I didn't see any grosbeak at West Wood, but instead saw two cherished birds. From the fence line a pair of INDIGO BUNTINGS flew away, perched momentarily on a young plant. Along with the bright blue male ,even the drab female is a pretty one to look at.And farther in, another bird perched,this time a great looking FIELD SPARROW.Next stop: Ambergill Pool.
As I mentioned in a previous post, the Ambergill bird pool is a great afternoon spot to watch birds seek the water for drink and bathing. And this afternoon wasn't one to disappoint.Kathy Toomey was already there and I joined her. Together we watched great moments . With several common warblers, suddenly out of nowhere, 13 CEDAR WAXWINGS appeared. Perched warily in the Gray Dogwood, they came down and at one point , a tight cluster of 7 bathe together;simply a gorgeous species to enjoy,one of my top favorite species. Joining them, another terrific colorful bird ,a first year male ORCHARD ORIOLE -with its prominent black beard- landed a little bit farther among sprouting lizard tail plants. Eventually WARBLING VIREO ,NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH and a bright looking NORTHERN PARULA WARBLER also sought the water.
The rest of my walk home was uneventful. I ran into Tripper and Simon who reported a PRAIRIE WARBLER,MAGNOLIA WARBLER with some other birds in an oak along the road before the Maryland Monument.
Kathy by the way mentioned in her bird report YELLOW THROATED VIREO.This bird stayed high in the trees above the Ambergill.
Russ Alderson texted me later of seeing WILSONS WARBLER in the morning.
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S29576775
Russ Alderson texted me later of seeing WILSONS WARBLER in the morning.
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S29576775
