Burlco 5/6--Sora, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Worm-eating Warbler, Bobolink

Bobolink, Mercer Sod Farm IBA
Photo: Mike Mandracchia

The lack of ambient noise at the Huber Prairie Warbler Preserve today made a big difference in my ability to hear birds. Finally heard the Eastern Pewee sweet and clearly. Why, when the only "noise" is the constant "teacha teacha teacha" of Ovenbirds, I could even hear the whirring high-pitched song of the Worm-eating Warbler, distinctly different than the mechanical song of the Chipping Sparrow, or the musical trill of the Pine Warbler.

I wanted to show Mike the Huber Preserve, so we got there just before 7 and even before we got to what I consider the "good part" of the preserve we had the pewee and worm-eater, heard a distant Scarlet Tanager, and had plenty of Prairie Warblers. We even heard a Hooded Warbler way before the area where I usually get them. At the bridge over Burrs Mills Creek we first heard then found Prothonotary Warblers and heard at least 4 more Hooded Warblers. We also a gobbling in the distance, lots of Wood Thrushes, Pine Warblers, Black-and-white Warblers, parulas, and of course, towhees galore.

Our next stop was at the Mercer Sod Farms (aka the Burlington County Fairgrounds) for a couple of highly-desirable birds. A couple of Soras had been reported the last few days in one the retention ponds in the parking lot. Soras, like most rails other than coots, can be notoriously hard to see. We walked the edge of the pond (the signs posted around it said "Meadow Haibitat;" they have a peculiar notion of a meadow) which was more open than I remember it. The phragmites looked to have been stomped down. A Green Heron flew out of the pond; new year bird for Mike. Dozens of blackbirds were feeding and fighting for territory in the pond reeds. Suddenly, a bird that was not a blackbird flushed and then walked along the far edge of the pond. Sora in plain sight. We walked around to that side and very cooperatively, the bird flew again and walked on the other side of the pond in the open long enough for good, admiring views. Unfortunately, I left my camera in the car. Then we heard another Sora call out "oo-wee" or some such sound. It's more pitch than the syllables that make the bird recognizable.

In the grasslands, on the other side of the low parking lot fence, even more blackbirds were flying around. A couple of the icterids were Eastern Meadowlarks, which we got good, if distant looks at, and another of the icterids was a Bobolink, a not uncommon bird at this site, but one that last year Mike and I chased all over Hell and gone before we finally got them as flyovers at Whitesbog. Mike did have his camera was able to get a couple of more than decent doc shots.  Happy to get that nemesis off the list in May.

It was just around noon and we decided it was a productive enough day to quit while the weather was still with us. Our day list, including some side of the road birds:

Canada Goose   4

Wild Turkey   4

Green Heron   1

Red-tailed Hawk   1

Sora   2

Laughing Gull   100

Mourning Dove   2

Red-bellied Woodpecker   2

Northern Flicker   1

Eastern Wood-Pewee   1

Great Crested Flycatcher   5

Eastern Kingbird   4

White-eyed Vireo   6

Red-eyed Vireo   5

Blue Jay   1

American Crow   1

Fish Crow   1

Tree Swallow   1

Barn Swallow   2

Carolina Chickadee   1

Tufted Titmouse   2

White-breasted Nuthatch   1

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher   5

Ruby-crowned Kinglet   1

Wood Thrush   5

American Robin   1

Gray Catbird   3

Ovenbird   30

Worm-eating Warbler   1

Northern Waterthrush   1

Black-and-white Warbler   10

Prothonotary Warbler   2

Common Yellowthroat   3

Hooded Warbler   5

Northern Parula   2

Pine Warbler   4

Yellow-rumped Warbler   1

Prairie Warbler   15

White-throated Sparrow   1

Song Sparrow   1

Swamp Sparrow   2

Eastern Towhee   25

Scarlet Tanager   1

Bobolink   1

Eastern Meadowlark   2

Red-winged Blackbird   50

Brown-headed Cowbird   6

Common Grackle   10