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!