Birding in Morningside Lenox Park

"Several years ago, while walking my dog in the Daniel Johnson/ Herbert Taylor Nature Preserve, I crossed paths with a woman who saw me looking through my binoculars.  She commented that there were no birds in the woods, and I was so astounded that this was what she thought, I was speechless.  Well, almost speechless.  I started telling her about the numerous species that live here year round, and then about the migrant birds, but she jogged off.  I don't think she believed me.
 
The fact is, this 34 acre park/preserve, which encompasses two creeks, is the home of hundreds of birds.  Some of the birds live here year round, others come with the summer season, and still others live here just in winter.  The invasive plant, Chinese privet, gives birds the cover they need, the fruit they can eat, and the shelter from the heat and rain.  The birds love it.  I say this only because there are endangered birds who frequent our park, and they need ample cover of any plant species to survive. Before all the Chinese privet is removed, there should be established plants in place.  To the birds, Chinese privet is perfectly fine.  Native plants would be preferable, but when you've flown 1,000 miles, it's good to find some cover, food, shelter, and sanctuary.  But, that's another article.
 
For now, I can say that my love with birds began as a child, when the only pet my mom would let me have was a parakeet.  Having a bird perch on my finger was magic, and I was captivated.  Today, I enjoy birding in the preserve, feeding birds at my feeders, providing them with suitable habitat, and, when I have the time, learning what I can about their habits, needs, and peculiarities.
 
One of my favorite "finds" over the past four years has been the Wood Thrush.  This bird has been struggling for years to hold onto it's habitat, and if what I've learned from the Atlanta Audubon Society's Master Birder (and guru), Georgann Schmalz,  is correct, we have four nesting pairs in the preserve.  According to Ms. Schmalz, the male bird of the species is the "singer."  Our park has a least four singing male Wood Thrushes!  These birds cross the Gulf of Mexico, arrive in our park, and compete with other birds for breeding space.  Unfortunately, Cowbirds live in our preserve, too, and lay their eggs in the Wood Thrush's nest.  The Wood Thrush then raises the Cowbird young.  So, good understory cover that contains large trees is important, along with the proximity of streams, to the survival of the flutelike singer, the Wood Thrush. I'm sure the Cowbird holds a special place in the plan of things, but it sure seems like the scales have been tipped in the Cowbird's favor, and the Wood Thrush needs all the help it can get.
 
This spring, it's been a wonder to watch two Red- Shouldered Hawks raise their brood in the crotch of a sweetgum tree that is in the middle of the park where two trails intersect and dozens of walkers and bikers pass daily. A previous nest was in a pine tree at the intersection of Beech Valley and Pasadena Ave., but this spring they moved, or another pair took the territory.   At one sighting, there were three chicks in the nest!  As I write this, in late May, the fledglings have flown the nest, leaving mom and dad to chase them around the park.
 
A year or so ago, my husband, John, gave me a Birder's Journal.  Just a notebook to write down what I see.  Having two teenagers, it's been a challenge to keep anything written.  But, having a sweet, patient, old lady of a dog, who requires a daily walk, has forced me to go into the woods, so to speak, everyday.
So, I can thank my dog for getting me out for a walk, and allowing me to see, first hand, the wonders of our park.
 
To this, I can say I have seen Hooded Warblers, Eastern Kingbirds, Redstarts, Ovenbirds, Indigo Buntings, Ruby Throated Hummingbirds, Barred Owls, Sharp-shinned Hawks, Mallards, Eastern Bluebirds, Spotted Sandpipers, Rose Breasted Grosbeaks, Carolina Wrens, Kingfishers, Blue Gray Gnatcatchers, Purple Finches, House Finches, Gold Finches, Great Blue Herons, Louisiana Waterthrushes, Green Herons, Eastern Phoebes, Yellow-Bellied Sapsuckers, Northern Mockingbirds, Brown Headed Nuthatches, Northern Cardinals, Brown Thrashers, Catbirds, Cowbirds, Blue Jays, Carolina Wrens, Carolina Chickadees, Downy Woodpeckers, Hairy Woodpeckers,  Pileated Woodpeckers, Red-Bellied Woodpeckers, Mourning Doves, Ruby Crowned Kinglets, Pine Warblers, Tufted Titmice, Towhees, White Throated Sparrows, and Song Sparrows, White Eyed Vireos.......and these are just the birds I absolutely know I can identify.......there are many more to be verified!
 
Needless to say, our park is full of birds.   These birds can handle the stress of the city, the noise of trains, people walking their dogs, people riding their bikes with lights at night, sirens, street lights, barking dogs, screaming children, yelling adults. These birds find their food from the plants, insects, chipmunks, snakes, fish, frogs, salamanders, crawfish,  and other baby birds in ther park, to complete their life cycles. Yes, some birds do eat other birds.
 
Our park, the Daniel Johnson/Herbert Taylor Park/Nature Preserve, supports avian wildlife.  We should be extremely thankful, as I am, to have this park.  My home borders it.  As a neighborhood, we should protect it, support it, and do all we can to sustain the wildlife in this, our neighborhood sanctuary. The birds are a gift.  Enjoy them.
 
For additional sources on birding in both Atlanta and the United States, check out the following websites:  www.atlantaaudubon.org   and www.feederwatch.org.
 
The Atlanta Audubon Society has field trips open to the public and free (unless otherwise noted) and they welcome everyone from beginners to advanced birders.  I can attest, they are a great group!
 
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology supports feeder watch and many, many other sources for bird information and citizen science.
 
Allow yourself to expand into another sensory dimension, and experience the birds in your neighborhood, and you will find there are sources of friendly people to support and guide you.  Your ears and eyes will open to a beautiful appreciation of the woods around you, and you will hear the songs and see the birds that the jogger I met a few years ago had tuned out.
 
Just beware, it's a slippery slope.  You will be buying binoculors, birding guides, bird feeders, bird baths, planting shrubs for birds, and be standing in the park listening and marveling at what you've taught yourself".

Teresa Mayes