Nancy and I swung by Fish Park for an hour of birding before heading to
the shop for the day. Halfway through the park we spotted a bird we
couldn't ID. We also found it interesting that this new bird was being
harassed by four Robins. We finished our walk and were in the parking
lot when we noticed the unknown bird perched on a log. We had a nice
long view of it and still couldn't come up with an ID. Back in the
shop I pulled out several of my field guides and started up the Thayer
birding software. After a bit of research I decided that the bird most
resembled a Northern Mockingbird (NOMO). A little more reading had me doubting my ID as I found that the NOMO is a pretty rare bird for this area. However, every other bird I considered just didn't fit the fieldmarks I had noted. Finally I decided to ask a local bird expert for some help. I emailed Brad the description and asked if he had any ideas. He came back with either the Mockingbird or a Shrike. Well, I knew it wasn't a Shrike so now I was wondering if we had actually seen the Mockingbird.
Amazingly, Brad swung by the park yesterday afternoon and was able to confirm the sighting. The NOMO provided Brad with good views near the parking lot. He was there around 5:30pm last night.
