Welcome Autumn...almost

Monarchs on the move!

It's been a relatively slow week birding wise - not because of a lack of opportunity, but because of an annoying cold! I've been laying pretty low recovering for the most part. It's been a challenge - the mind is willing, but the body hasn't been, until today! I decided to get back on the bike and head over to my favorite green birding spot, Louisville Swamp. 

Gray Catbird giving me a hard look

The ride over was ok but I definitely had to pace myself. I'm MOSTLY recovered, but not quite 100% yet. I immediately heard White-throated Sparrows calling as I was locking the bike up. Sifting out a Harris's Sparrow was top of my mind. The first flock proved to be all White-throated, but an Ovenbird was responsive to my "pishing" and gave me a chance to get a picture. An Orange-crowed Warbler also popped up, which was cool...but their arrival only means one thing - warbler migration is coming to an end soon. I'll enjoy it while I can!

Ovenbird

Another two flocks of White-throated Sparrows presented themselves, and again, I wasn't able to sift any Harris's out. A Lincoln's Sparrow was fun though. I kept going, enjoying all of the monarch butterflies and dragonflies overhead. I started walking down towards the mudflats, which look fantastic now. Pectoral Sandpipers and Greater Yellowlegs were there, as were a small group of Sandhill Cranes. Then another flock of White-throated Sparrows to sift through near the wetland - but these ones were being skittish. I soon discovered why - a Cooper's Hawk was actively stalking them. It made a couple of dives at the flock, then moved on. 

I kept going, and a familiar call caught my ear overhead - Black-bellied Plover! I was very happy. I'd hoped to get this one but had no expectation of actually finding this species. Goes to show how important it is to not ignore learning shorebird calls - I got both of my "big" plovers by call only this year. A quick scan of the flats didn't reveal anything, so I started making my way to the causeway and the nice woods in between.

Nothing to see here...sneaky Cooper's Hawk

I didn't run into much between there and the causeway - a few more Orange-crowned Warblers and an unexpected juvenile Red-headed Woodpecker were about it. I decided to pull out my camping stool and sit for a bit, see if I could get anything new flying over the wetland unit - and get some rest and water. 

Juvenile Red-headed Woodpecker - no red head yet!

It was a fun sit. Lots of Great Egrets, Franklin's Gulls, and a massive flock of American White Pelicans. There were at least 500 of them. I really enjoyed watching them take off from their roosting flock and grab the thermals, soaring way up high. A pair of Caspian Terns flew in. One was obviously a juvenile - following its' parent, making begging calls. I stayed for a while and enjoyed the show. 

After a while I decided to head out. Some warblers were flitting around the scrub along the flats - closer examination revealed them to be Yellow-rumped and Palm Warblers. How much longer will they be here, I wondered? Not much longer...

Palm Warbler

I didn't get much else the rest of the walk. I managed to sift out a White-crowned Sparrow from a White-throated flock, which was something of a moral victory. I tried to find a Winter Wren from the wooded stream in the bottoms on the way out, but no luck there either. It was fine though - I've still got time for sparrows, and Black-bellied Plover was a great add. I'm pretty much done with shorebirds now, barring some fluke rarity. The next few weeks will be interesting. Sparrows make the most sense to target, along with Winter Wren. Hopefully we'll get a good cold front at some point! Then things change quite a bit into mid-October - the shift goes back to waterbirds. Grebes, scoters, and of course...Canvasback! I haven't forgotten about that one! 

Thanks for reading! 



















 

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