היומן של thequirkyquail

Last evening, I went to McAlpine Creek Park, one of my favorite places in the area to look for and observe wildlife. Though I did not stay long due to rain, it was still nonetheless a worthwhile experience.

I entered the park and saw lots of Canada Geese. Some were in the lake, some were out preening themselves, and others were feeding in a large field nearby. Upon sighting the large manmade lake, I saw lots of mallards, mostly female; one had two babies trailing behind her. They were very small, and I wondered how old they were.

I went up the walking path to my preferred spot at the edge of a natural lake around the same size of the one near the entrance of the park. I spotted a good number of turtles, big and small, relaxing on top of rocks and thick fallen branches. There weren’t as many of them as usual, maybe because it was almost at the end of the day, and the sun was barely out at the time. Walking further down, I was puzzled due to the fact that hardly any birds or other wildlife could be found. In the morning, the time of day when I always visit the park, I see lots of birds; one time I saw around eight Great Blue Herons…incredible. Here, I only saw one Great Blue Heron, one Green Heron, and around 5 Mallards. I heard the call of a Red-bellied Woodpecker as well. But other than that, no other species of birds were seen. It was very strange; I normally thought that during the mornings and evenings, wildlife could be seen more frequently.

I felt a few tiny rain drops and started heading toward the parking lot. I then heard the most bizarre noise coming from the tall grass. A few more individuals were heard, some vocalizing in different pitches and tones. I found out that these were Eastern Narrow-mouthed Toads, endemic to the Southeastern US. I have never heard anything with a sound so interesting, unique, and strange. To me they sounded like bleating lambs. And I cannot hesitate to mention that they were very loud. And close. Unfortunately, due to steadier rainfall, I had to give up my search for the toads. Fortunately, this was the first time I have ever heard one of these amphibians, and am happy that I discovered this species I hadn’t heard of before.

Though I did not take as many photos as I hoped, a few still turned out pretty well. They were of the mother and baby Mallards, the Green Heron, and the large Great Blue Heron. Wish I could have gotten a photograph of the toads, but maybe some other time.

I took a birding walk along a trail at around 10 AM. It was cloudy at first, but the clouds dispersed within a half an hour and it then became sunny and bright. I walked about one and a half miles and observed and heard 21 species of birds that morning.

I saw mostly Northern Cardinals, lots of males and some females, and heard their calls and songs all throughout my walk. A few Yellow-rumped Warblers were seen flitting among small tree branches and some bushes. I heard a Pine Warbler, some Eastern Towhees, the melodious song of a Song Sparrow, and a group of House Finches. A few young Brown Thrashers - including a juvenile I believe - were observed, and I heard their long songs as well.

I heard Blue-gray Gnatcatchers everywhere, as well as Carolina Wrens, Tufted Titmice, and Carolina Chickadees. I heard the loud call of a Ruby-crowned Kinglet before sighting it among the trees. I saw only one lone Blue Jay, which I found unusual, because they are normally social birds. Three American Crows flew high overhead, and a Mourning Dove and its musical wings were heard flittering from a tree.

Other birds I observed/heard: 1 Red-bellied Woodpecker, 1 Brown-headed Nuthatch, 3 Eastern Bluebirds, 5 American Robins, 4 White-throated Sparrows, and 1 Brown-headed Cowbird.

Birds I managed to photograph: Northern Cardinal (male and female), American Robin.