Monday, September 24, 2007

Canal Birds

The towpath along the Delaware and Raritan Canal near Landing Lane was full of birds this morning. Most of the warblers were in a single flock that was dominated by a trio of blackpolls. One adult pine warbler sang short trills intermittently. Meanwhile, a first fall pine warbler was drab enough to be difficult to identify from memory. The blackburnian warbler, a first fall female, was a nice surprise amidst the more common migrants.

The merlin was perched on a snag near some high-rise apartment buildings.

BIRD SPECIES: 38

Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Canada Goose
Mallard
Merlin
Killdeer
Great Black-backed Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Phoebe
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Carolina Wren
Gray Catbird
American Robin
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Carolina Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Blue Jay
Fish Crow
Warbling Vireo
Northern Parula
Magnolia Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
Pine Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle