28-APR-2009
Magnolia
Spent a few hours at FWG and the Arboretum in the heavy rain this morning. I thought it might be a good day for birds and it was. I parked in the Arboretum and walked through there to FWG. I wanted to check out the magnolias first which are in bloom right now. The rain and wind was tearing off the petals, but there are many more unopened buds so I predict that the next few days to a week will be the best time to see the main display of magnolia flowers at the Arboretum. They don't last long, sadly. However, there are many other magnolias that haven't even begun to bloom, many of the yellow and pink blossomed varieties, for example. The main cluster, however, is the big draw because of the sheer display of blooms. We have two magnolias at the FWG, as well.
28-APR-2009
Black-throated blue warbler
Throughout the Arboretum I heard chipping sparrows calling, and more from FWG as I approached the garden. Climbing up the slope to the Ash Woods, I heard a black-throated blue warbler and got a quick look and an even quicker (and blurry) photo of it (right). Both of these species were first of the year for me. There were at least 250 white-throated sparrows. The entire garden, woods, fields, BYG, ravine, were alive with the sound and sight of these birds! Mixed in with them were some white-crowned sparrows. Other new arrivals were a flock of ruby-crowned kinglet, a veery, yellow-rumped warblers, and a house wren! I did a circuit around the garden and came back to the Ash woods about 30 minutes later to find the yellow-rumped warblers had arrived. It is the kind of day where things change quickly with new arrivals at any time. Not surprisingly, neither the tree swallows nor eastern phoebe and great crested flycatcher were active in the rain. Didn't hear any pine siskins today... they must have followed me home yesterday because they've been VERY vocal around my place :-)
28-APR-2009
Northern flicker, male
There were at least 8 flickers, 6 of them feeding on the ground together (I managed to get four of them in one photo, but not a good photo I'm afraid).
28-APR-2009
Northern flickers
Although you can't tell from this photo, the bird on the left is a female.
28-APR-2009
Northern cardinal, male
Here is a list of the birds seen today at FWG:
Mallard 2
Ring-billed gulls many flying over
Downy woodpecker 1
Northern flicker 8
American crow 7
Black-capped chickadee 8
White-breasted nuthatch 1
House wren 1
Golden-crowned kinglet 5
Ruby-crowned kinglet 8
Veery 1
American robin 10
European starling 6
Black-throated blue warbler 1
Yellow-rumped warbler 6
Northern cardinal 4
Chipping sparrow 4
Song sparrow 5
White-throated sparrow 250+
White-crowned Sparrow 5
Dark-eyed junco 3
Red-winged blackbird 8
Brown-headed cowbird 8
House finch 2
American goldfinch 10
28-APR-2009
Chipmunk emerging from burrow
The squirrels were not deterred by rain, of course. This little chipmunk in the photo, dove into a burrow in the Ash woods, and then quickly poked his head out again and gave me a look as if to say "these are MY woods!"
28-APR-2009
Ash woods greening up
It always amazes me how quickly things green up. I swear that trees and shrubs leaf out, and flowers emerge as one stands there! The Ash woods are already getting that green haze.
28-APR-2009
Red trillium in the Ash woods
the red trilliums, which yesterday were just barely beginning to open, have progressed greatly. The bloodroot flowers are already losing petals to the rain, bellwort is almost ready to flower, false solomon's seal is twice the size it was yesterday, and should be in flower in another week or so. Red baneberry is growing where I swear it was not yesterday! And on it goes...
28-APR-2009
Toads thrashing around in the water
Toads were very active in the streams in the Arboretum, in the ravine, and especially in the pond where they were causing the water to roil and churn with their exertions! Unfortunately, for taking photos, they were all in the middle of the pond, not close to shore as they have been in some years. However, that may yet happen. You'll have to take my word that the "action" in the water here is from toads!
27-APR-2009
Grey squirrel in the Ash woods
This squirrel was sitting on an oak tree eating, what else, an acorn he'd probably stashed last fall.
27-APR-2009
Hermit thrush
Birds were singing away. A flock of about 12 pine siskins, several hermit thrushes, lots of robins, chickadees, goldfinches, tree swallows, and red-winged blackbirds. There was one golden-crowned kinglet (the one that has been around for several weeks?), several brown-headed cowbirds, cardinals, many song sparrows, white-throated sparrows, and juncos. A northern flicker and a downy woodpecker were also seen. Yesterday, I had a great-crested flycatcher, my first of the season.