First Warblers of 2006

This weekend Sara and I went to Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area . It was a beautiful clear spring day around 70 with a nice wind. Naturally, we both got sunburned. The Tundra Swans and most of the migratory duck and Snow Geese have left; only a few Snow Geese are left along with the resident Canada Geese and puddle ducks. The spring migrants have started to come through with a few warblers and sparrows. The best find of the day was the immature Goshawk. It was hunting from a tree 5 feet off the road at a major intersection. It clearly did not fear humans, cars, or motorcycles at all. Here is a full list of the birds we saw: Snow Goose (light and dark morph), Canada Goose (giant race, probably non-migratory), Mallard, Black Duck, Wigeon, Gadwall, Green-winged Teal, Ring-necked Duck, Ruddy Duck, Northern Pintail, Double-crested Cormorant, Ring-billed Gull, Bald Eagle (2 Ad., 1 Im.), Red-tailed Hawk, American Kestrel, Northern Goshawk (1 Im.), Northern Harrier (1 Ad. F), Turkey Vulture, Killdeer, Wilson’s Snipe, Ring-necked Pheasant (2 Ad. M), Northern Flicker, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Tree Swallows, American Crow, Blue Jay, Black-capped Chickadee, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Carolina Wren, American Robin, Eastern Bluebird, Common Grackle, Eastern Meadowlark, Red-winged Blackbird, Brown-headed Cowbird, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Palm Warbler, Northern Cardinal, American Gold Finch, Purple Finch, Song Sparrow, and Swamp Sparrow. Other finds were spring peepers, painted turtles, a cabbage butterfly, and a snake. Hover your pointer for a description of the photo.