Emson Preserve 5/11--Scarlet Tanager

Scarlet Tanager

One by-product of a slow April is that almost every day in May I've found a new bird for the year without wandering very far from home. I suppose that's a compensation.

I started the morning walking in the Emson Preserve in New Egypt. When I started going there in the winter, all the oaks in the woods looked like it might be a good warbler trap. That didn't pan out today--hardly any warblers, and no interesting ones that I could find.

The surprise bird, the year bird, was a lovely Scarlet Tanager that flew in about a third of my way around the loop. I only managed to get a photo of his back, but that's better than I normally do with the warblers and vireos.

The driveway to the small parking lot which is lined on one side by trees and bushes all a-tangle and on the other side by a mowed field, can be more interesting to walk than in the woods. Bluebirds are always to be found and I had a Blue Grosbeak fly into the bushes and pose for a moment. Sparrows, not surprisingly are gone, but catbirds are every 20 feet.

Red-headed Woodpecker

There was a light rain shower almost the entire time I was in the woods, but the sun came out after I completed the loop. I drove over to Colliers Mills, about 5 minutes away, figuring the day would stay nice, but it almost immediately clouded over and got blustery. I walked the fields along Success Road but didn't turn up anything I hoped for--there were lots of swallows, some sitting on the gravel, some sitting on the wires, some actually flying. I walked into the woods behind the fields to try to track down a Red-headed Woodpecker, just to see if I could.

I could. I like that I can find them by following their "Queer" calls. Unlike most other bird calls, where I have a hard time locating the source, with Red-heads I can walk directly to where they're calling and see them. No idea why this bird is the exception.  I also like that once they fly in, they tend to pose.

Between the two spots I observed 37 species:

Mallard   1

Mourning Dove   4

Turkey Vulture   4

Red-tailed Hawk   3

Red-headed Woodpecker   1

Red-bellied Woodpecker   2

Northern Flicker   1

Eastern Phoebe   2

Great Crested Flycatcher   5

Eastern Kingbird   1

White-eyed Vireo   2

Warbling Vireo   4

Blue Jay   4

Fish Crow   1

Tufted Titmouse   1

Purple Martin   3

Tree Swallow   10

Barn Swallow   18

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher   1

Carolina Wren   2

European Starling   19

Gray Catbird   20

Northern Mockingbird   4

Eastern Bluebird   7

Wood Thrush   1

American Robin   20

Chipping Sparrow   4

Field Sparrow   2

Eastern Towhee   1

Baltimore Oriole   1

Red-winged Blackbird   10

Ovenbird   7

Common Yellowthroat   4

Yellow-rumped Warbler   5

Scarlet Tanager   1

Northern Cardinal   1

Blue Grosbeak   3