I have been lucky to have the time to go up to to these areas twice last week. (I'm usually ready for a trip to Montezuma) At the wetlands at the end of Van Dyne Spoor Rd: Least Bittern; heard once (about 200 m east of middle of the marsh) and a great view of a fly-by once (near west end of marsh) Black-crowned Night Heron; both days flushed from marsh near road (We didn't do anything to try to scare them up) Numerous Marsh Wren and Common Morehen Black Tern; a half dozen although more, maybe 12-15, at Tschache Pool (If that's how it is spelled) Towpath Rd, Puddler's mud flat: 1 Wilson's Phalarope, 12 Black-bellied Plover, lots more way out there.
Karen, Stefan Karkuff and I tried for a sort of Big Day with most
migrants gone on Saturday. With good luck on shorebirds and poor luck on
resident warblers, e.g., no Yellow-throated Warbler or Blue-winged
Warbler (I know, how bad can you be?), we got 137 species. A very nice day.
Highlights: The second bird of the day was a Northern Saw-whet Owl at
3:30AM. We played a call for about 5 minutes before it responded at the
Park Preserve. After listening to the response and a round of general
laughing at out pleasure (sorry for the annoyance Mr. Saw-whet), we
tried for a Shore-eared Owl with no luck. Probably because the NSWO
kept on calling and chased it away. Then we tried Barred Owl, at which
the NSWO shut up. After we gave up on the BAOW, the NSWO started up
again. It was still calling when we left. The next bird for the day (or
was it night) was a pair of Barred Owl that put up a duet near the
snowplow turn-around on Star Stanton Hill.
Goetchius Preserve had both Virginia and Sora and the only Northern
Waterthrush for us for the day. Fortunately, someone pointed out an
Orchard Oriole nest at Salt Point Rd. nearly directly above a telephone
pole about the third or fourth pole in the road in a cottonwood. We saw
the male for about 3 seconds before it silently left flying a couple
hundred yards eastsoutheast. We never would have found it without help,
(but I've {forgive me someone} have forgotten the name of the person who
showed it to us. Let me know, thanks.)
The day and weather was great, especially since the forecast was pretty
bad. Got to enjoy those birds and the help of local birders.
Cheers,
John Confer
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