Hooded Warbler/White-eyed Vireo and more… 4/27/21

I was watching the weather over a week ago and saw that last night was suppose to be strong south and southwest winds. I knew that today would be awesome for birds. I took off work and figured I would stop at the county parks, along the lake. I was right! There were many birds to be seen. Watching the feeders at Grant Park this morning, produced Clay-colored and Grasshopper Sparrows. A Sharp-shinned Hawk flew in and almost got the Clay-colored. It also yielded a nice group of warblers in the tree tops, including Black-and-White, Orange-crowned, Palm and Yellow-rumped. I walked around that area a little bit and there were sparrows all over the forest floor, mostly Swamp and White-throated. Lots of Palm Warblers were on the ground as well.

I then went over to Warnimont Park and was going to spend a lot of time there. As I was pulling into the entrance, I received a text that there were a very large group of pelicans heading north from Grant Park Beach. I pulled into the golf course parking lot and there they were, circling high over the lake. They must have ran into the changing winds, because they started going northwest over land. At that time, I saw the email about the Hooded Warbler at Lake Park, and thought I would try for that instead. On the way out, I found a Merlin sitting in the tree top, across from the archery range. A five minute stop and 2 FOY birds!

I arrived a Lake Park and walked over to the north lighthouse ravine. A few people were looking at the Hooded Warbler from the bridge top. He was just sleeping on some sticks near a log. After a few minutes, he went down to the water and then back to the sticks. After that we lost him into the brush on the side of the ravine. Walking around a bit and trying to relocate him, I returned to the bridge for a better view. Within a few minutes, there he was, almost the same spot! I saw him go to the water, so I went back down in the ravine. He went on the other side of the path and was eating insects off the rocks. I was only about 20′ from him. After a few insects, he again went back to sleep, right there on the ground. About 10 minutes later, he woke up, fed a little more and moved up the ravine about 10′ and went back to sleep. Several minutes past, and he flew down to the water again, then back up to the side of the ravine and this time out of sight. I don’t think it was seen after, although he has to be around there somewhere. The growth on the ground is already over 6″ high, so the birds can’t be seen on the ground. Several years ago at Warnimont Park, I watched a male Golden-winged Warbler do the same thing. Probably exhausted from the the long overnight flight! I was walking back to the car and received a text about a White-eyed Vireo, north of the bridge near ravine rd. There wasn’t much going on in that area, by the time I got over there. I thought I would walk around to the other side of the ravine, since it’s really thick in there, and they usually like that kind of habitat. I walked into the thicket and found it almost immediately. I couldn’t believe it, seemed too easy! I watched it feed just above eye level, for a few minutes, as it worked it’s way west along the ravine. It was very challenging to get photos in there, but I managed a couple. A wonderful day to be out, even though it was a little cooler along the lake. Photos below are from the morning out. Enjoy!