Thursday morning walk

I decided to walk up to the meeting point of the walk this morning.  I thought 25 minutes would be plenty of time, but really I barely made it.  I mean, if we had actually started on time, which we did not.  I still prefer to be early though, so if I'm walking I should remember to leave 40 minutes.

Anyway, walking up to the upper lobe bridge there was a group of waxwings on a tree, but sadly a chain saw started and flushed most of them.  There were still a few there though!

We hung out on the bridge for a little while.  I saw a common yellow throat on the rocks and greenery on big side of lake on road side of bridge, but he hopped back before I could show anyone.

We headed up the mulch path and there was a maggie on the path, posing for us!   :-)


The maggie posed for us over and over in the sun.  Sadly this camera does not do all that well with birds in the sun.  I need to figure this out.  It's incredibly frustrating!

Anyway, I saw a song sparrow on high rock on mulch path - it was moving quickly so I didn't even try to tell  people about it.  I also saw a grosbeak in tree, briefly - at least someone else saw this one, I was starting to feel like they would all start looking at me as the girl who cried bird.  :-)

A couple of blue jays flew in, and someone didn't believe me that they were blue jays.  That was a little annoying, but this guy turned out to be hilarious.  He would spot something, inevitably a robin or blue jay or cardinal.  He wanted so bad for the birds to be something special, when really it was all just robins and blue jays and cardinals!  After about 4 or 5 times it got hilarious and just wanted him to never stop.  :-)

There was a swainson's (they said) thrush in a tree.  I got a good look at it and could tell that it was a thrush, but I still can't much tell them apart.

We started to head over to the maintenance meadow, there was nothing interesting on the way.  Most of the group headed towards the restrooms, I followed the other 2 assistants to the meadow.  When we entered I noticed what I thought was a thrush in the dirt under some trees and told them, it turned out to be an ovenbird.  Then they told me that an ovenbird is not a thrush but a warbler!  I thought it was a kind of thrush.  I also thought thrushes were a subset of warblers.  Looks like I have some more figuring out to do!  I was happy that I finally found a bird that experienced people definitely saw, and enjoyed.  :-)

Today was definitely the day of the maggie - they were everywhere!  There were so many that I even got this sweet picture containing ~two~ maggies!

Later a maggie flew down into the grass, looking exactly like an extremely fancy peep in an easter basket.  It was so cute and funny!

There was also this common yellow throat, who was mostly in the reeds but came out into the grass briefly, not wanting to be outdone by the maggie.  I don't know though, it doesn't really look like a peep in an easter basket to me.  The grass is all wrong, and he's not really nestled in.

Then we headed over to azalea pond where was saw - you guessed it - maggies!  There was also a black and white.

At the gill we saw this cute but nervous swainson's thrush hanging out in the water.  It's definitely keeping its eye on us!

In the trees there we saw a mystery bird, probably a warbling vireo.  I saw it a few times but only quite briefly.  I saw the head once and did see the eyestripe for sure.  Also on the branches there were a few common yellow throats.  I saw one female, one male with a nice mask, and one with just one cheek of mask quite dark, and only on one side.  He looked freaky.

Some of the group saw an oven bird, I did not.  I was on the fringe.

Time to head out.  As I was leaving, by the wood bridge there was a water thrush and another pretty black and white.  I love seeing one last bird (or two) after I decide I'm done!