On Sunday, April 5, 2009, at 03:08 PM, Richard Rieger wrote:
A rather amorphous group of 14 (or was it 16) birders joined me for the Sunday Morning 8AM Free to everyone Bird Walk at Dyke Marsh today. It was truly a beautiful morning that started off coolish and warmed quickly w. few clouds and light breezes. As often happens when the birding activity steps up, the pace of the participants differ and we form splinter groups w. runners going between groups to report good sightings. Ed Eder joined us for a while and Peter and Molly Ross had a following as well.
We managed to tally 51 (or was it 52) species with some nice highlights - all three of the Mergansers, a pair of Buffleheads, a few pair of Wood Ducks including two perched up in a tree along Haul Road, (my FOS) Brown Thrasher and BG Gnats, a very cooperative imm Sharpie perched up for all to see, one Horned Grebe and at least 15 PB GRebes (overnight push?). Two, maybe three Phoebes singing close to the start of Haul Road - Ospreys are close to saturation point-- Also had a nice close up of a large Black Snake sunning on a low branch near the trail to the Little Gut, joined by a second one that we saw on our way back in. - No Va Rails or Sora at Dyke that we could see - list follows....Rich Rieger
CGoose - 18
Wood Duck - 6
Mallard - 14
Buffles - 2
H. Merg - 3 (all F)
Com Merg - 2 (a pair)
RB mergs - 16
Horn Grebe - 1
PB Grebe - 15
DC Corms - 40
GB Heron - 2
TV - 1
Osprey - 16
Bald Eagle - 1 imm
Sharp-shinned hawk - 1
Am Coot - 4
Laughing Gull - 4
Bonaparte Gull - 1
RB Gull - 87
GBB Gull - 7
Caspian Tern - 3
Mo Do - 9
REd Bellied WP - 6
Yellow bellied WP -0
Downy WP - 4
No Flicker - 7
E. Phoebe - 3
Blue Jay - 12 - (one carrying nesting material near Marina restrooms)
Am Crow - 2
Fish Crow - 20
Tree Swallow - 15
No Rough wing Sw - 1
Car - Chickadee - 6
TuTi - 6
C. Wren - 8
GC Kinglets - 3
RC Kinglets - 3
BG Gnatcatchers - 2
Robins - 30
Brown Thrasher - 1
Starlings - 53 -many checking out nest cavities.
Yellow rumps - 7, some singing
Palm Warbler - 1
E. Towhee - 1
Song Sparrow - 20
WT Sparrow -8
DE Junco - 2
No Cardinal - 28
RW Blackbird - 36
C. Grackle - 8
BH Cowbird - 2
Ho Finch - 4
Am Goldfinch - 12
Ho Sparrow -12
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