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migrants at Mason Farm



Hi Folks,

I took a "sabbatical" yesterday and spent the day at Mason Farm. The 
weather was glorious (as attested by my sunburn) but the birding was 
a little slow. However, it started well with a beautiful male Am 
kestrel perched on various small trees in the first field. Lots of 
singing cardinals, mockers, C wrens and chickadees and at least 4 BG 
gnatcatchers, 3 male C yellowthroats (all singing), a field sparrow 
(I've missed these) and a pair of RT hawks barrel-rolling and 
frolicking up high. The wooded parts were less fruitful, I listened 
intently for about an hour but failed to pick up even a scrap of song 
from any migrants. This may also be due in part to the loud chorus of 
BJ's and grackles that had set up residence in the trees. I did see 
one male pine W collecting nesting material, plus downy, RB, RH WP's, 
a white-breasted NH, heard a phoebe and saw several E Bluebirds, but 
none at the boxes.

The WT sparrows had all gone arboreal, sitting high up and eating 
catkins (?): strange to see them up there after a winter of them 
skulking under low bushes.

That was everything of note, until I returned to the car where a 
small brown swallow zipped by overhead after I had packed binoculars 
away. Couldn't tell you which species, sorry.

Maybe Easter weekend will bring us more than bunnies and chocolate eggs..?

-- 
Steve Perry

Receptor Biology Lab, Duke Uni Med Center, Durham, NC

stevep@receptor-biol.duke.edu