Check your head for ticks!

Last night (4/21) I drug the whole fam damily out to Miami Whitewater Forest from about 7 - 9pm. When we first got there my wife was not feeling so hot, Liam was whining, Elle was going so slow and Gannon was talking in his typical everyday megaphone voice. I swear that kid really has some kind of amplifier system in his mouth! And then the bugs started biting and Michele got a tick.....it was an excellent start. RWBB everywhere at the wetland area as well as coots, shovelers and a ring-neck. On the walk in I also saw my first Common Yellowthroat of the season. A few Sora were calling which was another first of the season. There were a bunch of Field Sparrows and Song Sparrows foraging on the dirt/grass paths and a calling meadowlark. I am sure in all the kid commotion I missed many other birds not to mention the lack of a scope to see the birds further out on the water. I went late in hopes of hearing some owls. I still don't have Barred Owl or Eastern Screech Owl. You would think from the reports that they were a plague but I can't find them for the life of me. And once again, no luck. Son of @#$% bitch! After checking out the wetlands we went over to the main area with the visitors center and boat area on the lake. Nothing out of the ordinary while we there but as we were walking out there was a bird hawking insects at the top of a tree by the sidewalk. It was dusk and I knew this would be my last bird with a binocular. Hot damn! A Philadelphia Vireo and a great look at that! Cool bird and another first of the year! 3 more for the year. 161. e2