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Eno and Mason Farm




Hi folks,

Spent a mosquito infested evening at Eno River SP last Thurs and a 
fly-free morning at Mason Farm yesterday.

Eno produced some nice sightings:

prairie warblers
indigo buntings
phoebe
3 scarlet tanagers
heard several yb chats, (not yet seen one)
field, song sparrows
singing b+w warbler
a 6" snake: light brown with darker patches. It was in a puddle in a 
wheel rut, presumably feeding on the trapped tadpoles, although I 
didn't see it actually catch one
2 WE vireos carrying nesting material
YT warbler singing
2 RT hummingbirds
2 acadian flycatchers
many BG gnatcatchers

Mason Farm was better, with 2 life birds for me (I still get lifers 
regularly due to my short time in the US of A)

YB chats (lifer!) even saw one do its dangling leg/slow flap display
common YTs: got great views of one I pished out of a bramble bush
N parula
Indigo buntings
catbird
RE vireo
2 vireos I couldn't ID: one was small and appeared to lack a strong 
eyestripe, but did have wing bars. It was drab, not much 
yellow/green. The other I only saw from below and appeared to have a 
lot of yellow on the breast: a YT vireo??
YB cuckoo: first this year
BG gnatcatchers
summer tanager (lifer!). The call reminded me of someone spitting 
cherry stones.
heard wood thrushes and a B+W warbler
I missed the kentucky and a prothonotary that Amalie saw, but did get 
a partial moult male blue grosbeak: cool bird!


So Q's

Any good ideas for the 2 vireo sp based on relative abundance at 
Mason Farm? From the field guide the best fit for the dull one was 
maybe a warbling vireo, but I'm certain I saw wingbars. The other I'm 
about 80% sure was a YT vireo: how likely is this?

I didn't see or hear a single prairie warbler at Mason Farm: do they 
occur here? There are dozens at Eno already and the song is so strong 
and characteristic I'm certain I would have picked one up if it had 
been in the vicinity.


-- 
Steve Perry

Receptor Biology Lab, Duke Uni Med Center, Durham, NC

stevep@receptor-biol.duke.edu