This morning 11 of us met at the start of the Bridle Trail in Schenley Park. Though it wasn’t a very bird-y day we did see a scarlet tanager before we started down the trail. We also saw cup plant, oxeye or false sunflowers, and wild bergamot along the way.

Best Bird was a chipping sparrow, energetically gathering bugs to feed his fledgling. We watched him knock planthoppers out of a maple tree, then flutter down as they fell and chase them on the ground. The planthoppers hopped to escape but he was faster than they were, stacking them in his beak. As soon as he’d delivered them to the youngster he was off again to find more.

Best mammals were a 5-point white-tailed buck in velvet and twin fawns (with spots) nearby. They didn’t care that 11 people were watching them. Here’s a photo of (probably) the same buck two months ago. He has the same odd antler configuration.

As I said, it wasn’t very bird-y; we saw only 17 species. Our list is at this link on eBird https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S58523369 and below:

BIRDS SEEN, 28 JULY 2019, SCHENLEY PARK BRIDLE TRAIL
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)
Chimney Swift (Chaetura pelagica)
Red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)
Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus)
Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens)
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)
Red-eyed Vireo (Vireo olivaceus)
Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)
Carolina Chickadee (Poecile carolinensis)
Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor)
Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus)
American Robin (Turdus migratorius)
American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis)
Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina)
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)
Scarlet Tanager (Piranga olivacea)
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)

p.s. I can’t remember. Did we see a turkey vulture? If so the count was 18.

(photo by Kate St. John)