I spent the morning at Huntley Meadows and can report that the birding was a
bit slow. I expected as much looking at the radar from last night, not much
evidence of a migratory push last night, although things are likely to be
better tomorrow after this front moves through.
I was able to view a few migrants -- great crested flycatcher, Chat, Ovenbird.
The highlight was a kestrel that hunted over the main boardwalk -- with about
as much luck as I was having. Good numbers of common yellowthroats and more
song sparrows than I've seen recently. Many of the song sparrows appeared
pretty shabby -- in mid-molt? A few had lost their tail feathers. One of
these was chased around by the kestrel -- it got away, but looked panicked.
The strangest bird was a phoebe that was partially leuistic -- it appeared very
pale with a brownish tinge and almost white in flight. It was pretty clearly a
phoebe -- associating with another normal looking one. It flitted about,
landing back at the same spot each time -- flicking its tail.
Most of the wetland is dry - with water only in a small channel and in the
northern area above the beaver dam.
Portions of the park are not accessible -- including the hike and bike trail
and the informal trail that heads south from the boardwalk.
