Birding
[Birding (and more) in Calhoun County and beyond
Can't believe I haven't really done anything on the birding in Calhoun this year. It has been a really weird year. I've not had a whole lot of motivation to head out after back-to-back 110% Big Years. Chaos hasn't been bad, so no excuse there. Just not a lot of motivation to get out there constantly. Schedule is a little different this year, and not as flexible. The 2 weeks vacation to go to N.C. also cut into things for migration. Despite that my numbers had been close to 3rd most at various points this year, until May came. One thing I have tried to do is make sure I take Hercules with me. I think there was only 3 or maybe at most 4 times I've not had him with me. Hitting up Woodland Park got to be difficult with him with the flooding and mud. So I can't say I am going 100%. Another demotivator is my really only goal this year was to get #250 at some point. I later added just doing enough to get 200 this year, to keep my 10 year average at that number. It's okay though. Herc loves going for walks, and swims if there is water, so it is worth it. Another weird thing about this year is there really weren't any rare birds showing up. We had some decent flooding on P DR N, but didn't really get anything rare there as far as shorebirds. That whole area was a hot spot for Lesser Black-backed Gulls. I think I had a a high of 6, but up to 9 were seen in the area in early spring. It wasn't until April 16th we really had some super rare show up. We were at Brooks and I was letting Herc get his feet wet, when I saw a large group of big white birds on the water over in Upper Brace Lake. It was past time for any groups of swans to be around. Put my glass up and saw 12 American White Pelicans. I was able to get word out and a couple of other birders were able to see it before they took off. Got to check them off as self-found now. Later that same day I got very, very distant looks at Forster's Tern on Duck Lake. Not a reliable bird to get every year. Really nothing else out of the ordinary appeared until May 9th when notice came out of a phalarope being spotted out near 21.5 Mile Road in a fluddle. Pic on the way driving there confirmed Wilson's Phalarope. I got there just in time and have just some horrible pics of county bird #250, and a lifer. Not even worth posting on here. Really wish I had better looks at it. Was a bit of a letdown from what should have been a pretty happy moment.
I took Hercules for a walk along Kimball Pines trail and managed to catch a White-eyed Vireo singing for a minute or so. Not what I was expecting to find there, so that was a nice surprise. Another nice surprise before I left for N.C. was a Canada Warbler in the yard, for yardbird #159. After I got back I nabbed #160 with a Cerulean Warbler singing in the treetops here. A couple of really nice surprises. Managed to nab a few other targets after I got back in Marsh Wren, Acadian Flycatcher (in a reliable spot), Dickcissel showed up on 10 Mile Road again, Orchard Oriole. Tried several spots for Sedge Wren but was striking out. I did get them eventually, but they weren't the highlight of that checklist. I took dvantage of somewhat cooler temperatures, after rain came through, and walkedHerc at Brooks on 7/8. Nothing really exciting there, but decided since we were close to D DR S, and decided to let him swim at Upper Brace Lake for a bit, we would try for Sedge Wren there. No Sedge Wren there though, so kept driving down D DR S. Was checking some long grass near the Eaton Test track fence and saw this bird flush up into a dead tree. I put my camera on it and had to do a double take that I wasn't seeing a weird juvenile Rose-breasted Grosbeak. It was a freaking Lark Sparrow!!! A Lifer and #251 for the county. Not a bird I had on my radar at all. The only other record we have of it is on restricted Military property, and then cause they only crossed over the county line when observed. I did managed to see it a couple more times while there, and got some better shots the second time. Still in shock finding this bird.
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2/6 a Sharp-shinned Hawk managed a successful catch of a Northern Cardinal. It took it nearly 45 minutes of plucking and eating before it left the ground. When Hercules and I went down to check the aftermath we spooked it from a nearby perch to another about 50 feet away. It was content to just sit there while we checked things out. Below is all that was left!!
