Stony Swamp and Rushmore Rd

March 22, 2013  11:30 am

Barbara and I decided to hike in to the feeders at Jack Pine Trail to look for the Black-backed Woodpeckers that Rick said were often there about 11:30 am.

We hiked in and saw several of the photographers staked out.  The subject had put in an appearance and they hoped it would return.  After 15 minutes of only Hairys and Mourning Doves, we decided to go to the Lime Kiln to look for the other one.  Well, it may have been a bad move because all we got there was another Hairy.  On the hike back out we saw a porcupine in a tree near the parking lot.

We drove out to Rushmore Road and saw next to nothing.  We circled around Brownlee and Aikens and back to Rushmore, only flushing singles of Horned Lark and Snow Bunting and a few Dark-eyed Juncos with American tree Sparrows.  We took Steeple Hill back, and did see a flock of about 20 Snow Buntings.  We had a nice spring outing, but the bird sightings were scant.