4 Hours of Birding

Four hours of birding this morning, 0815-1215.

East River Pool – a few Wood Storks flew over, large numbers of G-w Teal, a couple of Hooded Mergs, and lots of very distant shorebirds (most too far to ID), Forster’s Terns, and Ring-billed Gulls. Nothing exciting, but with so many birds here it is worth a stop.

North end of Mounds 3 (gate 130, the T-dike) – go left at the T. A short distance in, the flamingo was visible by looking SE; continuing along to the “closed to all public entry” sign will provide better looks with better morning light angle. Forgive the anthropomorphizing, but that bird appeared to be really cold. Also on that route, about 10 avocets; 2 Glossy, 2 White-faced, and two Plegadis sp Ibis; plenty of ducks to sort through, but unless you are really compulsive, I’d recommend saving your energy for the locations below, where the sorting is easier and the light is better. This was the only location I found Shovelers, however.

Tower Pond and South end of Mounds 3 – North winds kept the bay tide pushed out, so the expected large numbers of shorebirds were absent from Tower Pond. Oddly, the several dozen shorebirds present were almost all Semi-palm and Bl-b Plovers; one Dunlin. The duck numbers visible from the open section of the south end of Mounds 3 are way down. A few Black Ducks and Mallards, two Pintail.

Picnic Pond – Several Ruddy Ducks

Lighthouse Pond – Loaded with ducks. Redheads, Canvasback, both Scaup, Ring-necks, Bufflehead, Hooded Merg, Wigeon, Gadwall (but I had to look hard to find just one. Gadwall have been scarce my last couple trips).

Apalachee Bay – With much scanning, I could find only one distant Com. Goldeneye, a female. Plenty of Com. Loons, Horned Grebes, Bufflehead, and Oystercatchers.

The only “expected” species of ducks missed were Blue-winged Teal (all on Stony Bayou 2??) and Red-br Merg. Some other birders saw Snow Geese on SB 2.