October Tour
Walked out to helispot on “Tram”Rd in hopes of sparrows, but no luck with them. Large numbers of Palm Warblers.
No Vermilion Flycatcher at double dikes, it’s overdue!
Mounds 1 – Am Flamingo present and fairly close. Also present a Wilson’s Snipe and Pectoral Sandpiper nicely posed a few inches apart; a flyover Am Avocet.
Mounds/Tower Pond Trail – Quiet behind restrooms, a single Hermit Thrush and little else; didn’t try for the recently reported Clay-colored Sparrow in the open area around the Tower. An hour prior to high tide in the bay, so Tower Pond had good numbers of shorebirds as expected, although could find nothing unusual. Also, two Reddish Egrets. What was unexpected was the height of the tide. My tide chart indicates a +3.1 afternoon high tide, which will be getting higher over the next few days. The tide today appeared much higher than expected for +3.1. After returning from a walk to the south end of Mounds 3, the tide had completely inundated the adjacent salt flats and water was near the top of the outlet culvert from the water control structure. The water was high enough that most of the birds on Tower Pond had left by noon.
South end of Mounds 3 – This seems to be the best birding spot on the refuge right now. The water level is quite low, so it is attracting large numbers of shorebirds as well as modest duck numbers in the deeper water. Gadwall, Am. Wigeon, Pintail, Bl-w Teal, Redhead. Am. and Semi-palm Plover, Least and Western Sandpiper, Dunlin, Dowitchers (too lazy to look for Long-billed), Marbled Godwit, Black-necked Stilt, and two Am. Avocet. Glossy Ibis (no White faced today).
On the walk back out had a ~3 foot Eastern Diamondback cross the outer levee adjacent to Tower Pond.
The Bronzed Cowbird, which had been reported on eBird by Melissa Forehand and Kim Forehand Van der Linde was located in a flock comprising about a dozen Redwings and a couple of Brown-headed Cowbirds that were working around the Lighthouse and parking area. The Bronzed Cowbird was an adult female, quite black with just a hint of bluish on the wings and a subtle brownish cast to head. Red eye was visible in good light but not too easily seen.