April Birding
Published: October 24, 2016
Tags: General Observations, warblers, hawks, raptors, kinglets, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Yellow Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, Palm Warbler, Eastern Towhee, Loggerhead Shrike, Broad-winged Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Common Loon, Purple Finch, Brown Creeper, Winter Wren, Eastern Phoebe, Swamp Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Fox Sparrow, Vesper Sparrow, Carolina Wren, Sora, Virginia Rail, Pine Siskin, Northern Mockingbird, Spotted Sandpiper, Red-winged Blackbird, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Northern Waterthrush
The month of April brought many of the long-awaited migrants everyone in WNY was hoping for! We had a Fox Sparrow at our feeders for more than half the month. He seemed content to hang out at our feeders for over two weeks. On a couple of occasions, he was joined by another Fox Sparrow - but otherwise, he shared the feeders with our regulars.
As the month went on, I was happy to see the return of flycatchers, kinglets, creepers, sparrows, wrens, towhees, mockingbirds, the first warblers, sandpipers, Broad-winged Hawks, and so much more. What fun!
This month was also very extraordinary in that Common Loons were being seen everywhere - at all kinds of lakes and ponds - large and small - city and rural. It was a very unusual phenomenon and I don't know if anyone still knows the answer as to why the loons were dropping out of the sky to visit Western New York. One very foggy morning down in Cattaraugus County, I had five on a small lake calling their mournful song. It was like I was in another world and I really wish I could have captured the experience.
A Loggerhead Shrike was found in Ontario County and I made the drive to see that neat find. It was a NYS bird for me and was well worth the drive!
One day late in the month, when the winds seemed to be just right, I conducted my own hawk watch out on my deck. I had many raptors and birds fly overhead: from Canada Geese and Turkey Vultures - to Osprey, Cooper's Hawks, Red-taileds, and a count of 13 Broad-winged Hawks for the couple of hours while I was out there. Some birds came in quite low and I got some pretty awesome views. I will have to remember to do this again next spring!
Eastern Phoebe
Brown Creeper
A singing Swamp Sparrow
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Purple Finch
Pine Siskins continued into April
Fox Sparrow on a snowy day
An Eastern Towhee stopped by the yard
Vesper Sparrow - one of many in the Dunkirk area
Carolina Wren close to home
My first warbler of the season, a Yellow-rumped
Winter Wren
A Sora hiding in the reeds...
...and a Virginia Rail hiding in the reeds too!
Northern Mockingbird
Common Loon
Broad-winged Hawk at my own hawk watch
Spotted Sandpiper
Red-winged Blackbird
Louisiana Waterthrush
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Palm Warbler
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Loggerhead Shrike
Black-and-white Warbler
Northern Waterthrush
White-crowned Sparrow
Yellow Warbler
Cooper's Hawk at my own hawk watch
Pileated Woodpecker