Planning birding outings has one big drawback: the weather. If we could wait for the best moments and then jump in our cars, that would be awesome. But rare is the day a little foul weather ruins a bird outing. It often makes it all the more rewarding and exciting.
The photo of the Philidelphia Vireo above was taken 30 minutes before we left for home. Probably fifty Tennessee Warblers were present on the peninsula that day, making their presence known all morning long with their loud three-part song. It was not until the wind calmed that they came out of the cedars and into view.
Many more birds came out as the winds died down. Most of the 12 birders from LWBA arrived at about 7:30 a.m. At that time, it was chilly and breezy, but thank goodness, it was not raining. We stayed dry and bundled up against the wind. Seeing birds was a challenge early on, but the birds sang loud and clear. Merlin was a great partner for this walk, helping us be aware of what birds were around.
Looking through everyone’s eBird reports, we totaled 70 species for the morning, including 17 warbler species, which most of the group saw and heard. Most entertaining were 5 Eastern Kingbirds in the parking lot and a Ruby-throated Hummingbird attracted to my red iPhone strap.
Any day birding is a good day; some days are better than others.
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