In spite of the rather dismal forecast, Joan Frederick and I headed out to
Blendon Woods this morning….and had a fantastic 3 hours of birding! We
checked out the feeders near the Nature Center, walked out to Thoreau Lake
and the observation blinds, and tramped around Overlook Trail. Here’s what
we saw:
Tufted titmouse (everywhere!!)
House sparrow
Downy woodpecker
Red-bellied woodpecker
Carolina chickadee (also everywhere!)
Dark-eyed junco (a few)
Northern cardinal (so brilliantly red -- they were a delight everywhere we
looked!)
Song sparrow
American goldfinch
Field sparrow
Mourning dove
White-breasted nuthatch
Hairy woodpecker
Blue jay
Great blue heron
American robin (small flocks in the mowed areas)
Canada goose
Brown creeper (about 6 throughout the morning)
PALM WARBLER – This was the highlight of our trip! Very easily identified
and very cooperative, giving us about 10 minutes of gawking time! It was
hopping around the base of trees at the edge, where meadow meets tree line,
off to the right of the path leading to Thoreau Lake. We probably got
within 20-30 feet of it. Very exciting sign of spring!
Eastern bluebird
Mallard
Red-winged blackbird
Wood duck
Cooper’s hawk
Red-tailed hawk -- We were fortunate enough to witness the “changing of the
guard” at the RT hawk nest on Overlook Trail near the memorial bench. We
spotted the nest, then spotted one of the adults, preening in a nearby tree
before swooping over to the nest. The adult that was already in the nest
appreciated the break from nest duty and swooped off through the trees while
its mate immediately settled down into the nest for a sit. Very fortunate
timing for us and a lovely family moment for us to witness!
Tree swallow
Greater scaup
American crow
Pileated woodpecker – This noisy guy was feeling his oats today, drumming
and laughing and putting on quite a show. His shock of red was fantastic to
see on this gray and drizzly morn and he posed for us quite cooperatively in
several trees along the paths.
Yellow-bellied sapsucker
Black & white warbler
Sharp-shinned hawk
Turkey – Down in the ravine near the stream on Overlook Trail, we spotted 3
or 4 hens strutting around and clucking.
Turkey vulture
Rock pigeon
Then the rain picked up ferocity, so we headed over to Highbanks Metro Park
(Rt. 23 north of 270), hoping it would lighten up and we could maybe sneak a
peak at the resident owls. But the rain continued its intensity, so we
birded the feeders at the Nature Center instead! There we enjoyed large
numbers of cardinals and woodpeckers (hairy, downy, red-bellied), nuthatches
and sparrows (house, white-throated, chipping, American tree, white-crowned,
and field). The goldfinches were showing off their bright yellow plumage in
large numbers and the mourning doves were crowding the feeders. Then the
real star took center stage as a very soggy-looking pileated zoomed in and
fed at the suet feeder. What a magnificent bird and how small the other
woodpeckers suddenly seemed!
Not a bad morning for a rainy day! We felt so grateful for the wonderful
park system in our own Columbus!
Gerry Brevoort
Columbus
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