Submitted by Jennie Strable on Sun, 08/14/2016 - 8:36pm
Event date:
Saturday, August 13, 2016 - 8:00am
Location:
-
Hello to All,
The highlight of today’s Walk may not have been the birds that we saw, but the traveling caravan of ants moving along the logs, carrying larvae to a drier place. Here is a short video:
BIRDERS: 6 (1) Caroline H., (2) Jennie S., (3) Karin C., (4) Karin D., (5) Raman S., (6) Pat Durkin
TIME: 8:00 a.m. to 10:25 a.m.
PLACES: Bobolink Meadow, North and East Lagoon
WEATHER: Partly Sunny. Warm. Humid. Occasional mild breeze. Heavy rains yesterday, ending early this morning. Crushed stone path washed out in places. Temperature steady at 74 F., Winds WNW 5 – 10mph. Humidity 97%, Dewpoint 76 degrees.
TOTAL SPECIES COUNT: 30
X = commonly seen and/or not counted.
Canada Goose 1 Alone in the East Lagoon.
Mallard 2
Double-crested Cormorant 2
Great Blue Heron 8 Here, there and everywhere. Adults and juveniles. One adult perched 30 feet up on a snag on Wooded Island.
Green Heron 1 North Lagoon (Basin)
Black-crowned Night-Heron 2
Cooper's Hawk 2 Playing aerial tag games. Ignoring crows.
Red-tailed Hawk 1
Ring-billed Gull X Occasional fly overs.
Caspian Tern 1
Chimney Swift 25
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 1
Great Crested Flycatcher 1 Caught and consumed a large dragonfly!
Eastern Kingbird 4
American Crow 22 At one point there were 20 perched on a single snag on Wooded Island. Chased hawks en mass for practice and entertainment.
Barn Swallow 14
Black-capped Chickadee 2
White-breasted Nuthatch 2
House Wren 1 Bobolink Meadow. Heard then seen.
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 2
American Robin 2
Gray Catbird 2
European Starling 1
Cedar Waxwing 1 Alone on top of a bush in the Meadow.
Song Sparrow 3
Northern Cardinal 1 Brilliant plumage. Perched high on a tree, belting out calls.
Rose-breasted Grosbeak 1
Baltimore Oriole 3 Adult Male in brilliant plumage.
American Goldfinch 6
House Sparrow 7
This is a group report, with many birders contributing to the list. Most of the birds were seen by at least several or all of the birders.
Corrections, additions and comments are welcome.
Recordings are not used to attract birds.
This report will be recorded on eBird as a group report for the Wooded Island Bird Walks.
The Walks are free and open to one and all. They are held year round.Newcomers are warmly welcomed.
Darrow Bridge: Darrow Bridge has been barricaded by the Department of Transportation. No one can cross. A high black metal iron fence has been erected on all four sides. It appears that the fence will remain in place until Darrow Bridge is completely rebuilt, which could be several years away. The Bridge has been deemed unsafe.
The Walks start at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday.
Birders meet in the southwest corner of the East Parking Lot. Wooded Island is closed off by a fence while work in being done. Birders walk through Bobolink Meadow and view the eastside of Wooded Island and the East Lagoon.
Please note: The Wednesday morning Walks have been decommissioned. An informal group often meets, but the start time varies and the distance traveled can be curtailed.
Metered parking is available in the East Parking Lot that is accessible from South Lake Shore Drive at 57th Street (labeled Science Drive on a small blue street sign). There is a Stop Light at 57th Street. Make a turn at the Stop Light towards the Museum. Turn Left (south) at the intersection of Science Drive and Columbia Drive. Go through the parking lot to the west end.
Parking and Lots: While restoration is ongoing, heavy equipment has taken over half of the east parking lot, off of South Lake Shore Drive, and half of the southwest parking lot which has an entrance off of Hayes Drive (63rd St.) and just east of Cornell Drive. Birders will be able to find metered parking in both lots. The East Parking Lot is preferred. There is also unmetered parking along Stony Island Avenue from 56th to 59th Street.
Best of Birding to All,
Patricia Durkin