Color Returns to Western New York
Published: April 27, 2011
Tags: Parks and Preserves, Tifft Nature Preserve, Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Northern Flicker
It was such a beautiful day, I decided to take a long lunch and traipse around Tifft Nature Preserve in Lackawanna, NY to see if I could spot a warbler or 2. The bird reports I subscribe to have been mentioning many sightings and I wanted to see for myself.
I wasn't disappointed one bit! The first bird I saw, a Tree Swallow, was a lifer! They were everywhere, gracefully swooping around and about, enjoying the beautiful day as much as I was.
Next, I saw a Ruby-crowned Kinglet, followed by 2 gorgeous warblers: a Yellow Warbler and a Yellow-rumped Warbler. Both were worth the trip!
Color was everywhere! Even the dragonflies were amazing and butterflies are beginning to show. Several times, as a dragonfly whizzed past me, I thought it was a bird! They can get BIG!
Another amazing part of the day was the fact that the Black-capped Chickadees readily ate from my hand. I was floored! I couldn't get enough of the experience - and no matter how old I get, I doubt I'll ever tire of the feeling of those precious little feet perched on my fingers as they pick out a seed from my hand! So, to date, I've had a Red-breasted Nuthatch and many Black-capped Chickadees eat from my hand! LOVE it!
Enjoy the photos - I still have one that's unidentified, which hopefully, I'll resolve soon...
 A Yellow Warbler - how positively beautiful - and a life list addition for me!  A little grainy, but you can still see how beautiful this Yellow Warbler is  A Yellow-rumped Warbler - striking!  Yellow-rumped Warbler  A Palm Warbler - this guy flirted with me for quite awhile, allowing me to take photo after photo! And thank you to Jerry Lazarczyk for identifying this one for me!  Palm Warbler  Ruby-crowned Kinglet  Ruby-crowned Kinglet  A Northern Flicker (yellow shafted)  A Northern Flicker (yellow shafted) - I was really hoping to see a Northern Flicker and I wasn't disappointed!  A Black-capped Chickadee flies from my hand with a choice seed  A Warbling Vireo - thank you to Bill Watson for his assistance in identifying this one!  A Tree Swallow - they were really enjoying themselves!  American Robin - this guy was begging to be photographed!
Wonderful photos!! I continue to be amazed by the color and variety of birds that you see and can identify. So many interesting birds that I had no idea lived in WNY. And how cool that they were eating out of your hand - how fun! So glad you had a lovely day!
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