Weekend Birding 30th April - 1st May 2011

White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis)

Saturday 30^th April – this last April morning was most beautiful with green buds sprouting on the trees and bushes with the sun shining in glorious blue skies.

After being under the weather for about a week, it was most rejuvenating to be outside under such perfect conditions.

12 enthusiastic birders and photographers started the morning excursion at Petrie Island.  Not too many warblers yet. But, Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warblers were abundant.

Yellow-rumped Warbler (Dendroica coronata) - Myrtle

The highlight of the day was a self-spotted lifer, a Northern Water Thrush.

At the end of the excursion we had the total of 62 species.

1. American Black Duck
2. American Crow
3. American Goldfinch
4. American Robin
5. American Wigeon
6. American Kestrel
7. Baltimore Oriole
8. Barn Swallow
9. Belted Kingfisher
10. Black-capped Chickadee
11. Blue Jay
12. Brown Creeper
13. Brown Thrasher
14. Brown-headed Cowbird
15. Bufflehead
16. Canada Goose        
17. Chipping Sparrow
18. Common Grackle
19. Common Merganser
20. Common Raven
21. Double-crested Cormorant
22. Downy Woodpecker
23. Eastern Meadowlark
24. European Starling
25. Gadwall
26. Great Blue Heron
27. Green-winged Teal
28. Grey Catbird
29. Hairy Woodpecker
30. Hermit Thrush
31. House Finch
32. House Sparrow
33. Killdeer
34. Mallard
35. Mourning Dove
36. Northern Cardinal
37. Northern Flicker
38. Northern Harrier
39. Northern Pintail
40. Northern Waterthrush
41. Osprey
42. Palm Warbler
43. Pied-billed Grebe
44. Pileated Woodpecker
45. Red-tailed Hawk
46. Red-winged Blackbird
47. Ring-billed Gull
48. Ring-necked Duck
49. Rock Pigeon
50. Ruby-crowned Kinglet
51. Rusty Blackbird
52. Snow Goose
53. Song Sparrow
54. Spotted Sandpiper
55. Swamp Sparrow
56. Tree Swallow
57. Turkey Vulture
58. White-breasted Nuthatch
59. Wilson's Snipe
60. Wood Duck
61. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
62. Yellow-rumped Warbler

Sunday the 1^st May – Spring has definitely arrived with the great weather continuing from yesterday.  

12 energized birders and photographers started the morning excursion at Andrew Haydon Park.

Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)

Later in the morning we moved over to Shirley’s Bay where we had a flock of Canada Geese flying overhead that included a Cackling Goose and a Greater Snow Goose.

3 Canada Geese, a Cackling Goose, a Greater Snow Goose, 3 Canada Geese

Other interesting new birds for the season were Horned Grebe, Purple Martin and Chimney Swift.

Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Regulus calendula) Photo courtesy of Helena G.

Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius) Photo courtesy of Helena G.

We ended up with a day list of 56 species:

1. American Crow
2. American Goldfinch
3. American Robin
4. American Tree Sparrow
5. American Wigeon
6. Barrow's Goldeneye
7. Black-capped Chickadee
8. Blue Jay
9. Brown Creeper
10. Brown Thrasher
11. Brown-headed Cowbird
12. Bufflehead
13. Cackling Goose
14. Canada Goose        
15. Chimney Swift
16. Chipping Sparrow
17. Common Goldeneye
18. Common Grackle
19. Common Merganser
20. Common Raven
21. Dark-eyed Junco
22. Double-crested Cormorant
23. Downy Woodpecker
24. European Starling
25. Great Blue Heron
26. Hairy Woodpecker
27. Herring Gull
28. Horned Grebe
29. House Sparrow
30. House Wren
31. Killdeer
32. Lesser Scaup
33. Mallard
34. Mourning Dove
35. Northern Cardinal
36. Northern Flicker
37. Northern Waterthrush
38. Osprey
39. Pileated Woodpecker
40. Purple Martin
41. Red-winged Blackbird
42. Ring-billed Gull
43. Ring-necked Duck
44. Rock Pigeon
45. Rough-winged Swallow
46. Ruby-crowned Kinglet
47. Rusty Blackbird
48. Snow Goose
49. Song Sparrow
50. Spotted Sandpiper
51. Tree Swallow
52. White-breasted Nuthatch
53. White-throated Sparrow
54. Wood Duck
55. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
56. Yellow-rumped Warbler

Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)

White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis)

Excursion organized by Tony Beck - Always An Adventure