Seasonal Highlights - 2002

Winter

    The most common birds of the season were Canada Geese and American Crows flying in large flocks over the Nature Center.  House Finches, White-throated Sparrows, American Robins, and Mourning Doves were plentiful.  Carolina Wrens brightened the gloomy days with cheerful song, and several uncommon species were observed.  These included Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Hermit Thrush, Cooper’s Hawk, Eastern Bluebird, American Tree Sparrow, Brown Creeper, Gray Catbird, Fox Sparrow, and the most unexpected bird of the winter–Pine Siskin.  The Pine Siskin on January 18th was the first seen here since April of 1994.  Siskins were observed seven times this year, with the last sighting on April 4th.
  
    Warm days in February may have inspired Song Sparrows to sing, and increasing numbers of Red-winged Blackbirds signaled that the end of winter was near.  The first Turkey Vulture returned on the 11th, and the first Brown-headed Cowbird on the 18th.  

Spring

    Signs of spring became unmistakable in March.  Rusty Blackbird, American Woodcock, Eastern Phoebe, Ring-necked and Wood Ducks, Field Sparrow, and Yellow-rumped Warbler clearly indicated the changing seasons.  Observations of Common Mergansers increased in spring of 2001 and 2002.  Perhaps they breed nearby.  Non-bird sightings included Red Fox, Possum, Bullfrog, and a possible Mink.    Northern Rough-winged Swallows came back to the Nature Center on April 4th.  New arrivals occurred  almost daily: American Kestrel, Pine Warbler, Palm Warbler, Wild Turkey, Osprey, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Swamp Sparrow, Eastern Towhee, Purple Finch, Warbling Vireo, Northern Waterthrush, Black-and-white Warbler, Orchard and Baltimore Orioles, and Yellow Warbler returned from their southern wintering places.  

    A Bald Eagle on the 25th was a new species--the only new one this year.  The first young birds of the year, juvenile Mallards, swam in the creek with their mother on the 6th.  A beaver was observed in the creek.  While signs of their presence are abundant, beaver have not often been seen.  Snapping, Box, and Painted Turtles appeared, and a Pickerel Frog was heard.

    Birding was good on several days in May, but there were many dry spells.  May 2nd had 59 species including Purple Finch, Rusty Blackbird, Great Egret, Least Flycatcher, and 14 warbler species.  May 13th saw 55 species with Olive-sided Flycatcher, Lincoln’s Sparrow, and 16 warbler species.  The 14th brought 64 species with 16 warblers.   Yellow-billed Cuckoo and Mourning Warbler were notable on the 15th.

    On the 23rd a sharp-eyed  fisherman revealed the presence of a Ruby-throated Hummingbird on her nest in the park across Illick’s Mill Road.  The activities of the mother, and later her two offspring, were a delight for birders until the young fledged on June 23rd.  
    
Summer

    30 species including Eastern Wood-Pewee, Cedar Waxwing, Wood Thrush, Warbling and Red-eyed Vireos, Yellow Warbler, and Baltimore Oriole raised their young in the Nature Center.  Another 12 species probably bred in or near the area.  These  included Great Horned Owl, Great Crested Flycatcher, and Hairy Woodpecker.  American Robin and Gray Catbird were once again the most common breeding birds. One species, Wood Thrush, is on the Audubon Watchlist for birds whose populations are in serious decline.
 
    Young Snapping, Box, and Painted Turtles were seen.  Beaver began working on a dam across the tracks from the pond.  Joe Pye Weed, Boneset, and Swamp Milkweed flowered abundantly.

Fall

    Fall migrants began their southern journey as Bergamot and Goldenrod bloomed.  Wood Duck, American Redstart, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, and Black-and-white Warbler left their breeding places and moved through the Nature Center.  On August 15th a Golden-winged Warbler explored a patch of Goldenrod.  The last sighting of that species was on August 21st of 1998.  An Olive-sided Flycatcher was seen on the 20th, and Northern Waterthrush, Blue-winged, Worm-eating, Blackburnian, and Canada Warblers were not far behind.  Great Egret sightings (22) were unusually high this year.  At times 2 were present.  There were only 20 Green Heron observations for the year.
 
    September highlights included Tennessee Warbler on the 6th, Philadelphia Vireo on the 11th, Mourning Warbler on the 12th, and Bay-breasted and Blackburnian Warblers on the 19th.  Migrants were scarce.  Most September days produced about 40 species with only 6-8 warbler species and only 1 or 2 birds of each species.   October highlights included Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Brown Thrasher, Winter Wren, Palm Warbler, White-crowned, Swamp, Fox, and Field Sparrows, and Rusty Blackbird.  Most of the kinglet sightings during the year were in October.  

    In early October, the 8th and 9th, the Norfolk Southern Railroad extensively cut down wildflowers, bushes, and trees in a wide swath along their tracks.  This appeared to be the most comprehensive pruning in about 40 years, estimating the ages of the severed trees and bushes.  Many remaining trees were indiscriminately damaged.  Much cover and many berries and seeds were removed from the wildlife habitat.  
    
    November 2nd brought the first snow flurries of the season.  Winter Wren, Hermit Thrush, Eastern Bluebird, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, and Cedar Waxwings were seen often during the month.  Lingering Eastern Phoebe, Gray Catbird, and Solitary Vireo were more unusual sightings, but the most uncommon birds of this month were ducks.  A male Hooded Merganser and five Green-winged Teal rested on the Paint Mill Pond on the 7th, and a hard-to-identify young Ring-necked Duck spent a week there.  Fox Sparrows were scarce this fall with only four observed.

    A cold and snowy December was brightened by a female Eastern Towhee, first seen on the 19th.  This cooperative bird remained through the Christmas Bird Count on the 28th.  Other notable Christmas Count species were Winter Wren, Hermit Thrush, and an American Kestrel--a first for the count.

***

    134 species including 26 warblers were seen in the Nature Center this year.  One of these, Bald Eagle, was new to the area. 
       
    Observers: Linda Freedman, Phyllis Heller, Jeff Hopkins, Barbara Malt, Steve Thorpe, Carolyn Watkins, Joe Zajacek

Compiler: Linda Freedman