One of my goals this year is to read, on average, a book a week. Plan is to alternate Fiction/Non-fiction. First up in the non-fiction is this one I've been eyeing for a long time. I have it feeling it might support some arguments I have related to eponymous bird names.
I've been putting this off long enough. I've tried to not be too disappointed with not hitting 220 for the year. It just wasn't in the cards with the way the weather hit at the end of the month. I didn't even head back out until the 30th. One highlight prior to the 2 day sprint at the end of the year was 2 Great Horned Owls calling back and forth. The 30th and 31st had very few highlights also. Hart's Lake I was able to get some audio recordings of Bald Eagle and Mute Swan for the first time. It was truly an amazing sight with 38 Mute Swans and 34 Trumpeter Swans calling out. The Mute Swans were a high count for the County. I also got a flagged high count of Gadwalls at 28.
Hart's Lake looked good, but most of the other lakes were relatively empty of birds. Really was just a kick in the junk to nab any more birds. I thought maybe some owls might come through, but I decided to go Duck Lake and hit J DR N for Short-eared. Problem was when I got there, a couple of hunters were giving me crap when I pulled up there. According to them there were no owl because it had been "sprayed". By that time it was too late to try another spot I had thought might be a chance. So I ended at 218 for the year. Still the best year ever.
So to look at the positives of the year.
I've been going after it pretty hard lately. I've been out to Duck Lake 15 times in Nov/Dec, with nothing new to show out there. Honestly it wasn't until past week that it really was even decently birdie. Just as the freeze came in. My other target has been Beadle Lake which has been fairly birdy also. Multiple White-winged Scoters were hanging out there since 11/24, with 4 showing up on 12/19. No Black Scoters though, or even Long-tailed Ducks. They showed up to the East and the West, but not here. This freeze put the lakes at basically almost completely frozen over, and now this big blizzard with below zero wind chills for multiple days, has probably sealed my fate for ducks this year. Maybe the river can attract something. I still have hopes for Pine Siskin, but beyond that it will be a real rarity of a passerine to tick the count up to 220.
Have had a decent amount of accipiters showing up taking shots at the feeders. 11/1 a Sharpie took a pass at the feeders, landed in a tree and then shot up a few branches and grabbed a Goldfinch. On 12/4 I think one nabbed a House Finch in the yard. On 11/10 a Cooper's Hawk either nabbed something out of the air, or chased it down. I couldn't tell what it was though. On 11/15 one took off from the ground, so I assume that was also a successful attempt. I missed a chance to record Cackling Goose calls on 11/13 out on Duck Lake. Caught them as they were flying with a much higher pitched call. Managed some pics after they landed back on the water. Not a FOY, but always cool to see. A big dump of snow in mid-November brought a late Fox Sparrow to the feeders for 4 days, along with a cismontanus Junco. I managed to re-find the juvenile and adult/3rd cycle Lesser Black-backed Gulls on Duck Lake on 11/20, and again on 11/23. The "ducks" were still woefully low numbered. 11/24 finally got a Great Horned Owl in the yard calling this winter. On 11/25 I was searching through a large group of geese on Beadle Lake and was just about ready to leave, when I heard an odd call. A group of geese was flying about 50 feet overhead, and at the back was a large white goose with black wing-tips. Finally a Snow Goose, and number 218 for the year. Now I just needed to hope for Ross's Goose or Greater White-fronted to show up. I did however end November with no new November birds in the county. First time it has happened this year. December has been mostly uneventful save some White-winged Scoter sightings, and trying to get anything good to show up on Duck Lake. I did the B.C. CBC on 12/17 and didn't get anything flagged except high counts for Red-shouldered Hawk twice. I cam across some crows and jays mobbing something in some pine trees. As I sat there trying to see what it was, a buteo came in to the area. After a minute or so it started to call. Clearly a Red-shouldered Hawk, and was answered by a second one that was in the area the crows were gathered around. This count of two flagged for high count. About a mile down the road I had two calling again. Not sure if the same pair or not, but