Today observed huge flocks of Godwit, Willet; a few Long-billed Curlew (top photo); and one Whimbrel. Here and there, Black-bellied Plover and Dowitcher. In wetter areas several Killdeer and a solitary Spotted Sandpiper (above photo). Farther out in the estuary were Great Blue Heron, and Great and Snowy Egret; even farther out, a flock of Avocet.
All the shorebirds birds were busy feeding until a Turkey Vulture (below photo) made a low pass, causing panic and chaos, thousands of birds took flight; the sound of the wings was music to my ears. In a few minutes the shorebirds were back feeding, their worries over for the moment. Do believe Turkey Vultures enjoy teasing shorebirds.
On the inland side of the boardwalk, in the extremely dry vegetation, birds were sparse - White-crowned Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Bewick's Wren, a glance at a Palm Warbler, and to my delight, a Fox Sparrow - my second sighting of the year; the first was sighted on Alcatraz Island (the previous blog post).
Before the boardwalk, there was a path along the edge of the estuary. At high tides the path filled with water and for days afterward was totally unusable. Now, one can leave their hip boots home and bird the estuary with ease.
No comments:
Post a Comment