Out for another round of mid-afternoon birding. I don't get home from work usually until 2:00am so those six o'clock starts just don't cut it for me.
Greeted in the parking lot as I locked up my bike by two Eastern Towhees. Not much on the pond - still a couple of buffleheads and some Lesser Scaup, Gadwall, Mallards, Ringbilled gulls and Cormorants. Two common terns were sitting on a log pretty much all day, and a Caspian tern (or possibly several on different occasions) flew by a couple of times. A Black-Crowned night-heron was perched on one of the dead trees. Three spotted sandpipers played along the shore near the "observation safety hazards".
I never remember having seen so many white-throated sparrows. Possibly I was never paying much attention, but it seems to me I was paying attention last spring, I don't remember it being like this. Also saw swamp, field, savannah, and song sparrows.
A Brown Thrasher flew ahead of me along the path behind the "amphitheatre" and a tree swallow tried to dive-bomb my head when he judged I'd come too close to his nest-box (not to worry, I was on the path - the nest-box is just very close to it).
The magic bush proved not too magic today, yielding only a winter wren and something that may or may not have been a female red-winged blackbird, I gave up as it was too far into the thicket.
Near the footbridge was a Great Egret, two Trumpeter Swans in with the mutes, killdeer, and barn and rough-winged swallows. Five freshly-hatched Canada goslings grazed under the willows with mom and dad. Walked up the creek aways, but left with naught but a belted Kingfisher, another nigh heron, a Canada Goose, and a couple of very surprised mallards. Also some kinglets and sparrows, but not much. I left rather hastily, mind you, because there was a guy back there who looked up to no good.
The stand of pines just south of the parking lot proved most fruitful with white-throated sparrows, both kinglets, yellow-rumped warblers, chickafees, goldfinches, house finches, brown creepers, hermit thrushes and (!) a woodcock! We scared the mutual bejeezus out of each other when I accidentally flushed him. He was very reluctant to leave the little bit of shelter there was there, so after a good look (what an *odd* looking bird) I backed off and left him to his resting. Anyway, check another one off for me.
I also (maybe?) saw a Virginia Rail, please see the post under the Bird ID heading.
Julia
