Jo MacIntosh, Michael Packer and I went to Spring Valley this Friday morning to scout the area in preparation for Sunday's CA field trip. What a wonderful day it was - warm, breezy (a little buggy, but not too bad) and birdy!! We arrived around 8:15am and was there for about 3 1/2 hrs. We ended up with just under 60 species (usual suspects included) There were a few very special moments though, that I will save for the end of the list.

 Highlights included

 Blue-Gray Gnatcatchers EVERYWHERE!!
 Field Sparrow
 Song Sparrow
 White Throated Sparrow
 Swamp Sparrows EVERYWHERE along the boardwalk
 Chipping Sparrow
 Hairy WP
 Downy WP
 Red-Bellied WP
 Flicker
 Pileated WP (heard many, found the tree with the nest, saw them in two areas)
 Brown Thrasher
 Eastern Towhee
 Eastern Meadowlark
 Ruby-Crowned Kinglet
 Chimney Swift
 Yellow-Rumped Warbler
 Yellow Warbler (quite a few along the boardwalk)
 Warbling Vireo
 Pine Warbler
 Carolina Wren
 Tree Swallow
 Northern Rough-Wing Swallow
 Great Egret
 Great Blue Heron
 Wood Duck
 Blue-Winged Teal
 Coot
 Bufflehead
 Ruddy Duck
 Red Head
 Pied-Bill Grebe
 Trumpeter Swan
 Spotted Sandpiper
 Yellowlegs (flyover - not sure which type)
 RT Hawk
 RS Hawk (found the nest - saw one bird sitting on it)
 Northern Harrier
 Cooper's Hawk

 Now for those "finds of the day"

 A pair of BEAUTIFUL purple finches at the feeders (definitely M/F - possibly a
 breeding pair perhaps???)

 Sora (saw one off the first section of the boardwalk, heard more calling along
 the length of the boardwalk)

 Jo saw an American Bittern fly up out of the reeds for about a second or two and
 then fly back down - unfortunately, Michael and I missed it.

 A GORGEOUS pair of Broad-Wing Hawks circling just above the main parking lot

 A very up close and personal look at an Osprey who cooperated and posed on a
 close tree branch for at least 20-30 minutes - then began to fish

 Great looks at a stunning Prothonotary Warbler

And finally a Northern Parula that literally came within a couple feet of the car (which we were using as a blind) and if we stayed much longer, he probably would have flown right in and come home with us.

Nadya Bennett
Columbus




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