Birds Outnumbered Mosquitoes At Meadows

 The Wangunk Meadows can be brutal in the summer when it comes to biting flies and mosquitoes but there are also plenty of birds to see as well. On this particular morning I was lucky because the birds outnumbered the mosquitoes.

There were plenty of flycatchers around including  6  Great-crested Flycatchers.

I'm used to seeing Tree, and Rough-winged Swallows here but there was also several Bank Swallows.

 As always, we are fortunate to have a lot of  Great Blue Herons in the area which are always nice to see.

In addition to the birds in the photos I came across may Common Yellow-throats, Indigo Buntings, 9 Northern Flickers, and a Rose-breasted Grosbeak. There are a large number of Mourning Doves here too. I counted 80 this time but was amused when I triggered an alert on e-bird once when I reported 100 Mourning Doves.

I keep one eye on butterflies too. I'm not a butterfly guy but I think this one is a slightly tattered Red Admiral. They like the sun and every time I cast a shadow over it I noticed it would open it's wings.

I think it's best to pick a cool, dry morning when it hasn't rained for a while.That seems to limit the number of mosquitoes.