The Stroud Preserve, 24 April 2013

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​Golden saxifrage Chrysosplenium Schwein ex Hook. 24 April 2013, Stroud Preserve, West Chester, Chester County, Pennsylvania. 

I spent the lion’s share of the day looking for wetland plants. The photo above is part of my reward for that. Golden Saxifrage (Chrysosplenium americanum). This is a new plant for me. It has one of the strangest flowers I have ever seen. I wish my dissecting scope had a photo attachment so I could post a close up photo but instead, here is a link to a webpage with one. I found a handful of these plants along one of the streams that flow through the preserve.

Another benefit to checking wetlands for rare and unusual plants is that you stand a better chance of seeing birds that like these places. I flushed a male Rusty Blackbird from the edge of a oxbow along the Brandywine. It flew up to a nearby tree for a few moments then flew back down to the waters edge. I had the pleasure of watching it forage at close range for about 20 minutes. What a treat!

I saw two new spring arrivals today. A Green Heron flew over the old farm pond and a Blue-headed Vireo was working its way along the foliage by the Brandywine. I observed American Robins and Eastern Phoebe collecting nesting materials. Perhaps the biggest surprise for the day was a finding a nearly completed Blue-gray Gnatcatcher’s nest! Those guys work fast. It has only been 13 days since I saw my first one for the spring.

Start time: 8:45

End time: 12:00

Temp: 42-55°

Wind: 3-8 mph from the south

Skies: overcast, clearing by noon

Species Total: 53

  • Green Heron – 1, FOY
  • Black Vulture – approximately 10
  • Turkey Vulture – approximately 15
  • Canada Goose – 13
  • Wood Duck – 5
  • Mallard – 2
  • Red-tailed Hawk – 3, adults
  • Mourning Dove – 1
  • Belted Kingfisher – 1, heard only
  • Red-bellied Woodpecker – approximately 10
  • Downy Woodpecker – approximately 10
  • Northern Flicker – approximately 12
  • Eastern Phoebe – 3
  • Blue-headed Vireo – 1, FOY
  • Blue Jay – approximately 15
  • American Crow – 4
  • Fish Crow – 2, heard only
  • Tree Swallow – approximately 75
  • Northern Rough-winged Swallow – approximately 25
  • Barn Swallow – approximately 10
  • Carolina Chickadee – approximately 12
  • Tufted Titmouse – approximately 8
  • White-breasted Nuthatch – 4
  • Carolina Wren – approximately 10
  • House Wren – 1
  • Ruby-crowned Kinglet – 3
  • Blue-gray Gnatcatcher – approximately 25. I observed a male and female attacking an American Robin that perched to close to their nearly completed nest! I observed the first gnatcatcher just 13 days ago on 11 April. They apparently are not wasting any time.
  • Eastern Bluebird – approximately 15
  • American Robin – approximately 20
  • Northern Mockingbird – 2
  • Brown Thrasher – 1, heard only
  • European Starling – approximately 10
  • Yellow Warbler – approximately 12
  • Yellow-rumped Warbler – approximately 20
  • Palm Warbler – approximately 8
  • Common Yellowthroat – approximately 15
  • Eastern Towhee – approximately 25
  • Chipping Sparrow – 1
  • Field Sparrow – approximately 20
  • Savannah Sparrow – 9
  • Song Sparrow – approximately 20
  • Swamp Sparrow – 2
  • White-throated Sparrow – approximately 40
  • Dark-eyed Junco – 3
  • Northern Cardinal – approximately 10
  • Red-winged Blackbird – approximately 50
  • Eastern Meadowlark – 1, singing at the corner of Creek and Strasberg Road.
  • Rusty Blackbird – 1, male. I flushed it from a wooded wet land while looking for aquatic plants. It returned to the ground where I had the pleasure of watching it forage at close range for about 20 minutes.
  • Common Grackle – 4
  • Brown-headed Cowbird – approximately 12
  • House Finch – 2, heard only
  • American Goldfinch – approximately 20

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