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Posted by Angel & Mariel on 13:59:56 05/14/13
After work yesterday we decided to look for some shorebirds since Neotropical migrants have mostly flown passed us. We started by checking out Cutler Wetlands and the swales that surround the wetlands. Only a few birds were around with the only shorebirds present being two BLACK-NECKED STILTS and a few KILLDEER. Still thirsty for more shorebird action, we drove south to a gravel road near Mt. Trashmore; it s usually a great spot for nighthawks and occasionally hosts shorebirds. We had lots of COMMON NIGHTHAWK and RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS, but we only found 6 LEAST SANDPIPERS here, so we moved on to another spot. While driving back to the main road we stopped to take a few digibinn pics of sunning Brown Basilisk which were very obliging.
On the drive to the next field we saw a few Common Nighthawks on power lines with many more working the area in great light; wish we had our cameras with us. Next stop were the fields off of 107ave & 256st where we had hoped to find some shorebirds but to our disappointment the fields had been plowed and all the water was gone. We drove back out to 107ave and started to head south, this is where our luck took a turn; we noticed a Common Nighthawk on a power line that was calling so we pulled over to shoot some quick cellphone video of this. While trying to catch the bird calling, it decided to quit and became silent, great looks but we were hoping for some cool footage. In the field on the east-side of 107ave. (between 256 & 268st) we noticed a group of large ducks feeding in the short grass with a larger bird, so we drove a bit south to check them out. As we pulled up and got the bins on the birds, they took flight; this is when we noticed that the larger bird, a CANADA GOOSE was the oddball feeding with the MOTTLED DUCKS! We took a few digibinn pics with an iPhone through our new Nikon Monarch 5's and watched them fly until we lost sight of them. With the change in luck we decided not to let the last 30 minutes of golden sunlight go to waste, so we headed father south.
We stopped at the quarry lake and found 7 LEAST TERNS a few Stilts, and a GREAT BLUE HERON, but that was it. The field just south of the quarry lake has been another great place for shorebirds lately so we stopped at the southern end of this field. Right away we found some SEMIPALMATED PLOVER, LEAST and SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS and one larger peep which was likely a WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER. While trying to wait out the larger Calidris, which was feeding in an area obstructed by grass, a Coast Guard plane flew low right over the field and flushed all the birds into the air. While aloft we found the larger Calidris but quickly shifted our focus to a larger shorebird flying with the group, an UPLAND SANDPIPER came into view and did a few laps before flying to the far SW corner of the field and out our of view. In this corner there were a group of waders working a small pool of water; egrets, herons, ibis, WOOD STORKS and a single ROSEATE SPOONBILL were feeding shoulder to shoulder in this far corner of the field. Things were going so good that we decided to head a bit farther south to the Native Tree Farm. As soon as we pulled up we started to hear AMERICAN REDSTARTS, COMMON YELLOWTHROATS, and saw a few BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLERS, we waited for sunset here and were rewarded with close looks of a BARN OWL hunting the west side of 107ave. A CHUCK-WILL'S-WIDOW started to call as the sun dropped below the horizon, at the same time we started to hear many flights calls of migrants taking flight; a look at the western sky revealed groups of warblers flying NW and climbing altitude, awesome an exodus of migrants and we were there to witness it! As it got darker many nighthawks came out to feed and were all around us at one point, 12 of these guys were flying real close to us in a feeding frenzy! With the sunlight fading we drove back north to head home and saw a few BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERONS on the road near the quarry lake.
What an awesome time we had birding during the golden hour, the area is teeming with birdlife and deserves a more attention. Later on we found out that the coast guard plane had also flushed 30+ whistling ducks over the AF Base, but we missed them. We will be birding this area often and hope to find some more goodies in the future, sorry Toe but you are just going to have to share your patch while it s good.
Nature is Awesome
Angel & Mariel
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