Adventures in Birding

#109 and 110

One of the things I love about my job (real estate appraiser) is that it lets me travel all over my area and it lets me make my own schedule, so I can fit in birding in the mornings!

This morning I went to Locust Lake where I found two Wood Ducks up in a tree. From my research, it seems like they might have been looking for a nesting spot! I've only ever seen them in water before, so I was surprised when they took off from a tree next to the path I was on!

At the lake, I heard #109, Blue-headed Vireo! They sound pretty similar to Red-eyed Vireo (they look totally different) but the Blue-headed Vireo is common to our area right now. The other will arrive later. I listened to the song before I got to the park because I knew they were there, and I wanted to know what to listen for!

I also saw a few other cool species, including two Osprey  . I've seen Osprey here before, but only one at a time. They were probably a mated pair! All the birds are pairing off! Also, Tree Swallows   are back! They nest at this lake so they're usually doing their acrobatics all Summer over the lake!

I stopped at Tuscarora SP. Nothing new, but this cute Eastern Phoebe on the beach  

I also did a quick stop at Owl Creek Reservoir and got one I've been hoping for, #110, Red-breasted Nuthatch. Again, I didn't see it, but I knew its song to identify it. They're not found in too many areas in our county, but they're known to be at that location. The last few times I stopped there, I just didn't hear/see any. I was glad to get one today!

I have another owl/woodcock event tomorrow. They're doing an evening bird walk before sunset, so maybe I'll get some new ones then! We actually had a lot of rain and some snow today, so I'm looking forward to the upcoming warmer weather!