Murphy-Hanrehan delivers!

Changing into a summer coat

After a while mostly away from home and/or home with rotten weather, I took the opportunity to get out and ride today. What a beautiful day! So nice to have more "normal" weather for a change. 

I decided to head over to a local hotspot, Murphy-Hanrehan Park Reserve, which is close to where I used to live. This relatively large block of forested, grassland, and wetland habitat is a great spot for migrant warblers and also has breeding Hooded Warblers, Acadian Flycatchers, and sometimes Cerulean Warblers. Migration is definitely winding down here so I figured I had better get out and try to get stuff before it was gone until fall. 

I got up early to try to get there around dawn. It was a very early alarm - ugh. But I managed to peel myself out of bed and get on the bike. I will admit I was not feeling it at first. Even an immediate pick up of several birds at a nearby grassland (Grasshopper Sparrow, Sedge Wren, and others) in the emerging light did not motivate me. I was tired and almost turned around. 

Thankfully I pushed on and finished the 14-mile ride. After some confusion about where the trailhead was - and finding out that bikes were NOT allowed on it, despite what the map on my phone said - I got to my first stop at Murphy, another grassland. I was treated to several Henslow's Sparrows calling all around me in the fog. Nice! Things were looking up and I was re-energized. 

They were beautiful, these Henslow's In The Mist

On to the forest trails. There were several cars there already, and I chatted with a few birders in the parking lot. We pretty much immediately got the bird that Murphy is famous for - Hooded Warbler. As usual, far back off the trail, and only appearing for ever so brief looks. There were two birds not far from each other. Nice! I was glad to get that right away. 

Hooded Warbler habitat

After a while mostly listening to the Hoodeds, I kept going. The dawn chorus was starting to pick up as the sun warmed things a bit. Several Wood Thrushes sang their beautiful flute-like dawn serenade, and Ovenbirds and American Redstarts were everywhere. Eastern Wood-Pewees were on territories and I even heard a Tufted Titmouse - common in many other parts of the U.S., but tough around here. Great add. I was getting excited for the possibilities as things continued to build. 

Hooded Merganser hens in the morning light

I came to an intersection and saw that a normally gated area was open to hiking. I've never been back there, so was excited to explore. Neat area, but mostly just the same bird songs, although lots of Wood Thrush which was cool. Nobody had reported an Acadian Flycatcher yet this year, but this is the general area where they often are. As I walked by a ravine - there it was! A loud "peet-sa", sweet! I think I was the first to find one this year, which is fun. I also got two more "Empids" nearby - Alder and Yellow-bellied Flycatcher. I was more and more glad that I didn't turn around earlier. 

Indigo Bunting

Things quieted down for a bit and I didn't see much for the next half hour or so, except more of the usual stuff, and a few more birders. One of them gave me good intel on the Summer Tanager that was hanging out at the park - a pretty rare bird that would be great add. After a nice conversation, I headed over to try and find it. A Red-headed Woodpecker called as I started walking away. A good sign, I hoped. 

Tiny tyrant - Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Before I even got to the spot, I heard a tanager singing. It sounded different from the Scarlet Tanagers that are common here. Sure enough - Summer Tanager! Excellent. He put on a show for me and a few other birders, and I got my usual crappy photo. As I was listening to the tanager, a loud, ringing "Sugar-sweet-sugar-SWEET-SUGAR-SWEET" song came from the undergrowth. Connecticut Warbler! One of the late warblers that I was really hoping for. 

Summer Tanager

Connecticut Warblers are loud but super skulky. I waited and listened for a while, but no luck. He was not coming any closer or emerging from the undergrowth. I decided to hit one last trail before starting to head back. Not 1/8 mile away, a bird jumped up from the side of the trail in a tangle around a fallen limb. I got my binoculars on it - another Connecticut! I scrambled to get my camera. I was having trouble focusing on this shockingly cooperative bird that was singing in the open now, mere meters away from me. Just as I was taking my first photo - he jumped. Please enjoy this terrible photo of his back as he flew away. 

Find the bird, get a prize. Or maybe not. 

I got to the end of the trail and had a Canada Warbler which is another late warbler that I was hoping for. Didn't see him though. Things were getting quiet again and I decided it was time to go. I did run into a nice group of Blackpoll Warblers on the way out, and the Hooded Warblers by the entrance were still singing. What a fun hike. 

I managed to pick up a couple more common species that I still didn't have yet for my green list on the ride home - Chimney Swift and Cliff Swallow. I wasn't really worried about them, but good to check those boxes. The horses in the nearby pastures seemed to wonder what I was up to as I watched the swifts fly around. I kept going and pushed through the trip home. 

A really nice morning of birding - I picked up 17 new green species, which puts me just under 200 total! There may be a few more late migrants to get - Olive-sided Flycatcher being one of them, and both species of cuckoos are possible nearby, but probably my last big species pickup for a while. Trips will be more targeted now for 1-2 species here and there as summer arrives. Then we'll start all over again in the fall - plenty of migrant shorebirds and warblers still left to get. For now though - time to rest my legs. 

Thanks for reading!