Field Trip Report: Humboldt Park

A group of seven birders pose for a selfie in front of a lagoon. In the background are trees with leaves in fall colors and a blue sky with wispy white clouds.

words and photos by David Rupp

November 2, 2023

As we started to gather in the Humboldt Park parking lot on a cold, sunny morning, we quickly realized that the day would belong to the American Robin. American Robins were flying all around us and feeding in the various fruit trees, chirping and chasing each other almost continuously. So as the seven of us started our walk, the challenge was finding the other birds—birds of different size, shape, and behavior that were not American Robins!

A White-throated Sparrow, a sparrow with a streaky breast, dark crown stripe, yellow lores, and white throat, stands on a gravel path. — White-throated Sparrow

We managed to pick out some different sparrows and kinglets as we walked around the lagoon. White-throated Sparrows were most numerous, but we also saw Song, White-crowned, American Tree, and an uncooperative Lincoln’s Sparrow that kept hidden from most of the group. Both Golden-crowned and Ruby-crowned Kinglets put on nice shows with great views for everyone, but not in the same numbers as we would have found a couple of weeks earlier.

A Yellow-rumped Warbler, a small brown bird with a yellow rump and flanks, white eyering, pale throat, and pointy black bill, stands on a wooden railing. — Yellow-rumped Warbler

In the second half of the walk, we had a few more memorable sightings. First, a Cooper’s Hawk soared and swooped through a huge flock of pigeons, trying to separate one from the bunch so that they could have breakfast. We don’t think they were successful on this attempt, but I’m sure they kept trying. Then we spotted a lone female Hooded Merganser in the lagoon. It’s always exciting to see a different duck than the semi-tame Mallards and Wood Ducks that live at Humboldt Park. Finally, a Yellow-rumped Warbler that was missing their tailfeathers flew onto the railing near us, looking awkward and slightly off-balance.

We encountered 26 species in all—not bad for this cold November morning!

Field TripRobyn DetterlineNovember 20, 2023Humboldt Park