To me, the summer doldrums of birding are in full swing right now. It was great to have a three day weekend and I got out to do a little birding each morning. And while just I enjoyed being out, there isn’t all that much to report. In fact photos were even difficult for me this weekend. Regardless, here’s some notes from the weekend, as well as the shots was able to get. .
- On Friday, I followed up on a report for Ruffed Grouse at Sterling Forest first thing. I, unsurprisingly, did not have any luck with grouse, but I did pretty well with raptors for a relatively short visit, with 4 species (Broad-winged Hawk, Cooper’s Hawk, Turkey Vulture, and Bald Eagle.
- Also on Friday morning, I checked on the Great Blue Heron rookery I discovered back in July of 2019 (off of route 6, just east of Woodbury Commons). Unfortunately, it looks like that rookery no longer exists.
- On Saturday I walked the Liberty Loop again. Highlights include a pair of Least Sandpipers, a single Purple Martin, and a remarkable 31 Great Blue Herons in flight at one time.
- On Sunday, I kayaked out at the Bashakill. My best bird was Least Bittern – I had a single bird fly across the channel in front of me, and another bird calling, deep in the vegetation. Other good birds included a Brown Thrasher flying across the Bash, and a Common Gallinule that I inadvertently flushed with my approach down the channel.
- And finally, on a sad note, in spite of their best efforts, the Great Horned Owl owlet that I helped last weekend passed away at the Avian Wildlife Center. I know this is how it goes sometimes, but for some reason I was optimistic about that little dude.
