Returns

5.31.2006, 730-830 am
Strath Haven -> Crum Meadow

Just a quick jaunt to see what's happenin'. Birdwise, Eastern Wood-Pewees have certainly arrived, as there were 3 singing along the creek behind Strath, so that was an easy checkmark on the Crum birdlist. Also rewarding was my first Common Yellowthroat of the woods, fulfilling yesterday's prophecy. At one point, the bird climbed up a bare vine, and then flew into a dead tree, you simply couldn't ask for a better look. Later, two goldfinches flew into the same tree, right next to the yellowthroat, I'm sure Ezra Pound would've been all over that junk.

Perhaps even more noticable than the birds was the ridiculous amount of plant growth that's happened since I left. The stands of Japanese Knotweed, which were formerly about waist-high, have now grown up to over 10 ft, which sadly is far taller than I am, completely obstructing my views of the creek in some places. Many of the grasses and other ground cover flora have burst up as well, and the result was that Strath was almost completely choked off from the Crum proper by tall grass and Japanese Knotweed. I'm not sure if I'll be making that trek again, not just because of the impassability, but it seems like a ripe location for ticks as well.

On the bright side, Crum Meadow has finally become an actual meadow rather than just a lawn, something that I've hoped to see ever since I got here. I really do hope they keep the meadow like this, as the potential for wildlife is immense. There were some grasses with small purple flowers than the goldfinches seemed to flock towards, as I saw up to ten perched together in a single cluster of the plants. It's a little late in the breeding season now, but it seems like the kind of habitat that birds like Blue Grosbeaks or Yellow-breasted Chats could find attractive, which would be amazing.

Surprisingly, I found no orioles behind Strath; before I left I'd found three singing males in the sycamores near the bridge. Perhaps they're simply not singing, as I didn't hear the Rose Tree Park bird singing either. In addition, the Yellowthroat was the only warbler I encountered, so no Parulas, Black-throated Blues or Greens, or any of the other warblers. I completely missed the wave of Redstarts, Blackpolls, and other late migrants then, which is disappointing. But I'm content to settle in and get comfortable with these summer residents now.

• 1 Common Yellowthroat - male, wetland in the Skunk-Cabbage Hollow
• 4 Eastern Wood-Pewee - three behind Strath, one in the Wister garden
• 2 House Wren - Crum ledge, Holly collection
  
• 1 Veery - Skunk-Cabbage Hollow, not singing unfortunately
  
• 2 Acadian Flycatcher - Skunk-Cabbage Hellow, Crum thickets
  

Ridley Creek: Ranging Afield

5.30.2006, 800-1015 am
Ridley Creek State Park (Sycamore Mills Rd), Rose Tree Park

Somehow Barry and I woke up on our own a full 15 minutes before our 7 am alarms were scheduled to ring, so I decided to take advantage of this newfangled "car" technology and bird nearby hotspots outside of the walking range of school. Obviously first on my list would be the famous Ridley Creek State Park, probably mentioned in every local guidebook, and recommended to any birder visiting the Philadelphia area. The other can't-miss local hotspot is the John Heinz NWR (Tinicum) by the airport, which I will certainly stop by sometime soon. But today, I was looking forward to birding Ridley Creek.

Shockingly, rush hour was already in full swing when I stepped out of the door at 7:15. Traffic on the I-476 bridge above Baltimore Pike was nearly at a sandstill, and I too found myself stuck in deep traffic by the time I made the turn onto Providence Rd. in Media. Even these local roads were choked. What probably should've taken 10 minutes ended up taking about 40, but I figured that the park would at least be a nice quiet contrast to this gridlock. Turns out, not so much. The guides had described the Sycamore Mills Rd as a remote corner of the park, rarely seen by visitors, yet the main parking lot was completely full, and I ended up having to park on an auxillary lot up the road. Walking up the path, there was always a person or two approaching my path from either direction, and I never truly felt isolated at all.

Despite the automotive and human traffic, bird activity was incredibly high, and it was very easy to see why Ridley Creek is thought of so highly. Even the quieter sections of the path were about as busy as the most pristine areas of the Crum. Acadian Flycatchers were on territory along the entire path, yet in the Crum I can only consistently find them in the Wister or Skunk-Cabbage Hollow, the two birdiest areas in the woods overall, and I really cannot find them anywhere else. There were also quite a few species that I haven't encountered before in the Crum, and I wonder if that disparity is temporal, or spatial, or both, as I've never birded the Crum at this point in the season either, so comparisons can't quite be made. I'll get to that sometime soon, I'm sure.

At the furthest point to which I ventured, the Youth Hostel about 1.3 miles up the path, several dozen butterflies swarmed around a water fountain, a stunning sight that was a nice way to conclude the walk up.

Common Yellowthroat, male. I'll have to look out for this in the Crum, Skunk-Cabbage Hollow seems the most likely location, as they were very common in several locations at Ridley Creek.

