Friday, April 30, 2010

April 30, 2010 Mulberry Birds

No Shortage of Thrushes this year in POC



  Despite the nice south winds a lot of migrants are in town.    A
short visit out today found good number of "mulberry birds" about but few to no empids or warblers.  With the bummer crop of berries  they probably are lingering longer than usual to restock up on lost reserves.

  I am very concerned about the oil spill and its impacts for the
nesting season on the gulf coast.  I will have to be elsewhere working the next few days so I know something good will be found in POC.

   Here are a couple of photos of berry eating thrushes fueling up under a mulberry tree.  Just one of the many trees in town that are loaded with fruit after such a bad drought last year and perhaps influenced by the very cold couple of days back in January.  Notice the dark one?  I assume this to be a melanistic Swainson's Thrush (?).  I did not get get great looks at the belly as I too was sitting in the grass. But is sure an odd one.

The weather portends perhaps a good fallout come Sunday.

Brush