birdsoup

Today I walked at Rockefeller State Park with a couple of friends.  Since I plan to go there next week on my regular monthly bird walk, you might think that this was a pre-scouting trip to check out the birds.  Actually, it wasn’t.  It is just that Rockefeller is lovely place to walk particularly in spring.

I remember that last year when we went to Rockefeller for my monthly walk we were blessed with a lovely weather and nice birds.  We spotted Bluebirds, Tree Swallows, Pileated Woodpeckers.   It was a nice walk.  It was also the last time Meredith Matthews joined our walked before she left for the greener pastures of Chicago.  I thought about naming next week’s walk the “Farewell Meredith Bird Walk”, but realized (a) that sounded too fatalistic and (2) many of the new participants didn’t know her.  So it will just be my April walk.

Today, I added 5 species to my 2012 Year List.  Adding a bunch of new birds is a good sign that migrants are returning from their winter vacation.  Some of our winter visitors were still hanging around.  Saw large flocks of White-throated Sparrows and Juncos flashed their white out tail feathers as flushed from the low shrubs. 

Spring is a great time of year for birders.  You never know what you might find.  Join of walk on the first Saturday of April, the 7^th, to find out what birds will be at Rockefeller.