Josh and I met at Cranberry Lake Preserve around 8:00 this morning. After sharing a piece of pumpkin bread, we left to walk the loop I normally take. We were greeted quickly by one of the north east's royals, the Pileated Woodpecker. It was soon that we set the record for the most Blue Jays ever seen in a single day, a number not even Google Sites can fathom. My highlight was spotting two Swamp Sparrows. We had a clear view through our binoculars of these guys, as they jumped from aquatic plant to aquatic plant, nearly submerged in the water. Three Wood Ducks (draw two cards, discard one at the end of your turn) flew overhead: two females, one male (I thought I was looking at my right calf). A woodpecker laughed at us, and we breaked on the ridge overlooking Cranberry Lake by the bench. Josh noticed how quiet it was, and we quickly found out why: two Red-tailed Hawks swooped out from the forest canopy and began to circle the lake. I am unsure what they saw, but when it comes to being a bird, I'll trust the hawks. Once they left the area, the noises of the forest returned. We made it back to our car, and said our goodbyes. We were trapped in by the gate, which was supposed to have been closed at our arrival, but the kind men let our cars through. https://ebird.org/checklist/S280528601

Finally, a visit to the Alfred Z. Solomon Grassland Bird Viewing Area (the AZSGBA) (ASH-guh-bah). We've been meaning to go here for quite some time now. Sam and I drove to the AZSGBA together and met the guys, even despite a late arrival by one of them (IYKYK). We began our trek, and instantly became inundated with grassland birds of all types: swallows, pewees, waxwings, goldfinches, sparrows. The true fun came once we reached the backside of the AZSGBA where a nice marshy area greeted us. Here we saw the elusive Marsh Wren, or, at least, three of us saw it. And then, while Matt was fixated on finally seeing this "godforesaken" wren, we saw another interesting species (I can't quite put my finger on it). Matt became jealous that he missed both. I then saw my white whale: the red-eyed vireo. For too long I looked and peered and searched for this tiny, treetop-loving avian creature. But like with all things, my search ended at the AZSGBA. I also saw my first green heron - bonkers. Yet despite all of these happenings, the happeningest happening had yet to happen. Turning a corner . . . a northern harrier sat on some prey. We were so close to such an incredible bird. What a sight. https://ebird.org/checklist/S261084005