Final Bird Walk

Yesterday was the last of the Bird Walks for the season here at Buckskin Mountain State Park. We had 14 enthusiastic attendees and we identified 22 separate species of birds. I was so busy leading the walk, pointing out, and identifying birds that I overlooked taking any photos, but we did have some great sightings. Without a doubt the most colorful bird was the male Vermilion Flycatcher in his bright red coloring. The most astonishing sight was an Osprey that flew directly overhead with a huge fish gripped tightly in its talons. Our first sighting for the day, and amazingly enough our last was a Say’s Phoebe. As to most numerous, it was probably a tie between House Finches and Black Birds, both Brewer’s and Red Wings. The shyest birds were the Western Bluebirds that tucked deep into the Mesquite trees out of the wind. And the hardest name for the group to learn to pronounce would be, Phainopepla.