This is a syndicated birdwalk report from the North Park Village Migratory Bird Walks, Saturdays at 8am through the months of April and May in the Spring, plus September and October in the Fall.

We meet at the parking lot and make our way around the park an hour before it officially opens. To receive all emails and communications, sign up at: tinyletter.com/northparkvillagebirding

Hello NPV Birders!

Our first official week was a good stretch of the back and neck birding muscles. We had a healthy crowd of 32 birders for the walk, about 65° F, and partly cloudy.

We saw our first bird immediately upon arriving at the prairie overlook. It was a female belted kingfisher! You couldn't miss the distant white bulb in the distance. Thankfully, she stood still for a good amount of time and the group was able to get well acquainted with their binoculars. At that moment, a small group in the back called me over for an exciting view.

A hawk sat past on the fence near the beginning of the Main Loop. I caught a glimpse of it through the map stand. Its tail immediately made me think it was a sharp-shinned hawk but the group would be confused by raptors throughout the day.

I turn back to get another glimpse and photo of the kingfisher but the group on the other side is equally captivated by yet another raptor.

It's hard to see well but I make sure to try to get a tail shot. My first thought is that it looks similar to the other bird. Who we thankfully get to have a closer look at next.

It's amazing how split everyone I've asked to review this bird has been. It generally leaned towards juvenile Cooper's hawk. Adam Sell shared this:

Despite the breast markings, I still think this bird is a young Cooper's based upon the position of the eye (angry vs. surprised), the longer rounded tail and the more athletic look around the shoulders and head (versus dumpy on a SSHA).

Special thanks to Pamela for asking Adam to review our images. These weren't the only confusing hawks, but they were the only ones we were collectively unsure about at the end of our walk.

Scaling down a bit, we caught a glimpse of a ruby-throated hummingbird, heard a gray catbird, and saw a house wren with other little brown birds fluttering around before the hill.

A Philadelphia warbler was amongst the mix…

…as was a black-and-white warbler. Neither stuck around very long. A broad-winged hawk flew over just south of the group. Its smaller body and streaks separated it from the other raptors.

The blue jays jayed and flew on by. You may have realized I enjoy catching in-flight bird-missle pics. The jay's had been calling for some time and with so many hawks around it was no surprise.

This is one of two juvenile red-tailed hawks soaring above while we cross the wetlands. They seemed to be of the Borealis morph, still young enough not to have a fully developed red tail.

Once at the bridge between the lagoons, we spot a green heron making its way up a dead branch. Great looks for everyone. Once leaving, we see the family of wood ducks in their usual spot across the west pond.

As we continue walking, Mark calls out a small flock of cedar waxwings. They're hidden down in a small brush for a few minutes and so we ask folks up ahead if they can see from their perspective. No luck but soon enough it's shooting out to scatter.

As we reach the wooded trail, a Nashville warbler pays us a short visit.

…as does an indigo bunting. I love seeing brown-colored indigo buntings, as they remind me of my first confusing encounter with one.

We continue down and into the savannah trail where we see a series of Swainson's thrushes. Did I ever mention I wasn't the biggest fan of eponymous names? The alternative names are all that great for it either, what would you call the Swainson's thrush if you could change its name?

Thanks to Geoff Garland for maintaining our eBird Checklist. Be sure to check out images on that checklist from him and Santo Locasto.

See the Tinyletter archives for the complete version of this report.

Happy birding,

J’orge 🐦- @yorickgarcia

eBird Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S149600859
Species

Canada Goose
Wood Duck
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Ring-billed Gull
Great Blue Heron
Green Heron
Turkey Vulture
Cooper's Hawk
Broad-winged Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Least Flycatcher
Philadelphia Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Blue Jay
Black-capped Chickadee
White-breasted Nuthatch
House Wren
Gray Catbird
Swainson's Thrush
American Robin
Cedar Waxwing
American Goldfinch
Common Grackle
Northern Waterthrush
Black-and-white Warbler
Nashville Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Northern Cardinal
Indigo Bunting