Great birds at the “Field of Our Dreams”
By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
In late July, I covered an event to honor the community sponsors who kick-started funding for the city’s “Field of Our Dreams” sports complex off Kings Way.
After the event, I spoke briefly to City Planner Janice Pokrant, who has shepherded work on the complex. I know the plans include a series of walking trails in and around a small brushy woodland that has grown up along the channel of a drainage that winds through the complex.
I mentioned that the brushy woods would be great for local and visiting bird watchers and volunteered to begin creating a species list for the complex.
Many states, counties and cities across the country (and the world) have developed species lists for certain areas, whether it be a national or city park or an entire city or state. The lists are often posted on web sites, and visiting birders can download them.
The lists serve a dual purpose: They inform visiting birders what species might be expected in a certain area at different times of the year, and, when they are downloaded and filled out during the birder’s visit, they serve as a souvenir of the trip.
Michael G. and I have many of these types of lists from trips we’ve taken.
Janice seemed happy with the idea, so in the intervening weeks, I’ve begun visiting the sports complex site to begin compiling the list.
I began on a bright, sunny morning earlier this month. I carefully drove into the site on an unfinished dirt road and parked near a structure that will eventually serve as the complex’s concession stand.
As soon as I got out of the car, I was greeted by the singing of several Bell’s Vireos in the brush at the edge of the small woods. I climbed onto a mound of dirt the contractors had pushed to the edge to see if I could get a glimpse of one of the vireos.
I saw at least three.
Bell’s Vireos are small and nondescript, sort of yellowish, sort of olive-y, sort of grayish, with two pale wing bars. They’re easy to overlook, as they like to forage in pretty dense brush. But their song is bold and unmistakable and makes me happy whenever I hear it.
Also in the brushy verge, I heard and saw Olive Sparrows singing and foraging.
These large sparrows are common throughout Central America, but reach the U.S. only in Texas, making them one of our state specialty birds.
As I continued walking along the edge of the woods, I saw a dark raptor flying just over the tops of the trees. When I looked at it through my binoculars, I saw that it was a Zone-tailed Hawk, another bird found only in the American Southwest.
I tallied several other species, including Black-chinned Hummingbird and Ash-throated Flycatcher, so the list is off to a great start!
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Contact the author at delriomagnoliafan@gmail.com
