Malden Park - West Windsor's Little Migrant Trap

I've tried to bird almost every day since late May April, but my birding is typically limited to after work on weekdays. Of course, I would love to get out to Pelee, but for me, Pelee is at least a 4 hour commitment. Malden Park (which is part of the Ojibway Complex in Windsor) is just minutes from where I live so for me, this one of my best local options.

Malden park has a little parking lot and two little ponds that are adjacent to a small forest. Malden Park has a big "hill" that used to be a garbage dump! It can be surprising productive though - Breeding Green Herons, breeding Kingfishers, breeding Great Horned Owls. Not bad for a little park in Windsor! A couple of years ago, a birder found a Yellow Crowned Night Heron along the edge of one of its ponds. Malden Park is one of the best places to find a Northern Shrike in November as well!

In early May, the trees along the edge of the ponds are always crawling with warblers - lots of them - but I must admit, generally low diversity. In early may, (last week) I had tonnes of Yellow Rumped, Yellow, and Palm Warblers. I always seem to find Warbling Vireos here almost before I see them at Pelee! I also had a Carolina Wren blasting me with its song last week, nice to hear after the coldest Winter that Essex County has on record!

Tonight after work, I'm quite certain that I saw a Summer Tanager! My looks at this bird were fleeting, but my first look at it through binoculars was that it was a solid red bird, it quickly moved away to a higher elevation and this is about the best diagnostic shot that I could get of the bird. It seemed to quickly move on from the forest edge where I was and the photo below is about the best documenting shot of it that I could get. This might be my first self discovered summer tanager!

Summer Tanager

A pretty awesome bird at my local birding patch!

Good birding!
DM