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Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Dismal Swamp Birding Festival - Day 1

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  A great time was had by all who attended the Great Dismal Swamp Birding Festival this past weekend. Lots and lots of woodland warblers were heard, seen, banded and photographed over the three day event. I’m not sure of the final bird tally of the event but I’ll see if I can find out. Personal obligations kept me from attending several of the scheduled activities, but I tried to make the most of the ones I did attend.

A morning hike along one of the trails offered lots to see; like wildflowers…

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...and a turtle sunning itself. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe this is an Eastern Painted Turtle (?).

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There were lots of Palamedes Swallowtail butterflies out and about.

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Here’s a Prothonotary Warbler perched on one of the boardwalk trails. These warblers are plentiful throughout the swamp. They are one of the few warblers that nest in tree cavities. Prothonotary Warblers can be found near water in their breeding range.

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Tree snags like the ones below are plentiful throughout the swamp; probably a result of a lightning strikes. I guess it’s the price you pay for being the tallest, but it’s not necessarily a bad thing. These old dead trees provide an abundance of food and homes for many small animals, especially birds.

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I eventually made my way to the bird banding station. Action was a little slow but we did catch a couple Common Yellowthroats during the short time I was their.

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This particular Common Yellowthroat was a little camera shy.

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Thanks for taking the walk with me. Stay tuned for more from the 2009 Great Dismal Swamp Birding Festival…

 

6 comments:

Chandramouli S said...

That sounds exciting! Swallowtails and warblers! Ahhh! How awesome to spot warblers! I love those daisy like wildflowers! I think it's similar to the ones we see here on roadsides... I love 'em!

Kelly said...

...the Common Yellowthroat looks so tiny in his hands. Very cute....also, wonderful photos. I love that daisy!

Janet, The Queen of Seaford said...

We have had a Common Yellowthroat in our backyard the last few days. A little masked warbler, cute as can be.

Unknown said...

I bet that was great fun!

Dawn Fine said...

Boo hoo...So sad we didn't get to meet you. Looks like the flowers were a bloomin and the critters and birdies were out in full force.
I don't look forward to seeing all we missed..tee hee!

Willi said...

What a fun event. Were the butterflies hanging out in the mud? I think it's so interesting that such pretty creatures like to hang out in the mud. I guess they feed on salts in the soil!