Between the raindrops and then at the end of my work shift to the tune of "Raindrops Keep falling on my head” (hat tip to composer Hal David who passed this week), I had some nice moments.
This morning, with a few minutes here and there, I saw a few good warblers. At the bottom of the slope path meeting Center Drive, in the left woods corner, deep inside among leaf clutter and limbs, a WORM-EATING WARBLER stayed in view for a few minutes. While OVENBIRD, MAGNOLIA and COMMON YELLOWTHROAT mingled close to me, my eyes fixated instead on the Worm-eating, the best view I had this season of this bird. Up the path, later on, when I stopped to check the Falkill Falls site, a gorgeous and fine looking LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH flew in and landed on a boulder next to the falls, staying awhile, doing its usual tail bobbing: A great looking bird, quite clean looking, and with a bright white supercilium. Later, I found another LOWA in the Peninsula, a different bird. NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH did showed today, on the creek below Esdale Bridge.
During an afternoon check of the woods at southwest Quaker Cemetery, an empidonax landed on the cemetery fence, and it was good seeing in the soft light, a YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHER in close view. Nice pickup for that sighting .
But it was after work, as raindrops came down that I experienced the beauty of fall migration without the need for a rare bird pursuit. Before entering the Falkill falls area, a flash of blue and an INDIGO BUNTING male, molting, flew out within the wildflower meadow adjacent the Upper Pool, ;then a female joined in, in all soothing buffy brown, very pretty for a fall bird, one species I find enjoyable to watch , both INBU perched in the Red Maple.
The triangle of Nethermead came alive with a few bird species, nevertheless much appreciated for me to see "rain-proof” bird action under falling raindrops. Two twins of trees combined at the east and west triangle points had AMERICAN REDSTARTS, close to ten and NORTHERN PARULAs, 4 on the same dead branch of the stressed Sugar Maple, the Parulas surrounding & picking at a spider web among the twigs, amazing watching that collective. It was back and forth action to the neighborly Black Walnut as I watched for over an hour. A YELLOW WARBLER, with the accompaniment of redstarts in this young sugar maple tree, joined in ; As I watched the warbler action, I caught sight of a flyover COMMON NIGHTHAWK. Oh, I forgot to add seen in those trees as well, WARBLING VIREO and BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER joining in the fun. Finally my umbrella going up in response to heavier drops,departing for home, made my after work birding a great afternoon and surprising experience.
Prospect Park, Kings, US-NY Sep 4, 2012 Protocol: Incidental 34 species
Canada Goose 24
Mute Swan 6
Wood Duck 5
Mallard X
Mourning Dove X
Common Nighthawk 1
Chimney Swift 100
Downy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 2
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher 1
Warbling Vireo 1
Blue Jay 2
Barn Swallow 25
House Wren 1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 1
Veery 1
American Robin X
Gray Catbird X
Northern Mockingbird 1
European Starling X
Ovenbird 2
Worm-eating Warbler 1
Northern Waterthrush 1
Black-and-white Warbler 2
Common Yellowthroat 3
American Redstart 12
Northern Parula 7
Magnolia Warbler 1
Yellow Warbler 1
Northern Cardinal 3
Indigo Bunting 2
Common Grackle 2
Brown-headed Cowbird 5
House Sparrow X
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)
