The day started with rain, it was sunshine when we met and started the walk, it turned cloudy and cold enough that I counted my fingers when I got back from the bird walk, got sunny and pleasant again as I walked down the Loop to the Farmers’ Market and came back….wow, talk about changeable weather! But I was on my feet non-stop for 5 hours, and I really enjoyed the morning.

I was happy to see several people from last month’s bird walk, and I introduced my friend Dawn to several people. Alas, Dawn had to leave early (there will be no foul jokes about dawn always coming and going early) and so the rest of us walked down, towards the Deer Park area this time.

A

RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD

treated us to a beautiful concert:

One of the lesser-seen woodpeckers in Forest Park is the HAIRY WOODPECKER, which looks exactly like the Downy; but this time, I had experts to id it properly! The AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES were out, too, but they haven't come into their bright yellow colour, which I documented in these photos and video last year. The SONG SPARROW gave us a lot of song, too! Another not-so-common sighting was that of the RED-BELLIED WOODPECKERS: er, they are NOT really red-bellied...apparently they were named that way just to differentiate them from the Red-headed Woodpeckers....more bird-naming illogic! When I was going off from the bird walk down to the Loop to buy flowers and fruits at the Farmers' Market, I saw what I think is a NORTHERN FLICKER: and I want to post how beautiful the common birds are, too. the COMMON GRACKLE is just coming into its summer iridiscent colours now.... and I simply cannot stop admiring the lovely EURASIAN STARLING which has taken on the status of an invasive pest after being introduced from Europe. Just look at the sheen on the bird! Here's a part-list of the birds we saw; the asterisks denote lifers: Blackbird, Red-winged Cardinal, Northern Creeper, Brown* Crow, American Duck,Wood Goose,Canada Goldfinch,American Grackle,Boat-tailed* Grackle,Common Kestrel,American Killdeer Mallard Sparrow,Field* Sparrow,House Sparrow,Song Starling,Eurasian Wren,Carolina* Woodpecker,Downy Woodpecker,Red-bellied* Woodpecker,Red-headed Woodpecker,Hairy*

Let me close with another shot of the wonderful plumage of the Starling:

I’ll be posting about the various buds and “fruits” that are out on the trees now, such a feast for the birds….