Savannah Sparrows Hiding In The Cornfields

 I made a visit to my local patch at Wangunk Meadows this weekend to check on the state of the sparrows and other birds. I walked along the river past the fairgrounds to the northern end of Wangunk. Along the way I counted 8 Swamp Sparrows, 12 Eastern Bluebirds, 4 White-throated Sparrows, 2 Red-shouldered Hawks, 2 Bald Eagles,1 Northern Harrier, 2 Osprey, 1 Sharp-shinned Hawk, and 1 American kestrel. I saw about 35 species in total. 

 You might not know it by looking at this picture but I counted at least 40 Savannah Sparrows near these cornfields. They were very hard to see on the ground and when I got close they would pop up into the cornfields and disappear.

 I finally managed to catch one at the top of a corn plant looking around.

There were a few warblers too including Black and White Warblers, Common Yellowthroats, and several Palm Warblers. Not surprisingly, the majority of the warblers I saw were Yellow-rumped Warblers

When I was in the deepest part of the woods, 2 Alaskan Huskies ran toward me. I pet one of the dogs but the second dog didn't like it. A dog argument broke out and I was standing between 2 alpha males aggressively barking, snarling, and baring teeth. I like dogs but I was a wee bit nervous there for a minute.

Sparrows of the corn, surrounded by birds of prey, and being cornered by angry dogs made the morning feel like an early Halloween birding trip.