Birdwalk Highlights for 5/10: Walsh Preserve, Freeport and Greater Yarmouth Goose Fields.
- Freeport Wild Bird Supply
- 4 days ago
- 2 min read
Another Saturday Morning Birdwalk in the rain! And it was soaking today. Yet, once again, we had a great time and saw a lot of birds...highlighted by our primary target: the RUFF (REEVE) that I found yesterday at the Walsh Preserve right here in Freeport.
Between bouts of wiping the scope so we could see through it, I scanned the salt pannes combing through 30-40 LESSER YELLOWLEGS, 6+ GREATER YELLOWLEGS, and about 4 LEAST SANDPIPERS before spotting the Ruff - a life bird for everyone who braved the conditions today. This was the 254th All-time Saturday Morning Birdwalk species!
Two drake BLUE-WINGED TEAL, occasionally side-by-side with some of the GREEN-WINGED TEAL that we usually see here, were stunning, even in these miserable conditions. A single GREAT EGRET, GREAT BLUE HERON, an BELTED KINGFISHER were also spotted.
Meanwhile, a wave of warblers was moving around the shoreline of the preserve, held down low by the precipitation. I think it was one single wave that we caught twice, and if so, the tally was 12 YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS, 6 NORTHERN PARULAS, 3 PALM WARBLERS, 2 BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLERS, 1 BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER, and 1 MAGNOLIA WARBLER. If there were two waves, our tallies would be obviously higher. Meanwhile, two each of OVENBIRD and PINE WARBLER were heard singing as we walked.
We were pretty soaked when we departed, so we used the rest of our time to do some birding by car in hopes of refinding the Ross's Goose that was seen at Thornhurst Farm in North Yarmouth earlier this week. Only encountering 36 total CANADA GEESE, the flock that included the Ross's apparently has moved on. A few BARN SWALLOWS were flying around the geese. A WOOD DUCK flushed along Greely Road, and when we returned to Thornhurst for another check, we had 65 immature RING-BILLED GULLS foraging in the field and our first BOBOLINK of the season to cap things off.
