Skies were clear and calm this morning as I drove to Elizabeth Park to look for warblers. Temperatures were a mild 66ºF as I lugged another 3 gallons of water to the water drip along the main trail just west of the maintenance yard. An Eastern Wood-Pewee was singing loudly close by but I didn't stop to look for it.
Today I started by walking the creek bed north to the very north end of the woods. Picking up plastic cups and bottles as I walked under the dark canopy I managed to find a pair of singing American Redstarts. Otherwise a pair of Northern Cardinals were the only birds seen.
I walked back to the trail along the east side of the island where I spotted the first birds of the morning. This Red-eyed Vireo was foraging close enough for some photos, and I even managed a series of images as it ate a Marmorated Stink Bug.
Warbler activity was quieter this morning. I did see a Blackburnian Warbler and a Nashville Warbler but otherwise the morning belonged to Bay-breasted Warblers. Like, ALL of them. They were moving in 3's and 4's at a time and foraging low enough for photos but were moving frenetically that made for challenging photography.
I wandered back to the water drip and noticed some nearby movement of birds. Another Bay-breasted Warbler was on the ground next to the pond I had created but was hesitant to check it out.
In the shadows of the understory I spotted a nearby Swainson's Thrush checking out the pond
while a pair of Black-and-White Warblers flew in for a closer look.
An Ovenbird appeared, as well!
It would be the Black-and-White Warblers that made the most of the water drip. They would both drink and bathe while the other birds looked on.
After several minutes they left the pond to dry off. One bird would preen nearby and offer a few photos in indirect light before moving on.
With the birds moving on I retrieved my water jug and started heading out. Yay! Third time was the charm for getting birds to come to the drip.
As I was walking out another small flock of warblers moved through. Again, Bay-breasted Warblers, but I did see a Tennessee Warbler among them. They were too high up to photograph, so I settled for the closer BBWA.
Elizabeth Park (Trenton), Wayne, Michigan, US
Sep 12, 2025 8:12 AM - 9:20 AM
Protocol: Traveling
0.495 mile(s)
Checklist Comments: Clear, calm, 58F. Water drip attracted Swainson’s Thrush, Ovenbird, Bay-breasted Warbler and 2 B&W Warblers.
28 species
Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) 86
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis) 2
Cooper's Hawk (Astur cooperii) 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus) 1
Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens) 1
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus) 1
Eastern Wood-Pewee (Contopus virens) 2
Least Flycatcher (Empidonax minimus) 1
Great Crested Flycatcher (Myiarchus crinitus) 1
Red-eyed Vireo (Vireo olivaceus) 2
Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) 2
Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) 1
Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor) 1
White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis) 2
Red-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis) 2
Northern House Wren (Troglodytes aedon) 1
Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) 1
Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis) 1
Swainson's Thrush (Catharus ustulatus) 1
American Robin (Turdus migratorius) 10
Ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapilla) 1
Black-and-white Warbler (Mniotilta varia) 2
Tennessee Warbler (Leiothlypis peregrina) 1
Nashville Warbler (Leiothlypis ruficapilla) 1
American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla) 2
Bay-breasted Warbler (Setophaga castanea) 8
Blackburnian Warbler (Setophaga fusca) 1
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) 2
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S272905729
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)
