Silver Lake Regional Park – February 21, 2026

We had a nice-sized group of 17 birders, including a few welcome new face, gather at Silver Lake Regional Park for our latest club walk. The weather was nice with brief patches of blue sky though the sun remained mostly obscured. Temperatures hovered around the mid 40’s, making for comfortable walking weather. The morning started with a nice surprise as we first approached the lake shore: a beaver slowly swimming by the edge of the lake. Out on the water, which was mostly frozen over, we had close views of five Hooded Mergansers, and a small group of Mallards along the ice line.
Moving onto the trails, the woodlands provided a steady stream of activity. We were fortunate to get great, clear looks at a Red-breasted Nuthatch foraging in the pines and a couple of Brown Creepers. Along the top of the Dam, three Killdeer loudly made their presence known, giving the group fantastic, close-up views. Looking at our final counts, we also tallied a notable 130 Ring-billed Gulls passing through, alongside a nice variety of woodpeckers, including a Red-headed Woodpecker and a clear call from a Barred Owl. The wintering songbirds were also out in good numbers, with 16 Eastern Bluebirds and 15 Yellow-rumped Warblers actively flitting through the branches
By the end of our two-hour trek, we had recorded a very satisfying 45 species. It was a solid morning of quiet observation and shared appreciation for our local winter wildlife. Thank you to everyone who came out, and a special welcome again to our first-timers. We hope you can join us on the trail for our next walk!

Full eBird Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S302710024