24th April – East Rock Park, New Haven

The Sunrise Birding Group, East Rock Park

A foggy morning didn’t dampen our spirits for my walk around East Rock. Eleven keen birders and I spent a couple of hours around the river trail, completing a loop back over the iron bridge back to the parking lot. The first tall trees after the covered bridge held a nice flurry of warblers, mainly Yellow-rumped’s, a couple of Yellow’s and a singing Black and White Warbler – a nice start.

Light wasn’t the best due to the fog but it gave everyone a chance to concentrate on size and structure and behavior – all important  aspects of warbler id. that often get by-passed in spring when bright patterns of color are used to pin names on birds. Other highlights included:  Wood Duck, Canada Goose, Double-crested Cormorant, Great Egret, Mourning Dove, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Eastern Phoebe, American Crow, Black-capped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Palm, Parula (2), Black and white (2+), Northern Waterthrush (2), Yellow (6), Warbling Vireo, Golden-crowned Kinglet, American Robin,  Eastern Kingbird, Brown Thrasher, Northern Cardinal, Chipping Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbird, Common Grackle, Brown-headed Cowbird.

Male Yellow Warbler beltin' it out

Tags: east rock, Sunrise Birding