Birdwalk Highlights for 11/8: Grist Mill and Royal River Parks, Yarmouth.

Birders could have wagered on where we were going today in the midst of rarity season. And those betting it would be Grist Mill Park would have been right.

Within minutes of our arrival, the MACGILLIVRAY'S WARBLER found here last Sunday and reported all week began to call! Listening carefully to where it was calling from, we moved in position and soon saw it right out at the edge of a dense thicket. It then flew across a clearing, within about 20 feet of us, and slowly worked in and out of the edge of the big thicket island it is most often seen in. With patience, we just stood there, and the bird came out in the open multiple times. Of course, I had left my camera in the car! This was the 255th ALL-TIME SATURDAY MORNING BIRDWALK SPECIES!

We enjoyed it for a couple of minutes, in and out of view, before a rude birder ran right in front of us and directly towards the bird. It ducked into cover and stopped calling. What a shock.

So we wandered to the backside of the thicket, and looked at other birds that were around, waiting for the Mac to call again. A little vismig included a total of about a dozen COMMON GRACKLES and 10 RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS. Five WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS and a pair of EASTERN BLUEBIRDS were seen earlier. A NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD stood guard over a favored patch of Multiflora Rose, while a BALD EAGLE surveyed the seen atop a tree across the river. NORTHERN CARDINALS were particularly abundant (at least 11), and one AMERICAN ROBIN flew overhead, while 1-2 CAROLINA WRENS were being particularly vocal.

We decided to head elsewhere, leaving the warbler alone, but as we were about to begin the exit path, I heard the Mac call again. And there it was, almost at our feet! It wasn't the longest look, but it was close, and it was well seen as it moved from a patch of perennials to the riverside thicket. With a second successful experience with this skulking bird, it was time to move on.

After our chase, we decided to try and find something rare, so we hit nearby Royal River Park to work more shrubby riparian edge. Rare birds are rare, so we didn't become heroes, but we did find a late-ish RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET among more common residents, including 4 more Carolina Wrens, 5 more Northern Cardinals, 8 more AMERICAN ROBINS, 2 DARK-EYED JUNCOS, 3 AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES, and 2 more pairs of WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCHES.

Only 4 MALLARDS were in the river, with a single DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT flying upstream (9 more were off of Grist Mill Park's parking lot earlier). Overhead, we had another 26 or so COMMON GRACKLES, 3 TURKEY VULTURES, 1 COMMON RAVEN, and 24 RING-BILLED GULLS.

With a little time to spare, I brought out a Saturday Morning Secret Spot Special, as we next strolled the Pine Tree Village Trail. We didn't add any new species to the morning's list, but had more Dark-eyed Juncos (11), White-throated Sparrows (2), American Goldfinches (3), etc.