There are some things that can be said for rainy day birding. There are also somethings that could be seen as a major drawback. From my experience this morning at Garret Mountain, I would suggest not going out in driving rain in early April. It’s just setting you up for a really damp bit of disappointment. On the other hand, I did get to see my first Blue-gray Gnatcatcher this year, trying to sing away the rain with his raspy little voice. Unfortunately I think the rain got a lot harder as soon as he tried.

One observation I made was that Tree Swallows can endure a lot harder rain than then N. Rough-winged Swallows. As soon as the precipitation changed from a heavy drizzle to a light downpour, the NRW Swallows all took refuge along the shore, leaving Barbour’s pond to the exclusive hunting of the Tree Swallows. Maybe the Tree’s with their narrower wings are better able to fly in the rain. Any ideas?

This morning at Garret Mountain Reservation in New Jersey I came across a group of Wild Turkeys and managed this shot of one of the fine looking toms. There was not anything else new at the park that I didn’t see yesterday but Chipping Sparrows were more numerous. I heard rumors of several Pine Warblers but didn’t come across any in todays meandering.