Hello everyone,

It was a lovely fall morning but the presence of large flocks of Dark-eyed Juncos tells us that winter is on the way. However, according to the wooly bear caterpillar that we saw, it will be a mild one. The caterpillar had a large brown section and very short black sections, and wooly bears are always correct, of course.

We had plenty of White-throated Sparrows and American Goldfinches too, plus lots of beautiful bird calls filled the air. A Merlin perched in a tree and our photographers got some great shots.

We spotted a Cooper’s Hawk on the lawn outside the Japanese Garden and it was holding down some prey. We couldn’t tell what kind of bird met its demise by the hawk and we didn’t really want to know, but it was interesting to see the hawk up close and witness nature in action.

The highlight of the day was the two adult Bald Eagles who were perched in the dead tree by the Darrow Bridge. They looked spectacular in the sunlight. We later had a juvenile Bald Eagle fly over the group, making it a three eagle day, a rare occurrence for us.

BIRDERS: Mark W., Marian, Jennie, Mike, Mark C., Suzanne, Roger, Cheryl, Gary, Leslie, Kristin, Eric, Caterina, Jeff, Luther, Kevin, Howard, Paul W., Robert, Simone, Traci, Katie, Sara, Jane, Domonique, Jan, Bruce, Marisa, Tracy, Pam, Renate and welcome to Angela, Hillary, Caroline, Sunil and Paula.

TIME: 8:00am to 12:15pm

WEATHER: Low 60s, sunny

Compiler: Cheryl

1. Canada Goose   Number observed: 92

2. Wood Duck   Number observed: 35

3. Mallard   Number observed: 20

4. Ring-billed Gull   Number observed: 22

5. American Herring Gull   Number observed: 1

6. Double-crested Cormorant   Number observed: 2

7. Black-crowned Night Heron   Number observed: 1

8. Great Egret   Number observed: 2

9. Great Blue Heron   Number observed: 6

10. Cooper's Hawk   Number observed: 1

11. Bald Eagle   Number observed: 3

12. Belted Kingfisher   Number observed: 2

13. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker   Number observed: 2

14. Downy Woodpecker   Number observed: 3

15. Hairy Woodpecker   Number observed: 1

16. Northern Flicker   Number observed: 2

17. American Kestrel   Number observed: 1

18. Merlin   Number observed: 2

19. American Crow   Number observed: 29

20. Black-capped Chickadee   Number observed: 17

21. Ruby-crowned Kinglet   Number observed: 1

22. Golden-crowned Kinglet   Number observed: 3

23. White-breasted Nuthatch   Number observed: 4

24. Red-breasted Nuthatch   Number observed: 4

25. Brown Creeper   Number observed: 9

26. Winter Wren   Number observed: 2

27. European Starling   Number observed: 8

28. Gray Catbird   Number observed: 2

29. Gray-cheeked Thrush   Number observed: 2

30. Swainson's Thrush   Number observed: 2

31. Hermit Thrush   Number observed: 2

32. American Robin   Number observed: 4

33. House Sparrow   Number observed: 1

34. House Finch   Number observed: 2

35. American Goldfinch   Number observed: 14

36. Dark-eyed Junco   Number observed: 24

37. White-crowned Sparrow   Number observed: 2

38. White-throated Sparrow   Number observed: 15

39. Song Sparrow   Number observed: 1

40. Swamp Sparrow   Number observed: 1

41. Eastern Towhee   Number observed: 1

42. Mourning Warbler   Number observed: 1

43. Black-throated Blue Warbler   Number observed: 1

44. Palm Warbler   Number observed: 3

45. Yellow-rumped Warbler   Number observed: 18

46. 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

Photo: American goldfinch by Will Stuart