possible. Not too long after this I had a Red-shouldered about a mile south. Anywhere from 2-5 birds in the area. Very cool bird to get on the count. It was only a couple of days later that I had a pair driving down 9.5 Mile Road. Gotta love the moonroof in the winter to catch things up in trees. On most of my trips to Duck Lake I try to stop by J DR N for Short-eared Owl. Had a brief moment of excitment when a bird came gliding into the field. Turned out to be a Northern Harrier, that appeared to catch something. A nice bird, but not the one I wanted. Herc and I took a walk along the river to see if birds were starting to show up. There were quite a few geese and swans, and a smattering of ducks. Most much further East than I wanted to walk. I did manage a FOS abieticola Red-tailed Hawk. In a last hurrah on that same day we hit up Duck Lake, only to find it 98% frozen. A few small areas with some open water for ducks to concentrate. I manged 11 Cackling Geese quite a ways from the boat launch. No different gulls, and a Bald Eagle harassing some Coots. I got High Counts on American Black Duck, Hooded Merganser, and American Coot. Prairie Lake also gave a flagged high count on Hooded Mergansers hanging out in the small patch of water. The first big day of the storm I didn't get anything super rare blown in. I had a ton of birds, and managed to find 4 cismontanus Junco under the feeders. Wild number. Today I was only able to pick out 3 of them. Tons of goldfinches and House Finches, along with juncos. We are suppossed to get a warm-up later next week, but I'm not sure it will be enough to open up anything on the lakes. I know some geese and swans are still heading in to Beadle Lake after flying out, at least yesterday that was true. Pine Siskin might be only shot, if they haven't already moved through. Next mostly likely one after that is Evening Grosbeak, which has probably blow through the region also. Hoary Redpoll won't be an option, as the species map for them this month show them all north of Montreal, with no U.S. sightings at all. I may have to try for Northern Saw-whet, or Long-eared Owls as desperate moves. I really thought 220 was going to be very reachable when I was at 217 at end of October. It has still been the best year ever, both for me and the county. We are sitting at 226 as Dr. Dale Kennedy had a female Brewer's Blackbird out on R DR N. I also thought at end of October we could manage 5 more birds to get to 230. It really, up until the past week, has been so much southerly winds that I don't think stuff was moving like normal. Absolutely no excuse for taking this long to update. Chaos hasn't been kind, but I've had time to do it. Despite the really great number for the year I missed a lot of Fall Migration, and didn't really feel like I was getting a lot of birds. I've mostly just picked up stuff specifically here and there, and lucked into others. Honestly I can't imagine what my number would be if I had a year with no issues, and all the time. I've not been able to bird in the county for 9 weeks this year because of Chaos. I can hardly believe where I am sitting at right now with 2 months left to go and just over 2 weeks of vacation time to have to burn off also. Since my last update I have amazingly added 8 more FOY birds, with 5 of them happening in October. I am now at 217 for the year. The first of these 8 was an American Avocet, #209,that Dr. Kennedy found at Homer WTP. Not as good of looks as last year's but no doubt about the ID. Both Duck Lake WTP and Homer WTP have been the worst I have ever seen it. Duck Lake WTP had water level higher than ever, and Homer was just covered in weeds. No real shots at shorebirds, so it was surprising to get this bird for sure. Especially with no fluddles in play. Having said that it wasn't until around October I realized that the backwater here had quite a few exposted mudflats from the continuing drought. By the end of August I was able to get out more and hit up Woodland Park. The park wasn't being very well maintained wiht overgrown trails, but I managed to find one of my few target birds in an Olive-sided Flycatcher. Bonus it was calling, which was a first for me in hearing them. A week or so later I had a Barred Owl calling at Woodland Park around 10 in the morning. I managed to get recordings of both calls. My last expected owl of the year was heard while sitting at my desk with an Eastern Screech-Owl calling on back to back days in mid-September. Now I wouldn't have to go out at butt crack dawn to find one. Also unexpected as I was again limited in my birding