First Belleplain walk of the spring

We’re getting to the best part of the year for birdwatching: late April through May (at least here, and in my opinion). Went for a walk in nearby Belleplain State Forest to see what spring migrants/nesters have arrived on a beautiful sunny morning. As always I heard more than I saw, but the paths and roads were fun to walk on anyway.

The best-looking bird I saw was a Yellow-Throated Warbler like this one, but not nearly close enough for a photo, I found this uncredited picture online.

Blue-gray Gnatcatchers were everywhere, and curious enough to come close for a photo, though not a great one.

A few other birders were at the bridge on Sunset Road, a well-known spot for birds in Belleplain. Here I heard Ovenbird, Pine Warbler, Black-and-White Warbler, Eastern Towhee, and more of the birds above.

A walk down this road brought me to the other nearby bridge where a Louisiana Waterthrush was singing loudly, though I couldn’t see it, as often happens. This is a good time to find warblers and other songbirds arriving on nest sites, as they sing often to establish their territory, move around a lot, and the leaves aren’t out yet to hide them. Even so, you hear a lot more than you see.

I’ll be doing this sort of thing to warm up for the World Series of Birding coming up in a few weeks. You can read more about that HERE.

Now I’m home and getting back to work!