Little Bennett RP

On Saturday, May 8, Woody and Rae Dubois led a walk at Little Bennett Regional Park. Starting shortly after 7:00 am, the group of ten began by following the Wilson Mill Trail to the Stoneybrook Trail, then onto the Western Piedmont Trail. Our most numerous single species on this leg of the trip was a flock of approximately fifteen Yellow – Rumped Warblers, but by the end of the walk we also had a number of Black-throated Blues, plus Chestnut-sided and Yellow Warblers, American Redstart, Common Yellowthroat, Northern Parula, Prarie, Magnolia, and the Ovenbird. One person also saw a Nashville. The highlight on the Stoneybrook trail for some participants was not a warbler at all, but the Swainson’s Thrush, which was both heard and seen.

Steady rain and cold were factors through a good part of the morning, though luckily, by the time we circled back to the Clarksburg Road the rain was tapering off a little. A few of the group left to go back to the parking lot at this point, understandably cold and wet and needing a hot drink. The remaining participants forged ahead to the Kingsley Trail where we heard Louisiana Waterthrush and saw a Northern Waterthrush picking up food in the water at the side of the road. We also saw a pair of copulating Scarlet Tanagers, coding them quickly for the Atlas! As we reconvened back at the parking lot at 11:00, our final bird was the Common Raven which soared overhead. Our final count was 43 species. We would like to say that the good humor that this group showed in the face of adverse conditions was amazing.