March is gone and my big year is one-fourth done. Over the past
two weeks ducks have been leaving the area. The flocks of diving ducks I was enjoying as recently as last week have disappeared; I only saw two ducks while checking several good ponds this morning. I still haven't seen a Northern Pintail this year, and I might have to wait for fall for that species now (at least in the county), but in general it has been a wonderful winter for waterfowl.
Several Red-necked Grebes are still hanging around the area, many now in bright breeding plumage, and during a brief stop at Briery Creek Lake yesterday I saw Red-necked, Horned, and Pied-billed grebes from a single spot in one of the main parking lots.
April has been warm and wonderful so far, and I hope it stays that way. A few species I thought I'd have seen by now haven't appeared. Probably the best example is Louisiana Waterthrush. I normally hear the first one singing in late March in the county. I've been birding in places where I expected to hear them the past two mornings, but didn't. I'm sure I'll hear one soon, though. Another sure-to-be-here-soon species is Yellow-throated Warbler. I actually saw one of these several days ago, but I was in Charlotte County. I also expect Blue-headed Vireo, Common Yellowthroat, and some others any day. And then the real rush of spring migration will begin....
This morning's highlight was a pair of yellow (i.e. "Eastern") Palm Warblers; they represented species 112 for the year in Prince Edward County. Here's hoping for lots more warblers in the next several weeks!
Several Red-necked Grebes are still hanging around the area, many now in bright breeding plumage, and during a brief stop at Briery Creek Lake yesterday I saw Red-necked, Horned, and Pied-billed grebes from a single spot in one of the main parking lots.
April has been warm and wonderful so far, and I hope it stays that way. A few species I thought I'd have seen by now haven't appeared. Probably the best example is Louisiana Waterthrush. I normally hear the first one singing in late March in the county. I've been birding in places where I expected to hear them the past two mornings, but didn't. I'm sure I'll hear one soon, though. Another sure-to-be-here-soon species is Yellow-throated Warbler. I actually saw one of these several days ago, but I was in Charlotte County. I also expect Blue-headed Vireo, Common Yellowthroat, and some others any day. And then the real rush of spring migration will begin....
This morning's highlight was a pair of yellow (i.e. "Eastern") Palm Warblers; they represented species 112 for the year in Prince Edward County. Here's hoping for lots more warblers in the next several weeks!
No comments:
Post a Comment