Wet Woods - week of May 19

[mr.sharp-photo]

just when we thought we were on the back end of things, yesterday happened.
shame i only had an hour at the Spit.

There was the Swainson's warbler, which i noticed reported on my way out (so i didn't go look). other than that, there were:
Wilson
Yrump
yellow
redstart male and female
canada x 2
common yellowthroat x 2 male x 1 female
black throated green (heard)
black throated blue
chestnut x 3
parula
magnolia

[Pat Hodgson]

I saw a northern parula in there while waiting for the Swainson's - which I did get very well after about an hour and a half.

[Rotarran]

Yeah that was quite a bombshell that Paul Prior discovered.  Unfortunately I was already on my way to Rondeau to see the Prothonotaries and didn't really feel like turning around.  My mind was really set on going there and I'm glad I did, what a beautiful trail the Tulip Trail is and the habitat where the Prothonotaries breed is just stunning.

Anyway, I'm hoping the Swainson's Warbler will be refound today and if so, I will probably go after work.  And if not, well that's life...can't get 'em all.   :wink:

[Henrique Pacheco]

It was hard to notice the birds in the trees while looking for the Swainson's but I did manage a Wilson's warbler and a Northern Waterthrush on the 18th.

[rickeckley]

A cavalry of hard-working, dedicated birders worked to re-find the Swainson's Warbler today from 7:30 to 11, but - at least to my knowledge - had no luck.  It was generally slow today - I guess we're heading down that final spring migration stretch - but I had a few fun birds like:

Grey Cheeked Thrush (at the entrance above the parking lot - going left and around the (usually) big puddle near the concrete slabs
Yellow-Throated Vireo (in the bowl)
Warbling Vireo
Olive-Sided Flycatcher (between the bowl and the centre of the woods on the main path )
Willow Flycatcher (lots of them singing near the south meadow area)
Least Flycatcher
Canada Warbler (one at the entrance above the parking lot heading into the main path and one on the path above the parking lot and heading parallel to Unwin)
Common Yellow-Throat
Black-Throated Blue
Magnolia
Cedar Waxwing

Rick

[nana]

I will add Bay-breasted, Redstart and Black-throated Green to the warbler list today as well as a Lincoln's sparrow, a beautiful hovering Kestrel and a Cooper's hawk.
Lots of action up at the raven nest on the West Portland tower - perhaps the young ones will fledge soon - they are very big and very active.

[mr.sharp-photo]

lots of Wilsons today. probably 5. All of them were in the dead end path on the east side of the woods loop. buggers were buried deep but singing a lot.

also saw a # of female chestnut-sided warblers.

1 hr of very quiet AM birding.

edit: also saw a thrasher

[mr.sharp-photo]

strange morning.
not a lot of audio.
not a lot of movement in the regular spots.
i went to the corner where i saw the wilsons and watched patiently.
yep, a # of warblers, deep in the thickets, silently eating.
saw 2 wilsons, 2 female chestnut-sided, one magnolia, one warbler that i have no idea what it was, and one female redstart.
lots and lots of yellows, obviously.
on my way out, i saw two veery.

but the NW wind probably resulted in it being relatively quiet. so who knows how much of a push is left.

[Kris Ito]

I didn't reach the woods until almost lunch today and it was quiet at first, but by 2 pm the temperature shot up and the birds finally came out. As I was leaving at 3 pm I found myself wondering how much better the next few hours may have been. With todays west wind most of the birds I found were on the east side of the wood where it was quite sheltered and there were lovely clouds of midges. A few highlights:

Canada
Mourning (singing loudly from deep in the rocks & dogwood)
Blackburnian - male & female together
Black-throated Green
Tennessee x3
Redstart x 4
Parula
Chestnut x2
Magnolia x7
Lincolns x4
Savannah
Chimney Swift - a huge flock of at least 50 flying high over the west fields