We started our day on Van Dyne Spoor Road. A short distance down the road, Allyn found an American bittern in the marsh! We have been consistently seeing one in that area this summer. A little bit further down the road we heard a Virginia rail. At the far eastern end, the cute, coot clan (say that 3 times fast!!) was out feeding together. After a stop to check out Knox-Marsellus from the East Road Overlook, we came upon some turkey vultures in the Avery grassland (east side of East Road). When you see them up close, they have a face that only a mother can love, but they are AMAZING birds!! They are nature’s clean-up crew, disposing of dead animals. I love to watch them in flight as they are so graceful and such efficient fliers. They mostly soar on thermals with little wing flapping.
When we got to Tschache Pool we found the water level was lower, the habitat drier and there were less shorebirds in the unit. We did see a peregrine falcon as we were heading out and a merlin on our return stirring up the shorebirds. Reuben is leading a shorebird walk today. I hope a bunch of birds moved in overnight. He is leading another walk next Saturday. If you are interested in joining, here is the link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/montezumas-guided-shorebird-walk-tickets-694164985157?aff=oddtdtcreator.
We saw a least 8 bald eagles. There could have been more but we try not to double count them. Those rascals fly all over and it is hard to keep track of them while we are counting other birds! So, I didn’t get any new eagle pictures because they weren’t perched. I am not at all good at getting pics of birds in flight. However, the trumpeter swans were very cooperative. I was able to get many pics of them! Further along, I noticed how the elderberries are maturing, have become heavier and are hanging over with the added weight compared to a week ago. My story is, “taking pictures of plants is way easier than birds” and I’m sticking with it!!
Remember, this week’s sound challenge is the Caspian tern. Go to Merlin, select “Explore” at the bottom, touch the search icon and type in Caspian tern. The third “calls” choice, is normally what I hear, alerting me to their presence. The fourth choice is what I hear from the juveniles. ENJOY!!
Pic #1: coot clan Sandhill Crane Unit (Van Dyne Spoor Road), #2: turkey vulture Avery grassland (East Road), #3: turkey vultures Avery grassland (East Road), #4: trumpeter swan Tschache Pool, #5: trumpeter swan Tschache Pool, #6: trumpeter swan Tschache Pool, #7: trumpeter swan Tschache Pool, #8: trumpeter swan with cygnets Tschache Pool, #9: elderberries 08/11/23 Tschache Pool, #10: elderberries 08/04/23 Tschache Pool, #11: belted kingfisher Tschache Pool, #12: green heron Tschache Pool, #13: juvenile osprey Tschache Pool, #14: painted turtles Tschache Pool, #15: sandhill cranes & great egret Tschache Pool.
Hopefully, you can get out soon to explore and experience all the amazing things at the Montezuma Wetlands Complex trails, towers and the Refuge Wildlife Drive. Remember that the folks at the DEC reported sedge wrens at the Montezuma Audubon Center and near their Morgan Road office.
ENJOY, be respectful and safe.
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