It was a beautiful day. Sunny, clear, and calm with temperatures in the mid 60’s to begin and 70 at the end!  Surveyors this morning were Lena Hayashi, Betty Kanne (eBirder), Ellen Tipping, Jim Kendall, Dave and Sharon Telford, and welcomed Cheryl Searcy, a first timer at UF. 

The highlight was the Western Meadowlarks in the open field as we began our survey.  It was exciting to see their return as a few of them landed in the large open field and disappeared, even though they are bright yellow and black.  The pattern on their bodies and reflection from the light camouflage them instantly when they land. As we watched them on the ground, we counted several more meadowlarks.  But, a few minutes later, when something startled them, we counted 50 in the air, a lot more than we detected on the ground!  Such is the fun of birding.

While surveying, we were able to take time to review and study the various sounds and song of the White-crowned Sparrows and listen to resident Song Sparrows practice their songs.  Winter sounds of Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, Say’s Phoebes, and of course, Yellow-rumped Warblers filled the air.

We look forward to more winter residents returning to the Urban Forest.