A predicted day of bad weather moved NHBC’s much-anticipated River Road field trip forward from Saturday to Sunday, May 10. Nevertheless, twelve birders arrived at Railroad Street in Kent before 7 a.m. on a beautiful Sunday morning, where a Cape May Warbler produced itself near the parking lot. A stop at the Kent Bridge gave us nice views of Cliff Swallows feeding and returning to their mud nests under the bridge. On River Road itself, highlights included a soaring Broad-winged Hawk, an unusual-for-the-area Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, singing Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, male and female Cerulean Warblers at almost eye-level, Hooded Warbler, Worm-eating Warbler, Magnolia Warblers, Louisiana Waterthrush, the usual Yellow Warblers and American Redstarts, along with numerous other warblers heard distinctly but which we were unable to get eyes on – Northern Parula, Blackburnian, Chestnut-sided, Black-throated Green, and Northern Waterthrush among them. Fifty-seven species in all on a great morning with trip leader Allan Welby.
DeWitt Allen
