Lots Of Lifers

On Saturday, I went on the Forest Park Forever Beginner Birdwalk. On it, I saw three new birds: a pied-billed grebe, a barn swallow, and a purple martin. Also, there were mockingbirds, mallards, a sapsucker, song sparrows, a brown creeper, tree swallows, wood ducks, starlings, grackles, and killdeer. On the Friday before last, I went to Shaw Nature Reserve, which is an extension of the Missouri Botanical Gardens, although they are about forty minutes apart. It has a variety of different habitats, and twenty-one or so birds were seen, with two others heard, and a possible winter wren seen. Two new birds for me there were a red-shouldered hawk and an eastern towhee.

I realize that this picture is kind of blurry, but it was so sunny that I could hardly see through my viewfinder.

A red-shouldered hawk. We had hiked quite a ways to the wetlands, and although except for two canadian geese, there were no birds traditionally associated with wetlands, it was nice to see this hawk.
It dropped down to walk by this puddle. Perhaps it was looking for frogs?
There were brown creepers everywhere. They're such adorable little birds!
There were several eastern phoebes around.
The bluebirds were looking spectacular, especially against the brown background




There were lots of bluebird houses. Perhaps this one will be occupied later in the season!
I took this picture of a white-throated sparrow while searching for the eastern towhee.
There were lots of white-breasted nuthatches around, along with many tufted titmice.
I took another picture just like this one when we were here a few years ago. In this area, the noise of the spring peepers is deafening. I will be going to Lone Elk Park next Saturday, primarily for fishing, but since it yielded a solitary sandpiper last fall, you never know.