Despite my abysmal record of success at finding target birds this year, I visited Doodletown Road today hoping to get the Cerulean and Kentucky warblers that had eluded me thus far. I arrived early, only to be swarmed with mosquitos and flies. There was plenty of birdsong, but I had to keep moving, not the ideal strategy for finding treetop ceruleans, or ventriloquistic hoodeds. I spend a miserable hour or two without seeing anything notable, save a yellow throated vireo. Hearing a Kentucky singing on Pleasant Valley Road was a highlight, but the bird seemed to be deep in the woods, and I was unable to locate it.
I pondered cutting my losses and leaving, but as the morning wore on and birders and hikers filled the park, the insects surprisingly abated. (Perhaps they'd found targets other than me). And while there was less birdsong, I was finally able to spot some birds. First it was a singing blue-winged warbler on Doodletown road. Then I headed back for a second try at the Kentucky, and this time I scored. As I sat on a rock watching it sing on a bare twig, I excitedly announced my finding to passing group. "I know, I can hear him", said the first birder as he walked by without slowing, obviously less thrilled than me. After getting a few people on the bird, it flew, and I continued up the road finding a nice clearing where I sat down and had a snack. I heard scarlet tanager, RB grosbeak, hooded warbler and indigo bunting singing, and was able to spot the first three. As I munched, I got a quick glance at a grayish warbler-type bird with a wing bars that was flitting around. I thought/hoped female cerulean, and then it appeared again, giving me a better look. It was indeed a female cerulean, busy collecting nesting material. I watched her bring it back to the nest, and then go out for several more forays. Well satisfied, I started heading out, but ran into Karlo and Allison Mirth, and I brought them back to see see the nest, giving me the additional pleasure of sharing. I headed out again, and just before leaving the park I heard a buzzy call up the steps at the very first historic house site near the beginning of the trail. Low and behold, I was greeted by a singing male cerulean, not very high, and in good light. Boy was I glad I didn't leave early. I uploaded a couple of short, slightly shaky, imperfectly exposed videos of the Kentucky and the Cerulean nest onto my Flicker site: https://www.flickr.com/photos/50403904@N03/ Happy late spring birding! Peter -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
