A Late Spring Bird Walk

Jun 4, 2013 by Stephanie

It was another lovely bird walk in Glen Providence Park, led by cousins Al Guarente and Nick Crocetto of the Birding Club of Delaware County!  At least 15 people, novice and experienced birders alike, joined us on our Sunday morning hike. Despite the heat and humidity, we found 29 bird species, including a new one for our Park Bird List! Just as we were saying good-bye at the end of our walk, a Purple Martin flew over- bringing our species count to 101.  It’s a good thing Al and Nick were there to identify it!

We watched an Eastern Phoebe around the pond and frequently heard the comical call of the Eastern Wood Pewee. We had a nice view of the evasive Eastern Towhee, which is one of the species in Scroggie Valley that T. Chalkley Palmer wrote about in 1889. The towhee was then called the Chewink after one of the sounds it makes- it is nice to think about the continuity through the centuries of wildlife in the park!

In addition to the bird species listed below, other wildlife we saw or heard included Green frog, Painted turtle, Red-eared sliders, Northern water snake, White-tailed deer, and the lovely Ebony Jewelwing damselflies. You can read our complete bird list below!

Thank you so much to everyone who attended, to Tom Bush for entering our sightings on eBird, and of course to Al Guarente and Nick Crocetto for leading our walk- and finding species #101!
 

Late Spring Bird Walk eBird list:
June 2, 2013

Canada Goose -11
Black Vulture – 1
Turkey Vulture – 1
Mourning Dove – 4
Chimney Swift – 2
Red-bellied Woodpecker – 4
Downy Woodpecker -3
Hairy Woodpecker – 1
Northern Flicker – 2
Eastern Wood-Pewee – 2
Eastern Phoebe – 6 (5 adults and 1 juvenile)
Red-eyed Vireo – 3
Blue Jay – 3
American Crow – 2
Fish Crow – 1 (flyover)
Purple Martin – 1 (flyover)
Tufted Titmouse – 2
White-breasted Nuthatch -2 (heard)
House Wren – 3
Carolina Wren – 6
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher – 2 (heard calling)
American Robin – 3
Gray Catbird – 5
European Starling – 1
Eastern Towhee – 4
Song Sparrow – 5
Northern Cardinal – 2
Common Grackle – 1
Baltimore Oriole – 2