The Proud Birds of Stroud Preserve

For this month's BiF post, I decided to fly to Pennsylvania and do a special report. Ok, actually I'm in Pennsylvania with my wife and her family to celebrate our first anniversary, but our summer vacation has provided some fantastic birding opportunities. We traded in the Arizona heat for the Pennsylvania wheat. It's hard to step outside for more than a few minutes and not fall in love with the rolling hills and the old-growth forests of southeast Pennsylvania.

We missed the big spring migrations, but the birding prospects in West Chester, PA, were still very good. Like any obsessive birder (all birders?), I checked eBird and made some lists of species I could reasonably expect to see, and species I really wanted to see. Topping my most-wanted list was the backwards bird with the silly name, none other than the infamous Bobolink.

My in-laws had mentioned a place called Stroud Preserve awhile back. It was a pretty and pristine nature preserve only ten minutes from home, and the report was that Bobolinks were known to nest in the Stroud fields. I confirmed this information with Martin Page of the West Chester Bird Club, who was very helpful in providing some specific directions and narrowing down my area-of-ambling in this 574 acre preserve. So, I donned a formal tuxedo, shaved the back of my head, and set off in perfect Bobolink disguise to track down these curious creatures, and whatever else was on display.

A good, strong name for a nature preserve

The entrance to the preserve is somewhat inauspicious. The small sign preceded a few dirt-lot parking spaces and some trails into the surrounding foothills. Why would the Bobolinks choose this site of any of the other, similar expanses in the area? I could only ponder for a moment before the morning's first bird caught my attention. Out in the fields, one might expect Barn Swallows, Tree Swallows, or Blackbirds to be the most conspicuous sightings. This was indeed the case, but nonetheless the first bird of the day was the Eastern Kingbird, a sure sign that I was not in Arizona any more.

Buoyed by this close and cool sighting, I took the main, southerly trail and headed into the preserve. The first half-mile of Stroud Preserve is mostly low hills flanked with hedgerows. American Robins bounced all over the hay, collecting worms and reminding me to straighten up my posture.

"Standing tall; shoulders back!"

The main trail breaks off into several different branches, some of which follow shallow creeks into the woods, and some that move by the beautifully cultivated hillsides. 

The Bobolinks wouldn't be too interested in the corn or alfalfa fields, but these diverse little microcosms  did provide some other species en route to the Bobolink hills.

The canopies were occupied by Chickadees, Yellow Warblers, and the occasional Indigo Bunting.

 The hedgerows were bustling with activity. Song Sparrows were everywhere, as were Common Yellowthroats and Eastern Bluebirds. I saw my first of many Acadian Flycatchers and Willow Flycatchers, as well as a very nervous female Orchard Oriole.

Meanwhile the Tree Swallows and Barn Swallow swirled overhead, dipping and diving almost without thought, but with obvious enjoyment. Many of the Swallows were nesting in boxes along the Stroud trails, and some would perch in nearby trees to preen or survey their kingdoms. I love it when a bird lives up to its name. The Tree Swallow perched in trees, and the Barn Swallows in an old barn.

As the fields opened up, the biodiversity began to drop sharply, and soon it seemed as if there were only Red-winged Blackbirds in the grass. This guy's perch looks well-used.

This solitary Song Sparrow provided some interest. Maybe he was experimenting with a new hair gel, or maybe he was flying too close to windmills. Whatever the reason, he was a very flat-headed specimen.

After another quarter mile, the Blackbird calls were interrupted by something else, something new. Even from a distance, it was apparent that some smaller, black and white birds were interspersed with the other icterids. At long last, I had laid eyes on the Bobolinks. They do exist!

The Bobolinks were very busy bobolinking, bobo-networking, if you will, in their search for love. The males picked their nice purple patches and would ring out with their grating calls, sometimes pausing to snatch up a tasty bug that wondered onto their perch. 

Occasionally the females would come into view, their hearts all aflutter with powerful emotions, instincts, etc. They weren't above a little snacking either, and they could take their pick of the males just as well as their lunch. 

It was a very exhilarating spectacle. New birds, old birds, and eastern specialities were all on display. Stroud preserve should be a very proud preserve for all it has to offer. I enjoyed my time there tremendously and highly recommend it to anyone else who finds themselves in the area.