On the way back home, I decided to stop by Rose Tree Park, which is just on the way, and is home to a hawkwatch during migration, which I've watched the results of with great interest. Obviously hawk migration is over, but other birds were still present, as I found a Baltimore Oriole nest right by the parking lot, and bluebirds nesting in the many boxes around the park. Rose Tree Park seems like the absolutely perfect place of a picnic, with its wide open fields and wide open skies, with just enough tree shade to make things bearable. Orchard Orioles and Savannah Sparrows are reportedly quite common here, so I will try and stop by one morning to try and locate them. After visiting these two parks, it will be difficult for me to actively bird in the Crum, as there are so many new things to discover abroad.

• 1 Veery - singing below the Youth Hostel. First time I've ever heard the song in the wild, and it's a stunning song.
• 4 Common Yellowthroat - 2 males and a female below the Youth Hostel, and one singing at the Sycamore Mill dam.
• 1 White-eyed Vireo - below Youth Hostel
• 1 Sharp-shinned Hawk - fighting with something around the 0.4 mile marker, flew off quickly.
• 1 Northern Parula - parking lot area
  
• 1 Scarlet Tanager - Sycamore Mill dam
• 5 Acadian Flycatcher - on territory all along the creek.
• 5 Tree Swallow - wheeling around the dam, dove at a Blue Jay at one point
• 1 Great Blue Heron - Sycamore Mill dam
• 3 Mallard - just above the dam

• 1 Baltimore Oriole - feeding young in a nest just by Rose Tree Park parking lot
• 3 Eastern Bluebird - fields below parking lot
• 2 Tree Swallow - above fields
  

Going Out on Top

5.10.2006, 820-1045
Upper Wister Draw -> Wallingford Rd. Bridge -> Garden Ruins
with Alison Santiago

Probably my last walk of the semester, as I'm heading home tomorrow and the morning will be crunch-time with my massive paper. Migration seems to be a little late this year, at least compared to last year, as I clearly remember Orioles building nests and Redstarts arriving by the time I left for home last year, whereas neither has yet occured this year, at least to my knowledge.

It was a nice conclusion to the semester's birding, as the triplist was probably the most diverse and extensive out of any trip so far this year, and I'm sure that I still have some of these numbers jumbled up. It was nice to share the birds with an extra set of eyes as well, I think the hummingbird and the Broad-winged Hawk were the only birds that only one of us got good looks at.

So that's it for the semester. I'll be back at Swarthmore in two or three weeks, and I'm sure I'll continue birding then. I haven't decided if I should make this blog exclusive to Swarthmore, or expand it to all of my birding trips in general, in which case I'd have to go ahead and cover the Raleigh Spring Bird Count on Saturday. I'm very curious to see exactly how far ahead NC is compared to PA in the migration.

• 1 Magnolia Warbler - singing on Magill Walk right at the train station, beautiful looks
• 3 Acadian Flycatcher - Wister forest, hemlock bluff, opposite bank of Crum Meadow
• 1 Swainson's Thrush - Wister Bend
• 2 Veery - Hemlock bluff, above Crum Meadow
  
• 1 Ruby-throated Hummingbird - Crum ford, opposite bank
  
• 1 Scarlet Tanager - Wister bend
• 1 Broad-winged Hawk - Garden Ruins
  
• 2 Baltimore Oriole - Wallingford Rd. Bridge, Crum Meadow
• 1 Northern Parula - Garden Ruins
• 3 Black-throated Green Warbler - all along route
  
• 7 Black-throated Blue Warbler - all along route
• 2 Great Crested Flycatcher - below Alligator rock, above Crum Meadow
• Cedar Waxwings - reported by Ben Ewen-Campen at Wallingford Rd. Bridge

Magnolia Warbler, male. A life bird for me, seen just by the train station of all places. Photo by Mike Robinson

Sinister Operation

5.5.06, 1014 am - 1200 pm
Skunk Cabbage Hollow -> Strath Haven ->Yale Ave. Bridge -> Southern Red Oak Forest -> Sinister Operation -> Garden Ruins -> Crum Meadow

Throughout this spring, I've been wondering when the big day would come, when all the amazing spring migrants would arrive, when the woods would explode with unfamiliar songs, and colorful migrants would give me just brief glimpses before finding another soul to tempt. I've also wondered if it would actually be far more gradual than this, if each species would line up for their turn to arrive, just a slow and steady stream. Whichever was the case, I knew that it would arrive soon.

I turned off my alarm clock in the middle of the night for some reason, so I was worried that the woods would be silent by the time I eventually headed out after 10. But as I got closer to the woods I knew this was going to be an amazing day, and within 30 seconds of walking in I had already heard two new species for the spring, still steadily singing three hours after sunrise. I had intended to scout out the shrubland near the Strath Haven condominiums, but instead got trapped in Skunk Cabbage Hollow by the continuous song of the new parulas and Black-throated Blues.

