May 8, 1993
On this day, I visited multiple sites in South Bend with a team of Audubon Society birders to participate in this year’s Bird-a-Thon.
We started our day on the Notre Dame campus, where we saw ☆Yellow Warbler☆ in the orchards on the west side of campus, and ☆White-crowned Sparrow☆ going about their business at a nearby graveyard. We also saw several pairs of striking and beautifully-colored ☆Baltimore Oriole☆ in the graveyard. We saw our first ☆Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warbler☆ of the day on the Notre Dame campus. This bird is very striking in breeding plumage, and seems to be the most common warbler in this area. An ☆Eastern Kingbird☆ was spotted near the Notre Dame lakes, along with Canada Goose.
A walk through the woods on campus was also very productive. The song of a ☆Red-eyed Vireo☆ was pointed out by fellow Auduboner, Marge, and we soon caught a peek at this little guy high in the trees above us. We also glimpsed a large Great Horned Owl as it was being mobbed by American Crow and chased through the forest. ☆American Redstart☆ were also seen in the woods, along with a bird that gave us trouble with the ID. We spotted a bird fairly low in the trees, distinctly yellow/orange against the green of the trees. Even to our experienced trip leader, the ID was not readily apparent, and it took a while to figure out that this was a molting ☆Summer Tanager☆ somewhat north of its normal range. An unusual sighting. Fortunately, the bird was cooperative while we worked out the ID!
We left Notre Dame to make a quick stop at the home of an Home of an Audubon member, to see the Red-breasted Nuthatch nesting in her backyard.
Next stop: St. Patrick’s Park, where we spotted a ☆Killdeer☆ in the parking lot, and a ☆Purple Martin☆ flying over the pond.
Our final stop of the day was to the Issac Walton League reserve, where we had a perfect sighting of an ☆Eastern Phoebe☆! The bird was perched near a bridge that crossed a small stream . This bird is common in this area, and I often hear their song.
Species List
Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe), Myrtle Warbler (Setophaga coronata coronata), Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus), Purple Martin (Progne subis subis), American Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia), White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys leucophrys), Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula), Canada Goose (Branta canadensis maxima), American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla), Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus vociferus), Red-eyed Vireo (Vireo olivaceus), American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos), Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus), Red-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis), Summer Tanager (Piranga rubra rubra)
Let me know what you think!