It’s been ages since I’ve birded the Bashakill WMA, so I picked up Karen Miller early this morning and we headed over. The warm weather was still holding on, so I was looking forward to getting out of the car and doing a little hiking. Our first stop was the Deli Fields which were pretty active, with a nice flock of American Goldfinches and several Eastern Bluebirds being seen before we even got out of the car. We kept hearing a Pileated Woodpecker off in the distance and we finally got a good look in binoculars of the bird flying over the treetops in the distance.
Next, we headed over to Haven Road. Karen showed me where the new Bald Eagle nest is located and we could also see an adult Bald Eagle perched in a tree in the distance. Some mallards flushed and we noticed that the adult as well as an immature Bald Eagle were both in flight. A small flock of Canada Geese came in for a landing in what I’m assuming is some recently opened water north of Haven Road. We also had a single Ring-billed Gull fly over the road.
Our last stop was at the main boat launch, where we walked a good portion of the Birch Trail, in hopes of finding a Hermit Thrush. We didn’t have any luck with the thrush, but we did well with many of the expected songbirds: Black-capped Chickadees, Tufted Titmice, White-breasted Nuthatch, Dark-eyed Juncos, Downy Woodpeckers, and Song Sparrows. We also saw and certainly heard my best bird of the day – a Common Raven flying over the Bash, making a racket while it did so.
I had almost forgotten how beautiful the Bashakill can be in all seasons. If you have not been out there in a while, or if you have never been there, do yourself a favor and visit the Bash in the winter. It’s gorgeous.
Here’s my list for the day:
Canada Goose 25
American Black Duck 2
Mallard 30
Bald Eagle 2
Ring-billed Gull 1
Mourning Dove 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Downy Woodpecker 3
Northern Flicker 2
Pileated Woodpecker 1
Blue Jay 8
American Crow 15
Common Raven 1
Black-capped Chickadee 5
Tufted Titmouse 3
White-breasted Nuthatch 2
Carolina Wren 2
Eastern Bluebird 4
American Robin 5
American Tree Sparrow 1
Song Sparrow 5
Dark-eyed Junco 50
Northern Cardinal 3
American Goldfinch 30
nice recap, Matt. great pictures as always!
Thanks Miller! I really enjoyed our morning at the Bash – good birds and great company.
Matt,
A couple of things of note, The Raven Pair are almost certainly nesting again on Haven Road in the Pine thicket facing west from the bridge. I have seen them go in courting once or twice a week through January. Also, there are three Hermit Thrush on the Nature Trail and two on the Birch Trail. The Birch Trail birds can be quite close to the boat launch parking area or may be all the way out past the tower in the Bar Berries. There is one Winter Wren on the Birch Trail and one at the Deli Fields Boat Launch. Of course you have to be lucky to run into them. Glad you and Karen had a nice morning. John
We went out to the Bar Berries in hopes of getting the Hermit Thrushes. At the Bar Berries we had a small bird running along the ground and quickly under the brush. We never relocated the bird to identify it; my first impression was that it was too small for a Hermit Thrush, but it was a very brief look. Thanks for the information, it has been a while since I’ve been to the Bash, I nearly forgot how awesome it is.
Nice goldfinch, are they starting to turn brighter yellow now? I saw a New Jersey (I think) post that showed some with almost full color already.
You know Wilma I’m not really sure. According to my Sibley Guide, they should not be in breeding plumage until March (which is only a few weeks away now!).