Yellow-crowned Night Heron and More!

On a very cloudy Wednesday April 27 we walked Luria Park to see if any spring migrating birds had arrived. The first bird we found was the Yellow-crowned Night Heron who we have seen in the park in spring for the past two years. It was so satisfying to see he had returned. We spotted him standing so still watching the water for his dinner. He was in the creek that runs under the boardwalk on the Raymondale side.

We stood on the main bridge by Luria Park and saw a nice sized flock of about 20 Yellow-rumped Warblers in the Pin Oak and flying around the Poison Ivy vines. They were wearing their bright breeding plumage.

And farther down the creek across the place where there are fresh tree plantings, we saw two birds flitting on the branches of a Sweet Gum tree. They were quite far away but with binoculars we saw the distinctive black and orange plumage and the highly active movements of the American Redstart. They move so much and the light wasn't great, that getting a decent photo proved difficult. But here is one of the birds.

The Baltimore Oriole has the same colors but it is a larger bird and the orange is much larger on the black.

Along the trail closer to Fairview Park we saw an active Grey Catbird foraging in the leaf litter for insects.

Spring is in full swing with these insect eating birds now back in our area. These birds do breed here so maybe we'll see the youngsters later on!

Wednesday Morning Luria Park Birding

I took advantage of the crisp blue sky, sun, and cool air this morning and walked into Luria Park hoping to catch a glimpse of the resident Red-headed Woodpeckers. The morning did not disappoint.

After hearing the short loud calls and quick hard drumming, I spied the Red-headed Woodpecker near the Raymondale entrance to Luria Park, to the far left of the kiosk high on a tree snag. He drummed a lot and remained in the same place for quite a while. He was pretty far away and high up so the photos aren't that great but you see the distinctive red head, white belly and black and white striped back.

In addition to the Red-headed Woodpecker, I saw a first for me in Luria Park: the Field Sparrow.

This pink beaked little fellow has a distinctive bouncing ball like song. He also has a wide rusty cap and narrow white eye ring.

It was a sparrow morning as I also saw a White-throated Sparrow poking around the muddy stream bank.

These nifty sparrows will soon be heading out of our area to breed northward.

In the bushes along the edge of the park, a Song Sparrow was vigorously singing.

Note the distinctive triangular black dots beneath the beak.

Luria Park was filled with song this morning. Red-winged Blackbirds, Blue Jays, and Northern Cardinals sang and sang.

The male Northern Cardinal will sing to attract a mate or to warn off intruders into his territory.

One the way back to Raymondale I saw a hole in a tree where a couple of years ago we saw Hairy Woodpeckers nesting. This time a White-breasted Nuthatch had taken up residence.

And high up a pair of Red-shouldered Hawks circled and called. Here is one of the two:

Spring is in full swing in our little corner of the world. More and more birds will be migrating through so take a look!

White Throated Sparrow: Winter and Spring

You may know that birds, especially male birds, have two kinds of plumage: breeding and non-breeding. The most obvious example in our yards is the American Goldfinch male which sports olive drab plumage in the winter and lemony yellow plumage in spring and summer. This change to the brighter breeding plumage occurs with molting when the bird sheds his winter feathers and new brighter feathers grow in place. During this transition the bird can look really mangy.

The same is true for one of our winter birds, the White Throated Sparrow. This bird with distinctive yellow dots above the beak spends winter in our area and then migrates northward to breed. By the end of May most of these birds have left our area. But before they migrate, the males transform into their breeding plumage so by the time they reach the breeding/nesting areas they are ready to attract a mate.

Here is the White Throated Sparrow on our deck in January during the big snowfall:

He looks cold and miserable and his feathers aren't too dazzling.

Here is a White Throated Sparrow at our thistle seed feeder on April 13th:

You can really see the feathers on his head are brighter and more defined.  And his white throat is much whiter.
So nice that this northern breeding sparrow let us see his fancy feathers before taking his leave!

Summer Bird: Chipping Sparrow

Today and for the past two weeks we have observed small flocks of Chipping Sparrows in our yard. This fine fellow was puffed against them morning chill in our backyard today.

These small size sparrows do not winter in our area preferring the warmer winter climes of Florida and southward. They do breed in our area and are considered a common sparrow. Just look at this beautiful little sparrow that measures an inch smaller than the really common House Sparrow. The Chipping Sparrow has a bright rufous cap and bold black eye stripe. You will usually find them foraging on your lawn for seeds and insects. So look out for this nice wee bird and welcome spring!