Monday, November 19, 2007

Places Where There Were Birds

Holly and I visited Crooked Run Nature Preserve this weekend. It is our usual Sunday morning excursion, at least in the fall and winter. While it started out slow, it turned out to be a pretty good walk.Of course, I have little photographic proof, so you will just have to believe me that these photos are of places where we saw and/or heard birds today.This part of the outer loop trail, where it joins the gravel road, may not look like much, but it was the birdiest place of the day. Along this short section of trail, we had 4 woodpecker species (3 Downies, 1 Red-bellied Woodpecker, 1 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, and at least 4 very active and very vocal Northern Flickers), chickadees, titmice, White-breasted Nuthatch, many cardinals, Blue Jays, a Great Blue Heron flying off the estuary (right of the photo), White-throated Sparrows, and an unconfirmed Fox Sparrow, along the road's edge.There were 4 flickers, a White-throated Sparrow, a cardinal, and a Northern Mockingbird in this one tree.
A Belted Kingfisher flew across the estuary right here, just before I snapped this picture.
One of three bird blinds along the estuary. There was a Great Blue Heron and a Belted Kingfisher here. Honest.
Old birds' nests. There were birds here last season.
There were no birds here, I just liked the color of this little tree/bush.
Here is an actual bird, one I heard before I saw it.
And here is the enlarged photo. Does anything sound worse than the croaking call of a Great Blue Heron?

Trip List:

Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Red-tailed Hawk
Great Blue Heron
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Northern Flicker
Northern Cardinal
Northern Mockingbird
Carolina Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Blue Jay
Cedar Waxwings
Eastern Towhee
White-throated Sparrow
Fox Sparrow (I'm pretty sure, but it flew away too quickly)



11 comments:

Lisa at Greenbow said...

Souonds like fun and a great place to bird.

KGMom said...

Lucky Holly to get to go along with you on your walk.
Nothing like a Sunday walk to invigorate the body and mind.

Kathy said...

Nice list of birds to see, a relaxing way to spend the day after the great battle of the football teams! Is Holly continuing to do better with her allergies?

donaldthebirder said...

I was also there Sunday, but a little latter in the day ~1pm. Missed the Sapsucker and Fox Sparrow. I did see White-crowned, Swamp Sparrows, 1 Song Sparrow, a Double-crested Cormorant on the river, RB Gulls, and a Yellow-rumped Warbler as well.

nina at Nature Remains. said...

I liked this series of photos. For the most part, we know what the bird looks like--what we don't know is the surroundings.
By telling us what you saw there, the story is complete.

Anonymous said...

It's a good thing we trust you. Otherwise, the long list of birds and few photographs might make us skeptical.

What a fun day it must have been for you and Holly. Thanks for sharing it.

Susan Gets Native said...

Yeah, Kathi. Whatever.
If you need to tell us you saw birds, if it helps you sleep at night....

: )

Marvin said...

What a great collection of flewjay photos!

But seriously, Crooked Run looks like a great place for birding.

Kathi said...

Kathy: Thanks for asking, Holly's allergy season finally is over. She is no longer scratching, is off all her meds, and her hair has all come back. We're good until next Sept. now.

Donald: I'm surprised you and I don't run into each other when we bird. I often note that you have been to the same places I have, either before or after me.

Marvin: Welcome to the blog! I don't remember seeing you before. Crooked Run is the greatest hidden gem - a tiny place (77 acres) with a bird list of over 200 species. We had a Green Heron here last winter that stayed around until sometime in Jan, '07. I have picked up a several Lifers at Crooked Run.

~Kathi, hoping for a big income tax refund next year, so she can buy a better camera with a huge lens and start taking actual bird photos

Kathy said...

I'm glad Holly is better and doesn't have to be on medications now. That is great news!

Mary said...

Yes, they do croak but a GBH in flight is something to behold!

Your dedication to "getting out" and making your lists motivates me to get off my butt and *make* time to do the same.

Great photos, Katdoc. I enjoy water shots. Beautiful.