Delta Naturalists Society

It was a relatively small group of birders that showed up at North 40 Park Reserve on this warm, spring morning. They were Margarita, Gabriele, Colin, Stephanie, Roger, and Thea (your intrepid albeit clueless leader). The sun was valiantly competing against the clouds, and I had to shed two layers before we struck out; a pretty dramatic change from the last time we were here during icy January.

Right away, it felt like we were going to have to “fight” for our birds. The airwaves were pretty silent, and the trees bare of their usual cargo of American Bald Eagles. A few Song Sparrows kicked about beneath the bushes lining the entrance road, and an Orange-crowned Warbler flitted about in the trees above us as we waited for the latecomers to arrive (*coughColin&Stephaniecough*) Just teasing.

Within 20 minutes of walking, however, our luck shifted as the foliage around us became noisier with the songs of warblers. An off-road excursion into the long grass around a particular tree rewarded us with a Wilson’s Warbler, Anna’s Hummingbird, and a male Common Yellowthroat, singing “witchety-witchety-witchety” at the top of his little pipes, handsome black Zorro mask and yellow throat showing off beautifully in the sunlight. 

Heading north along the paved road, we had an odd smattering of sightings: Spotted Towhee, Northern Flicker, and European Starling. Gorgeous Rufous Hummingbirds glistened like tiny Christmas baubles from the tops of trees. We also heard the liquid warbling of American Goldfinches, which remained elusively ensconced in the generous foliage of the chestnut trees.

We then turned west onto the north road, where we saw what we initially thought to be Tree Swallows dipping and diving overhead. However, not long after, we got a definitive ID on two Violet-green Swallows, which skimmed for insects in an open swath of long grass. Whether we saw both swallows or mistakenly assumed the first to be Tree Swallows will forever remain a mystery.

Across the field from the swallows, the trees and bushes bustled with activity: mostly Yellow-rumped Warblers (both Audubon’s and Myrtle were seen) with the odd Wilson’s Warbler. Pine Siskins “zipped” and “zweed” from the canopy above our heads. 

Further alone, an Empidonax flycatcher with olive-yellow plumage and clear wing bars twitched about. My best guess would be a Pacific-slope Flycatcher but we didn’t get a good-enough view to add it to our list. Then Stephanie reported a Great Horned Owl! I gingerly waded into the shade of the tree to pick up a large flight feather, looked up, and saw a second owl scowling down at me like an angry cat. There were two of them!

On the windy trail back to the cars, we heard Red-winged Blackbirds, Savannah Sparrows, and, according to my Sound ID app, a Bewick’s Wren. The odd American Robin and Black-capped Chickadee made an appearance, and we got another decent sighting of an Orange-crowned Warbler, as well as Brown-headed Cowbirds with their bronzed head and glistening black body plumage.

Throughout our two-and-a-half-hour excursion, the skies overhead were busy with the usual air traffic of American Bald Eagles, noisy American Crows, and Glaucous-winged Gulls. The only water birds we saw—Great Blue Heron and Mallard ducks—were also seen flying overhead.

We concluded our morning with 25 birds, about 10 species less than usual tally, but somehow having an owl on the list (plus the delicious sunshine) helped me forgive the relative quietness of the day.

Thea Beckman

Photos on flickr

Thea’s eBird list.