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Posted by Bruce P on 16:18:40 04/25/14
Things have picked up considerably in the last week and this year is shaping up to be one of the better spring migrations in recent memory. Lots of warblers in the past few days, mostly along the boardwalk, with good numbers of Redstarts, Blackpoll, BT Blue and Cape May as well as a few BT Greens, Prairies, Parulas, Ovenbird, Northern Water Thrush and a juvenile Blue-winged (thanks to Holly K for the ID help). Although they're moving around quite a bit, the key areas to look are: on the 'wet' side (to the right as you enter) just before you get to the sitting area; from the gazebo at the end to where it opens up into the meadow (the big fig at the edge is in full fruit); and then at the shady corner where the BW turns towards the 'Pines' gazebo.
In addition to the warblers, other recent sightings include YB Cuckoo, Eastern Kingbird, Creat-crested Flycatcher and Indigo Bunting. Both Great Horned Owls are still around, usually in the tall pines beyond the gazebo. They've been devilishly hard to spot as they have a habit of sitting on the side of the tree you can't see. However, if you're patient, the Blue Jays will give away their location as they have a habit - seemingly just for the hell of it - of harassing them every hour or so.
I also wanted to mention that the Blue-winged Warbler was species #150 on Ebird for this spot (earning it an upgrade from dull green to dull yellow on the hotspot map). What's particularly remarkable about that milestone is that the earliest entry for Tall Cypress is Nov 2011!
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