The day of the magnolia!

Today there were gorgeous magnolia warblers everywhere.  And I mean everywhere!  I really think I saw at least 10.

I started out at the upper lobe, where I started out the day with this beauty.  There was a black and white there as well, but not so much in the mood for photos today.  Weird, usually that one likes the spotlight.  There were some mystery birds there too, obviously.

I hugged the shore until the stream entrance, where I was hoping to catch a robin feeding chicks.  That didn't happen, but this blackpoll came to visit.  I got a great view, this is the first time I've seen the beautiful coloration in the wings and body.  Previously I only saw it briefly or obscured and thought it was all black and white.  He's gorgeous!

Then, cluing me in about what day it was, a magnolia came over to bathe.  It splashed around for quite some time before going to dry off and preen.  I continued hugging the shore and saw the cormorant on his standing rock, just..... you know..... chillin'.

At the spot by Bow Bridge I saw a mystery sparrow.  Didn't get great pictures but I might be able to narrow it down at least.  To the oven!

At the oven there were a couple of magnolias climbing on leafy tendrils of some sort, showing off their acrobatic prowess.

There was also this pretty northern parula, trying to distract me from all of the magnolias!

From there I went towards the point, and went up to Captain's bench.  There was a brief view of a black throated blue, no good photos.

So I went to the rocks off the path on the way back down, and saw the cat again!  It really is a beautiful cat, but it's so weird to see it in the park.  The park guys don't really seem to be very determined to catch it.

Turning around I noticed several bees going into a hole in a tree so I checked it out, and found this beehive!  I wonder if bee-eaters ever come to NY.  If they do, this might be a good spot to find them.

I went out the dirt path to the point, looking for the moorhen.  No joy, I haven't seen it and I've looked several times, nobody has mentioned it...... I think that bird is gone, gone, gone.  Hopefully got back on its way.  I don't know what predators it would have here in the park.  Is the coyote even still around?  I don't know, but I doubt it.

Anyway, I saw some photo-graphers set up so I tore myself away from a magnolia (of course) to check it out. This mourning warbler was there!  It didn't stay long. I found it again briefly and then lost it, I enlisted Stephen to help find it but we both came up empty.  I mean, empty of mourning warblers.  There were still magnolias a-plenty!  And a beautiful Canada, and still common yellow-throats everywhere.

Moving along, I checked out the bathing spot on the point, and saw this grackle feeding its chick.  So funny, the chick is pretty huge!  I saw what I think must have been one of these chicks at the oven, and didn't know what it was.  No iridescence and the eye is dark.

Exited the point and went along the path to the robin's nest, where she had I guess just finished feeding her chicks.  This one chick didn't think the meal should be quite finished yet.  :-)

That's it for the ramble, time to head to the pond!  My foot was starting to hurt, these shoes are not going to be good for long walks.  :-(

I saw the wood duck at the pond, with his Mallard lady love, paddling about as if they didn't have a care in the world.  Which probably means they don't have a duckling in the world.  :-(  I didn't really give up hope until the flew away, and I didn't hear anything from the reeds when I went over there.  I'm so disappointed, I wanted to watch wood duck - mallard hybrids grow up in the pond!  Actually I haven't seen any ducklings here at all.  Maybe the coyote is still around after all.......

This spotted sandpiper was hanging out in the mud flat, never seen a sandpiper here before, it was great!

The geese were on the move.  :-)

A blackpoll warbler came to visit me here too, it was weird, it just hopped down onto the rock really fairly close to me.  It seemed to not notice that I was there at first, then it looked at me, cocked its head, and took off.

There was one night heron hiding across the way in the thick reeds, it was cool to see it back there!

That's all for today.  Home with aching feet and a camera filled to the brim with magnolia pictures!  :-)