Spring Migration Excitement

I spent both mornings this weekend on Lake Creek Trail. Saturday morning was one of the few mornings birders hope for during the year. We're approaching the peak of spring migration and the trail was loaded with migrating songbirds! I got a late start, but finally got to the trail at about 9:00 after Barry Noret texted me that he and Stephen McDonald found a Golden-winged Warbler. We later estimated there were at least two on the trail. Other birds included Blue-winged Warbler, Bay-breasted Warbler, and Philadelphia Vireo (all species with very few observations in the neighborhood). Here are some photos from Saturday and Sunday.

Sunday was less active but there were still good birds to be found, including a Magnolia Warbler which wasn't seen on Saturday. What was just as fun was seeing all the birders. There were at least 15 birders on the trail starting at about 8:00 AM until lunchtime. This was not a planned group walk. Everyone had just heard about the great birds seen here on Saturday and wanted to see them too. Our little trail has become a local birding destination. It's no longer strange to see someone walking down the trail wearing binoculars and a camera. I'm so happy about that!

Birds aren't the only natural asset in our neighborhood. They wouldn't be here if they didn't like the habitat, which includes a creek that I've never seen run dry, and a variety of habitats including lots of low, dense brush composed of a variety of plant species. I've been documenting bird observations here on eBird.org for years (and now others are as well). But I started a project called NASWC Wild to try and start documenting birds and everything else. If you have a digital camera or a smartphone, it's pretty easy to contribute observations. And I love the way iNaturalist is designed. In a lot of ways it's like Facebook for nature observations! Check it out and help us add to it!

NASWC Wild!