On Saturday, May 11th ten bird watchers gathered at Penwood State Park in Bloomfield for a three-hour walk, in search of warblers, thrushes and vireos. With temperatures in the upper 30’s, the expectations for this trip appeared to be lower than in past years, but the clear skies and sun soon brought bird activity back to its normal frantic pace.
A welcome sight before our bird walk was the discovery of a migrant Common Loon and Great Blue Heron just overhead. Birders also took note of the sounds of American Redstarts, Warbling Vireos and Baltimore Orioles adjacent to the pond near the park’s entrance.
It was not long before we discovered our first of three Swainson’s Thrush feeding directly on our path, which made it easy for birders to study and enjoy. Less easy were the views of wood warbler’s high overhead as they fed on caterpillars in the trees sunlit canopy. Northern Parula, Black-throated Blue, Black-throated Green and Tennessee Warblers were eventually identified, despite our sore necks.
A little further down the trail, a Louisiana Waterthrush and a pair of Worm-eating Warbler fought for bird watcher’s attention, with the Worm-eating Warblers stealing the show with stunning, close-up views of their striking plumage.
The tall-mature woodlands at Penwood State Park were certainly a delight to see, but it also made locating birds a real challenge. Birding by ear challenged us in a different way, allowing us to slow down and appreciate the songs of Tennessee, Blackburnian and Hooded Warbler a little bit more. Birders also took audio notes of Red-eyed Vireo, Magnolia Warbler and Wood Thrush.
The open and expansive picnic area at the northern end of the walking path added to the park’s habitat and bird diversity. Here we found Chipping Sparrows, Eastern Bluebird, Tree Swallows and Northern Mockingbird. An area of shrubland also revealed the presence of nesting Indigo Buntings and skulking House Wrens.
The return trip back to our cars saw the group enjoy eye-level observations of both Yellow-throated Vireos and Scarlet Tanagers.
Our trip produced a total of 62 bird species.
Respectively submitted,
Paul Cianfaglione, trip leader
