Skies were clear, calm and cool (48F) this morning when I drove down to Elizabeth Park in Trenton to look for fall warblers. The park had a new road complete with parking spaces all along the perimeter, and phragmites were cut along the canal that gave nice views from the road.
I walked the center trails and found the place extremely quiet. No bird calls except for the rooster in the zoo enclosure. But a walk by the field produced numerous House Sparrows and this female Indigo Bunting.
Eventually, I started hearing Eastern Wood-Pewee, and soon found several birds chasing each other. Juveniles.
They were soon joined by adult Eastern Wood-Pewees.
My first warbler of Fall 2025 would be this Tennessee Warbler! It was foraging with several Bay-breasted Warblers, and like the pewees, it turned out to be a juvenile-type bird.
I'd eventually get into several adult Tennessee Warblers.
Bay-breasted Warblers were a bit more numerous this morning. Again, a juvenile
followed by adult birds that showed more of the peach sides that is diagnostic for this time of year. Also note the black feet that help distinguish it from a Blackpoll Warbler.
Some other birds in the area included White-breasted Nuthatch.
American Robins by the dozen. They were quite distracting as 4-5 would go through at a time and direct visuals from warblers that might be in the area.
A female Rose-breasted Grosbeak.
When I finally got back into a flock of warblers I shot this fella that looked really cool showing a wing spread behind grape leaves.
It turned out to be a Yellow-bellied Flycatcher.
Several Chestnut-sided Warblers made appearances and were particularly difficult to photograph through the heavy brush. They tended to stay 10-20' off the edge of the trail.
My best bird of the morning would be this Canada Warbler that made a very brief appearance. It also proved very difficult to photograph.
When things quieted down I headed back to the car. This Cooper's Hawk flew in briefly and looked around before ducking into heavy brush after something.
Welcome back, you beautiful fall warblers!
Elizabeth Park (Trenton), Wayne, Michigan, US
Aug 29, 2025 8:39 AM - 10:08 AM
Protocol: Traveling
0.892 mile(s)
Checklist Comments: Clear, calm 55F
27 species (+1 other taxa)
Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) 62
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) 2
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis) 1
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) 1
Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) 1
Cooper's Hawk (Astur cooperii) 1
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus) 1
Eastern Wood-Pewee (Contopus virens) 4
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher (Empidonax flaviventris) 1
Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) 4
Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor) 1
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) 8
White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis) 2
Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) 1
Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis) 1
American Robin (Turdus migratorius) 12
House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus) 8
Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula) 1
Black-and-white Warbler (Mniotilta varia) 1
Tennessee Warbler (Leiothlypis peregrina) 2
Cape May Warbler (Setophaga tigrina) 1
Bay-breasted Warbler (Setophaga castanea) 1
Chestnut-sided Warbler (Setophaga pensylvanica) 2
Bay-breasted/Blackpoll Warbler (Setophaga castanea/striata) 1
Canada Warbler (Cardellina canadensis) 1
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) 2
Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus) 1
Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea) 1
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S270170132
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)
