Birding with City Ornithologist Dea Armstrong

Birding in Gallup Park with 45 of our closest friends

Last Friday night we took a bird walk through Gallup Park and Furstenberg Park with city Ornithologist Dea Armstrong. After a quick lesson on the proper use of binoculars, we spent two hours exploring the diverse bird population in two of our  city parks.  On our adventure we saw  Mute Swan, Canada Goose, Mallard, Great Blue Heron, Turkey Vulture, Red-tailed Hawk, Mourning Dove, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Warbling Vireo, Blue Jay, American Crow, Barn Swallow, Cliff Swallow, Black-capped Chickadee, American Robin, Gray Catbird, European Starling, Yellow Warbler, Song Sparrow, Northern Cardinal, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Red-winged Blackbird, Common Grackle, Baltimore Oriole, House Finch, American Goldfinch and House Sparrow for a total of 29 different species. The early and unusual abundance of leaves on the trees made bird watching more challenging and more rewarding.

There are two more bird walks coming up  and we encourage everyone to take advantage of Dea’s 20 plus years of experience and enthusiasm.

Bird Walk
June 2, Saturday
Wheeler Service Center
7:30 am to 9:30 am
Free and fun for all ages. Join City Ornithologist Dea Armstrong as she leads a walk to look for early summer birds at the old landfill site – a great birdwatching spot! Please come prepared to walk in fields with tall grasses.  Bring binoculars if you have them, but they are not necessary. Meet in the small parking lot on the right off the main entrance to the Material Recovery Facility off of Platt Rd. just south of Ellsworth.

Bird Walk
June 9, Saturday
Gallup Park
7:30 am to 9:30 am
Free for all ages and family-friendly! Join City Ornithologist Dea Armstrong as she leads a walk to look for birds in the morning in Gallup Park and Furstenberg Nature Area. Bring binoculars if you have them, but they are not necessary. Meet at the paddleboat dock in Gallup near the canoe livery.