A stubbornly, persistent morning, valley fog engulfed Union Village Dam Park as thirteen birders gathered for the third installment of the Mascoma Chapter's May "Feathered Fridays" program. Despite the poor visibility and the cool temperature, a respectable 47 species and one unidentified accipiter were recorded.
A mind-boggling count of 15 chestnut-sided warblers headed the tally sheet. No one could remember ever seeing so many on one outing. That high total was followed closely by common yellowthroats at twelve. All in all, a dozen warbler species were observed.
Insectivore numbers continued to be disappointing with records noted for only eastern phoebe (1), alder flycatcher (1) and eastern kingbird (1). White-throated sparrows (6) and song sparrows (4) were abundant, but no swamp sparrows were present.
A complete listing of the day's sightings can be viewed by clicking on the following eBird link:
Thanks to Blake Allison for leading the walk and keeping the count list.
Mascoma Chapter of New Hampshire Audubon