Washington Crossing Audubon Society

Field Trip Reports Eileen Katz

Four spring field trips took place at Round Valley Reservoir (February 24-early Spring!), Mercer County Park West (April 4), Peace Valley Park (April 25), and Veterans' Park in Hamilton (April 26). Here is a summary of birds and other interesting wildlife (not counting other birders) seen and heard.

The Round Valley trip was a second annual event led by Mark Witmer. Though it was still February, we did see some blackbird flocks that appeared to be migrating. On the water there were coots, bufflehead, scaup, and Canada geese. A major event was the sight of a bald eagle-the flying bird itself for some of the group and, for the others, a barely visible mile-away nest. Glimpsed through spotting scopes, the nest was a large brown blob and the adults were moving white spots, sometimes on the nest, sometimes perching nearby, and occasionally moving through the trees-presumably the heads of the parent birds. Doesn't sound like much? It was one of those you-had-to-be-there times.

The second trip, led by Lou Beck was notable for field sparrows, killdeer, Cooper's hawk, kestrel, Eastern bluebird, yellow-rumped warbler, and harrier. Both shadbush and Pawlonia were in bloom. Mercer County Park West is now fully open to the public at the corner of Keefe and Cold Soil Roads in Lawrence. It is sometimes called the "pole farm," having formery been the home of Mackay Overseas Broadcasting Company, which had installed acres of telephone poles connected by wires as far as the eye could see. The poles were removed years ago, but some of the land is stilled farmed. If you go, in addition to our list, you might see foxes, turkeys, bobolinks, indigo buntings, and much more.

With Lou Beck at Peace Valley on April 25^th, the bloodroot that usually lines the road had already finished blooming, as had the cut-leaved toothwort in the woods across the lake. Some dog-toothed violets were still in flower, and wild geraniums had begun. Notable birds were osprey, broad-winged hawks, goldfinch, black-capped chickadee (differentiated from our local Carolina chickadee by its identifying three-note call), yellow warbler, chimney swift, barn, rough-winged, and tree swallows, purple martin, phoebe, kestrel, green heron, a common merganser flying very high, and the usual cormorant-festooned tree on the island near the bridge. Rafts of ruddy ducks were at the south end of the lake. There were many painted turtles sunning themselves, dwarfed by one gargantuan snapping turtle so large he at first appeared to be a small rock (the head) next to a large boulder (the body). On all three trips, turkey vultures and black vultures were both seen. Apparently, black vultures are becoming a more expected feature of our outings.

The trip to Veteran's Park was also a second annual Mark Witmer-led event. Despite steady rain, 42 species were seen. Among them were spotted sandpiper, kingfisher, blue-gray gnatcatcher, many yellow-rumped warblers, a palm warbler, and yellow warblers.

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