urbpan | Warbler Walk Report

You couldn't hope for a nicer May morning than the one we had today, for the warbler walk. Mount Auburn Cemetery may be the most beautiful place in Boston at any time of the year, but it was spectacular today. And, yes, we saw warblers. Many more were seen by the whole group than I can personally vouch for, using my own criteria. For me to count a bird, I have to be able to confidently say that I would recognize it if I saw it again--alas, many of the warblers were seen from below only, or in glimpses too fast to register as anything but a yellow and grayish blur. The group was most excited about a golden-winged warbler, but I never did see it.

I had some first-time-ever sightings, which is always exciting, and we had some glorious sightings of bright orange orioles and redstarts. Phoebes perched near our heads yelling their name into our ears just to make sure we knew we saw them, and a great blue heron flew over twice to slake our thirst for large birds. Down in the dell we saw two secretive forest birds, the wood thrush and the ovenbird. The wood thrush is my favorite bird song--an eerily beautiful fluting that echoes in the trees.

It's still gorgeous out, and though I feel terribly guilty about leaving the dogs in the house, I'm going to take the subway over to the Mystic River Reservation, to see what that's like. Enjoy the day!

WARBLERS:
Palm Warbler*
Magnolia Warbler*
Black-Throated Green
Yellow-Rumped
Black-and-white
American Redstart
Common Yellowthroat
Ovenbird*

Other Birds:
Blue-headed Vireo*
Orchard Oriole (female--saw a male on last year's walk)
Baltimore Oriole
Great blue Heron
Chimney Swift
Eastern Kingbird
Eastern Phoebe
Northern Flicker

Red-bellied Woodpecker
Black-capped Chickadee
American Robin
Wood Thrush
Gray Catbird
American Crow
Blue Jay
Common Grackle
Red-winged Blackbird
Mourning Dove
Mallard
(and it wouldn't be an Urban Nature Walk without)
Rock Dove
House Sparrow

*New bird for my life list!

cross posted to The Urban Pantheist,