Bird Watching (and Listening!) at St. John
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You never know during migration just what kind of luck you will have during a specific time in a particular location when you get to spend a bit of time birding.
I headed out around noon to go to the trail, but when I passed behind the convent I immediately started hearing interesting bird songs. I have mentioned that I very much like to 'bird by ear,' identifying birds by their songs and calls whenever possible, especially in spring. Though I did not see them, I heard the songs of a Warbling Vireo, an Eastern Kingbird, an American Redstart, and a Black-throated Blue Warbler in the shade trees behind the building. I went to the trail, and spent about 45 minutes there. I heard many species, and saw some, but not all, of them. Now that trees are nearly fully leafed-out, it's getting very difficult to see songbirds, esp. on a breezy day. However, they are often quite vocal this time of year, practicing songs, attracting mates and/or establishing nesting territories, and I can identify most eastern birds by songs and calls. We get a good mix of birds using or passing through our property because of the variety of our habitats - we have Cypress Creek, upper dry woods, lower wet woods, swampy/marshy wetland areas, & suburban yards with shade trees, lawns, and shrubby areas. Among the unseen was the beautiful songs of a Rose-breasted Grosbeak. They nest well north of here, but they migrate through in the spring and fall, and have very musical songs (listen to the recording I made today, over on the right). There were also three woodland thrush species (close relatives of Bluebirds and Robins), a Veery, Swainson's Thrush, and Gray-cheeked Thrush. These three do not nest here, but pass through. Their songs are so musical, esp. since they can produce two songs at once, like a harmony. Other birds heard or seen included: Osprey, Ovenbird, Common Yellowthroat, Northern Waterthrush, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Black and White Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler, Parula Warbler, Pine Warbler, Eastern Bluebird, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Red-eyed Vireo, Great-crested Flycatcher, Cardinal, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Eastern Wood Pewee, Am. Crow, Blue Jay, White-breasted Nuthatch, Carolina Wren, Tufted Titmouse, Scarlet Tanager, Yellow-breasted Chat, Red-winged Blackbird, House Finch, and Goldfinch. |
Rose-breasted Grosbeak Singing
This audio file recorded today includes Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Blackpoll Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Parula Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, and American Redstart.
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