Weekly Report - 2018-02-16 - Feels Like Spring!

An unseasonably warm morning paired with an after school Trailblazers event made for a super birdy week here at BSES! We tallied a whopping 28 total species for the week!

Common Mergansers were seen flying over the BSES Nature Trail heading northeast! This observation represents a fourth record for the property. All four records are from winter, and three of the four records are from February with one record from January.

A second record for 2018, one Merlin was observed on the trail. Unlike all previous records which were flyovers, this was the first perched Merlin record for the trail! It was seen early in the morning in a tree along the edge of the parking lot. This was the first photograph of a Merlin I've ever been able to capture on the trail as well. After posing for a few pictures, it took off from its perch over Deer Meadow Lane in a potential hot pursuit of its next meal!

Eastern Bluebirds were present on the trail this week. Six individuals were observed at the same time feeding on the forest floor around the outdoor classroom during this week's Trailblazers after school event! Two of which posed at close range offering great photo opportunities and views for all. This total of six birds is two shy of the all-time high count of eight individuals on the trail seen on 7/19/16.

One Red-shouldered Hawk was heard during the Trailblazers Nature Exploration walk on Thursday 2/15.

28 Species for the Week:

Canada Goose

Common Merganser

Red-shouldered Hawk

Red-tailed Hawk

Mourning Dove

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Downy Woodpecker

Hairy Woodpecker

Northern Flicker

Merlin

Blue Jay

American Crow

Carolina Chickadee

Tufted Titmouse

White-breasted Nuthatch

Carolina Wren

Eastern Bluebird

American Robin

Northern Mockingbird

European Starling

Dark-eyed Junco

White-throated Sparrow

Song Sparrow

Eastern Towhee

Northern Cardinal

Red-winged Blackbird

Common Grackle

House Finch