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