[Birdnet] Northern Parula, Red-eyed Vireo, American Golden-Plover, etc.

[Colby Neuman]

Hi all,

I decided the streak of two plus months of no birding needed to stop today.
Kathy Hayes (hopefully spelling is right?) and I made our way down to River
Lane this morning in search of migrant songbirds.  I actually figured the
Northern Parula was long gone and was hoping for other goodies.  We arrived
to very little activity.  After walking a hundred or so yards down the trail
we heard a couple 'seeps' and 'zips' and made our way down a path on the
north side of the road.  Within a few minutes of looking at various
warblers, I put my binoculars on a bird and realized that I was watching a
female NORTHERN PARULA.  I guess my observation of the bird was equivalent
to a lot of 'big day' sightings in that as soon as I realized I was watching
a parula, I put down the binocs and tried to get Kathy on the bird.  Of
course, the bird immediately flew out of the tree as soon as Kathy was able
to find where the bird was foraging.  We spent the next 30 minutes in
the general area looking without any success.  Shortly thereafter, we ran
into Jack Binch, Bob Huntington and Bob MacDougal where the five of us began
searching along River Lane road.  As far as I know, no one else saw the
bird?  However, we did have lots of good migrants.  I actually saw a bird
that I thought may have been a Red-eyed Vireo, but I literally saw the bird
for a second.  I don't feel comfortable counting the bird, but it's
reassuring that Jack and the two Bobs had good looks at a RED-EYED VIREO
later on.  Other migrants found in the big flock (within the first few 100
yards along River Lane) were 1 CORDILLEREAN FLYCATCHER, multiple
DUSKY/HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHERS, WESTERN WOOD-PEWEES, 1 PLUMBEOUS VIREO, 1 HOUSE
WREN, 3-4 TOWNSEND'S WARBLERS, a NASHVILLE WARBLER, 2 VIRGINIA'S WARBLERS, 1
LINCOLN'S SPARROW, WESTERN TANAGERS, LAZULI BUNTINGS, SPOTTED TOWHEES among
the more common migrants.  The five of us saw a GREAT-HORNED OWL that
flushed out of a tree, and Kathy and I later on flushed at least 2 COMMON
BARN-OWLS.  CASPIAN TERNS flew overhead multiple times and made their
presence known by giving their harsh call.  I heard a flock PECTORAL
SANDPIPERS fly by at one point and SANDHILL CRANES called from a field from
somewhere to the south of River Lane.  Also, swallow numbers were very
impressive first thing in the morning as well.  Around 10:30 we headed
home.

My dad and I then headed to Antelope Island for the afternoon.  Here we saw
the usual peeps including BAIRD'S and WESTERN SANDPIPERS.  We did find a
juvenile SANDERLING mixed in with a flock of peeps on the north side of the
causeway.  I counted at least 39 BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS scattered along the
causeway as well.  I forgot to look at the milemarker, but we also found an
AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER in winter plumage along the north side (somewhere
near the bend).  We then headed to Garr Ranch where highlights were at least
2 TOWNSEND'S WARBLERS (1 male & 1 female) and a CASSIN'S VIREO.

Colby
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