Day 18.134: Birds at Timber Point (updated)

Exile #2 and I took a late afternoon walk at Timber Point. Sometimes, the walk along the road is all about reaching the point and investigating what's going on in the inlet by the island. Today, the highlight was the walk through the woods as it is definitely warbler season. Here is some of what we saw.

Male and female common yellowthroats alongside the beach:

Talking of the beach, it was loaded with seaweed making it very difficult to spot the birds:

TL: killdeer, TR: semipalmated plover, BL: red-winged blackbird (the males were easier to see and identify), BR: least sandpiper

As we often do there, we saw a number of yellow warblers:

We were briefly fooled into thinking these were more, but their dark caps caught our eyes, in fact - Wilson's warbler

We saw several magnolia warblers - looking very fine.

We got some of our best-ever views of American redstarts (both male and female):

And our first view of blackpoll warblers in breeding plumage (previously only identified in fall):

And, rounding-out the warbler pictures:

Black-and-white warbler

Black-and-white warbler

Black-throated green warbler (female)

Back at the beach by the parking we were briefly distracted by some low swooping barn swallows and a red-tailed hawk* fly-by:

[* I have been informed that this - as we thought - slightly odd-looking red-tailed hawk is probably a red-shouldered  x red-tailed hawk hybrid seen in various locations  over the last couple of years - glad I stopped to grab a couple of photos]

Out on the water, we saw double-crested cormorants and common eiders.

Some eiders in juvenile or transitional plumage

Others in full breeding form

Fly-by from some red-breasted mergansers

Least flycatcher

I watched this northern cardinal picking flowers off this shrub - he didn't seem to eat the flower itself, letting the petal-part drop each time, presumably a part of it was to his taste however

Song sparrow

Another female red-winged blackbird - in more traditional habitat

A very ruffled-looking northern mockingbird

Common grackle

Both Wilson's warbler and least flycatcher were new for my life list.

We also saw a number of ruby-throated hummingbirds, but they were too fast for photography today.