Earlier this week I was birding at the bog at the southeast corner of Bond Park and noticed a warbler I didn’t know. It was the prairie warbler, a first for me. It wasn’t easy to ID, however, because the Stokes Guide, which I really like, didn’t have an example of the bird I was seeing. An immature warbler in fall plumage has a little white around the eyes. My Peterson’s Guide to Warbler showed this detail. The Sibley Guide also showed the necessary detail. Additional research information ruled out my other guesses. This just proves that fall birding is much harder than any other time. The birds aren’t singing much, the foliage is still thick, and the immatures can be different from their parents. I have lots to learn.
At Kitt Creek on Monday, as I began my birding, I was on the dam when I noticed a coyote trotting (not running) across the open, grassy field between the creek and a wooded area next to Louis Stephens Rd and Net App. It stopped a couple of times to look at me. That was a strange feeling. As it entered the woods, another coyote emerged from the creek vegetation and trotted the same path to the woods. This coyote was a bit smaller (the female?), but I was impressed with how large both animals were. I thought that coyotes were not that big, but what do I know? They were and are beautiful animals.
