Apparently the secret to
seeing warblers while I can't lift my left arm high
enough to point the binoculars at the tree tops is to
wait for the warblers to concentrate in low shrubs. For
some reason today, the shrubs and grasses around the
North Pool Overlook at the refuge were swarming with all
kinds of warblers. Of course it was raining and cold, but
often the birds were visible enough that I could watch
them from inside the car. A guy told me he'd seen a
mourning warbler there 20 minutes earlier, which would
definitely be worth getting wet and cold for, so I stuck
around for I don't know how long, in and out of the car,
watching for the mourning warbler to return. It did. A
male in beautiful breeding plumage. Just gorgeous. It put
on a show flitting from shrub to grass to shrub for quite
some time. This is the way to see a life bird! I got
great looks for a long time.
Plenty of other warblers were
around too. Common yellowthroats were all over the place.
And the most amusing sight was a female bobolink perched
on top of a very short bush surrounded by a half a dozen
yellow-rumped warblers and a magnolia warbler. It was
like she was holding court or something. I cant' figure
out what was so special about that bush as it barely had
any leaves or flowers or anything except room to perch.
I'm not even sure what kind of bush it was. A Canada
warbler was so bold that it perched on the fence about 2
feet from some people taking pictures. The warbler show
was just great today.
When I finally tore myself away
from the North Pool Overlook and headed south, I
encountered a male bobolink sauntering down the dirt road
near where the suicidal mourning doves usually hang out.
It just walked calmly along like it owned the road. No
skylarking, no bubbly singing, no flying and then
hopping, just an afternoon stroll in the pouring rain on
a dirt road. It seemed odd to me, but I'm not even close
to being a world renowned expert on bobolink
behavior.
All this and Tim Wakefield
vanquishing the Yankees too!
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Today's Bird
Sightings:
Plum Island
redwinged blackbird
American robin
doublecrested cormorant
snowy egret
black duck
yellow warbler
common grackle
tree swallow
yellow-rumped warbler
mallard
Canada goose
pine warbler
bobolink
common yellowthroat
herring gull
willet
Wilson's warbler
Canada warbler
magnolia warbler
barn swallow
mourning warbler
savannah sparrow
killdeer
northern mockingbird
mute swan
American crow
kestrel
gray catbird
semipalmated plover
great egret
lesser yellowlegs
greater yellowlegs
least sandpiper
house sparrow
mourning dove
least flycatcher
purple martin
Today's Reading
The Natural History of Moray by Charles St.
John
This Year's Reading
2003
Book List
Today's Starting
Pitcher
Tim Wakefield
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