Damon's Birds for the Week of April 21 - April 28

While Paul has been having some pretty good weeks lately, I'm just trying my best to keep up. Luckily, this week I had a better week than him and even passed the 100 bird mark. Yay! Now, I knew I would get 100 birds, just like I know I'll get 150 birds. I'll probably get 200 birds, though that is not a given if I stay put in my area the whole time. But give me a couple little trips and 250 is easily reached. I would need trips to Florida, Texas, Arizona, or anywhere on the west coast if I wanted to have a larger count, but who knows?

Good news? I no longer fear the warblers! Sure, they flit along the trees and move behind branches all the freaking time, but the more I get to know them the more comfortable with them the less I fear them. I think I also read that on an online dating advice column. It also helps when they are around to get familiar with.

I was excited to find a Black and White Warlber this week, which I thought was a rare sight until I saw one again two days later. I even took a picture!

No, seriously, that is a Black and White Warbler. No seriously, that is the best out of the six pictures I took.

Most of my birding this week has been at the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge, which I often go to because of its proximity and awesomeness. Being spring, the birds are singing all over the place there, and now I can't walk five steps without hearing a Red-bellied Woodpecker give its distinct call, and I even saw one hanging out on the nature center there.

Heck I even went to Tyler Arboretum today (saw a new bird there that was actually a rare sighting, but doesn't count for this week!) and was constantly pointing out the Red-bellied calls to my children, who kept trying to find them. We did not, but we did see some frogs and turtles.

I swear my list could have been at least three more, but I just could not get the IDs down. I accidentally flushed a shorebird while stalking a Swamp Sparrow which flew away and disappeared into the reeds while I was watching it. I swear, I had my binoculars trained on it and it just vanished into the reeds. Dang. I also saw what I thought was some sort of vireo and also a Veery, but they were too obscured by the trees and underbrush to really tell. I'll just chalk them up to my desire for alliterative birds; it'll let me sleep better at night that way.

92; Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher; 4/21/13; John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge; Philadelphia, PA
93; Chimney Swift; 4/21/13; John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge; Philadelphia, PA
94; House Wren; 4/21/13; John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge; Philadelphia, PA
95; Swamp Sparrow; 4/25/13; John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge; Philadelphia, PA
96; Wilson's Snipe; 4/25/13; John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge; Philadelphia, PA
97; Black and White Warbler; 4/25/13; John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge; Philadelphia, PA
98; Ovenbird; 4/27/13; John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge; Philadelphia, PA
99; Gray Catbird; 4/27/13; John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge; Philadelphia, PA
100; Wood Thrush; 4/27/13; John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge; Philadelphia, PA
101; Yellow Warbler; 4/27/13; John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge; Philadelphia, PA