Martins Creek Nature Trail and Grassland Birding ~ May 5, 2026

I walked the Martins Creek Nature Trail, formerly called the Tekening Trail and now called the John M. Mauser Nature Education Trail System, which to me is a ridiculous mouthful. The overgrown field areas held numbers of Gray Catbirds, American Goldfinches, Common Yellowthroats, Northern Yellow Warblers, plus several Blue-winged Warblers and 2 White-eyed Vireos.

White-eyed Vireo

Farther down the trail, I found Chimney Swift, Great Crested Flycatcher, Eastern Warbling and Red-eyed Vireos, White-throated and Swamp Sparrow, Eastern Towhee, Ovenbird, more Northern Yellow Warblers, Baltimore Orioles, and Black-and-white Warbler.

Northern Yellow Warbler

Baltimore Oriole

The section of the trail along the river produced 2 Wood Ducks, a Double-crested Cormorant, 2 Great Blue Herons, plus Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, American Redstart, Northern Parula, Chestnut-sided and Black-throated Green Warbler, a 'western' Palm Warbler, Scarlet Tanager, and Rose-breasted Grosbeak.

American Redstarts

Palm Warbler

Scarlet Tanager

Back at the parking lot, I watched an Eastern Kingbird diving on a Fish Crow. I tried getting photos of it, but they were zig-zagging back and forth too much. Eventually, the kingbird continued flycatching from a perch.

Eastern Kingbird

I drove the short distance over to Miller Road where I found a very cooperative Grasshopper Sparrow.

Grasshopper Sparrow

I then headed for Moore Township and found Vesper Sparrow and Horned Lark along Schlegel Road.

Vesper Sparrow

Horned Lark

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