After slogging around for several enjoyable but migrant-less hours along
the far River Road spots, I *finally* got a look at at my life CAPE MAY
WARBLER at Hughes Hollow. He was on the far side of the first impoundment
to the right, opposite the dike, just sitting there, preening and singing.
On the way, I saw the oddest, most hilarious thing. Toward the western
side of the second impoundment on the right, a goose, I suppose, had left
a bunch of down feathers on the surface of the water. A TREE SWALLOW
zoomed in and scooped up a feather. He banked around, climbed, and then
dropped the feather, which floated gently on the breeze. The swallow sped
away, careened, and dove back, grabbing the feather in mid-air, only to
bank around, climb a little, and drop it to float again. I watched him
repeat this five or six times, astounded. This was not a lucky find for
his nest; this was simply play! Has anyone else seen swallows or swifts do
this? I heard a BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO at Hughes, and two CERULEAN WARBLERS
were calling along the towpath at Sycamore Landing, only about 100 yards
downstream from the parking lot entrance. |