Hermit Thrush.
Photo by John Denice
Fourteen Hermit Thrushes were the highlight of the bird walk on a beautiful, though cold, morning at Sweet Run State Park on November 25. The 16-person group found the thrushes virtually everywhere: near the parking lot, deep in the forest, along Piney Run and on the edge of the meadows. While some were deep in the brush, others were interacting in the open. While sparrow diversity was low, the group did see six of the seven woodpeckers that overwinter in the area, missing only the Red-headed Woodpecker.
A total of 35 species were observed. The list is shown below or can be viewed on eBird at: https://ebird.org/checklist/S155196833. Leaders for the walk were Joe Coleman, Scott Harris, John Denice and Carol Sottili.
Photo by Carol Sottili
Species List:
Mourning Dove 1
Black Vulture 2
Turkey Vulture 5
Red-shouldered Hawk 2
Red-tailed Hawk 2
Belted Kingfisher 1
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 4
Red-bellied Woodpecker 9
Downy Woodpecker 6
Hairy Woodpecker 2
Pileated Woodpecker 6
Northern Flicker 7
Blue Jay 7
American Crow 10
Common Raven 1
Carolina Chickadee 10
Tufted Titmouse 7
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 3
White-breasted Nuthatch 9
Brown Creeper 1 – Not seen by everyone. Heard by Joe.
Winter Wren 1
Carolina Wren 10
European Starling 7
Northern Mockingbird 2
Eastern Bluebird 8
Hermit Thrush 14
American Robin 1
Cedar Waxwing 6
American Goldfinch 16
Dark-eyed Junco 15
White-throated Sparrow 24
Song Sparrow 2
Eastern Towhee 2
Yellow-rumped Warbler 3 – Seen by 3 in the party
Northern Cardinal 9