Another Good Weekend, 05/02/21

I’ve been wanting to see a Porcupine for ages, but for some reason or other, I never crossed paths with one since I’ve been in the area (11+ years now!). Well, this weekend I saw three, lol. The first one was on a seasonably cold and windy hike at High Point State Park with my brother-in-law Bill on Saturday morning. We hiked for just over 9 miles; the views from High Point were impressive, the number of birds, not so much with just 18 species tallied. The Porcupine was far and away the highlight.

~Blue-winged Warbler at the Bashakill Wildlife Management Area, 05/02/21.~

On Sunday morning I headed out to the Bashakill to try my luck there. It’s been ages since I’d been there and it did not disappoint. I immediately ran into John Haas and Scotty Baldinger with a couple other birders when I parked at the front of the Stop Sign Trail. I figured the smart money was on sticking with them – they attract warblers and birds in general like nobody’s business. I wasn’t wrong, the place was hopping with birds, but the first thing that got my attention was not one, but two Porcupines sleeping up in trees! What a weird coincidence! As for the birds, I covered some good territory and counted just under 60 species for the morning, eleven of which were warblers. There were also many birders out and about – too many to mention by name. It was good to catch up with some folks I haven’t seen in a while. Birding highlights for me included excellent looks at Blue-winged and Black-throated Blue Warblers at the Stop Sign Trail, decent looks at a high, singing Cerulean Warbler and a Yellow-throated Vireo at the Horseshoe Trail, and a calling Virginia Rail at the Deli Fields.

~Porcupine at High Point State Park, 05/01/21.~
~Black-throated Blue Warbler at the Bashakill, 05/02/21.~
~Ruby-crowned Kinglet at the Bashakill, 05/02/21.~
~Porcupine at the Bashakill, 05/02/21.~
~Orange County Sandhill Crane from earlier in the week.~
~Not a great shot, but I wanted to include one more shot from High Point State Park. Black-and-white Warbler 05/01/02.~

8 thoughts on “Another Good Weekend, 05/02/21”

  1. Glad you had such a good morning Matt! It really was birdy! BTW, there were another two Porcupines on the Long Path behind the Nature Trail! Best, John

    1. Thanks John. It was good to see you, and thanks for the additional porcupine intel. Matt

  4. The Blue-winged Warbler and the Sandhill Crane shots are my favorites. Beautiful!

    1. Thanks Karen, those are my favorites too. Good to see you yesterday! Matt

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