A fulfilling weekend of birding

Over the weekend, I spent two mornings at Mercer Meadows with friends, human and avian. While I’m still awaiting the arrival of more Northern harriers, I’m pleased to report that the Savannah sparrows have been arriving steadily.

My friend Sally had mentioned that she’d love to see an Eastern meadowlark at the Pole Farm. Since I’d been hearing them the past week, I invited her join me this morning.

On our way up the trail, Merlin heard a couple, but I could not pick out their calls. Little more than an hour later, we had made it back to the parking lot when we heard them calling nearby. We took a short stroll to one of the nearby fields and were thrilled to see a few, including one that flew toward us.

I was too busy looking to get a photo, but the image of its brilliant yellow breast gleaming in the sunshine is burned into memory.

Song and Savannah sparrows were seemingly everywhere in the fields and on the central dirt path. Again, I must note how lovely they – especially the Savannahs – appear against a backdrop of the reds and oranges and tans of autumn foliage.

We spotted cedar waxwings high up in trees at the AT&T Building One site, and I spotted a field sparrow up high as well.

We enjoyed hearing many white-throated sparrows singing their bright, whistling song in the woods, and we also spotted a few dark-eyed juncos.

Another highlight of the weekend came Saturday morning when I got a brief glimpse of a red-breasted nuthatch in the woods. Again, no photo, but seeing that uncommon caller was treat enough. 🦅