Registrar: Amanda Bielskas
Participants: 26
Weather: Sunny and warm, with high of 87, low of 72, 50% humidity and a slight breeze
Bird Species: 74
Even before the walk officially began, a couple of early arriving birders saw a few warblers and a Black-crowned Night-heron behind the visitors’ center. After the rest of the group arrived at 8 am, everyone began birding in the gardens, staying for quite some time, since the tides would be more favorable later in the morning and the garden was quite birdy. We had great looks at many warbler species and heard a Mourning Warbler, its ID confirmed when a couple of folks got a quick glance at it. Other species seen by most of of the group included several flycatchers and woodpeckers. A pit stop at the visitors’ center to gear up for the next part of the walk produced a flyover Purple Martin.
We then headed to the south end of the East Pond. Highlights seen there included many shorebirds: Red-necked Phalarope, Lesser Yellowlegs, Greater Yellowlegs, Ruddy Turnstone, Stilt Sandpiper, White-rumped Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, Pectoral Sandpiper, Western Sandpiper, Semipalmated Sandpiper. Also seen were Bonaparte’s Gull, Black Skimmer, several Caspian Terns, and many duck species as well. We thought we might have a Baird’s Sandpiper, but after examining pictures and conferring with the e-bird reviewer, we decided that we didn’t have enough evidence to confirm our sighting and blamed the mirage bird on the heat and the long day.
The group birded for quite a distance along the shore of the East Pond, with some folks departing a bit early to head home, refill water bottles, or take a break. The rest of the group headed back to the visitors’ center for a well-deserved break, and the trip concluded around 3:00 pm.
Species Lists
Birds
Canada Goose
Mute Swan
Blue-winged Teal
Northern Shoveler
Gadwall
Mallard
American Black Duck
Green-winged Teal
Greater Scaup
Ruddy Duck
Chimney Swift
American Oystercatcher
Killdeer
Semipalmated Plover
Short-billed Dowitcher
Red-necked Phalarope
Lesser Yellowlegs
Greater Yellowlegs
Ruddy Turnstone
Stilt Sandpiper
White-rumped Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
Pectoral Sandpiper
Western Sandpiper
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Bonaparte’s Gull
Laughing Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull (American)
Great Black-backed Gull
Black Skimmer
Caspian Tern
Forster’s Tern
Common Tern
Double-crested Cormorant
Black-crowned Night Heron
Snowy Egret
Great Egret
Great Blue Heron
Glossy Ibis
Osprey
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Peregrine Falcon
Willow Flycatcher
Least Flycatcher
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
Blue Jay
Tree Swallow
Purple Martin
Barn Swallow
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Carolina Wren
European Starling
Gray Catbird
Brown Thrasher
Northern Mockingbird
American Robin
Cedar Waxwing
American Goldfinch
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Northern Waterthrush
Black-and-white Warbler
Mourning Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
American Redstart
Cape May Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Northern Cardinal
Butterflies
Cabbage White
Orange Sulphur
Cloudless Sulphur
Summer Azure
American Lady
Monarch
Zabulon Skipper
Silver-spotted Skipper
Odonates
Wantering Glider
Blue Dasher
Black Saddlebags-multiple, too many to count.
Mammals
Eastern Chipmunk
Eastern Gray Squirrel
Muskrat
