Season Firsts at Birdsong
Published: March 30, 2013
Tags: Parks and Preserves, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Pileated Woodpecker, Tree Swallow, Northern Cardinal, Mallard, Song Sparrow
After spending several, long hours in the kitchen preparing some of our favorite Easter dishes, I headed over to Birdsong for a quick hike and some fresh air. The late afternoon sun was still warm and this hike was much more pleasant than last weekend's hike when I found the
Hermit Thrush.
There were no lifers for me today, but I DID see a couple of firsts of the season: a Golden-crowned Kinglet and 2 Tree Swallows. The Tree Swallows were very high in the air - and it took a couple of fly-overs and sightings for me to finally identify them. I guess it's been too long - and how soon I forget!
I stopped and enjoyed a Song Sparrow and soon tuned-in to the drumming of a woodpecker. It seemed deeper than usual and I wondered if it could be a Pileated. Sure enough, as I was leaving the park, I saw a female Pileated working hard up in a tree. The photo below shows all the excavation she's doing. Maybe she'll nest there this spring. I'll be sure to check back for babies in a few weeks!
A nesting Pileated, Tree Swallows, and a Golden-crowned Kinglet: spring must be on its way!
Pileated Woodpecker (female)
Pileated Woodpecker (female)
Pileated Woodpecker (female)
Check out all the work she's been doing at the top right of the photo.
This guy, along with 3 other males, were singing their hearts out!
American Robin - because they're so common, sometimes I overlook these guys, but they really are beautiful singers.
A Tree Swallow - my first of the year
Red-winged Blackbird
Downy Woodpecker (male)
Two male Mallards