On Friday, migrants in Sapsucker Woods were again pretty diverse, but finding them required some luck and wide coverage. Warblers seemed mostly very sparse, except for one mixed flock by the Woodleton Boardwalk. Here are some highlights, some of which I shared with my wife Miyoko Chu:
* 16 warbler species, including WILSON'S (bend in Wilson Trail North between small footbridge and Sherwood Platform -- very loud and reasonably cooperative), BAY-BREASTED (2 silent males together along Woodleton, plus a probable third heard singing by East Trail gate), BLACKBURNIAN (just one, singing south of this gate), BLACKPOLL (Wilson Trail North), BLACK-THROATED BLUE, BLACK-THROATED GREEN, CHESTNUT-SIDED, MAGNOLIA, BLUE-WINGED, NORTHERN PARULA (Woodleton), and other common species. * HERMIT THRUSH at the Hermit Thrush spot (hemlocks right of the the north end of Woodleton Boardwalk). * A shorebird that flushed up from the East Trail south of the gate. Though my sense of local occurrence and habitat preference tells me that the bird should have been an American Woodcock, its unmistakable bold bright back stripes leave me convinced that it must have been a WILSON'S SNIPE. (I am almost sure that it made a vocal sound, but not a twitter, upon takeoff. I believe that this supports the ID.) * WINTER WREN singing near egg cairn at intersection of Hoyt-Pileated and East Trails. Any details illuminating this bird's breeding status would be most welcome. * BOBOLINK heard singing overhead. This is the third or fourth time I've heard one over Sapsucker Woods this spring, far more often than in previous years. I recognize that goldfinches, House Finches, kingbirds, and maybe other birds might sound a little like Bobolinks at times, but I am quite sure of the ID. All of these birds have been northbound, but I guess it's possible that I might have been hearing local breeders flying between the Hanshaw and airport fields. Mark Chao PS. At Myers Park at 6:15 this morning, I found one COMMON TERN but no shorebirds or other especially notable migrants. -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