After finally drawing myself out of the Hollow, I found Strath to be quieter than I had hoped. But heading for the Yale Ave. bridge, I suddenly stumbled across three singing Baltimore Orioles in sycamores on both sides of the creek, giving great looks. I could also hear more Black-throated Blues on the opposite bank, so I decided to cross the bridge and find a way into the unexplored Southern Red Oak Forest.

These are the best birding walks for me, the ones when you walk through a completely new area, finding great birds nearly all the way through. I was just in a constant state of awe as I strolled through the Southern Red Oak Forest surrounded by the songs of Black-throated Blues and orioles. Near the northern edge, I heard a very burry robin-like song, and before I knew it, a my first Scarlet Tanager of the year was in a tree before me.

Scarlet Tanager, male. Recently voted as the most beautiful North American bird, it's a species that is quite uncommon in NC, replaced by the related Summer Tanager, while the opposite is true here in the North, as I've never seen a Summer Tanager around these parts. No photograph or words can do this bird any justice. Photo by James Ownby

Finally emerging out of the Southern Red Oak Forest, I suddenly found myself on the edge of the massive Composting Facility of the school, with the Scott Arboretum Nursery and Castanea House nearby. With the No Trespassing signs posted every few feet, I almost felt I'd stumbled across some dark, sinister operation that the school keeps hidden from the idyllic life of campus. Thinking about this though, I couldn't think of a single possible malicious goal that Swarthmore could possibly have, which is either indicative of its innocence, or its sheer evil genius. In any case, I wandered around looking for an exit, before I found myself back at the retention pond beside the highway. I'm sort of worried about venturing into this area again, and may ask Julie about it the next time I run into her.

On the way back home, I did finally manage to work my way across the fallen log at Crum Meadow that had been successfully used as a ford during the Crum Regatta. It took entirely too much time and effort, but I felt sort of proud of myself in the end. That pride was likely the result of my idiocy and stubornness in even attempting the thing, but regardless, it's something that I'm glad I did, but will never do again. Even on the walk out of Crum Meadow, I could still hear several Black-throated Blues singing along the path, and it was clear that this was just the beginning of the peak of migration. I look forward to my final week here.

• 1 Scarlet Tanager - Southern Red Oak Forest
• 3 Northern Parula - along entire route
  
• 7 Black-throated Blue Warbler - along entire route
• 5 Baltimore Oriole - Strath Haven, Southern Red Oak Forest, Crum Meadow
• 1 Ovenbird - Skunk Cabbage Hollow
• 3 Wood Thrush - Skunk Cabbage Hollow, Crum Meadow
• 7 Gray Catbird - along entire route
• 4 Northern Rough-winged Swallow - nesting at the Yale Ave. bridge
  

In the late afternoon, after some intense studying in Cornell, I decided to recharge with a quick walk along the North Crum Loop without binoculars, and it was clear that the day's activity simply would not end.

• 1 Hermit Thrush - Wister Forest, absolutely unreal looks, watched for about five minutes from five feet away.
• 1 Scarlet Tanager - Upper Wister Draw
• 2 Black-throated Blue Warbler - Upper Wister Draw, Wister Forest
  
• 1 Great Crested Flycatcher - Wister Forest
• 2 Baltimore Oriole - Wallingford Rd. bridge
  

Off the Beaten Path

5.1.2006, 830-1015 am
North Crum Loop
with Ben Ewen-Campen

Having an extra set of eyes and an extra dose of enthusiasm helps immeasurably, as Ben is far more willing than I to trample off the path to get a better look at something. That paid off pretty quickly, as I heard a robin-like song on the hill above Upper Wister Draw, that I called a possible Red-eyed Vireo, though I wasn't confident with that at all, and Ben immediately charged up the hill to find it. After a few minutes, we found the bird, and my ID was wrong, it was actually a beautiful Rose-breasted Grosbeak, whose song I' m not totally familiar with yet, this was the first time I'd found one in the Crum. I'm still working my way through all these robin-like songs

Rose-breasted Grosbeak, male. There were 6 of these in one tree in my backyard a few years ago, and I'd never seen them since, until today.

More off-trail exploring occured at the Wallingford Rd. Bridge, as we hacked our way through the stands of Japanese Knotweed to get better looks at Barn Swallows underneath the bridge. Sitting in the shade under the bridge and watching swallows swoop around was a thrill. Later I noticed that some of the fresh tracks below us on that bank were from deer.

Overall, a fairly short but productive day. Speaking of being productive, I need to get a lot of work done right now...

• 1 Rose-breasted Grosbeak - male singing in Upper Wister Draw, eventually tracked down and good looks obtained
  
• 1 Great Crested Flycatcher - calling across the creek from Wister Forest, got great looks too
• 3 Eastern Kingbird - one very tame male above the Wallingford Rd bridge that even revealed the red crown, and two calling at Upper Wister Draw
• 2 Wood Thrush - Wister Forest, Upper Wister Draw
• 1 Gray Catbird - Wallingford Rd Bridge