for these few weeks. October has turned into a sprint for me though, and it started off with a Winter Wren I targetted at Grever's. Sure enough Herc and I ran into one that showed long enough to flash its backside, and show me its rather plain face and then disappear. That bird officially made this the Biggest Year I've had in the county with #213. Later that same day I nabbed Surf Scoters out at Duck Lake. The Surf Scoters tied the full county with #224, same as last year. Two weeks after the Surf Scoters showed up for a while I managed to pick out a Red-necked Grebe mixed in with the Ring-billed Gulls at Duck Lake. My #215 and the county's #225. Best years ever. A week later I found 2 more out there for a total of 3 on the lake. The next day the Grebes continued, and Duck Lake gave up a Lesser Black-backed Gull for me finally. That was a catch-up bird I missed earlier in the year. A day later I finally found the Peregrine Falcons in a different spot than Heritage Tower. Another catch-up bird, and one that hadn't been reported since August. This put me at #217, out of #225 in the county. This is not only my highest number, the county's highest number, but also the best percentage I've ever had at any end of month. I did miss hitting 100 birds in October, by 1 bird. We have had so many southern winds the ducks are just not moved down here in numbers yet. Really great for moths, but not so much for birds. I definitely feel a little better about hitting 220 for the year. Evening Grosbeaks have been showing up all over...except down a swatch that fits right in with the I-69 construction bizarrely. There are still lots of corn up in the fields, so blackbird flocks have been hard to find. Still I look at the bar charts and there might still be a shot to pick up Brewer's Blackbird. I've still got the 3 little geese to pick up potentially, Ross's, Greater White-fronted and Snow. I have plenty of room on the feeders for Pine Siskin. Black Scoter, the unicorn (Red-throated Loon, and various Gulls (Glaucous, Great Black-backed, Iceland) as options also. Nearly all of these are basically Duck Lake targets, so lots of birding later in the day will be happening as long as water is open. Evening Grosbeak or Red-throated Loon would actually put me at #250 lifetime for the county. Never thought I could hit a number like that.
Here are some shot from the last 3 months. Not a lot to brag about. The Mothing really took up a lot of my attention as it was easier just walking out the door 10 feet. Last 6 weeks have just been a train wreck for birding. After returning from N.C. my back took a couple of weeks to recover. This was followed by a week of having to go back into the office, which lead to catching the Wuhan Flu. That lead to 2 weeks of cold/flu, followed by 2 weeks, and counting, of a persistent cough. This thing definitely was not natural. I had 12 hours of minor fever, and then it was lots of symptoms moving from head to chest and back. Never had that with a flu or cold. It usually makes a steady progression, not act like a tennis match. Needless to say the birding has taken a huge hit. It was the weekend prior to going back in the office for a week, and the weekend prior to COVID fun that I managed some FOY birds. Really wanted to target for Henslow's Sparrows, Grasshopper Sparrow and Dickcissel in June. Hit up my typical Henslow's spot on 9.5 Mile Road a few times with no luck. Grasshopper Sparrows were being reported from the Airport, so Herc and I headed there morning of 6/25. No luck again on that. We hit a few other spots with no luck. After returning home there was a report of Dickcissel near G DR N and 9.5 Mile. We headed there with no luck, but kept going down 10 Mile Road to keep checking for anything else. That was when I found a grass field and the unmistakeable song of multiple Dickcissels. I even managed a few shots as the sang from the telephone wires, and landed nearby. This spot is certainly closer than most other potential Dickcissels spots, so will have to keep trying this spot every year. The morning of the 26th we headed back out to the airport. This time with some success as Merlin picked up Grasshopper Sparrow, and a short bit later I managed to hear it myself carried in the wind. I'm sure I'm getting closer to these birds being sight only birds. In addition there was an odd call coming from the swamp inside the fence. I thought that sure sounded like a Common Gallinule. Sure enough there was one tucked up in there calling pretty consistently. Another nice FOY bird. We then headed to Gordon Lake to try for Hooded