Wompatuck State Park, May 15, 2014 6:30-11:30 AM

It was another amazing day at Wompatuck bursting with bird song.  The twenty folks who met at 6:30 proceeded directly to Gates 8 and 9 in pursuit of a worm-eating warbler.  It was easily an hour before we took either of those paths due to the profusion of warblers and birdsong along the main road.  A rose-breasted grosbeak beckoned us down the road, but along the way we picked up many warblers, a red-eyed vireo, woodpeckers, and baltimore orioles.  As we walked up the path at Gate 8, Liam Waters asked what we were looking for.  When I said, 'worm-eating warbler', he pointed to one directly overhead! (ask and it shall be given unto you...)

The group on the main drag; photo by Christine Whitebread

From Gate 9 we encountered several more species including another WEWA.  We continued on to the railroad tracks that lead to Wildcat Pond, hoping to sneak up on a bittern as we did last year.  Instead we stalked a Nashville warbler until we got mediocre looks through the trees and then chased down a singing Indigo Bunting which offered us great looks.  The return trip netted us wonderful looks at a Veery and the continued singing, albeit no sighting, of a Northern Waterthrush.

Pat Donahue captured an American toad; photo by Lori-Ann O'Hare

Veery photographed by Ellen Freda

We proceeded on to S. Pleasant Street, and those who didn't make a pit stop saw both chestnut-sided and bay-breasted warblers.  Even that area was alive with redstarts and orioles and blue-wings buzzing all around us.  Though none of us cared to walk farther, we weren't ready to say good-bye, so we retired to a picnic table across the street to savor the continuing melodies that had charmed and tantalized us all morning.

Blue-winged Warbler by Ellen Freda

46 species

Common Loon  6     flyovers
Broad-winged Hawk  1
Herring Gull  2
Chimney Swift  2
Ruby-throated Hummingbird  1
Red-bellied Woodpecker  3
Downy Woodpecker  1
Eastern Phoebe  3
Great Crested Flycatcher  3
Red-eyed Vireo  2
Blue Jay  6
Black-capped Chickadee  3
Tufted Titmouse  7
White-breasted Nuthatch  2
Winter Wren  2     audio only
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher  3
Veery  6
Wood Thrush  1
American Robin  8
Gray Catbird  8
Ovenbird  8
Worm-eating Warbler  2
Northern Waterthrush  1
Blue-winged Warbler  6     Three were seen chasing each other at South Pleasant St. and another three were seen and heard along the path leading in from Gate 9.  Yellow undercarriage with blue wings with white wing bars.  Black line through eye. Singing the bee-buzz song repeatedly.
Black-and-white Warbler  8
Nashville Warbler  2
Common Yellowthroat  5
American Redstart  6
Northern Parula  5
Magnolia Warbler  4
Bay-breasted Warbler  1
Yellow Warbler  5
Chestnut-sided Warbler  2
Pine Warbler  4
Yellow-rumped Warbler  1
Black-throated Green Warbler  2
Canada Warbler  2
Eastern Towhee  9
Chipping Sparrow  5
White-throated Sparrow  1
Scarlet Tanager  4
Northern Cardinal  7
Rose-breasted Grosbeak  3
Indigo Bunting  1
Brown-headed Cowbird  4
Baltimore Oriole  8


Sally Avery