Weed Walk Diary – April 2006
April 5 – VESTAL – On a cold, blustery day we totalled 42 species, seeing Wood Ducks, Gadwalls, Green-winged Teals, Buffleheads, Hooded/C.Mergansers, DC Cormorants, B.Kingfishers and Tree Swallows on the river. Also Gr.Blue Heron, Am.Kestrels, Killdeer and N.Flicker, then Pileated Woodpecker and Cedar Waxwings at Nuthatch Hollow. Carolina Wrens, E.Bluebird and White-throated Sparrows added to our list.
April 12 – WHITNEY POINT LAKE – Here we had 8 new species for the season including Blue-winged Teals, Greater Yellowlegs, YB Sapsucker, Ruby-crowned Kinglet and E.Towhee, an E.Meadowlark on Carigan Rd. and an Osprey and Virginia Rails at Boland Pond. Other choice sightings of Turkey Vulture, Pied-bill Grebe and E.Phoebes gave us a total of 45 species. We got a close look at a Green Darner dragonfly at Upper Lisle.
April 19 – CHENANGO VALLEY STATE PARK – A stop at Boland Pond afforded us a stunning look at a Virginia Rail. Then on to the Park where we saw Wood Ducks perched in a tree, an adult Bald Eagle, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Brown Creepers and Pine Warblers, also a Spring Azure butterfly and Bloodroot in bloom. At our final stop at Spring Forest Cemetery we had just spotted our 40th specie – the female Merlin in the favored “perching tree” when the male Merlin flew in and mating occurred! Timing is everything in a birder’s world.
April 26 – JONES PARK – We found the La.Waterthrushes had returned as had Blue-headed Vireos, Hermit Thrushes, Field Sparrows and Purple Finches, along with others. Much Dwarf Ginseng and Spring Beauty was blooming. Short stops at Aqua-Terra gave us Brown Thrasher, E.Towhee and at River Rd. we added Osprey plus a mixed flock of Tree, Barn, N.Rough-winged and Bank Swallows for a total of 50 species.
Weed Walk Diary is provided by members of the Naturalists’ Club of Broome County. This Weed Walk Diary was written by Marie Petuh. For information on the Naturalists Club, write P.O. Box 191, Vestal, N.Y. 13850.
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