May 6, 2004
Today's selection
I've planned out a nice pre-work birding bike route around town, starting with the 'Sudwerks' bridge (where I unsuccessfully looked for breeding Purple Martin), on to Willowbank Ditch, then back over the freeway to Slide Hill Park. By the time I got to Willowbank, Roger Adamson had rediscovered the Red-breasted Nuthatch - perhaps this bird will summer! We also had lots of Pacific-slope Flycatchers, heard Cassin's Vireo and Western Tanager. There were at least 4 Swainson's Thrush in the area today.
Slide Hill continues to surprise. After an unpromising lap on my bike (seeing nothing but a Western Tanager), I locked onto a warbler which turned out to be a Townsend's. Shortly afterwards this bird was joined by a Wilson's and a Yellow Warbler, and this Warbling Vireo.
My parents head back to Britain today. Was rather amused when Dad showed up last night claiming to have photographed an owl on a university building, which turned out to be a plastic pigeon-scarer!
Posted by rjhall at May 6, 2004 9:32 PM