Hunter's Garden again

Went back to Hunter's Garden with Eileen Schwinn again in an attempt to repeat our 'big day' last Thursday. There were fewer birds but just about as many species with warblers once again in full tilt -- not always the same ones as a few days earlier. This list also includes birds seen and heard from the dirt road next to the Bicycle Path on the edge of woodland: Ovenbird; Northern Waterthrush (FOY for me); Blue-winged Warbler (Bicycle Path); Black-and-white Warbler; Common Yellowthroat; American Redstart; Northern Parula; Magnolia Warbler; Blackburnian Warbler; Yellow Warbler; Blackpoll Warbler (FOY); Black-throated Blue Warbler; Pine Warbler; Yellow-rumped Warbler; Prairie Warbler (Bicycle Path); Black-throated Green Warbler.

Nothing really unusual but sixteen warbler species in all.

Also on the day list: Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher, White-breasted Nuthatch, House Wren and Tree Swallow (the last two in the nest boxes at Bicycle Path).  Red-eyed Vireos showed up in numbers; also Eastern Wood-pewee and Hairy Woodpecker (all First of Year birds and local woodland nesters). Chipping Sparrows were everywhere on the dirt road by the Bicycle Path along with a few Savannah Sparrows and a Field Sparrow on territory. A flock of Cedar Waxwings was also a first of the year for me. At the far end of the dirt road, there were two handsome male Indigo Buntings bursting with color as they fed on the ground (see Eileen's photo of one of them).

There were Cooper's Hawks overhead in two different places and at least one of them appeared to have white on the rump. Although this might appear to be unusual, Cooper's show a lot of white on their undertail coverts and can give the impression of having a white rump especially when seen overhead in flight. A bit of a mystery was provided by a dark sparrowy bird with a heavily streaked upper breast and a white eye stripe on a rather largish head; it flew up from the ground a perched at the top of a small cedar. Although it was consorting with sparrows, my opinion is that it was a female Purple Finch.

Eric Salzman