April 9/10 - Inwood Hill Park - Wild Turkey, wildflowers, and butterflies

I went into Inwood Hill Park for brief walks Saturday morning and with Ann midday on Sunday. Saturday morning was overcast and cool, but Sunday was a beautiful spring day bright blue skies, though still somewhat cool. I was hoping to find some spring bird migrants, but didn't find many. On Sunday, we found a lone Eastern Phoebe up on the ridge. However, there was lots of song, mostly from the residents: Carolina Wren, Tufted Titmouse, American Robins, Northern Cardinals, Red-winged Blackbirds, and others. The best bird was a Wild Turkey that Ann and I came across walking through the woods on the ridge near the meadow. The full bird list is at the bottom of this post.

Wild Turkey - 04/10/2016 - Inwood Hill Park

With the bright sun on Sunday, I was hoping for a Mourning Cloak butterfly, but did not come across one. I did spot a Cabbage White, which was to be expected and a lone Red Admiral, which I was not expecting.

Ann came on the walk on Sunday to see the Dutchman's-Breeches blooming in the Clove. They have been out for a while now and the recent frosts, I think, have been hard on them.

Dutchman's-Breeches - 04/09/2016 - Inwood Hill Park

Lots of Periwinkles are in bloom, though some of them also seem to have been affected by the recent frosts. On Saturday morning, I looked for Lesser Celandine, but didn't find any in bloom. However, at midday on Sunday in the bright sun, they seemed to be in bloom everywhere.

Lesser Celandine - 04/10/2016 - Inwood Hill Park

Also in bloom in several spots was the Pachysandra and Common Dandelion.

Japanese Pachysandra - 04/10/2016 Inwood Hill Park

Among the flowering trees, the Eastern Redbud and the Shadblow/Serviceberry are coming out.

Eastern Redbud - 04/10/2016 - Inwood Hill Park

Shadblow/Serviceberry - 04/10/2016 - Inwood Hill Park

Below is the total list of 29 species of birds seen over the two days.

Canada Goose
Mallard
Wild Turkey
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Phoebe
Blue Jay
American Crow
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
American Robin
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Song Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
House Finch
House Sparrow