Burlco Birding 6/16

Red-headed Woodpecker, New Lisbon

It seems like, lately, all the interesting birding for me has been in Burlington County, and today continued that trend. I started off at the Michael Huber Prairie Warbler Preserve just because I like walking in there (providing my shoes and pants are sprayed with permethrin and everything else is coated in Off), especially on a Sunday when anywhere else is going to be full of people walking dogs or riding bikes. Immediately upon exiting the car I heard a bird singing in an oak across the road. I knew I should know what bird it was, but after determining that it sounded neither like a robin with a cold or a robin on crack, I had only eliminated two species. So I decided to practice a birding skill that can be damn difficult this time of year: Find the singing bird in the foliage. I circled the tree, peering up from all angles, following the song until it sounded like it was right above my head and then saw a bird fly out, all red without black wings and without a crest--Summer Tanager, a very nice bird to start off the day. But wait. The singing continued above my head, so unless that bird was a ventriloquist, there were two and indeed there were as the second came flying out of the tree chasing the first. Territorial protection or just plain orneriness?

I stuck to the main trail for the most part today because I didn't feel like dealing with ticks on the side paths, though I did walk a larger trail past 4 Mile Creek that used to go to a spung (sort of a permanent vernal pond). But that trail ended in overgrowth that I didn't feel like pushing through. I found most of what I'd expect to find--hearing about half the species on my list, but getting good looks at Cedar Waxwing, Pine Warblers, pewees, and Black-and-white Warblers.

Cedar Waxwing

                            Pine Warbler                                                     Eastern Wood-Pewee

Before I left I took a brief walk on Sooy Place Road itself, mostly in the hopes of seeing a Red-headed Woodpecker in one of the dead trees that stand alongside the road. No luck there, but just as I was about to turn back, I heard another couple of birds that I couldn't quite place so I played Find the bird in the foliage again, this time coming up with a duo of squabbling Baltimore Orioles. Thinking that I'm getting pretty good at that game, I walked back to the car. About halfway there, on my left was a commercial hunting preserve that abuts the Huber property. From there I heard "Three Eight!" My second Yellow-throated Vireo in two days. But this one I couldn't find--so I guess I'm not as good as I thought.

On the way back home I thought I'd stop in New Lisbon, the historical home of Red-headed Woodpeckers in Burlco. The eBird hotspot is listed as 4 Mile--Tornado Damage Site. When this tornado hit I have no idea, but whatever damage it did is overgrown now. Many birders access the area by walking the fence line on Employee Road of the New Lisbon Developmental Center, but I always feel like I shouldn't be there. Instead, there is a path 3 utility poles to the west of the entrance. Someone told me that the trail was overgrown and inaccessible but if anything, it seemed an easier walk that the last time I used it, 3 or 4 years ago. It did seem a little longer than I remembered, but after about a quarter of mile I came to spot I recognized with a few slim, dead trees sticking up toward the east. Just as I said to myself, aha, there's the tree I saw the woodpecker on last time, the woodpecker flew in. It (Red-headed Woodpeckers are not sexually dimorphous) stayed for a few minutes, gave a couple of loud "Queer" calls, and flew off. With the Purple Martin I saw flying overhead, I had 5 year birds for the county, two of them (the tanager and the vireo) county lifers. A very successful day and one that compensated for yesterday's rather unsatisfactory birding.

My Huber list:

25 species

Mourning Dove  3

Yellow-billed Cuckoo  2    Heard

Red-bellied Woodpecker  2    Heard

Eastern Wood-Pewee  4    Scattered through woods

Eastern Phoebe  1    At red bridge. Saw them nesting there in May

Great Crested Flycatcher  2    Heard

White-eyed Vireo  1    Heard

Red-eyed Vireo  3    Heard

Blue Jay  1    Heard

Carolina Chickadee  1

Tufted Titmouse  6    Saw young birds just past red bridge

White-breasted Nuthatch  3    Heard

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher  2

Gray Catbird  2

Cedar Waxwing  1    White trail before turn

Chipping Sparrow  2    Heard

Eastern Towhee  10

Ovenbird  15    Heard

Black-and-white Warbler  2

Common Yellowthroat  6

Hooded Warbler  3    Heard

Pine Warbler  7    All along white trail

Prairie Warbler  3    Heard

Summer Tanager  2    

Northern Cardinal  1    Heard