Thursday birding 9/!8 NF Preserve and Hallock Farm Museum

[jle...@gmail.com]

I was going to bird with Peggy but she forgot about an event that she was signed up for so I changed my plan.  Overnight winds were NW-N, some passable winds.  I was driving in to the old club house, I counted 30 ROBINS!  There were Robins EVERYWHERE!  I estimate 150-200 birds!  Apparently CATBIRDS came in, too.  In pairs, best guess, 100 birds.  I tried to view the East Pond but no.  I could see where the "path" was but I only had my handi-dandi collapsable clippers.... I turn on Merlin.... one Mallard.  I heard one COMMON YELLOWTHROAT. This is when I say.... "Remind me why I like this game...."  Light was poor and the little birds were high up in the canopy. Rats... But I did have a small flurry just of "YELLOW- STARTS", PARULA and TITMOUSE.  I moved my Jeep to the pathway to the West Pond. All I had was one DOMESTIC GOOSE and one CAGO.  I looked up to see two RAVENS moving in lazy circles moving east and one BALD EAGLE moving west. The Sun had came out and it was warm.... I stopped at Hallock Farm Museum to work the hedgerow. I had SONG and SAVANNAH SPARROWS, FLICKERS, MOCKERS and a Flycatcher I couldn't ID. Grey/brown body, white throat and generally whitish belly. I had a HARRIER so close to me, I didn't need bins to get a Soul Satisfying View!  I heard the e-nock of a VEERY.  I walked up towards the State Park.  Workers had blocked so many trails, one can't see the small pond and head for the rolling sand dunes atop the bluff.  It's a sensitive area and couldn't stand a bunch of people climbing them. Sigh.  I'm glad to got to see that. I did have a LEAST FLYCATCHER.  My iPhone health app said I walked 4.5 miles.....I feel that now.  I gotta stretch out before bed!