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Mariton: Bird Census Results

May 14, 2012

by Tim Burris, Preserve Manager

(Scarlet Tanager by Carole Mebus)

We had a great morning for the Migratory Count.  We ended the morning with 51 species and 281 individual birds.  Plus there were two or three warblers that we heard, but just could not identify.  We must be pretty close to the peak in migration, because we had good numbers of several species, and we found some unusual things also.

One of the more unusual sightings was a Swainson’s Thrush.  This is not the first time they have been recorded at Mariton.  In 1999, we recorded 3 during the Migration Census.  Still, it is not something you see every day.  The fact that it perched out in the open for so long, made identification easier.

While Wood Thrush numbers were down compared to past years, many species were much more abundant this year.  (Another indicator that we were very close to the peak of migration.)  We counted 20 Red-eyed Vireos (14 last year), 17 Ovenbirds, and 15 Scarlet Tanagers.

Counting the Ovenbirds, we had 10 different warbler species:  Black and White, Worm-eating, Parula, Black-throated Blue, Yellow-rumped, Black-throated Green, Yellow-throated, Ovenbird, Redstart, and Common Yellowthroat.

My sincere thanks to the dedicated birders who got up early to count birds.