NASWC Bird Walk

Despite it being gloomy, cold, and wet all morning, 10 people showed up for the first NASWC Bird Walk of 2010. The birding was difficult, with most birds staying out of sight in the cold weather. But we ended up finding 51 species, and half of us spent 2.5 hours out on the trail. Here are the highlights:

• In the pond by the parking lot were Gadwall, Northern Shovelers, Green-winged Teal, Blue-winged Teal, 1 American Wigeon, Pied-billed Grebes, and American Coots.
• We spent some time at the edge of the marshy area near the bridge listening to all the birds in the cattails and surrounding brush. We heard a Sora and some of us briefly saw a Marsh Wren.
• A single Cave Swallow circled over the Parmer Bridge for a few minutes. (Not many Cave Swallows spend the winter here.)
• Several times we had mixed flocks of Cedar Waxwings and American Robins fly over us.
• By the last dam on the creek we got close views of a Pied-billed Grebe floating on the water. We got to see it sink straight down into the water like a submarine.
• In the woods by the last dam most of us got brief looks at a nice array of woodland birds including American Goldfinch, Dark-eyed Junco, White-throated Sparrow, Spotted Towhee, Bewick's Wren and Carolina Wren side-by-side, Yellow-rumped Warbler, and Ruby-crowned Kinglet.
• In the creek bed I was delighted to find a single Solitary Sandpiper, very rare this time of year. I got this photo:
  
  
  
• On our way back we saw this Red-shouldered Hawk perched above a Great Blue Heron:
  
  
  
• Back at the pond by our cars a Common Yellowthroat made a brief appearance in the reeds by the water.