Double Trouble SP 4/27--Northern Rough-winged Swallow

Bogs and sorting house

A very cool, one might say "cold" overcast morning was probably not the ideal time to search the woods of Double Trouble for warblers. I turned up the usual, easy birds, but nothing new. Ovenbirds were singing all over the place; I have yet to see one. I did manage to view the other warblers, like Prairie, Black-and-white, Pine, and Yellow-rumped, the latter in full breeding plumage now, very handsome and hard to believe it is the same species that winters here.

After scouring the woods, I decided I might as well make it a long walk and headed out to the back bogs, not really expecting the unexpected. I saw two swallows swoop by and figured, from color, that they were Northern Rough-winged Swallows, but it was a lousy look in gray light and I debated with myself whether to count them all the way along Parkway Access Road until I emerged at the bogs in front of the sorting house. I had just decided that I couldn't really be certain of their identity when, as if delivered by the kindly birding gods, I saw three brown swallows flying and dipping over the water and with good long looks through my binoculars, NRWS went on the year list, adding a nice symmetry to the month's list which already had their tropical counterpart--Southern Rough-winged Swallow--checked off.

Beyond that I filled in none of the lacunae on my list. I know I'll get these (supposedly) easy birds sooner or later but I'd like it to be sooner.

Today's list:
26 species
Canada Goose  16
Downy Woodpecker  3
Eastern Phoebe  1
Eastern Kingbird  2
White-eyed Vireo  2
Blue-headed Vireo  1
Northern Rough-winged Swallow  3
Carolina Chickadee  3
Tufted Titmouse  2
White-breasted Nuthatch  1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher  3
Ruby-crowned Kinglet  1
American Robin  5
Ovenbird  20     
Black-and-white Warbler  5
Pine Warbler  7
Common Yellowthroat  6
Yellow-rumped Warbler   2
Prairie Warbler  4
Chipping Sparrow  5
Song Sparrow  1
Swamp Sparrow  1
Eastern Towhee  20
Northern Cardinal  3
Red-winged Blackbird  15
American Goldfinch  1