Thursday, February 25, 2010

Bell, Williamson and Some Miliam Co. Birding

I met with Jim Giocomo, who does fills the slot for the Coordinator of the Oaks and Prairies Joint Venture this morning to pass on some materials I had been holding. It was still early enough to bird a bit though I usually quit birding around 1:00 or so.
Looked around Holland, dead as a hammer with the only highlight being 5 Rusty Blackbirds with some gorgeous Brewer's at the far end of E. Travis....Could not cough up anything else in that area.
I bird my way around by handheld GPS which I forgot so nothing got marked and I don't recall road numbers well. A flock of Longspurs were off of Round House Rd. with quite a few Horned larks. There was just the usual stuff including a BUOW and all I could think of was getting to a coffee place. Something that looked like a PYRR did come off the road going south....Something with school, in the name.
I was travelling south on a road when I hit good old familiar 360! Right there on the corner was a cattle feeder so loaded with birds people would have paid money to be there. Seemed they had just fed that morning and there was grain on the muddy ground so I started pouring through the jillions of cowbirds when I found a Chestnut-collared Longspur in almost complete alternate!
Set up my crappy little window scope so I would not scare everything offf and just as I got that done an asshole in a welding truck came roaring by at mach 2 scaring everything up in the air so it took a long time for things to settle down!. Most of the good stuff was out on the edge of the flocks where the grasses started bu there was plenty in the middle of the jillions of cowbirds too......how about this?

Wilson Snipe 1 (?)
Pine Warbler 1 .....Yes indeed feeding right there with the rest of them
Vesper, Savannah, white-crowned, FIELD (4), DARK-EYED JUNCO 3
CHESTNUT-COLLARED LONGSPURS 28-20, MCCOWNS LONGSPURS 7-10 and what I am 90% positive were several Laplands further out, but I could just make them out due mostly due to heat waves.....Red-winged Blackbirds and Brewer's everywhere (Though I saw no Rustys) and some of the Common grackles and meadowlarks had to be seen to be believed with such perfect sun on them. what a great stop!

Friendship park sucked as usual, a couple of white Pelicans, a few common gulls, a spotted sandpiper, though i did see several nice harris's sparrows. A drive over the dam produced only a molting Common Loon and he usual.

went back around to where Willis creek crossed the creek and walked the woods a about 20m minutes....highlights, Song sparrow, Blue-headed Vireo and a SINGING Winter Wren. Otherwise dead as a brick...No woodcock.

I quit birding after that, made no effort to look for MOPLs as that is too close to being on the job:-

Bought a fig tree to plant....Now I need to burn off the meadow/yard before the wind picks up. behind due this year.

AND I FOR SURE WILL BE OWLING TONIGHT :-)

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