At 7:45 this morning, standing in the field behind the mulberry tree for the fourth time in less than a month, I was reminded of W.C. Fields' aphorism:
If at first you don't succeed, try again.
Then give up--no sense making a fool of yourself.
The optimal time find what we were looking for appeared to be, from all reports, just after sunrise, so Shari decided to give it a go before she had to start working. Four other birders were also in the field, scanning the tree beyond the swale (love that word), and just as I was repeating Mr Fields' saying to myself one of them started to wave vigorously. We hustled over to them. I could see naked eye high in a tree they were pointing to and scope the shape of a bird and before I got in our scope I checked it out in theirs (birds have wings, they tend to fly off while you're setting up your optics) and there it was, NORTHERN SHRIKE, chunky body, narrow mask, big beak. Finally we saw one, which is especially gratifying after having thought we saw one a few years on Long Island, only to have it turn into a Loggerhead Shrike after much on line debate.
A couple of interesting geese (Pink-footed and Barnacle) had been reported on the lake yesterday so after getting our lifer we drove over to the boat launch to scan the flock of geese sitting on the ice. Alas, nothing unusual there (neither would be lifers), though 31 Common Mergansers were good to see.
Driving back down Imlaystown Road we stopped near the spot that Scott Barnes said was reliable for White-crowned Sparrow and yes, it proved to be.
Assunpink has become a "go to" spot for us now that we've overcome the idea that it is distant and remote, a hangover from our days in Brooklyn.
The full day list:
Comments: Swale & lake
15 species
Canada Goose 75
Mute Swan 6
Ring-necked Duck 4
Bufflehead 1
Common Merganser 31
Ruddy Duck 100
Great Blue Heron 2
Ring-billed Gull 5
Northern Flicker 1
NORTHERN SHRIKE 1
Blue Jay 1
European Starling 25
White-crowned Sparrow 2
Dark-eyed Junco 1
Northern Cardinal 2
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