I was out of town for two weeks in late September and early October, so I missed most of the last of the warbler migration - or so I thought. But when I got on eBird.org to decide where to go birding over the October 15th weekend, I was surprised at all of the unusual species that had been seen at Schenck forest just two or three days before! Species that were not yet on my Wake County list, such as Philadelphia Vireo (#204 on the frequency list), Tennessee Warbler (#171), Cape May Warbler (#159), Black Throated Green Warbler (#149), Blackpoll Warbler (#148), Hooded Warbler (#122), Magnolia Warbler (#119), Loggerhead Shrike (#109) and Red Breasted Nuthatch (#108). I was pleasantly surprised to see so many species that I needed for my list all identified in one place. So I got up early, arrived at the Schenck Forest by 7:20 AM, and spent more than three hours there hoping to see some new species.
Turns out, though, that the one species I did see from this list was actually the least common of them all! During the first hour, I was on the little access road that leads past the big, mostly leafless tree, past a derelict house and onward to a gate. Standing near the front of the derelict house, I saw a yellow breasted bird land in a large bush. My first thought was that it might be a vireo. It had a yellow breast, a distinctive eye stripe, no wing bars, and a quite short, pointy beak. On closer inspection I could see that the yellow color was also present on the vent. This was not one of the vireos I had identified before. It turned out to be a Philadelphia Vireo, a lifer as well as a new species for the Wake County list!
125) Philadelphia Vireo
I had to skip the Richland Creek part of the trail because Hurricane Matthew had caused it to flood and the trail was still very muddy. That meant I wasn't able to visit the small lake across Reedy Creek Road where a Black Bellied Plover had been recently identified. But on the way back up through the park to my car, I did catch a glimpse of a little brown bird scooting up the trunk of a tree, and it turned out to be a Brown Creeper (#90)! It must have been on the leading edge of those returning to the area for winter, because mine was the first sighting of this fall season for Schenck Forest, and one of the first sightings of the season for the entire county!
126) Brown Creeper
Once again I'll check eBird.org before my next outing to see what new species might be about. I know that Prairie Ridge Ecostation has had several sightings of an American Bittern. I tried to find it last winter, but to no avail. Maybe I'll have better luck this time around!
Hi Troy, Enjoyed this latest installment! Those are two good birds to see -- especially the Philadelphia Vireo, for they are only moving through and are down south at this point. The Brown Creeper will be here all winter, but it is so hard to see! You have to be staring at the right spot on a tree trunk to notice it. I've learned the VERY high-pitched call (sounds like a sailor's hornpipe) so I can find them by their call.
ReplyDeleteIn regards to the lack of warblers: two things... One is that I noticed most of the warbler-rich checklists are from the AFTERNOON; that is, 2 pm and later. I speculate that warblers are flying (migrating) at night, land before dawn, perhaps feed briefly, then they preen and sleep and rest.... then they get up to feed during the relative warmth of the afternoon, when the insects are most active. They need insects for their high-caloric and protein content. The second issue in finding NO WARBLERS (something that happens to me most of the time): conditions, luck, and presence of predators. You can walk through an area and see NO warblers one morning, then the next day, the shrubs are covered with dozens. Maybe they flew in that night. Or you can see a lot of warblers, and suddenly a hawk appears, or a leaf blower, and they all hide. (I've had both of those experiences.) The trick is to get out OFTEN to bird, and to look at the times and locations of birders who found mother-lodes of warblers.
I am stuck indoors all day Saturday 10/22 but I hope to get somewhere good on 10/23. Haven't decided yet. Shall I let you know via email? - Erla B
Those are some great tips, Erla. Thanks!
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