Warbler, with no luck. Very frustrating bird for me in the county. After this my next opportunity to feel up to birding wasn't until July 17th. Q DR S had Yellow-breasted Chat and Henslow's Sparrow reported weekend of July 4th. I had no such luck with either there. Just a ton of Bank Swallows flying around and up on the wires. We did go back out on July 23rd, but with not much really of note species wise. Experience-wise on the 23rd at Homer I spooked a Bald Eagle from right about my head. I also experienced an American Kestrel land on the algae sheet to pick off some kind of big chunky larvae. Shorebird spots are not looking good at all for this migration. Here are a few other shots I've managed in the few birding outings these past 6 weeks. Due to all the Chaos the past 6 weeks I have gotten back into more of the wildlife closer to home. I was reminded about all the moth photography I used to do. I got some old school incandescent light bulbs to replace the LED in my porch lights and overnight was back to having a ton of moths show up. This has also led me down the rabbit hole of macro photography. I am the proud owner of a dedicated macro lens, and getting a few other things to try to take that to the next level. I've also focused on "listing" my moths similar to what I do for birds. Also trying to go back through old pics that need ID for moths. I've managed ~50 lifers so far this year (this assumes my ID's are correct), and am up to over 425 species seen. I know I posted Moth pics on here in the past, but honestly think I might do something a bit more dedicated, like a separate blog or pages to create on here.
Hercules and I headed down to North Carolina to visit with some relatives at the end of May. We had a brief stop in Virginia overnight and did some birding/hiking, and for Herc some swimming, at a small county park. Just enough to whet the appetite. Since I had some time to kill the next day I looked to see if there was any place on the way to find Swainson's Warbler. I know it is a specialty of the South-East, and I've never been in the area at the appropriate time. Sure enough Howell Woods Environmental Learning Center had a checklist from the previous day with GPS coordinates to that bird, and also some Kentucky Warblers! Good news/Bad news. I did manage to record audio of a very actively singing Swainson's Warbler, but someone forgot to turn the heat down!!!! My poor little birding buddy is not made for temps like that. He had downed all the water I brought within 30 minutes and was panting up a storm. We only managed about an hour walk before we had to be back in the truck with heat cranked up. No time to go find the Kentucky Warbler. The Swainson's never shoed itself. I did get brief looks at a Hooded Warbler, and managed my first audio of that species along with first audio of Summer Tanager. The following day we headed down to Fort Fisher hoping to try to find the Gray Kingbird, or any other numerous potential lifers or FOY birds. I was able to ID some Lifer Clapper Rails calling from the reeds. Even better though as we walked toward the rocks a Clapper Rail flushed up and walked on the dead grass for a minute. Giving really amazing looks at this bird. We didn't dare venture too far out on the rocks, as I've had a bad experience on them before. Herc did manage a nice place to get in the water, as the trip to the beach he wasn't a huge fan of the waves. We ran into an older couple birding and asked what I had seen. They mentioned there is supposed to be a Painted Bunting in the area and were looking for it. After some sighing of various terns, a Common Nighthawk at 0930, and handful of other FOY birds we started to walk back to the truck. Our hour of roasting nearly completed. I started to hear an odd singing coming from the berm. Merlin pegged it as a Painted Bunting just as the couple asked if I was seeing it. Working way up the berm they eventually said they had it up in the tree. I was able to get great, if not shaded looks at a beautiful Lifer Painted Bunting male. What a crazy looking bird!! Returning the next day to again look for potential Lifer Gray Kingbird I ran into another birder waiting on it, and another one driving around asking if I had seen it. Turned out the latter was Sam Cooper, the #1 birder in New Hanover. Herc and I did our roughly hour walking around, and then came back to the truck. That is when I saw Sam pull up to the other birder and have a brief conversation, and then they both took off. I figured Gray Kingbird must have been found. I located both of them down the road just a bit where