<p>A common yellowthroat perches on a stick in the middle of a field at Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area on Sunday afternoon, June 28.</p> <p>Courtesy of Liz Baumeister</p>

A common yellowthroat perches on a stick in the middle of a field at Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area on Sunday afternoon, June 28.

Courtesy of Liz Baumeister
<p>A gray catbird perches in some brush at Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area on Sunday afternoon, June 28.</p> <p>Courtesy of Liz Baumeister</p>

A gray catbird perches in some brush at Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area on Sunday afternoon, June 28.

Courtesy of Liz Baumeister
<p>This red-headed woodpecker flew off from its perch on a fence post along Wildlife Drive before I could get a close-up photo of it.</p> <p>Courtesy of Liz Baumeister</p>

This red-headed woodpecker flew off from its perch on a fence post along Wildlife Drive before I could get a close-up photo of it.

Courtesy of Liz Baumeister
<p>‘Excuse me, sir, but are you authorized to perch there?’ A male eastern bluebird sits atop a ‘RESERVED PARKING’ sign in the Willow Point parking lot at Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area on Sunday afternoon, June 28.</p> <p>Courtesy of Liz Baumeister</p>

‘Excuse me, sir, but are you authorized to perch there?’ A male eastern bluebird sits atop a ‘RESERVED PARKING’ sign in the Willow Point parking lot at Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area on Sunday afternoon, June 28.

Courtesy of Liz Baumeister
<p>A red-winged blackbird takes off from its perch at Willow Point, Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area on Sunday afternoon, June 28.</p> <p>Courtesy of Liz Baumeister</p>

A red-winged blackbird takes off from its perch at Willow Point, Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area on Sunday afternoon, June 28.

Courtesy of Liz Baumeister
<p>A northern flicker perches in a small tree in the middle of a field at Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area on Sunday afternoon, June 28.</p> <p>Courtesy of Liz Baumeister</p>

A northern flicker perches in a small tree in the middle of a field at Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area on Sunday afternoon, June 28.

Courtesy of Liz Baumeister

As I set off down the paved path from the Willow Point parking lot to the lake at Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area on Sunday, June 28, I was struck by the similarities and contrasts to my last visit there.

As regular readers may recall, I visited Middle Creek at the beginning of March, during the height of the spring waterfowl migration season. Thousands of snow geese, Canada geese, and tundra swans filled the lake and sky above with their graceful dance. On that trip, I heard the honking of the geese before I saw them. Similarly, on this visit, I heard the songs of the area’s summer residents — and what a choir they made — before catching sight of them.

There were also many species I was able to identify by sound but did not lay eyes on at all.

The last time I was there, it was easy to spot the birds perched on leafless branches. This time around, they hid behind thick greenery.

The two species I counted the most during this trip, both by sight and sound, were gray catbirds and common yellowthroats. They were everywhere. I also saw a lot of red-winged blackbirds and eastern bluebirds.

My favorite sighting of the day was a red-headed woodpecker — a species I’ve never gotten to photograph before. I spotted it from afar, perched on a fence post. Although I tried to get close enough to get a nice close-up shot, it flew off before I had the chance. Still, I was able to snap one wide “for-the-record” photo before it took off.

Some other species that I identified by sound — some with the help of the Merlin app — included indigo bunting, eastern warbling vireo, red-eyed vireo, northern yellow warbler, northern house wren, great crested flycatcher, and blue grosbeak, just to name a handful. That grosbeak, especially, I wish I’d caught sight of. Maybe next time.

I was only able to spend a few hours at Middle Creek on this trip (in contrast to my last dawn-to-dusk visit), but it was still nice to return and see the wildlife there in another season. Perhaps my next visit will be in the fall.

Liz Baumeister is the news editor at the Times Leader. She loves nature, photography, and nature photography. Reach her at lbaumeister@timesleader.com.