June 8 was a beautiful morning with great light and good temperatures for a bird walk at Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve.
Acadian Flycatcher.
Photo by John Denice
The group led by John Denice and Joe Coleman had a Blue Grosbeak in the parking lot that boded well for the rest of the walk. The group walked north of the lot and saw Indigo Buntings, Common Yellow Throats and an Orchard Oriole in the fields. It was an uncommonly good day for Orchard Orioles with five being seen or heard. After we turned the corner and left the road we had a nice look at a Yellow Breasted Chat. A little further down we got a good look at a White-eyed Vireo. Walking along Goose Creek, we saw two Northern Rough-winged Swallows swooping and saw one perched. We also got to see a perched Bald Eagle. Cutting back to the Arrowhead Ridge we all got to hear a Scarlet Tanager, and a few people got to see it. We also had Acadian Flycatchers and Eastern Wood-Pewees. The walk back up the Goose Creek Trail yielded Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, numerous Tree Swallows and Eastern Bluebirds. As we neared the Visitor Center, we got a nice look at a Cedar Waxwing and another Orchard Oriole. We also heard a House Wren and Field Sparrows. While we tallied our list of birds, we got a Great Crested Flycatcher, another Prairie Warbler and a Ruby Throated Hummingbird. It was a great day. We got back to the Visitor Center before 11:00 and had found a total of 44 species (see list below).
The group led by Jane Yocom and Dori Rhodes headed out the driveway around the David McCarthy meadow. The group had great looks at an Indigo Bunting posing for atop one of the Red Cedars. Cedar Waxwings were in the stand of trees by the Visitor Center. It’s always hard to keep moving along the driveway as birds keep appearing and sitting on the wires. We went down the Goose Creek Trail and watched the Tree Swallows and Eastern Bluebirds flying around the boxes. All along the way a Yellow-breasted Chat seemed to laugh at us from the shrubs but never showing us his location. Returning along Carter Luck Trail yielded lots of singing Acadian Flycatchers, Common Yellowthroats and Red-eyed Vireos. We had a number of glimpses at them and also heard a Warbling Vireo. Our highlight was finding a pair of Cedar Waxwings going in and out of a nest with food right by the parking lot as we were waiting for the other group to return. Our group found a total of 42 species (see list below).
John and Joe’s Group
Mourning Dove – 3
Yellow Billed Cuckoo – 1
Ruby Throated Hummingbird – 2
Black Vulture – 1
Turkey Vulture – 4
Bald Eagle – 1
Red Shouldered Hawk – 2
Downey Woodpecker – 1
Pileated Woodpecker – 1
Eastern Wood-Pewee – 5
Acadian flycatcher – 6
Great Crested flycatcher – 1
White-eyed Vireo – 2
Warbling Vireo – 1
Red-eyed Vireo – 3
American Crow – 3
Fish Crow – 2
Common Raven – 1
Carolina Chickadee – 4
Tree Swallow – 5
Northern Rough-winged Swallow – 2
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher – 8
House Wren – 1
Carolina Wren – 5
Brown Thrasher – 1
Northern Mockingbird – 2
Eastern Bluebird – 9
Cedar Waxwing – 2
House Finch – 3
American Goldfinch – 6
Chipping Sparrow – 2
Field Sparrow – 2
Eastern Towhee – 1
Yellow Breasted Chat – 1
Orchard Oriole – 5
Red-winged Blackbird – 1
Brown-headed Cowbird – 1
Common Yellowthroat – 6
Prairie Warbler – 4
Scarlet Tanager – 2
Northern Cardinal – 7
Blue Grosbeak – 1
Indigo Bunting – 8
Jane and Dori’s Group
3 Mourning Dove
3 Chimney Swift
1 Ruby-throated Hummingbird
2 Great Blue Heron
3 Black Vulture
5 Turkey Vulture
1 Bald Eagle
1 Red-shouldered Hawk
1 Red-tailed Hawk
1 Belted Kingfisher
3 Red-bellied Woodpecker
3 Downy Woodpecker
1 Pileated Woodpecker
2 Eastern Wood-Pewee
4 Acadian Flycatcher
1 Great Crested Flycatcher
1 White-eyed Vireo
1 Warbling Vireo
4 Red-eyed Vireo
2 American Crow
4 Fish Crow
4 Carolina Chickadee
3 Tufted Titmouse
6 Tree Swallow
8 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
2 House Wren
3 Carolina Wren
2 Gray Catbird
3 Northern Mockingbird
4 Eastern Bluebird
8 Cedar Waxwing
4 House Finch
5 American Goldfinch
5 Field Sparrow
2 Eastern Towhee
3 Yellow-breasted Chat
1 Orchard Oriole
1 Common Grackle
6 Common Yellowthroat
1 Prairie Warbler
12 Northern Cardinal
4 Indigo Bunting