Chirps and Cheeps

My husband was told by a customer of his that I should try birding at Beaver Meadows, one of the Audubon Centers in Java, NY.  I vaguely remembered the place from accompanying my daughter's class there on a field trip many moons ago.  It was supposed to rain this morning, but when I got up, the skies weren't too menacing, so I thought I'd just take the drive and scope out the place.  Well... I stayed four hours!  It's a great place to visit!

No sooner had I gotten my hiking boots on when I spotted some birds popping up and down in the field between the parking area and the Welcome Center.  Boblinks?  Nope - Cedar Waxwings!  What odd behavior...  While the waxwings entertained me, I quickly got off a few photos of them.  I can't imagine why these guys were popping all over this field - there must be something yummy there, but I couldn't see it.  I'm sure glad they were there though!

Next, I went down to the pond and walked the perimeter.  I enjoyed watching a couple of Belted Kingfishers fishing, a Double-Crested Cormorant fly overhead, an Eastern Kingbird perch on a snag out in the middle of the pond, and a couple of Green Herons fly in and out of view.

After that, I hiked further into the woods up towards the north end of the pond. I entered a little meadow that had a beautiful view of the lake and was full of wild flowers and tall grasses. Right away, I spotted a young male Common Yellowthroat poking around.  What a treat! Right after that, a Great Crested Flycatcher came into view followed by a Red-eyed Vireo. What joy!  As I was leaving, I captured a photo of a young sparrow - but I'm not sure what kind he is.  If anyone has any ideas, I'd love to hear what he might be!

I was hoping to find some shore birds in a marshy area I found, but no luck there.  I did see a muskrat woodchuck (thanks, Carl - that makes more sense!) IN A TREE and an Eastern Phoebe.

All in all, it was a WONDERFUL trip and I daresay, Lord willing, I'll be back there soon!