Birding New Year's Day at Housenick Park ~ January 1, 2024

I did not want my first bird of 2024 to be one of the many House Sparrows that often swamp my feeders, so I made it a point to start looking on the opposite side of the house. It was a good move. My first species was Ring-billed Gull, followed by American Robin, an adult Bald Eagle, and a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.

I arrived at Housenick Park in the early afternoon. It was drizzling when I got out of the car. One of the first birds I noticed was the Western Kingbird! This bird was first found by Linda Freedman and Jim Figlar back on November 1st and was surprisingly still present. Unfortunately, while I was getting my camera out of the car, the bird got lost among the numbers of American Robins that were in the same area. While searching for it, I saw a Golden-crowned Kinglet, 4 Eastern Bluebirds, 5 Cedar Waxwings, a Chipping Sparrow, and 6 Field Sparrows among about 50 American Robins.

Eastern Bluebird

Chipping Sparrow

Field Sparrow

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