[mou] Crosby Farm Park today

[linda]

There were dozens and dozens of tree swallows skimming low over the 
surface of the big lake this afternoon, and still more on the river 
itself. Their flight seemed uncharacteristically deliberate, perhaps 
because the search required more effort than usual to culminate in a 
capture of food.

Also present were many fox sparrows, a red-tail hawk, 2 pairs of 
wooducks, a few pairs of bufflehead, and several pie-billed grebes.

Along the river (the paved path is flooded, by the way), was the 
pileated woodpecker, the kingfisher, three hermit thrushes (saw one of 
these at Wood Lake yesterday), and best of all: a pair of yellow-rumped 
warblers. The latter were feeding right on the fallen trees and 
inundated bushes in the flooded river bank; presumably the bugs were 
better there.

With the warblers were two of what seemed to be large sparrows; these 
were actually walking and feeding on the mats of floating debris, 
whether on insects or seeds, it was hard to say. I was so taken with 
their agile behavior that I didn't really note their marks to id them, 
but what I recall brings song sparrows to mind. Would such river 
-rambling be odd for a song sparrow?

Linda Whyte