Warbling at The Cove

Lincoln's Sparrow

This past Saturday, I finally had a few hours in the morning to get out and do some birding. Almost all of fall migration has gone by and I had yet to see any warblers. Time has been a precious commodity, and so I got up at the crack of dawn to catch the warblers warming up at sunrise.

It was a bit chilly at the start of the morning, and I got to the cove just as the sign started to come up over the marshes. My first stop was to see the new environs of the Big Pit, once a great habitat for many warblers during migration but more recently the site of the massive dredging project which covered 20 acres in dredge spoils. To those who said it would have little effect, that’s a gross understatement (overstatement)? What was a large area thick with willows and marshes full of phragamites surrounding a sandy pit of native wildflowers is now an expansive sandpit. Many of the trees were taken down to make way for equipment and the marshes covered in dredge (of course, they did cover all of the phragamites – too much to hope it kills them?). Much of the habitat that the warblers used in the Big Pit has been covered or removed, although I did see a pine warbler hanging around in there. It might be a great place by the spring, but for now it’s a bit of a disappointment.

I then went over to my favorite spot for warblers, what I’ve come to call “The Warbler Pit” – a smaller depression still full of undergrowth, small trees and perfect habitat for those little birds looking for birds and seeds. I’ve had some very successful early mornings in this pit, getting there just before the sun kisses the leaves and brush, warming and waking the feathered denizens nestled in its protection (see some of my other exploits in this spot here, here and here.) I walked down into the pit and waited for the sun to rise enough for the birds to get active. It wasn’t long before I saw my first bird, although it was still too dark to be sure what it was – my first thought was a swamp sparrow, but it turned out to be a much more unanticipated Lincoln’s Sparrow, a species that I thought I had seen down in Texas, although after seeing it here, I’m fairly sure that ISN’T what I saw down there – thus, I’m calling it a lifebird for me. Lincoln's Sparrow

As I sat there for a while, the birds starting coming out – quite a few catbirds, American Robins were prevalent, but it was the smaller birds that got my attention, although a Brown Thrasher was a nice sight, too. In a short sequence of time, I got to see Black-throated Blue, Black-throated Green, Magnolia Warblers and Common Yellowthroats, along with a few titmice, chickadees and a curious cardinal. The Lincoln’s sparrow made another few appearances, as did a few other small birds that I never got to see clearly.

After a while, I heard a bit of excitement coming from the leading corner of the little pit – they were seeing something interesting, and EVERYONE was focuses down into the pit. Things had quieted down by then, with the catbirds driving most other comers into hiding (with the exception of a particularly brave BTGW). I got up to see what the commotion was and got to see my first Wilson’s Warbler, although he was making it difficult to get a good look. Then just as I got there, he seemed to go into hiding, and everyone moved on to find some other birds. I glanced around, catching a Nashville warbler hanging on a branch, when the Wilson’s came back out and offered me a better view – it was a thrill to see this little warbler out in the open, with no one there to distract him (or me).

I made another stop into the pit after he went back into hiding, but things had already moved on from there. So I went into the woods looking for other things to interest me. This was supposed to be a major migration event – according to the weather – but was a bit disappointing in the numbers of birds, if not the variety. Through most of my hike, I didn’t see much more except about a dozen Common Green Darners I spooked off of bushes. The end of the hike – and nearly the end of my day – did offer up a few nice birds. I got great looks at a bunch of black-throated blue warblers, a very friendly black-throated green warbler picking off a leafhopper, and a Cape May warbler all within about 5′ of each other. An American redstart, carolina wren and eastern towhee all made brief appearances, as did a thrush of some sort, but after that the sun was getting stronger and the birds were evacuating into cooler climes. I grabbed my stuff and hiked out, heading back to work – but having had the welcome respite with the birds.

Black-Throated Green Warbler Mockingbird Black-throated Green Warbler Wilson's Warbler

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Now playing: Judas Priest – “Turbo Lover”

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4 Responses to “Warbling at The Cove

  • Such a wonderful day you had and so glad you were able to get out to do some birding! I love all your pictures (as always)!

  • Iran So Far Away is ranked #2 for me, behind D*** in a Box, but before Lazy Sunday

  • It’s great that you made time to do some birding. It sounds like you have been very busy lately and it’s important to make time for the things you love. You got some great shots — that Lincoln’s Sparrow sure is a handsome fella.

  • Yeah, it was nice to have a few hours…

    Van, I might have to agree with that assessment, although I still really liked “Lazy Sunday”.

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