Early Migrants at Ewing Park in McLean County

The time of the year during which Ewing Park in Bloomington, IL is great for birding has come. I saw my first Ewing Park Fox Sparrows on March 4, and I took this shot on March 6.



Last year the plants in the park had grown thick so that it was difficult to walk the trails without rubbing up against all manner of plants. So I was glad to see that during the Winter they cut a lot of the under growth out of the park and trimmed things up nicely. Furthermore, what they did does not seem to discourage the birds, except perhaps American Woodcocks, which I have not yet seen there nor anywhere else in the county this year. I went to Angler's Pond looking for woodcocks after photographing the above Fox Sparrow at Ewing on March 6, but other than another Fox Sparrow and a pair of shovelers, I only found typical Winter birds and this muskrat.





Yesterday on March 12, Carrie wanted to take our dog Bobby for a walk with me after I got home from work. I suggested Ewing Park and she agreed. There were a lot of people in Hedge Apple Woods, and I did not see much until we got to the grassy area. While Carrie and I were looking at our first of the year Eastern Phoebe with a very yellow belly, I saw Les Allen walking toward us. He told us to keep an eye out for Golden-crowned Kinglets and that there was a Red-tailed Hawk sitting in a low tree branch over the trail across the creek. He said people were walking under it on the trail, and it was still sitting there as if it did not mind. While we were talking, the three of us heard and saw a pair of Golden-crowned Kinglets.



After Carrie and I said goodbye to Les and continued on our walk, we had 5-6 Fox Sparrows. This bird was a lifer for Carrie. She got great looks at a pair of them high up in a tree and on the ground. While she was sitting on one of the park benches, waiting for them to come out of the swale, I walked around the other side and spotted my first of the year Hermit Thrush. We also encountered another Eastern Phoebe, while searching for Fox Sparrows. After Carrie got good looks at the Fox Sparrows, we walked across the bridge to the other side of the creek to find the Red-tailed Hawk that Les told us about. When I saw how low it was and that people were walking underneath it oblivious to its presence, I was amazed.







Notice the blood on the bird's talons and mouth and on the branch on which it is perched--blood from a recent kill no doubt. Perhaps that was why the bird did not want to move. It had just finished a meal.



As we headed back toward the car, we saw more Golden-crowned Kinglets, bringing the total to six, more Fox Sparrows, and this Eastern Phoebe below.



After we got to the car, Carrie and I drove to White Oak Park where we took another walk with Bobby and saw a lot of geese, coots, Red-winged Blackbirds, and robins. It was such a beautiful evening and so nice to have an extra hour of light. I look forward to more walks with my wife and my dog and to more migrants at Ewing Park.