What better way to participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count than to go birding in three Carmel-Clay parks. On Feb. 18th, 2023, seven of us met at River Heritage Park to begin a full morning of birding. The temperature was twenty-eight degrees and a bit windy but the sun was shining. Here the group was able to locate twenty-one species of birds including a Belted Kingfisher along the White River and a Hairy Woodpecker. It was then off to Founders Park, our second stop.
At Founders Park, we paused to devour a few donuts then began our walk. One of the first birds spotted was a Cedar Waxwing on top of a small bush just in front of us. Red-winged Blackbirds were abundant and noisy around the pond. Our conservative estimate was thirty-six. Of the seventeen species seen here we also picked up both a Red-tailed and Red-shouldered Hawk.
Our last stop was Hazel Dell Landing Park. This park is quite large and we were able to spend almost two hours birding here. There were good numbers of birds present but not many species. As we returned to our cars in the lot, an adult and immature American Bald Eagle flew overhead providing a great ending to a fun morning of birding.
Recap and photo courtesy of Chuck Anderson.