Palmyra Cove Nature Park 9/12--Least Flycatcher, Connecticut Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Canada Warbler

Pewee

Yes, it's time for the confusing fall warblers and what better place than Palmyra Cove Nature Park, hard by the Delaware River to either stay confused or sort them out. I arrived around 7:30 and started make my way up the Cove Trail. The first bird I spotted was a Least Flycatcher, new for the year. An auspicious start. I had no plan since I have only a very sketchy idea of the layout of the park and that mental picture is from last year before a lot of trails have been closed and geographic features altered due to a construction site next to the park. 

I wandered up a trail and started picking up warblers, mostly American Redstarts. On the trails, wherever I looked, little groups of birders were staring up at tall trees. I wasn't there very long before I started to run into people I know and for the rest of the day I seemed to be part of an amoeba of birders which fluctuated in size and personnel, sometimes just two of us, sometimes 4 or 5. Almost everyone I ran into acted amazed that I wasn't at Whitesbog. I offered to show my birding passport that allows me to go to other places. 

At one point, in a group with some birders I usually see at Whitesbog, one of them asked me if I wanted to go to such a such spot. Since a wink is as good as a nod to a blind horse and since at that juncture I had no idea where we actually were (except for here and now), I said I had to stick with them because otherwise, I'd never get back to the parking lot. 

They were looking for a Connecticut Warbler in the mugwort. I was a tad skeptical about finding one but they certainly know better than me because without much effort, one popped up for a moment. As they run on the ground it was hard for me to see at first but then for a 10 or 15 seconds it hopped up on a fallen branch and I got field guide looks at it. 

I saw a few Blackburnian Warblers, which I was surprised to find were new for the year, and a few Chestnut-sided Warblers, which I wasn't surprised were new. By noon, I was birding only with Matt and he guided me back to the main trail and then headed off home. I was going to scout out the river, made a left and ran into Scott and Deb and a Canada Warbler that I'd never would have seen without them. We walked along the Cove trail and then onto the beach of the Delaware, picking up a nice Caspian Tern and on the decrepit boardwalk ducks and a little flock of Great Egrets. Scott asked me where I'd seen the CT Warbler but I had to give him the big "Duh" on that. I couldn't find which wooded area we were in for love or money. 

By the time we finally made it back to the parking lot it was around 3. 54 species and 5 year birds was pretty good work. I haven't added to the year list like that since spring migration. 

Canada Goose  75

Mallard  65

American Black Duck  1    Cove with Mallards

Northern Pintail  1    Cove with Mallards

Wild Turkey  3

Chimney Swift  8

Laughing Gull  10

Herring Gull  1

Caspian Tern  1

Double-crested Cormorant  2

Great Egret  9

Black Vulture  4

Turkey Vulture  7

Cooper's Hawk  1

Bald Eagle  2

Red-tailed Hawk  2

Red-bellied Woodpecker  2

Downy Woodpecker  3

Eastern Wood-Pewee  8

Least Flycatcher  2

Eastern Phoebe  1

Great Crested Flycatcher  2

Warbling Vireo  3

American Crow  4

Common Raven  1

Tufted Titmouse  1

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher  3

House Wren  1    Heard

Carolina Wren  4

Gray Catbird  2

Brown Thrasher  1    Heard

Swainson's Thrush  3

American Robin  4

Cedar Waxwing  18

Chipping Sparrow  10

Red-winged Blackbird  25

Common Grackle  1

Ovenbird  1

Black-and-white Warbler  1

Tennessee Warbler  2

Connecticut Warbler  1    Gray hood yellow below bold eye ring.

Common Yellowthroat  2

American Redstart  20

Northern Parula  4

Magnolia Warbler  6

Bay-breasted Warbler  1

Blackburnian Warbler  3

Chestnut-sided Warbler  4

Blackpoll Warbler  1

Black-throated Green Warbler  1

Canada Warbler  1    Cove trail

Northern Cardinal  1

Rose-breasted Grosbeak  1

Indigo Bunting  2