On Friday mornings from April - September, we hold free, naturalist-led Birds and More Walks through Todd Nature Reserve.
The walks start at 9 am. Here's what we saw on a recent walk:
Had another great bird walk this morning at a foggy yet beautiful Todd Nature Reserve. If you’ve never had a chance to experience Todd, especially in weather like that, where the mist shrouds the many hemlocks and giant oaks, it’s pretty spectacular.
While things were pretty quiet when the group started, especially as we’ve moved into the quitter phase of summer, bird song picked up substantially as the fog burned off and the sun hit the trees.
While we had a number of the usual suspects, with the highlights being Acadian Flycatcher (4), Black-throated Green Warbler (3-4), Wood Thrush (6), Scarlet Tanager (1), Indigo Bunting (1), two Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Barn Swallow (heard overhead) and several “chinking” Hooded Warblers, the best bird was a calling Yellow-billed Cuckoo feasting on the numerous tent caterpillars at the reserve. We never got a clear look as it skulked above us in the canopy, but he called quite loud and frequent overhead.
The second best bird(s) was a pair of Broad-winged Hawks soaring overhead, and which breed very close to the cabin on the reserve. Other notables include a calling Pileated Woodpecker, Cedar Waxwings, American Goldfinches, and Field Sparrow (on Shoop Trail).
And while not a bird, many of the pale-white Indian Pipes are up across the reserve adding an interesting contrast to the mid/late summer wildflowers that are abundant at Todd.
