Per usual, the weather was cool and damp, but that had no bearing on the birds or the company when ten of us traveled the approximately 10-mile radius of the high elevation limestone valley known as Burke’s Garden. The reason for our February visit? Birds. And raptors in particular. Burke’s Garden never disappoints.
Following a cup of coffee at Maddie’s Place, we hit the road. During the morning half-loop, we got two of our key species: rough-legged hawk and red-headed woodpecker. Numerous other species were seen, including downy woodpeckers, northern flickers, yellow-bellied sapsuckers, kingfishers, a northern harrier, and an eastern meadowlark.
After refueling at Maddie’s Place once again with hearty soup and sandwiches, we set out to conquer the remaining half of Burke’s Garden. Eagles dominated the afternoon species with both the bald and golden being seen! We met another birding group that directed us to the an opportunity to catch sight of the elusive snipe (which we got!) along with several more common species, such as tufted titmice, Carolina chickadees, blue jays, bluebirds, juncos, crows, ravens, and goldfinches. We also caught a glimpse of a male northern harrier!
What we missed were the ducks! Overall, it was a stellar birding trip with 30 species accounts and 774 total individual birds.
