Making the Best of Difficult Circumstances

Turri Road Pond

The difficult circumstances this morning was an overcast, gray sky with light drizzle. My limited birding skills were put to the test, especially when looking into the glare, but I persevered; managing to identify 41 birds in 3 hours.

Little birds, especially if they were at a distance or on a utility line, all looked alike, but due to the season of spring many were singing which helped considerably in their identification. My goal this morning was to see how many birds I could identify along the road.  Fortunately traffic was very light with just a few bicyclists.

First stop was the main pond (Photo).  3 Northern Shoveler, 2 Semipalmated Plover, and a Killdeer.  In the brush were Common Yellowthroat, Red-winged Blackbird, Wrentit, and an Anna's Hummingbird. Overhead, moving at sonic speed, were three species of Swallow and a bird that I adore, the White-throated Swift.

This week, Lazuli Bunting, Purple Martin, Blue Grosbeak, and Grasshopper Sparrow (most adorable) had been seen. I found 2 out of  4 - Lazuli Bunting and Grasshopper Sparrow. As soon as the sun comes out, usually after 1:00, I'll make a return trip to Turri Road to look for the Martin, which I have yet to view.