Elusive Evening - 27 Apr 2022
An evening ride at Pt. Mouillee SGA proved, in a word, elusive.
Blue-winged Teal continue to fear me. Even with telephoto lenses they fly off before I can get close enough to even raise the camera.
Sora (4) were calling from the Walpatich Unit as I headed along the Middle Causeway.
A flock of Dunlin were working the mudflats next to the Pumphouse, but took off as soon as I arrived to set up the scope. At least I was able to catch the entire flock in air. Talk about murmation!
 |
| The only blooming tree in the marsh! |
At least the Purple Martins were a bit more cooperative.
I then headed down to the Bad Creek unit south of the Pumphouse. The ponds were flooded, but a flock of Dunlin, Lesser and Greater Yellowlegs were foraging along the far shore. Among them were 5 Long-billed Dowitchers. Only views were through the scope...
Being early enough I decided to hike through the marsh to see if I could get closer to them. I hiked down the side of the dike and headed through the mix of marsh grass, cattails and mud. I took me about 45 minutes to get to the opposite side of the marsh, but the shorebirds were now obscured by the cattails themselves. At least I was serenaded by a Virginia Rail! And another Sora! Swamp Sparrows kept me company as I picked my way back to the bike. A few more Purple Martins made it worth the trip.
I then decided to loop around the Walpatich Unit to see if I could see the Yellow-headed Blackbird reported earlier. I heard it on the way in, so I knew it was out there. Unfortunately I had to settle for a Sandhill Crane, a calling American Bittern, another calling Sora, and a few more elusive Blue-winged Teal.
I returned to the car, filled a trash bag with garbage from the parking lot, and then drove down Haggerman Rd where a Turkey Vulture allowed a drive-by photo opp.
Apr 27, 2022 5:15 PM - 7:15 PM
Protocol: Traveling
6.0 mile(s)
44 species
Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) 4
Tundra Swan (Cygnus columbianus) 4
Blue-winged Teal (Spatula discors) 4
Gadwall (Mareca strepera) 6
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) 6
Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca) 6
Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis) 4
Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola) 4
Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps) 2
Virginia Rail (Rallus limicola) 1
Sora (Porzana carolina) 4
Common Gallinule (Gallinula galeata) 1
American Coot (Fulica americana) 4
Sandhill Crane (Antigone canadensis) 1
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) 6
Long-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus scolopaceus) 5 Bad Creek Unit. Continuing. Reported by Justin Labadie a day earlier. Five dowitchers foraging in deep water next shore among Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs. Chunky dowitchers with brick-red chevrons along flanks and ling probing bills. Scope views only but did take record digiscoped pics. Distance 100 yds. Spent an hour slogging theough cattail marsh to get closer but couldnt get better views. Had they flown I wouldve looked for white headlights on axillaries of wings.
Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes) 8
Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca) 6
Dunlin (Calidris alpina) 160
Bonaparte's Gull (Chroicocephalus philadelphia) 4
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis) 4
Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia) 2
Forster's Tern (Sterna forsteri) 2
American Bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus) 2
Great Egret (Ardea alba) 4
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) 2
Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) 1
Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) 1
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) 2
Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) 1
Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) 8
Purple Martin (Progne subis) 20
Northern Rough-winged Swallow (Stelgidopteryx serripennis) 2
White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis) 2
Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris) 1
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) 12
American Robin (Turdus migratorius) 4
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) 4
Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana) 2
Yellow-headed Blackbird (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus) 1
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) 24
Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) 6
Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula) 6
Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia) 1
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S1
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)
