Monday, November 7, 2011

Birding @ Mason Farm Biological Reserve

The dynamic birding duo headed out to Chapel Hill to check out Mason Farm.  Very cool place.  Nice variety of bird habitats.  Will definitely try it out in the winter.  Birds will probably be easier to spot.



 Before we even got in the park, we spotted an old Blue Heron who looked as old as Yoda and a whole flock of Canada geese on the water.

In general, we were a little frustrated because we couldn't get a good look at anything and my pictures came out pretty poorly.  Makes it hard to identify the birds afterwards.
Looks a little like a Bachman's Sparrow, but I dunno.



Tree swallow--I had no idea these were so abundant.
I've seen a couple of these lately.

This may be the same bird as above.  Can't tell if it's a Pine Warbler.
My guess is a female or immature Oriole of some kind.  This picture shows a real lack of any distinguishing features.

Mystery bird--not a clue!

 

2 comments:

  1. Hi Jill,

    Thanks for commenting on my blog!

    I hope you don't a little help with your bird ID...

    The sparrow is a Song.
    The "Tree Swallow" is an Eastern Phoebe.
    The following bird is an American Goldfinch.
    The next is a Ruby-crowned Kinglet.
    The next is another American Goldfinch.
    But your mystery bird has me stumped! Hard to tell what's going on with its head... are the wings actually black?!?

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  2. Thanks for your help with the bird ID! Yeah, that last one is tricky. Lousy picture. The shape of the tail and the yellow belly kind of seem like it could be a flycatcher of some kind, but I don't know if they hang around in the fall or not. Actually, looking at my field guide, I'll bet it's a Pee Wee.

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