Oxbow NWR and Bolton Flats (5/6)

My parents and I got up early on Sunday and headed over to Oxbow NWR. It was a cool morning so the the bird activity was low and we got off to a slow start. We did hear and see a Black and White Warbler in the trees around the parking lot. As we started down the main dirt road I heard a Common Yellowthroat calling from the marsh area. A bit further up a singing sparrow drew our attention. We tried unsuccessfully to identify it before it flew off into the woods. We continued on to the beaver pond where I heard my first Ovenbird of the year. We also had a few Eastern Towhees in the bushes plus at least one Pine Warbler which called from the trees. We rounded the bend heading down towards the pond I was hoping that we might find some Blanding's Turtles backing in the sun. But, even though it was a beautiful day, it must have just been too cool for them. The view of the pond wasn't to be missed though. The trees were all in process of sprouting leaves and the deep blue sky reflected off the perfectly calm water.

After enjoying the view for a couple of minutes, we decided to continue on. Before leaving, I did notice a small yellow flower that I didn't recognize. I took some pictures for identification purposes and later determined that they were Small-flowered Crowfoot.

A bit up the trail I spotted an immense Garter Snake sunning itself in the bushes. I've found that Garter Snakes really have a good deal of variation in their colors and this one had a pinkish stripe running down its back. He wasn't exactly frightened of us (or maybe he was just really sluggish) so we admired him for a few minutes before proceeding. We actually had several snakes during our hike. They were most likely all garters but I didn't get a look at every one. Some Painted Turtles were also out enjoying the sun.

As we walked past the pond and into the more forested area our sightings really started to pick up. This is strange since the early morning is usually the best time for birding. My guess is that they were waiting for the temperature to rise.

We started hearing more song from the woods. The first warbler species in this stretch was a pair of Palm Warblers. Then, as we got to the area where the trail bends 90 degrees to head back to the parking lot, we hit the jackpot. For some reason there were dozens of birds in this area. Most were Yellow-rumped Warblers but we did find several Black-throated Green Warblers and one Black-throated Blue Warbler. Also, at the top of one tree my Mom spotted a Blue-headed Vireo. We stayed in this area for a good amount of time and got great looks at all of these birds.

When we started back we had heard more good bird. I originally thought that it was the squeaky call of a Goldfinch but when we finally located the bird it ended up being a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. We saw several more of these birds on the return trip.

Just as we were getting back to the main road, we found the mystery sparrow that we couldn't identify earlier. After several minutes of observation and looking thru the guidebook, we finally were satisfied that it was a Lincoln's Sparrow... a life bird for me.

After finishing up at Oxbow, we headed over to Bolton Flats for a short walk after lunch. Our best birds there were a small flock of Lesser Yellowlegs, a Spotted Sandpiper, and a few Savannah Sparrow. In total we "netted" 52 species. Not bad.

Oxbow: Black and White Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Eastern Phoebe, Blue Jay, Red-bellied Woodpecker, American Robin, European Starling, Mourning Dove, American Goldfinch, Black-capped Chickadee, Brown Creeper, Song Sparrow, Downy Woodpecker, Red-winged Blackbird, Brown-headed Cowbird, Belted Kingfisher, White-breasted Nuthatch, Northern Cardinal, Chimney Swift, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Canada Goose, Mallard, Tufted Titmouse, Pine Warbler, Ovenbird, Tree Swallow, Palm Warbler, Common Grackle, Yellow Warbler, Wood Duck, White-throated Sparrow, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Warbling Vireo, Northern Flicker, Blue-headed Vireo, Black-throated Green Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Eastern Towhee, Hermit Thrush, Lincoln's Sparrow

At Bolton Flats we added the following species: American Crow, English Sparrow, Spotted Sandpiper, Eastern Kingbird, Gray Catbird, Red-tailed Hawk, Double-crested Cormorant, Eastern Bluebird, Savannah Sparrow, Northern Harrier, Lesser Yellowlegs