Monday, June 22, 2009

June 21, 2009 Whippoorwill Walk

Well with thoughts of cancelling swirling in my head, the crazy side of me won out and six of us, all who were just as crazy as me, set out on a rainy, windy, crappy night for a bird walk. while hiding in the lee of where ever we could, we managed to come up with 36 species for the evening! List as follows; Green Heron, Canada Geese, Mute Swan, Wood Duck,Osprey, Killdeer, Ring-Billed Gull, Least Tern,Mourning Dove,Belted Kingfisher,Eastern Kingird,American Crow,Purple Martin,Tree Swallow, Bank Swallow, Barn Swallows at very close range, Black capped Chickadee, Hermit Thrush, American Robin, Grey Catbird, Northern Mockingbird, Starling, Cedar Waxwing,Yellow Warbler,Pine Warbler, Prairie Warbler, Common Yellowthroat,Eastern Towhee, Chipping Sparrow,Song Sparrow,Bobolink, Red Winged Blackbird, Common Grackle,Baltimore Oriole,American Goldfinch, and finally a very co-operative Whip-poor Will that sang at close range and we were able to put a flashlight on it and get a red reflection from its eye. So all in all in what was challengeing wind and rain we were rewarded by the single Whip-poor Will and the long standing record of hearing and or seeing Whip-poor Wills still stands! Thanks to Thanks to Alice and Dane, Susan, and Kathy and Bryce for sharing in my madness!
--Mike LaBossiere