Birding Windsor's Oakwood Park in Early April

A favorite bird - Yellow Bellied Sapsucker

I signed my 5-year old son up for a soccer camp at Oakwood Community Center here in Windsor, and it dawned on me as I arrived that there is a decent little forest - which is part of the Ojibway Complex behind the building. The soccer coach instructed us parents to "leave for the hour" so I figured ... Why not check out the forest? One of my target species for this walk was a Carolina Wren, which I'm pretty sure should be common in this little forest.

As I walked through the parking lot to the adjacent forest, I was pleasantly surprised to see an American Kestrel perch in a nearby tree.  Just as I walked into the forest a little, I noted a small grove of Poplars (or Aspens???) which have historically hosted Yellow bellied Sapsucker at this time of year. Sure enough, I believe two males were foraging in the area and I got some great looks at them in the afternoon sunlight. Its a great pleasure to see these birds in migration... or on their breeding territory at Carden or Algonquin.

 

A family walk at Ojibway had a nice view of an Eastern Screech Owl in a nest box. Do you find anything weird about this nest box? Its about 12 feet up in the air... but it seems to have a weather-proof electrical outlet attached to it. What could it be for??? Do owls want to charge their smartphones during their daytime naps? Owls these days are so spoiled.
 
I'm thinking of attending a birding event at Shawnee State Forest in Southern Ohio (Ohio Ornithological Society Spring Conference) during the last weekend of April.  Some birds that are pretty common there include: Ruffed Grouse, Kentucky Warbler, Worm-eating Warbler, Carolina Chickadee - which would all be lifers [Ebird Chart for Shawnee State Forest]. I've never seen a female Cerulean Warbler and that would be an awesome bird to see for me as well. There are 20+ butterfly species in late April there as well (many of which would be lifers as well).  I'll see if I can get permission to go... ;-p  ...

Good birding!
DM

Dunlin & Green winged Teal

Carden Alvar Flashback .....