BIRDING NEWS
Hindsight and 2020 Vision BY ROB LYSKE
I
t seems hard to believe that I have been birding the Maplewood Conservation area for twenty years. On the other hand, it is easy to understand why it is my favorite place to enjoy some time in nature. When I started here 2 decades ago, I met some wonderful people, dedicated to conservation by showing us the sometimes unseen beauty right before our eyes. 2019 started at the greeting hut as countless walks had previously begun. A gander at the sightings board for tips of what may be along the trails. Over the past few years we have had the good fortune to host a wintering
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WINGSPAN FALL/WINTER 2019
Northern Goshawk, which draws the attention of birders and photographers to a selected cottonwood overlooking the western salt marsh. A wonderful start to the year. A reasonably quiet winter birding gave way to a productive spring migration. An uncommon bird migrating through Maplewood like Say’s Phoebe or Townsend’s Solitaire always seem to bring people together. The excitement is palpable when an unexpected bird is found, and on May‘s WBT members walk it was a Western Kingbird that highlighted our day. Also in May, I had the fortune of stumbling across a Dusky Flycatcher,
a difficult bird to separate from our more commonly occurring flycatchers but it’s helpful call note was enough to be sure, and to get the word out to others. Of course the first person to join me was a long time friend and fellow birder Quentin Brown A few weeks later we were also lucky to find a Vesper Sparrow feeding along the path ahead of us on the eastern loop. I have found over the years that the way to find birds that are less common is not just about habitat, timing and sharp eyes but frequent visits and luck. It has always been my belief to come early and as often as possible. Through this approach, Maplewood friends and avid birders Mark Stevens and Sue Flecker have found beauties such as
