26 June 2022
Thirteen of us gathered in humid cloudy conditions to walk the Frick Park boardwalk at Commercial Street. While we were in the trail parking lot we saw and heard an indigo bunting and a scarlet tanager. The day was getting off to a good start.
The mystery flower that I posted on Thursday/Friday turned to be a false sunflower. I had to pluck and examine a petal to be sure.
I hoped for orchard orioles and they didn’t disappoint. We saw six of them, certainly two families and one feeding young.
Our fleeting glimpses of two yellow-billed cuckoos were close to “Best Bird” but Charity Kheshgi did not see them well so she and Connie went back to the area for a better look. They found a black-billed cuckoo that hung around for an hour!
We had a great time on a cloudy and not-too-hot day.
See our checklist at https://ebird.org/checklist/S113823266 and listed below:
- Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus) 2 Fleeting glimpses on branch & each in flight, one after the other. Clear look at cinnamon highlights on one of them.
- Chimney Swift (Chaetura pelagica) 4
- Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) 2
- Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) 2
- Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) 4 2 loudly begging juvies
- Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus) 6
- Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus) 2
- Eastern Wood-Pewee (Contopus virens) 1
- Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe) 2
- Red-eyed Vireo (Vireo olivaceus) 5
- Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) 4
- Carolina Chickadee (Poecile carolinensis) 9
- Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor) 4
- Northern Rough-winged Swallow (Stelgidopteryx serripennis) 6
- White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis) 1
- Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) 1
- European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) 2
- Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina) 3
- American Robin (Turdus migratorius) 3
- Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum) 6
- American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) 4
- Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) 5
- Orchard Oriole (Icterus spurius) 6
- Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula) 1 Very wet and ragged looking
- Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) 5
- Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) 3
- Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula) 6
- Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia) 1
- Scarlet Tanager (Piranga olivacea) 1
- Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) 10 Many pairs. ?Working on 2nd broods?
- Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea) 1
(photos by Charity Kheshgi)