice post breeding birds.
We took note that the Bobolinks and Chestnut-sided Warblers are already in winter plummage and also the almost total lack of a "dawn chorus" though the Sedge Wrens, Towhees, Swamp Sparrows and some Grasshopper Sparrows were singing at dawn.
Following are some of the highlights and some totals for the day after birding only a few of the roads up there. We spent pretty well the whole morning along Wylie Road on this outing but did bir Shrike Road, Prospect Road, Alver Road East and Rockview Road.
Great Blue Herons, Turkey Vultures, Broad-winged Hawk, A. Kestrels, Merlin, a Wild Turkey flushed by a yearling Black Bear, Virginia Rails, Sora Rail, a mixed family group of 7 C. Moorhens including 2 adults, 4 grown young and a very small chick, Sandhill Crane, A. Woodcock feeding on the road in broad daylight, Forster's Tern, Common Loon, 7 Common Nighthawks, 11 R-T Hummingbirds, a family of 4 Hairy Woodpeckers, a pair of Pileated Woodpeckers, Olive-sided Flycatcher, E. Wood-Pewee, Alder, Willow and Great-crested Flycatchers, E. Phoebes, 74 E. Kingbirds, Common Raven, 150+ A. Crows, Warbling Vireo, 3 Loggerhead Shrikes, Eastern Bluebirds, Gray Catbirds, 16 Brown Thrashers including family groups, White-breasted Nuthatch, Sedge and House Wrens, Purple Finches, Golden-winged, Nashville, Chestnut-sided, Black-throated green and Black-and-white Warblers ( this was a mixed flock of Warblers ) soon to move south ?, 28 Grasshopper ( undercounted ), Henslow's, Field, and 8 Vesper Sparrows, 20 E. Towhees, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, Baltimore Orioles, 38 E. Meadowlarks and 25+ Bobolinks.
A beautiful day to be out and besides the birds and animals we also took note of the large variety of Butterflies along Wylie Road and the many late summer flowers in bloom. Lots of Sweet Clover and Queen Annes Lace alongside th roads and the rushes in the marshes are head high.