Two walks are better than one!

Especially when the second is a very, very short one.

So I drove west of Wellsboro this morning to the eastern terminus of the Pine Creek Rails-to-Trails Bike Path just off Rt.287 and walked westward from there for over a mile. Lots and lots of birds despite not yet having the full migration take place. Going out from the parking lot took an hour and forty-five minutes because of all the stopping to spy on the feathered fauna. Coming back took just 35 minutes of non-stop (mostly) walking.

The highlight of the walk was seeing an American Bittern tucked in among the grasses of one of the creeks and a Northern Harrier soaring overhead with a kettle of Turkey Vultures. Once again, I'm sure I under-counted the song Sparrows, Robins and Red-winged Blackbirds as they flitted from one side of the trail to the other, were flying ahead of me, behind me and over me.

Still, 24 total species is not to be sneezed at this early in the spring. The list:


Location: Rails-to-Trails Rt 287 W
Observation date: 4/17/09
Notes: Clear, crisp morning with little breeze. Temp 38-45 degrees. I walked from the eastern terminus of the Pine Creek Rails-to-Trails about 1.5 miles counting birds as I went. The return trip on the same path yielded no new species.
Number of species: 24

Canada Goose 11
Wood Duck 4
Mallard 3
American Bittern 1
Great Blue Heron 1
Turkey Vulture 6
Northern Harrier 1
Red-tailed Hawk 1
Killdeer 2
Mourning Dove 4
Belted Kingfisher 2
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 2
Downy Woodpecker 1
Eastern Phoebe 6
Blue Jay 4
American Crow 11
Black-capped Chickadee 3
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
American Robin 19
Song Sparrow 20
Northern Cardinal 6
Red-winged Blackbird 17
Common Grackle 12
American Goldfinch 14

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

Being close to noon when I got back to my vehicle, I stopped at PagoMar's (a nifty little shop right at the entrance to the trail) for a sub and soda (I passed on the ice cream--which took a lot of will power) before heading up to The Muck to see what waterfowl might be hanging about. Sitting in the parking area, eating my sub, I kept getting interupted by birds! Before I even finished my sub I had spotted seven species including the first Common Yellowthroat of the season.

Despite being the middle of the day, there were still lots of Canada Geese and Wood Duck on the water as well as a few Mallards, Green-winged Teal, Ring-necked Ducks, and Buffleheads. I only spent an hour yet between the parking lot and blind, I saw 21 species. The list:


Location: Marsh Creek/The Muck IBA
Observation date: 4/17/09
Notes: Mid-day observation from the parking area to the blind at The Muck. Some breeze, temps around 55-60 degrees. Clear.
Number of species: 21

Canada Goose 20
Wood Duck 16
Mallard 2
Green-winged Teal 2
Ring-necked Duck 4
Bufflehead 2
Great Blue Heron 1
Turkey Vulture 2
Killdeer 2
Downy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 2
American Crow 2
Tree Swallow 5
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
American Robin 3
Common Yellowthroat 1
Song Sparrow 2
Swamp Sparrow 4
Northern Cardinal 1
Red-winged Blackbird 7
American Goldfinch 3

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)