Birdwalk Highlights for 7/5: Royal River Park, Yarmouth.

A perfect summer day for a nice casual stroll along the edges and river at this suburban park resulted in repeated great views of a wide range of common species.

AMERICAN REDSTARTS (8) were even more conspicuous than usual, and RED-EYED VIREOS (8) were surprisingly cooperative: even a pair down low below eye level! Other tallies of the most common birds in the park included estimates of 20 CEDAR WAXWINGS, 20 SONG SPARROWS, 15 CHIMNEY SWIFTS, 15 GRAY CATBIRDS, 15 AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES, 10 NORTHERN CARDINALS, and at least 8 YELLOW WARBLERS. We also heard two each CAROLINA and HOUSE WRENS, and a single PINE WARBLER and OVENBIRD in the woods, while we saw one of the 2 WARBLING VIREOS that we encountered. Later, an adult BROAD-WINGED HAWK flew low right over our heads, passing through the woods.

Along the river we had 1-2 EASTERN KINGBIRDS, a fly-by BELTED KINGFISHER, and an OSPREY flew by. A single SPOTTED SANDPIPER cooperatively hung out on an exposed rock in the river for us, 3 DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS were fishing, and a number of CANADA GEESE families were seen as well as the usual summer aggregation of mostly molting male MALLARDS, that numbered 44 birds today. Less expected here was the SNOWY EGRET hunting the shoreline above the middle falls.