Golden-crowned Kinglet.
Photo by Bryan Henson
It seems fall has arrived and with it chilly weather on October 15. The monthly walk at Bles Park held on the third Sunday of the month attracted 17 birders. We spent some time close to the parking lot and along the cattails near the soccer fields. We found all three mimic species: Northern Mockingbird, Brown Thrasher and Gray Catbirds. We also found a bunch of sparrows (Song, Swamp, Field and Chipping) along with Tennessee Warblers and a Palm Warbler.
A few kinglets appeared early in the walk. Little did we know that the day was going to have kinglets galore. Throughout the rest of the walk, we saw good numbers of both Ruby-crowned Kinglets and Golden-crowned Kinglets. Between the two species, we found more than 50 individuals! Yellow-rumped Warblers were also seen in good numbers. However, we didn’t just find the tiny birds, we also found some big ones: a couple of Bald Eagles and a late Osprey circling the marsh. By the end of the walk, we totaled 55 species with a very uncommon Dickcissel seen very briefly.
Photo by Allison Gallo