I dropped by Cranberry marsh late this morning to discover that it is dried relic once again, but with a trail of small puddles up the middle. On the premise that the closest puddle might offer the best spot to actually see any visitors I parked myself next to it. A shorebird flushed when I arrived and I didn't get a good look at it but it seemed to me to have a very strong, straight bill, much like that of a Dowitcher. Having just photographed one I was primed to pick-up on that feature faster than I might otherwise. The bill was not pointed like a Yellowlegs. It didn't come back during the following hour.
No birds of prey in the sky. Several kinds of sparrows about: Song, Swamp, (juvenile) White-crowned, White-throated, Field and American Tree sparrow, which is the first of the fall season for me. Still a few male RWBBs and Grackles around. Lots of Chickadees looking for hand-outs.
Upon arrival there were swarms of Starlings on Hall's Road. Many were perched in a small tree as if they were trying to watch a rock concert, while many others were airborne and practising murmuration protocols. They didn't quite have the numbers to pull it off but I gave them a thumbs-up anyway. If those birds that were perched and waiting for the concert that never materialized had joined the squadrons in the sky I might have witnessed a genuine murmuration, but that would be hard to photograph with a telephoto lens.
