Birding in Birdland with the Baltimore Bird Club
Joe Corcoran from the Baltimore Bird Club shared his knowledge and enthusiasm with two dozen fellow birders at Rash Field Park for the second of six Wildlife Workshops from June to November. During the workshop, novice birders identified two American Gold finches frolicking in the Rash Field Meadow. Attendees with binoculars giggled with joy as the bird hovered over the Field Thistle on the side of the hill.
In two hours at Rash Field Park, we identified 16 species of birds including:
5 Barn Swallows
24 Canada Geese
9 Mallards
32 House Sparrows
9 American Robins
3 Mourning Doves
4 Rock Doves (common pigeon)
8 Ring-billed Gulls
6 European Starlings
3 House Finches
1 Common Grackles
1 Northern Mockingbird
1 American Crow
2 Eastern Kingbirds
2 American Goldfinchs
…and a pair of Dragonflies, plus 1 bunny!
Photo by Liz Varga, a local birder and attendee.
Joe reports that his “spark bird” is the Baltimore Oriole.
A spark bird is a bird that inspires someone to develop a lifelong interest in birding. It can also refer to the "conversion experience" that many birders describe, where they go from being non-birders to passionate observers of nature.
The group made bird feeders using ice cream cones with peanut butter and birdseed and strung dried apricots, popcorn, and cheerios to create bird food chandeliers. These are simple but effective ways to feed birds on their long journey in the spring and fall, and in the winter for birds that live here year round. The Baltimore Harbor plays an important part on the East Coast Flyway route for migrating birds.
For more Urban Ecology at Waterfront Partnership, check out our work with Oysters here and Turtles here.
To learn more about the birds living in your backyard or favorite park, we recommend downloading the Merlin Bird ID app and understanding the important link between native host plants and trees.
For Baltimore Bird Club Trips: See their trip schedules here.
