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