Early Hooded Warbler at Tifft
Published: April 20, 2014
Tags: Parks and Preserves, Hooded Warbler, Belted Kingfisher, Tree Swallow, American Wigeon, Blue-winged Teal, Great Blue Heron, Northern Shoveler, Song Sparrow, Brown-headed Cowbird, Double-crested Cormorant
I only had a little time for birding before I had to start Easter preparations on Saturday and I thought I'd spend it at Tifft Nature Preserve. Joe Fell found a Hooded Warbler there a few days ago and I was hoping the beautiful male was still around. The early migrant was there, quite visible, and still hanging out with a Winter Wren.
This warbler was found a full ten days earlier than what the BOS (Buffalo Ornithological Society) Date Guide considers to be within normal date range. (To see an electronic version of the date guide plus other taxonomy details, search for the Hooded Warbler - or any other bird - here:
Bird Search).
After spending some nice time admiring the warbler, I checked out a little more of the preserve and found the Tree Swallows a little more photogenic than usual. A Belted Kingfisher caught her breakfast in the early morning light and ate it in front of me. Some other sightings were: Blue-winged Teal, Great Blue Heron, Northern Shoveler, Bufflehead, Pied-billed Grebe, Cooper's Hawk, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Rough-winged Swallow, Brown Creeper, Swamp Sparrow, Brown-headed Cowbird, Purple Finch, and more...