What a great morning we had for Fall Migratory Bird Day on October 3rd! We kicked things off at 8:00 AM learning about why birds make their big seasonal journeys and how we can help keep them safe along the way. By 8:30 AM, we hit the trails for two and a half hours of birding across the chapter grounds. It was a pleasant, breezy early autumn morning, and the activity on the property was fantastic.

Together, our group managed to identify an impressive 35 species! A few special moments really stood out:

• Two Ovenbirds! The Ovenbird was high on our wish list for the day. Paul spotted the first one, and to our surprise, we ended up finding a second right in the same area.

• Treetop Activity: We got a great look at a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker mixed in with a high-canopy group of warblers and other woodpeckers.

• A Massive Flyover: We were treated to a spectacle overhead as a flock of roughly 500 gulls—many of them Franklin’s Gulls—swirled in the air to catch insects.

• Signs of the Changing Season: We logged our first American Tree Sparrow and Dark-eyed Juncos of the fall. According to local folklore, those first juncos mean snow is six weeks away!

A big thank you to everyone who came out, helped spot birds, and spent the morning learning about migratory bird safety. It was a wonderful day out on the chapter land together.

Complete Species List (35 total):

Canada Goose, Wood Duck, Mallard, Franklin's Gull, Ring-billed Gull, Pied-billed Grebe, Double-crested Cormorant, Great Egret, Great Blue Heron, Bald Eagle, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Blue Jay, American Crow, Black-capped Chickadee, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, White-breasted Nuthatch, Eastern Bluebird, Swainson's Thrush, American Robin, American Pipit, American Tree Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, White-throated Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Ovenbird, Orange-crowned Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Palm Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Northern Cardinal.