S. Park Road 5/3--Eastern Wood-Pewee, Worm-eating Warbler

One of my difficulties with ear birding: If I hear a bird behind me, when I turn around, I hear the bird...behind me. If a bird sounds like it's on the right side of the road, when I go to the right side of the road it sounds like it's on the left...or behind me. I am never facing in the direction where the bird actually is, it seems, which really cuts down on my chances of actually seeing it. Thus it was on this quiet road in Tabernacle (The Heart of the Pine Barrens) today with a Worm-eating Warbler. I was spinning around so much, trying to locate the source of the buzzy little insect song that it's a wonder I didn't fall down dizzy in the middle of the road.

I was already in a decent enough mood--there was no one else there save a few passing pick up trucks, I had heard, then seen, 2 Red-headed Woodpeckers that, while rare in the county, are fairly reliable in this spot where there are a lot dead trees; I had heard a couple of Hooded Warblers; and I finally saw a Prairie Warbler.

Plus I had seen a Brown Thrasher carrying nesting material, though by the time I took the photograph it had dropped the stuff. Maybe it wasn't suitable building material.

It is two miles from the parking spot I use to the paved road where I turn around, mostly through a pine forest, though there is a large grassy field where a farm use to stand. On the way back I also heard my first Eastern Wood-Pewee of the year. Very distant, but distinct. After 32 species and 2 hours 45 mins, I was done. I'm going where I like, and hoping the birds are there, instead of going where the birds are whether I like it or not.

Canada Goose  2    Flyover

Mourning Dove  4

Turkey Vulture  2

Red-headed Woodpecker  2    

Red-bellied Woodpecker  2    Heard

Northern Flicker  1

Eastern Wood-Pewee  1    Heard distant

Eastern Phoebe  1    Heard

Great Crested Flycatcher  5

American Crow  1

Tufted Titmouse  2    Heard

White-breasted Nuthatch  2

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher  3

Carolina Wren  1    Heard

European Starling  1

Gray Catbird  1

Brown Thrasher  1

Wood Thrush  1    Heard

American Robin  4

American Goldfinch  1    Heard

Chipping Sparrow  8

Field Sparrow  1    Heard

Eastern Towhee  25

Brown-headed Cowbird  2

Ovenbird  30

Worm-eating Warbler  1    Heard

Black-and-white Warbler  3

Common Yellowthroat  6

Hooded Warbler  2    Heard

Pine Warbler  7

Prairie Warbler  8

Northern Cardinal  4