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Mariton: Birding is still good.

October 15, 2014

by Tim Burris, Preserve Manager.  Photos by Carole Mebus.

MEBUS TuftedTitmouseAsideBerriesMariton1014

Tufted Titmouse and Poison Ivy berries

Tuesday’s Walk was good for birding.  The gnats are still bothersome, but that probably helps us find some interesting birds.  At the top of the Spruce Trail, we found a flock of several bird species.  Yellow-rumped Warblers were feeding with Golden-crowned Kinglets and Ruby-crowned Kinglets.  It was a pleasant surprise to find these species all in one place.  There were also Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, Downey Woodpeckers, Tufted Titmice, and Chickadees.

An immature Bald Eagle flew right over us in one of the meadows.  We figured that it was probably a 3 year old bird, as the head and tail weren’t completely white.  We also saw a Cooper’s Hawk in that meadow.

MEBUS EasternBluebirdTurnpikeTrailMariton1014 (2)

Eastern Bluebird female

Along the Turnpike Trail, we ran into another group of birds that included Bluebirds, some Cedar Waxwings, and more Yellow-rumps.

MEBUS CedarWaxwingTurnpikeTrailMariton1015

Cedar Waxwing