We had a lot of rain yesterday, and it dropped the temperatures a bit, so I decided to see what might be on the trail this morning. I knew that there would be long, wet grass to hike through, and I didn't want to wear my best boots, so I put on my older, "supposed-to-be-waterproof-but-leaks-like-a-sieve" boots. I arrived at the trail at 9:00, and my boots were quickly saturated, and my toes sloshed inside of the boots with each step. But at least my feet kept cool.
|
The Willow Flycatcher let me get some good photos of it. There are four Empidonax flycatchers that are very similar: Least, Willow, Alder, and Acadian, and without hearing the bird, I had to use other information to conclude that it was a Willow. The bill was too big and the wing tips too long to be a Least. The bird was foraging in the brush by Yellow Bird Thicket and then flew up to a tree in the bog area. Acadians prefer forests rather than brushy vegetation, and Alders are very rare here. Thus, I believe that it was a Willow.
Willow Flycatcher
Willow Flycatcher
Willow Flycatcher
Willow Flycatcher
Willow Flycatcher
Immature Northern Cardinal
Blue Grosbeak
Female Orchard Oriole
Purple Martin
Purple Martin
Purple Martin
Purple Martin
Purple Martin
This morning's RV Trail list (37 species):
Orchard Oriole Northern Cardinal Carolina Wren American Goldfinch Red-eyed Vireo Indigo Bunting Barn Swallow Tree Swallow Purple Martin Chipping Sparrow Song Sparrow Flicker Downy Woodpecker Pileated Woodpecker Red-bellied Woodpecker Catbird Northern Mockingbird American Crow Eastern Kingbird Eastern Phoebe Eastern Wood-Pewee Willow Flycatcher Cedar Waxwing Blue Grosbeak Tufted Titmouse Scarlet Tanager Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Turkey Vulture Black Vulture Mourning Dove Rock Pigeon Red-tailed(?) Hawk Carolina Chickadee |