On May 30, we had the privilege of hosting a community bird walk, led by distinguished ornithologist George Clark.  George helped us to hear and/or see over 30 species of birds on the Dothan Brook Trails property:

1. Double-crested Cormorant  -- five flying over
2. Turkey Vulture -- three in flight
3. Red-tailed Hawk -- adult in flight
4. Mourning Dove -- seen and heard
5. Ruby-throated Hummingbird -- male perched on snag
6. Eastern Wood-Pewee -- repeated calling
7. Eastern Phoebe
8. Great Crested Flycatcher -- seen perched and heard calling along brook
9. Red-eyed Vireo -- numerous
10. Blue Jay
11. American Crow
12. Black-capped Chickadee
13. White-breasted Nuthatch
14. Veery
15. American Robin
16. Gray Catbird
17. Ovenbird -- numerous
18. Louisiana Waterthrush -- song and call notes heard along brook
19. Black-and-white Warbler
20. Nashville Warbler (ID later confirmed by George, by comparing song recordings)
21. Common Yellowthroat
22. American Redstart
23. Chestnut-sided Warbler
24. Black-throated Blue Warbler
25. Black-throated Green Warbler
26. Chipping Sparrow
27. Song Sparrow
    
28. Scarlet Tanager
29. Northern Cardinal
    
30. Rose-breasted Grosbeak
31. Purple Finch
    

A new alien invasive plant, Narrowleaf Bittercress, has appeared in some areas that were washed out in Hurricane Irene and subsequently repaired with the addition of dirt fill brought in from elsewhere.  If you see this plant anywhere, pull it out before it goes to seed.  It has spread rapidly through woodlands in other parts of the country, and is thought to be even worse than Garlic Mustard in that regard.  As its Latin name (Cardamine impatiens) suggests, it uses exploding seed pods to throw its seeds some distance from the plant.