The Stroud Preserve, 10 May 2013

​Wood geranium Geranium maculatum L., 10 May 2013, Stroud Preserve, West Chester, Chester County, Pennsylvania.

Wow! What a difference a day makes. I went from 53 species yesterday to 82 today. My combined warbler list for the past three visits was 9. Today’s total was 16, one of which was new for the preserve. Also added to my preserve list was Black-billed Cuckoo. In all, I added 14 first-of-the-year birds. A busy day at last!

I’ll let the notes below speak for themselves.

Start time: 8:50

End time: 1:30

Temp: 63-73°

Wind: 3 mph from the north

Skies: clear

Species Total: 82

• Great Blue Heron – 1, both flyovers
• Black Vulture – 3
• Turkey Vulture – approximately 15
• Canada Goose – 4
• Wood Duck – 2
• Mallard – 2
• Red-tailed Hawk – 2
• Mourning Dove – 1
• Black-billed Cuckoo – 1, FOY and new for my preserve list and the first one that I have seen since moving back the east coast 19 months ago.
• Barred Owl – In the same general area as yesterday.
• Chimney Swift – approximately 40
• Ruby-throated Hummingbird – 1, FOY
• Belted Kingfisher – 1
• Red-bellied Woodpecker – approximately 10
• Downy Woodpecker – 2
• Hairy Woodpecker – 1
• Northern Flicker – 2
• Pileated Woodpecker – 1, heard only
• Eastern Phoebe – 3
• Great Crested Flycatcher – 2, FOY
• Eastern Kingbird – 2
• White-eyed Vireo – approximately 8
• Blue-headed Vireo – 1
• Warbling Vireo – approximately 10
• Red-eyed Vireo – 2
• Blue Jay – approximately 15, observed one nest building.
• American Crow – approximately 10
• Fish Crow – 1 on the east side of the preserve.
• Tree Swallow – approximately 50
• Northern Rough-winged Swallow – approximately 20
• Barn Swallow – approximately 20
• Horned Lark – 1, FOY, I had a nice look as it flew over head. First one since the fall.
• Carolina Chickadee – 4, I don’t know where all of these went overnight.
• Tufted Titmouse – approximately 12
• White-breasted Nuthatch – 4
• Carolina Wren – 5
• House Wren – 2
• Blue-gray Gnatcatcher – approximately 10
• Eastern Bluebird – approximately 10
• Veery – 1, FOY
• Swainson’s Thrush – 4, FOY
• Wood Thrush – approximately 8
• American Robin – approximately 20
• Gray Catbird – approximately 30. The catbird factory is now open for business.
• Northern Mockingbird – 2
• Brown Thrasher – 1
• European Starling – approximately 10
• Blue-winged Warbler – 1
• Northern Parula – 7,
• Yellow Warbler – approximately 25
• Chestnut-sided Warbler – 1, FOY
• Magnolia Warbler – at least 2, possibly a few others. FOY
• Black-throated Blue Warbler – approximately 20. FOY. Probably the most common warbler behind Yellow Warbler and Yellowthroat. The woods were filled with both males and females.
• Yellow-rumped Warbler – approximately 10
• Black-thraoted Green Warbler – 3
• Yellow-throated Warbler – 1, FOY. A singing male. It took me a while to find it in the trees along the green trail.
• Prairie Warbler – 2
• Blackpoll Warbler – 3, FOY
• Black-and-white Warbler – 3, heard only
• American Redstart – approximately 12
• Ovenbird – 3
• Northern Waterthrush – 2, FOY, a long the Brandywine.
• Louisiana Waterthrush – 1, same location as yesterday.
• Common Yellowthroat – approximately 20
• Summer Tanager – 1, female, FOY.
• Eastern Towhee – approximately 15
• Chipping Sparrow – 1
• Field Sparrow – approximately 10
• Song Sparrow – approximately 10
• Swamp Sparrow – 1
• White-throated Sparrow – approximately 25, all in the woods along the green trail.
• Northern Cardinal – approximately 20
• Rose-breasted Grosbeak – 1 singing male. FOY
• Indigo Bunting – 2, males. FOY
• Bobolink – 3, all on the south side of the preserve away from the traditional nesting grounds.
• Red-winged Blackbird – approximately 30
• Eastern Meadowlark – 1, in the same location as previously described.
• Brown-headed Cowbird – approximately 12
• Orchard Oriole – 4
• Baltimore Oriole – approximately 10
• House Finch – 2
• American Goldfinch – approximately 20