Swan Point Cemetery May 12, 2011 cloudy 60' 7 - 9:30am

Early this morning we visited Swan Point Cemetery. We had quite a few lovely looks at some beautiful species of warblers like Black-and-white, Black-throated Blue and Northern Parula.

We discovered what we identified as a year bird Nashville Warbler, it was flitting unmenacingly (which wasn't a big surprise to either of us as warblers are generally quite unmenacing birds - except to insects and my little brother Ben that is) through a tree which was also being occupied by an equally unmenacing female Black-and-white Warbler. Nashville Warblers have yellow bellies, dull olive colored wings, a gray head and white eye ring and on top of all that a reddish dot positioned neatly on their crown but we couldn't see that (dot). It flew to another tree where it sang. We then couldn't see it but heard it singing away cheerfully from somewhere in the tree (we were also hearing a Parula). Then the song came from another tree, we went closer for a better look but were only treated with some lovely views of a Parula who had a very dark throat.

In the woods we enjoyed a lovely view of a Veery perched on a very handsome branch. I tried to take a photo of the branch (this was a really stunning branch) and the Veery but my camera wouldn't focus and all I got were a few blurry photos. In all I saw four thrush species: American Robins, Wood Thrushes, a Gray-cheeked or Swainson's Thrush (I didn't get a good enough look to tell which species precisely) and the Veery, which just happened to be an RI year bird!

Down behind the compost piles we found a drab little (life bird) Worm-eating Warbler. He or she (I'll refer to it as "it" from now on) was flitting lazily about the canopy seemingly with out a care in the world (though I am probably wrong on that assumption). It flitted about in the canopy before we finally lost sight of it.

My brother thought he saw the Solitary Sandpiper fly from the puddle but I, disappointingly missed it. Did you know that from 1932-1982 a Solitary Sandpiper was not reported in Swan Point Cemetery, it has not been reported (on ebird) at Swan Point Cemetery in the last three years! Another birder reported our Solitary Sandpiper at the same mud puddle yesterday evening.

Here's a full list of birds seen:
Turkey Vulture
Red-tailed Hawk
Herring Gull
Mourning Dove
Great-horned Owl
Chimney Swift
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Great-crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Wood Thrush
Veery
American Robin
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Nashville Warbler
Northern Parula
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
Ovenbird (heard)
Chipping Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle and
Baltimore Oriole.
We also saw a Raccoon.

Later that day we went RISD Beach where we saw two young Bald Eagles grappling and chasing each other around the lovely blue skies. Among other highlights. I have never seen eagles there before.