Sam said it had popped up on the wire just long enough for a quick pic and disappeared. We waited there for a bit, and after a false alarm Mourning Dove I saw a bird perched on the lowest wire. Sure enough Gray Kingbird. I was able to walk up close enough to get ID'able pics and then backed off allowing the other birder a look. As we headed back up the road I stopped and looked into the bushes and lucked out. The bird was sitting right in the top of a snag nearly at eye level!!! With no traffic either way I was able to get some additional pics. Another bird I really wanted to get was Mississippi Kite, and I found a spot that was more my style of birding in the heat. Driving down a dirt road, so we could jump in the truck and keep cool as needed. On June 1st we headed to Governor's Road where Swallow-tailed Kite (my favorite bird), and Mississippi Kites were being seen at times daily. Not far into the drive sure enough lifer Mississippi Kites were overhead, and a Swallow-tailed Kite gave me my best looks ever at that species. Governor's Road continued to deliver as we drove down the dirt section of it. Prothonotary Warbler singing from the swamps, Northern Parula, and Pine Warblers were plentiful. I had my first look at a male Blue Grosbeak. I also had a very strange sound that I couldn't quite figure out despite its familiarity. Turned out I was hearing lifer Northern Bobwhites calling from out in the fields/woods. Never got lucky and saw them, but still something not likely to ever find around here now. Unfortunately it was so hot Herc was having none of it. He would only get out very briefly, and then jump right back in the truck. One of my excursions out of the truck I caught sight of two large white birds flying in the distance. Lifer Cattle Egrets!! Not the most satisfying looks, but I would make up for that later in the day. We hit the railroad tracks and decided to turn back around as I also wanted to try Lee Bucks Road. A Red-shouldered Hawk on the wire started us on the way back. I managed to get some good audio of Yellow-breasted Chat and amazing looks at a White-eyed Vireo that responded to some "pishing". Amazing how plentiful both of those species are around there. Lee Bucks road offered up some very distant Prairie Warbler singing, and I believe my first "white-eyed" Eastern Towhee. Quite a different song than the ones we get up here. Neither of the Kites were continuing in the field I had them at the start of things, about 2.5 hours prior. My much better looks at Cattle Egrets ended up being in a drainage pond in a residential area a short time later. Two birds allowed me to get some much better photos than that of my lifers above. That ended my first day of active birding. North Carolina wasn't done, as my last night there an approaching storm brought out Mississippi Kites right above where I was staying. Pics are dark and grainy, but they put on a show catching food before the rain arrived. Such graceful and acrobatic birds. It was great way to end a week that saw 7 Lifers (5 with photos) and 8 new audio lifers. I know it could have been better, had it not been so blessed hot there. No way I was going to make Hercules have to suffer more than he did. He was a trooper about it, and was nearly perfect save the dive into the Koi pond. Some other photos from the trip below.
When we last left off, a lifer Connecticut Warbler had showed up at Woodland Park on 5/18 and I managed to get some acceptable pics and video the morning of the 19th. Another highlight of that morning was some really great looks at a female Canada Warbler, a constantly calling Mourning Warbler, and a FOY Gray-cheeked Thrush singing.
That evening of the 19th, Hercules and I went for a walk at Brooks Nature Area and came across my best looks at FOY Common Nighthawks so far. It was relatively early in the evening and with plenty of light behind me the Nighthawks put on a great show allowing for some photographs that will be hard to top. Two Common/Forster's Terns were also on the lake, but disappeared by the time we made it out to the lookout.
I needed to try to start to look for Grasshopper Sparrow or Dickcissels, and Q DR S near 1.5 Mile Road is as good a spot as any. While I didn't find either of those, I did get a surprising Clay-colored Sparrow singing. This was a bird I wasn't counting on getting this year. More interesting than that was a Sedge Wren that was giving a very odd song. It had an almost Pine Warbler like trill at the end of its songs. You can hear the "normal" song until about 29 seconds into the below video where it switches.
