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Dairyland Road migrants



Given the beautiful day, and my small year list I decided to head out to
Anilorac Farm on Dairyland Road to see if the Warbling Vireos are back
again this year or not. The pond at Maple View Farm was empty. No Yellow
Warblers and not even a Solitary Sandpiper, to say nothing of Blue
Grosbeaks. So, I trudged on over to Anilorac Farm and the minute I got out
heard several Grasshopper Sparrows. Orchard Orioles were flying in and out
of the two Maple Trees in front of the farm house, and a Yellow Warbler
was singing in the hedgerow over the stream. The corn is still very low in
the fields and so no Bobolinks either. But the prize of the day was an
angry E Kingbird chasing away a Merlin from the pine tree on which I
assume its got its nest. I only saw the Merlin after the Kingbirde had
taken up the chase,and so have no idea if it managed to snatch anything,
but it was in no mood to stop even after the Kingbird veered off. And so,
as Merlins are wont to do, it flew straight away even as I hoped it would
land at some distant tree; but it kept going as my hopes ebbed. There were
Purple martins galore in th Martin houses at Cane Creek Church, and a
field of young cedars by marion's Ford had several singing Filed Sparrows
and at least two Prairie Warblers which were very curious once I started
pishing. All in all a wonderful morning, and my list for the year holds at
269.
Oh, and yesterday at Hemlock Bluffs Steve Schultz zeroed in on a singing
Worm Eating Warbler high in an Ash. My first ever in the state. My North
Carolina list is now beginning to look somewhat respectable.-

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SHANTANU PHUKAN
Lecturer in Urdu-Hindi & Indian Literature
University of N. Carolina, Chapel Hill
Curriculum in Asian Studies
Alumni Hall 413C
Chapel Hill, N.C. 27599

phukan@email.unc.edu
919-962-6825
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