Birdathon to Doodletown

     Life is hectic so in the last week I've participated in the Brooklyn Birdathon, spent Mother's Day spying on a wood stork, and Monday, my day off, I visited Doodletown in Rockland County. So, let's just get to it!

It was a gray and sometimes rainy day for the Birdathon, so pictures were few and what there were, blurry.
We birded Prospect Park, Green-Wood Cemetery, Plumb Beach, Shirley Chisholm SP, and Marine Park Salt Marsh.
In Prospect Park, we nabbed 80 species, including this Swainson's Thrush who decided it would, in fact, sit still.... with this stick.

In Prospect we saw this wood duck drake put some moves on his mate...

Gently preening her checks and neck.

Was really glad to spy this white-eyed vireo, heard and then spotted by our teammate, Ryan.
In total, we tallied 115 species of birds, all in Brooklyn. That is the most species of bird I have ever observed in one day, so this will be a wonderful memory, always!
Our team, the Fiiiine Siskins, it was so fun to spend the day with and run into other teams. I love the Birdathon, and this year we raised money for the Grassland Bird Trust!

For Mother's Day, we all headed out to West Hampton where I was able to get a New York State bird, a wood stork. Normally denizens of the South East, having one in NY is a big deal. This bird was state bird #303.
The bird was very far off, so views were meh. But afterward, I had some oysters on the halfshell and a (good) bloody mary, all my first in over two years (because I was pregnant before the pandemic began and could not enjoy either of those things), and that was a nice bonus treat to enjoy.
Happy Mother's Day to me.

And on Monday, I was bummed it was so gray and overcast, making any picture-taking rough, but I still headed up to Doodletown. 
I enjoyed several singing Cerulean warblers, indigo buntings, blue-winged warblers, and singing hooded warblers.
I also spotted some cowbirds, singing and presumably courting, as this female was approached by a amorous male.

As I was heading out, two bright red birds caught my eye. Two male scarlet tanagers right above the trail!

Always a bird that stops you in your tracks, they are so beautiful!

Hoping to visit again, hoping for a sunny, fair-weather visit.