How to Choose a Birding Spot

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

It has rained for the last two days, so we stayed home for the most part. And each day, other birders post on FaceBook or the email list about the rare birds they have seen that day. When we try to plan what to do the next morning, we have to consider where to go and what we might see there, along with the weather forecast. A Connecticut Warbler is still hanging around at Cherokee Park, but we missed it the last time we went there. Good reports are coming in from Jacobsen Lake in Lexington, and I'm tempted to give it a try.

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

This morning we decided to head a short distance to Anchorage Park. We are familiar with it, and both wore our mud boots, knowing that wet spots would be abundant after the recent rain. After chatting with two of our bird club friends, we tactfully walked on our own, forging into the low marshy area by a creek. Yes, it was full of water, but we were prepared. We got a good look at several Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, a small active bird with a white eyering. As it hops from branch to branch, this steely blue-gray bird flicks its white-edged tail from side to side, scaring up insects and chasing after them. I've heard folks guess that it's a baby Mockingbird.

Blackberry bushes

Grandiflora Rose - invasive

Yellow Flag - invasive

White-tailed Deer

The Anchorage Trail is used by dog-walkers, exercisers, kids with bikes and birders. It was established, oh, I don't remember, maybe 10 years ago, by a generous donation from the U of L basketball coach who lived nearby at the time. It has a nice paved walkway, fancy stone bridges and goes along Willow Lake. In the beginning, it was planted with Kentucky native plants in grasslands next to the woods. However, over the years, invasives have taken over. Bradford pears, grandiflora rose, and even yellow flag (an iris) have spread all over. I grumble about it, but we walk there anyway. This morning, the mower made it hard to hear the birds. I know, he needs to mow, and doesn't know that we will be there. It's nothing personal.

Pileated Woodpecker

Pileated Woodpecker

 We mentioned to our friends that we hadn't seen a Pileated Woodpecker yet this year, and a few minutes later they found one up in a sycamore tree. They are the largest woodpecker in Kentucky, and peck out rectangular shaped holes. Remember Woody Woodpecker? It was modeled on this bird. The biggest thing about it is how to pronounce the name. Some birders say "Pie-lee-ated" while others pronounce it "Pill-e-ated." I used the second pronunciation since that's how my mother-in-law always said it! We walked on down the trail humming "You say to-ma-to and I'll say to-mah-to." But we sang softly and listened to the Barred Owl hooting in the woods.

Great Blue Heron

The lake can have half a dozen different kinds of ducks, but not today. We saw a family of Mallards with six teenagers, almost as big as their mother. Two Great Egrets flew overhead, along with lots of swallows snatching bugs out of the air. Finally, a Great Blue Heron coasted in for a landing on the other side.

Baltimore Oriole

Baltimore Orioles are beautiful birds, especially when the sun hits their bright orange breast. They all sing different songs, and you just have to remember the tone of their whistle. 

Cedar Waxwings

 Cedar Waxwings are on the move. We saw 6 or 8 of them perched in a tree top. Through the binoculars they looked yellow, but were too big to be Gold Finches. Then we noticed the crest on their heads. They are unusual looking birds, who like to hang around together eating berries. If ever in doubt, remember to look for the tip of their tails that look like they have been dipped in yellow paint! 

Total bird count on eBird today: 42! I don't think we've had that many on one walk in one location before. Total species count for the month of May: 102!