[mou] Black Dog Park/Cliff Fen

[linda whyte]

On Wednesday evening, in a combined Black Dog Park/Cliff Fen outing, we
found 31 species. At Black Dog Park, there was concentrated action on the
hillside by the parking lot, with lots of scratching and leaf-turning by a
flock of fox sparrows and a couple of hermit thrushes. Ruby-crowned kinglets
were working the trees, both there and along the causeway to the
power-plant, where they gave us good looks at their scarlet signature. As
usual, there were plentiful chickadees, juncoes, and woodpeckers (downy,
hairy, and red-bellied).

A peregrine was visible in the nest box, and one of the osprey, "singing"
periodically, perched on the power stanchion to the west of the plant, where
a few sticks still give evidence of last year's nest. In the water on the
east side of the causeway were, among other things, many gulls, ring-billed,
herring, and a few Bonapartes; some n.shovelers; and one pelican. There were
far fewer of the usual species, now that they've started to disperse, but we
did see buffleheads and hooded mergansers to the west. We did a short foray
onto the main trail to the west, where we found a great blue heron and
several Lincoln's sparrows.

We had planned to walk a lesser-known trail on the bluff south of the
playing fields but ran out of time, so we headed to the fen for the woodcock
show. While conditions were less than ideal, we did get to see and hear the
birds in their rite of spring, before the chilly winds intensified and
dampened their fervor. It was definitely a memorable experience, listening
for that "peent" and somewhat ghostly feather-whirring sound, and watching
the silhouettes rise up out of the grasses. To cap it off, we became someone
else's object of observation: a coyote skirted us very closely, eying us
nervously, as we laid on the grasses, impeding his woodcock/rabbit-hunt!
However, he hadn't long to wait before comfort won out and sent us home.

Linda Whyte
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