Hello everyone,
The write-up below is from Cheryl. As you’ll see, I was otherwise occupied and missed the bird walk, but for a good reason! The kitty is a super sweet cat and is doing very well under Renate and Doug’s good care.
What a strange, unusual but exciting morning we had. We were initially greeted at the walk by Luther and fellow visiting birder Sam, with a friendly young cat walking with them. Apparently the poor thing had been following them for quite some time and showed no inclination of leaving the walk. As more birders arrived, she made it her mission to greet everyone. Jennie and Mike came to the rescue and got her into a carrier and a safe space. She was very hungry and liked Fancy Feast far more than Cheryl’s vegan jerky. She is currently being fostered by another group regular, Renate and will be cared for by Hyde Park Cats. Not a bird, but still an unusual sighting!
The raptors ruled the rest of the walk. Red-tailed Hawks, a Red shouldered Hawk, a Peregrine Falcon and a Cooper’s Hawk were all present and extremely active. The group observed them multiple times in multiple locations and even saw them together in the air and in a tree. Needless to say, the raptor activity kept the smaller birds hiding. While we still had plenty of Great Blue Herons and Egrets, it seems like our Japanese garden resident Black-crowned, Osaka is really gone. We have not seen him/her in 2 weeks. We wish it well on the journey to warmer weather.
The group once again performed a public service outside of the Japanese Garden. Someone had written multiple negative things that they wished to be free from on a ceramic plate and shattered it on the sidewalk. Not sure if the violent act freed the individual from the bad energy as they left the mess behind. The Wooded Island Bird Walk rallied to create positive energy by cleaning all of the fragments up. Thanks to all who helped.
BIRDERS: Cheryl, Laura, Seth, Katie, Ryan, Robert, Simone, Val, Maggie, Luther, Mark C., Sam, Marisa, Lex, Lily, Tally, Jan, Caterina, Lucy, Paul, Gary, Roger, Eric, Candide, Rachel, Jill, Pat, Renate, Debbie.
TIME: 8:00am to Noon
WEATHER: 60s to 70s, sunny
Compiler: Cheryl
Photographers: Marisa, Eric, Paul
Canada Goose Number observed: 105
Wood Duck Number observed: 33
Mallard Number observed: 6
Chimney Swift Number observed: 5
Ring-billed Gull Number observed: 8
Herring Gull Number observed: 1
Double-crested Cormorant Number observed: 7
Great Egret Number observed: 2
Great Blue Heron Number observed: 6
Cooper's Hawk Number observed: 1
Red-shouldered Hawk Number observed: 1
Red-tailed Hawk Number observed: 2
Belted Kingfisher Number observed: 2
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Number observed: 2
Red-bellied Woodpecker Number observed: 1
Downy Woodpecker Number observed: 4
Northern Flicker Number observed: 2
Peregrine Falcon Number observed: 1
Blue Jay Number observed: 1
American Crow Number observed: 6
Black-capped Chickadee Number observed: 11
Ruby-crowned Kinglet Number observed: 7
Golden-crowned Kinglet Number observed: 5
Brown Creeper Number observed: 5
European Starling Number observed: 38
Gray Catbird Number observed: 3
Hermit Thrush Number observed: 1
American Robin Number observed: 8
House Sparrow Number observed: 1
House Finch Number observed: 3
American Goldfinch Number observed: 14
Dark-eyed Junco Number observed: 3
White-crowned Sparrow Number observed: 3
White-throated Sparrow Number observed: 12
Song Sparrow Number observed: 1
Northern Waterthrush Number observed: 1
Tennessee Warbler Number observed: 1
Nashville Warbler Number observed: 2
Yellow-rumped Warbler Number observed: 9
Black-throated Green Warbler Number observed: 1
Northern Cardinal Number observed: 3
If you’d like more information about a bird, check out the All About Birds ID guide:
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/
Corrections, additions and comments are welcome.
Good birding everyone,
Jennie