Bird Hunting

This morning was the "Feathered Friends Walk" at Cedar Hill Cemetery. Since "the early bird catches the worm", the walk started at 6:30 a.m. Someone forgot to tell the sun because it was a gray morning (actually all day). Someone also forgot to coordinate with the birds because we saw very few compared to last year.

Despite the early hour, there was a large crowd (at least at the start): ~60 people. This is one of the most popular walks at Cedar Hill. Jay Kaplan of the Roaring Brook Nature Center, as in the past, led this annual bird walk through the ornamental foreground of the cemetery.

Map of Cedar Hill Cemetery

I learned from last year and wore long pants this year instead of shorts. We started at the east end of the cemetery (near the main gate) and walked  along the east side and then the west side of the Llyn Mawr. Outside of a few ducks and a heron , though, not much was seen (unless you count robins and sparrows).

Then we piled in cars and worked our way around a couple spots. At the extreme west end, there is a quarry below. Outside of a few crows, didn't see much.

Trooping towards the quarry.

View of the quarry.

Then we moved NE on to the "scenic overlook."

View of the Valley (looking west).

Disappointed with the lack of birds, we trooped back down into the cemetery where we had better luck at the finish.

"Do you see it? It's on that branch at the right."

Last year, we cataloged nearly 60 species of birds; this year we were lucky to get 40.  If you want to see pictures of some of  the birds we saw this year, there are a few good pictures on the Cemetery Foundation's FB page.

I did have some luck with my binoculars (they are indispensable for bird watching). Sort of hard for being deaf in one ear. I have no sense of sound direction, so it's difficult for me to know where to look. Still, it was enjoyable and satisfying to get up and outside early trying to spot these fascinating creations of God.

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Links:
http://www.cedarhillcemetery.org
http://ricketwrite.blogspot.com/2016/05/bird-walk.html
http://www.roaringbrook.org/home.html
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10154745697818525.1073741850.80325463524&type=3

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Written Monday 29 May 2017 (Memorial Day).