Grasshopper Sparrow and other news

It's been a strange day today, with temperatures in the seventies and so much damp air around that it has been hazy, almost foggy at times, for much of the day. Still air isn't helping to shift things, but birds are still out there to be found. The highlight today for many was the Grasshopper Sparrow that showed on and off during the morning, right in front of the Hawkwatch Platform. A couple of Yellow Warblers, Caspian Tern, 10 or so Pied-billed Grebes and a pretty awesome Peregrine flight were all there to be enjoyed too. Hidden Valley had a nice run of birds for our first October walk there this morning; Swainson's Thrush, Yellow-billed Cuckoo and Yellow-breasted Chat were all brief but present and the fields had good quantities of Indigo Buntings and Swamp, Savannah, Field and Song Sparrows. Northern Flicker flights continue to be impressive too and some 50 birds entertained us this morning. Watch out for Bald Eagles still harassing Ospreys for their hard-earned catches, Belted Kingfishers still seem to be on every pond around the point and Northwood Center again scored well today with both Ruby-crowned and Golden-crowned Kinglets, Brown Creeper, Scarlet Tanager, Swainson's Thrush, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and Philadelphia Vireo among others.

Grasshopper Sparrow at the Hawkwatch Platform today [photo by Karl Lukens].