For long stretches, it seemed like everything that moved was either a Palm Warbler or a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. Eventually, more and more Pine Warblers started showing up, and got friendly with the camera. Appropriately, the Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warblers were the most active within the rows of wax myrtles.
A House Wren peeked out at us from behind a stump, and then darted off into the crevice of a fallen tree. We staked it out for several minutes and were rewarded with much better looks than we've managed in the past. It would call out, duck behind a branch, and then pop back up and start calling again. Although we only saw one, we heard the calls of others from not far off.
We counted more Eastern Phoebes than I can remember seeing on one outing. One particularly audacious individual swooped down from its perch to snatch an insect off the grass a mere 3 ft. from where I stood.
It started off as a slow day for raptors. The Ospreys are a given - we almost always see several right away - and we had an early Red-shouldered Hawk, but surveying the snags in areas that have been reliable for Red-tailed Hawks and American Kestrels, we came up empty. After backtracking, we headed down the other arm of the boardwalk and found a solemn-looking Merlin (is there any other kind?). Then, after climbing the observation tower, a Buteo passed us by. I apologize, dear readers, that all I can say with confidence is that it was either a Broad-winged or a light-morph Short-tailed Hawk. I was able to make out light underparts with a dark border around the wings, but it soon moved on. Maureen noticed it hold its wings at a slight downward angle, so Broad-winged seems likely.
Nice post, lovely photos and great shots of the Bittern - congrats!
ReplyDeleteI loved the video! The bittern really is doing a great job impersonating the reeds.
ReplyDeleteGreat bittern shots!
ReplyDelete