Black-and-white Warbler.
Photo by Bryan Henson

Normally, summertime is a really challenging period for birding. The oppressive heat and humidity has all of us, birds included, panting and looking for the nearest shade. The month before the major fall migration kicks in is, let’s just say it, pretty dreadful.

So it was an absolute treasure, then, to see 47 species on our walk at Goodstone Inn on September 6. Ten people, led by Mary Ann Good and Scott Harris, braved the morning mugginess to walk some new paths on the property. Suspecting that the late-morning sun would be brutal, Mary Ann made the wise choice to strike out first into the un-shaded fields, where we saw a Bald Eagle perched nearby and a very lost Osprey!

Upon reaching the cooling shade of the nearby forest, we walked along Goose Creek, seeing every kind of woodpecker, including Pileated and Red-headed. Other notable birds included Belted Kingfishers checking out the deeper remaining pools, a Black-and-white Warbler and several American Redstarts. The full list of species can be viewed on eBird: https://ebird.org/checklist/S149124329

We finished up the walk back in the parking lot where we started, and everyone had a really nice walk, despite the heat.

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