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Posted by John Boyd on 18:41:32 07/24/04
I drove up US-27 this morning in search of birds. The beginning of Holeyland Rd. had many Yellow-crowned Night-Herons. I ran into Kevin Sarsfield and Juan Villamil a bit farther along. They directed me to a White-tailed Kite on the south side about a mile before the pavement ends.
I met up with them again at the tower. Unfortunately, the Upland Sandpipers weren't in yet. We had to settle for Pectoral, both Yellowlegs, Least Sandpipers and Black-necked Stilts (+ more YC Night-Herons).
We birded along the canal on US-27, finding Black, Gull-billed, and Least Terns along with plenty of waders, Fulvous Whistling-Ducks, and Solitary and Stilt Sandpipers. A visit to Brown's Farm Road didn't add anything.
We looped back through South Bay, and headed for the well-known Least Bittern pond. It provided two Least Bitterns and 4 Black-crowned Night-Herons. On the way to 827, we found 2 King Rails with a chick as Swallow-tailed Kites soared overhead. The field east of the Barn Owl Cedars remains flooded and had waders, ducks, and some shorebirds, but nothing new. 3 Barn Owls were seen at the cedars (and a lot of BC Night-Herons).
We then headed south along the canal. Kevin and Juan headed W to the back side of STA 5. I don't know what they found since I continued down the canal to Holeyland Rd and looped back to US-27.
There is a lot of construction on the west side of the canal, possibly connected with STA-5, and this route is likely not passable when they are working. However, the gap in the east side appears to have been bridged by a water control structure and it may be possible to go that way. There's another flooded field on the east side some distance south of the owl cedars.
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