Hi Tweets,

Had a really beautiful afternoon at the Kent Ponds today. It was our
first time there, and we're still in our "novice" birder stage, so we
were very excited by what we saw. We were greeted by one of the many
Savannah Sparrows we'd see. Shortly thereafter, the Common
Yellowthroats made their presence known. They were a first for us, and
we were just awed by the gorgeous contrast of the males' masks. Wow,
what beauties! They were everywhere, but we just couldn't get enough
of them.

Making our way toward the North Tower, we stopped short when we saw
what we initially thought was some kind of owl perched on a post
nearby. Nope, not an owl--a Northern Harrier, yellow eyes gleaming.
His facial disk markings had thrown us off! We observed him many times
throughout the day, flying low as he hunted. His soft coloration with
distinct black wing tips was just lovely. We were so glad that he
posed long enough for us to take lots of photos. Later, we saw a
juvenile Northern Harrier, again perched, and again, eager to let us
get his picture.

Just before the North Tower, we saw another first--an Eastern Kingbird
perched atop a sign. He patiently let us take his photo, capturing his
deep blue coloring, the broad white terminal band on his tail and his
tree-swallow-like facial markings.

In addition, we saw American Goldfinches, Bald Eagles, Red-tailed
Hawks, Blue Heron, and a lone Gadwall out on the pond.

Hope the rest of you had as enjoyable a Memorial Day!

Susan Littlefield