Bird count July 29, 2026. A Heron kind of day.
Weather - clear, no wind, temp ~80 degrees at 7:00 am. Supposed to get to 99 degrees. The river is dried up in many places north of the park.
Herons - Over the past few years I have seen four different types of Herons. Usually you see only one type of Heron per day. Today I saw three different types of Herons. I saw three Great Blues Herons wading in the river. I saw a Green Heron flying up the river channel, and I saw a Great Heron flying high in the sky, over the hayfield.
Fish nests - the fish nests are still there. I wondered yesterday about whether a fish-eating bird would discover the fish nests. Today I saw a great Blue Heron eyeing the nests from about 15 feet away. I thought briefly about trying to scare the Heron away, but I decided against it. A Heron eating fish is nature.
Woodpecker - I saw a Woodpecker again today, which had a completely light gray head. It was hanging out with two Red Bellied Woodpeckers. I can’t figure out what kind of Woodpecker the gray-headed Woodpecker is. It looks like a Gila Woodpecker. But if it is a Gila its way, way out of its range. I suppose it could be a Golden Fronted Woodpecker on which I can’t see the yellow on the head. But, I don’t think this is so. I got a good look at the Woodpeckers head and it looked all gray. Since it was hanging out with Red Bellied Woodpeckers maybe it was an odd-colored female Red Bellied Woodpecker.
Bird types - 20 Bird numbers - 158
Number Type
28 House Sparrows
25 Grackles
24 Cardinals
23 Starlings
14 Robins
6 Scissortail Flycatchers
5 Mississippi Kites
5 Mockingbirds
5 Mourning Doves
5 Ducks - type unknown - flying fast towards the horizon
4 or 5 Red Bellied Woodpeckers - 5 if the gray headed Woodpecker is a Red Bellied Woodpecker
3 Great Blue Herons
2 White Winged Doves
1 Carolina Wren
1 Great Heron
1 Green Heron
1 Eastern Phoebe
1 Bluebird
1 Woodpecker - gray headed, if not a Red Bellied Woodpecker
1 Barn Swallow
1 Hawk - I’m pretty sure it was a Red Tailed Hawk
1 Dove - type unknown