I am really digging the new camera/lens combo. Getting shots I'd have never gotten, or even bothered trying to take before. Even these Red-winged Blackbirds shots are something I am proud of for my skill level.
The 21st I tried for Grasshopper Sparrow at the airport with no luck, so headed back to Q DR S. I did manage a FOY Cliff Swallow there, which was surprising. I also had very brief looks through my windshield at an odd-looking female blackbird. It looked very yellow near the head. Unfortunately it bolted before I could get a clear look at it. Since I was looking through the windshield I can't rule out some weird reaction with the tint/angle causing the color. No way I could call it a Yellow-headed Blackbird with certainty.
I then headed to Homer to try for shorebirds. No luck there, but did manage a tie for late Horned Grebe. The Grebe continued to the 24th, so a new late record for this bird in the Spring. It was while there I got notification that Dr. Dale Kennedy had Black-bellied Plovers on 21 Mile Road. This was a far more interesting bird for the year than the Horned Grebe, so I booked up there. So begins one of the craziest moments of rarities I've can ever recall. I did swing by B DR S, since it was not far out of the way to check the fluddle there. FOY Semipalmated Sandpipers were holding court with some Dunlin, Semipalmated Plover and Least Sandpiper. FOY Bank Swallows were also buzzing over the dwindling fluddle. Once I arrived at 21 Mile Road I had an eye on the reported Bonaparte's Gull. I snapped some pics, just since it was a late record and jumped right back in to trying to find the Plovers. More to come on this in a bit. It took a few minutes to finally locate them as they have moved farther back into the field. I got better photos than my previous Calhoun County bird. I then headed to the R DR N fluddles and was surprised to find a White-rumped Sandpiper within 10 feet of the road feeding alongside a Dunlin. The bird was incredibly accommodating giving me by far my best looks to date of this species. Now back to that "Bonaparte's Gull". I got home and started going through my pictures and realized this bird didn't have orange legs, the hood was very extensive, and just looked off for Bonaparte's. It turned out this was a lone Franklin's Gull. This put 3 extremely rare birds for our county within 1/2 mile of each other. Just incredible!!!! Not just birds that tagged as rare, but truly rare species. All 3 of these birds were first eBird records for the Spring. The last Black-bellied Plover (Code 4) was in August 2016. The last Franklin's Gull (Code 5) was November of 2015. The last White-rumped Sandpiper (Code 4) was October 2017.
But wait...there's more!!! 3 days later on the 24th I was diverted from jumping on the highway by a traffic backup, so we hit up Grevers on the way to trying Homer again. While no FOY were there, I did have at least 3 Pine Warbler singing there. A good sign they may be breeding in the area. After we did a short walk there, we finally made it to Homer. As I was scanning the edges I came across a bird on the shore with an incredibly rufous head. I thought "Wow that is a very bright Least Sandpiper!!". Shortly after this the shape came more into focus as the mirage was maddening and the bird was on the distant shore. It was a Phalarope!!!! Now to try to nail the ID on it. I know these guys can be tough to ID sometimes. I decided to hook up my phone to my new scope (wow this new scope is great!!), and try to get some pics. Turned out this was a great idea as the below horrible photo was the best I managed, when compared to my pricey new camera setup. From this pic I was able to confirm the county's 1st Red-necked Phalarope, and a lifer for me to boot!!! Needless to say I was shocked by this find. The next day it was sighted closer to the near shore, so some better pics were obtained by Brendan Klick.
This flurry of rare birds bumped up my year total to 205. I had hoped to try to gather one more FOY before the end of May, but it wasn't meant to be. Nothing really too much of note after this bird. The county sits at 216 as of today, 7 ahead of last years place and at a whopping 231 birds in the past 12 months!! Not sure we can keep that number up for the rest of the year. I'm going to try to see if I can get 5 more FOY this month and be at 210 for the year. As good a goal as any.
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