Slow Day at Lick Creek Park

Car trouble and a nasty cold kept me out of commission for 2 weeks. School starting back up didn't help. Being cooped up in class and work had me itching to get out. I decided to go to my favorite place in College Station, Lick Creek Park.

Lick Creek is a surprising, but amazing place. It feels wild. It will always hold a special place in my heart because it was the only place I would go when I was getting into birding. There is no bad time of year to go. It's best to go on weekdays because it turns into a dog park on weekend mornings.

Iron Bridge Trail at Lick Creek Park

I normally start out on the Iron Bridge Trail and do Deer Run and Raccoon Run. In migration and breeding season Painted Bunting is common and Northern Parula's at minimum will be heard. A Pileated Woodpecker also hangs around the creek that runs through, and Wood Ducks normally flush before you can see them.

Today was a cloudy day, though. Not much was singing. I decided to change it up and do Iron Bridge and Deer run, looping around the north side of the park instead of the usual south side. One thing about Lick Creek Park is that it can absolutely dead sometimes. Most of the time the usual suspects are jumping around, but often in high numbers. Robins and Cardinals are abundant in winter, and that was pretty much all I was seeing on Sunday.

My luck turned all of a sudden about 15 minutes into my walk, with a Chipping Sparrow making an appearance. It is only the second time I have ever seen one, and it was my 68th year bird! I got great looks but bad pictures given the lighting.

Chipping Sparrow

Carolina Chickadees were hopping around and Turkey Vultures were flying overhead as I started down Deer Run. I was scanning the ground for sparrows and the woods were silent, which was very confusing. Then I saw a red blob in the tree and I understood why. A Red-shouldered Hawk was perched in the tree, waiting for a meal. I could see the red on male cardinals hopping around, well covered from the hawk. The lighting prohibited any good pictures, but all of a sudden the sun came, and the patient bird allowed me to get some solid pictures.

Red-shouldered Hawk

While these birds are really common for me, I had never been this close, so I stood there and soaked it in. Sometimes the slowest days give the best encounters. I came so close to missing this bird, but just sitting there and enjoying the sighting gave the me relaxed feeling that makes me love birding. Eventually I moved on, but I really enjoyed my 20 minute hangout with the hawk. 

The sun came out for the rest of the walk back to the car, offering great weather that makes even the slow days worth it. A flock of Cedar Waxwings flew overhead, and as I approached the car I got a pleasant surprise. A wren was hopping around in the undergrowth, and it paused just long enough for me to get the binoculars on it. I thought Carolina Wren, but it was actually a House Wren, another year bird! House Wrens are hard to see because they are very secretive, although hearing them is common.

Overall it was a great day with 14 species total, and 3 year birds pushing me up to 70! I'll be returning to Lick Creek Park on Saturday morning for Birding 101 with the Audubon Society, and maybe I'll take a gander at Carter Lake.