Afternoon Walk

This afternoon I visited the Arboretum for some birding. I was trying to cover some areas that I do not normally visit, and ended up not seeing many birds in them. So now I know why I do not bird in those areas often.

There were few real highlights today. I saw a flock of eastern bluebirds in the meadow near New York Avenue. There were about a dozen, all together. The holly area had a large flock of about 40 cedar waxwings, all chirping. When I turned to walk away, the sound stopped; I looked back, and the flock had disappeared. Elsewhere, a pileated woodpecker flew directly overhead so that I could examine its underwing patterns. I saw that one and heard pileated calls in two other spots. I wonder if the Arboretum has one pair or two. (Or more?)

My only other comment is that this afternoon was excessively warm. The cherry trees are still in bloom. The camelias and other tea trees in the Asian gardens are also blooming, but that is expected at this time of year. Dogwoods (left) are budding. I noticed one bumblebee and many moths in flight.

SPECIES SEEN: 28

Great Blue Heron
Common Merganser
Red-tailed Hawk
Ring-billed Gull
Mourning Dove
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Cedar Waxwing
Carolina Wren
Northern Mockingbird
Eastern Bluebird
American Robin
Carolina Chickadee
Blue Jay
American Crow
Fish Crow
European Starling
American Goldfinch
White-throated Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Northern Cardinal
Brown-headed Cowbird