Franklin Grasslands

I spent the afternoon and evening at two grasslands preserves in Franklin Township. Birds were pretty sparse at Griggstown. The best sightings were a trio of palm warblers and a few savannah sparrows. One of the latter was perched on top of a mullein stalk until it was spooked by a monarch butterfly. There were quite a few hawks and vultures in the air. I am not sure if any were migrants, but a couple Cooper's hawks were soaring so high that they may have been migrating. Also, there were a yellowthroat and a black-and-white warbler in one of the back corners of the preserve.

The second stop at Negri-Nepote turned up yet more palm warblers, several phoebes, and a small group of chipping sparrows. Kestrels were out hunting tonight. One was hovering over a field, and later a pair was flying together. The last bird, just as the light was disappearing, was a white-throated sparrow settling down for the night.

BIRD SPECIES: 32

Great Blue Heron
Canada Goose
Mallard
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Cooper's Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Phoebe
Gray Catbird
Eastern Bluebird
American Robin
Carolina Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Blue Jay
American Crow
American Goldfinch
Palm Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Eastern Towhee
Chipping Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird