In the past week, we have had more visitors than migrants. High south winds are helping them fly well inland before they need to stop for a rest. But some of the breeding migrants have arrived are in the process of setting up housekeeping.
A few purple gallinules are around . We have a plethora of least bitterns. I got a bad picture last Friday and a wonderful look Sunday. I didn't bother with my camera because it was overcast and the winds made it hard to see even through binoculars. Then I kicked myself when we got wonderful views of both a least bittern and a king rail, both walking or standing well in the open. (
I had a friend visit today and of course we went birding. )
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| A purple gallinule feeding on in the canal around Shoveler Pond |
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| Least bittern around Shoveler's Pond |
Orchard orioles are everywhere as are the eastern kingbirds. Some of the green herons just were passing through but one bird is already sitting on eggs in a dead tree in the Willows pond.
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| A green heron nesting in a dead willow |
The new, handicapped-accessible rookery trail in the Skillern Unit recently opened. I visited it the evening it opened and found thirty species in about thirty minutes. Notable were a black and white warbler, a Nashville warbler, adult bald eagle, gull-billed terns, a sora right beside the viewing platform, eastern towhees and the first fulvous whistling ducks I've seen on the refuge This year. I saw a flock of about forty, but a staffer who was working out there saw a flock of about four hundred. The following day, a small flock circled the VIS pond and two landed briefly. I got a poor picture of them.
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| Fulvous whistling ducks on Shoveler Pond |
Nice find on the green heron nest. Should make for some great pictures when the eggs hatch. :)
ReplyDeleteWonderful birding experience! And your photos are excellent.
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