Warblers are in! Flooding continues...

With the continued high water, I wonder if swimming is authorized, too? 

As I suspected/feared, my little soybean field "fluddle" dried up this week, and the shorebirds that were there have moved on. Oh well, it was nice while it lasted. With that, I decided to head back to Louisville Swamp and see if the floodwaters had receded more. I should have checked the river levels...more on that in a bit. There were other more pleasant surprises waiting for me there though!

As I was riding out of my neighborhood, I heard chip notes from the treetops along the road- warbler chip notes! Not what I was really after today, but I was ready to look for them when I arrived. I wasn't disappointed there. A small flock of warblers flitting about in an oak tree was waiting for me shortly after I got on the trail. 

Tennessee Warbler, Wilson's Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, and American Redstarts were present. A Red-eyed Vireo foraged with the flock and occasionally sang. It was really enjoyable to watch. Over time, I've come to appreciate fall migration more and more. No, the warblers mostly aren't singing, and many are not in their full bright spring colors. When you think about it though - this is really what they are like most of year. Moving around together, quietly calling to each other in mixed flocks, soon to join other tropical birds thousands of miles away in rainforests, gardens, coffee farms, mangroves, and other habitats quite different from those they frequent here. 

Guess I won't be going this way today. 

I walked down the trail a little further and found another flock. A few more species in this one - Blackburnian, Black-and-white, and Nashville. I was looking at what I initially thought was a Tennessee Warbler, but then noticed a yellowish throat and undertail, darker than the belly. The bill was also thicker - Philadelphia Vireo. A new green bird, and not necessarily an easy one - nice! The flock moved on, so I decided to move down to the wetland to see if there were any flats, and hang there for a while and see what flew over - maybe a southern rarity? 

Unfortunately, the water didn't go down from where it was last time. It was back up. Way up. Back to being a bathtub, with no flats at all. Bummer. I couldn't even really walk into the open. I stayed there for a bit anyways just to take a break if nothing else. Nothing else really showed up. I figured I'd run to the other side of the area and try for Northern Waterthrush down by the creek that flows into the wetland. Maybe I could find a Winter Wren there too. 

At least the creek wasn't too flooded. 

I walked quickly along the wetland edge trail as the mosquitoes chased me. I walked by a fruiting tree that was full of Baltimore Orioles. One Tennessee Warbler was mixed in with them, but that was it. I got down to the creek and quickly heard a distinctive loud chip note there. A small brown bird popped into view briefly low in the tangles - a Northern Waterthrush! Missing this species through two migrations would have been disappointing, so I was glad to get it. I wanted to go further down the trail, but the flooded trail prevented me from going too far. It was a good day though. 

Two days of north winds brought cooler temperatures, and good conditions for migration. I really wanted to try for some shorebirds, somewhere. There's a Wildlife Management Area about 15 miles south of here that I've had some decent luck at in year's past, and some shorebirds were reported there last week. Even though it was pretty far away, I figured I'd give it try. 

The ride down wasn't easy. The temperature was really comfortable, but lots of hills and a stiff wind made it challenging - and that was when I was traveling mostly south and west. I was dreading the ride back when it would really be in my face. The road was gravel in places and had minimal shoulder in others. Not ideal. But it would all be worth it if I got some shorebirds out of it all. 

My heart sank immediately after getting there. The wetland was completely full. No flats. Just swans and ducks. Ugh. "Now What?" I thought, as I drank some water and thought about my next move. 

 

Marsh WMA - note the lack of mudflats. 

I decided to try to walk through the restored prairie there and try to flush something. It's possible there could be some Short-eared Owls there, or maybe some early LeConte's Sparrows. Or maybe something would fly overhead. A bit of wishful thinking perhaps, but it seemed a waste to not at least walk around a little bit on such a nice day. 

I'm standing up in this picture. Note the big bluestem grass over my head. 

I started walking through the prairie, circling the marsh in the middle of the area. That wasn't easy either. The grass was tall and thick, and it was slow going. I glanced down at the wetland as I walked around it, hoping something weird would be around each corner. Just more ducks. Many of them were in their transitional "eclipse" plumage, making them harder to identify. They were mostly Mallards and Wood Ducks, with a few teal mixed in. 

No shorebirds here, just us ducks.

The walk was not super productive. I flushed a few Sedge Wrens which angrily scolded me after flushing. A ground squirrel scared me, darting underfoot through the thick duff. After about an hour of walking, I'd had enough. I gathered my strength and got back on the bike. 

A Green Heron perching awkwardly up in a tree. Such characters. 

The ride home met my expectations - and they weren't good ones. It was tough going up hill after hill with a strong headwind. Sometimes it felt like I was walking I was going so slow. However, I'd decided that if nothing else I'd get some good training out of this failed birding adventure. A stop in the town of Jordan for some coffee and sweets took some sting out of the ride. The second half went quicker than I thought it would, and I made it home just fine. 

I did have one silver lining from this fruitless birding trip - I found some nice short grassy areas only a few miles south that look like they could hold Buff-breasted Sandpipers - a fall specialty in Minnesota. These birds can be found on mudflats like other shorebirds - but also in short grassy areas like sod farms, airports, and recently hayed fields. Next time we have north winds interrupted with some rain, I'll check these spots out. Maybe a few will get knocked down. Although, I kind of hope the rain stops so that my main mudflat spot dries up! 

Great Egret at Louisville Swamp

Anyhow, two new "green" species from Louisville Swamp brings me up to 215 species. I also passed the 500-mile mark with my ride to Marsh WMA. So not bad overall! I hope you enjoyed reading this. Until next time!