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| A Brit abroad |
Ring-necked Duck and Beaver, Lake HerrickOnce the morning mist had cleared at Lake Herrick I found this obliging female Ring-necked Duck with the usual 6 Mallards.  Being habituated to humans, the Mallards swam almost directly underneath me on the footbridge, and sure enough, the Ring-necked Duck followed.  I walked around the lake trying to get closer looks at the Beaver I had seen distantly at dawn, but it never reappeared. However, I did find the lodge it's building between the two wooden jetties. It remains to be seen whether it can cope with all the off-leash dogs that like to swim around there... 
10:24 AM - Thursday, November 19, 2009 - comments {0} - post commentDuck dayAfter a rainy 24 hours Mitchell Jarrett and I checked Lake Herrick at first light, and were rewarded with a splendid drake Hooded Merganser - a new county bird for me. Next stop was Bear Creek Reservoir, where we encountered some distant Red-breasted Mergansers and Ruddy Ducks, plus a closer drake Bufflehead.  Just off of the dam we had a single Ring-necked Duck plus 5 Lesser Scaup.  This poor Pied-billed Grebe appears to have been swept over the spillway, and was having no luck in climbing out of this channel. Hopefully it will cross under the road where it will have more of a take-off runway.  Our final stop was Lake Chapman, where we struck out on James' Wigeon, but did see this Ring-billed Gull (my second ever gull in Clarke Co.)...  ... and a tight flock of 44 Double-crested Cormorants. 
3:29 PM - Wednesday, November 18, 2009 - comments {0} - post commentLate warblers, gnatcatchers and a county tickPerhaps the most interesting birding to be had in Georgia right now is in a park in the centre of the Atlanta metropolis, where an astonishing 11 species of warbler have been recorded in a single day, plus some mouthwatering hard-to-see species such as American Woodcock and Whip-poor-will. While I can't match 'Nathan's Warblers', I did see a late Black-and-White Warbler at Little Lake Herrick a couple of days ago. An Orange-crowned Warbler is skulking in the lakeside vegetation too.  A fly-by Merlin was a most welcome addition to my county list here, though I more frequently see this Sharp-shinned Hawk.  The Pied-billed Grebe persists on the lake in spite of disturbance from off-leash dogs.  Early morning is a good time to scrutinize the sparrow flock here. This Swamp Sparrow came out into the open in the early morning sun.  Blue-gray Gnatcatchers should be long gone from the Piedmont by now, but I'm still seeing two birds regularly: one at Little Lake Herrick and this bird on the golf course road pond.  I'm seeing multiple flyover American Pipits at this latter site, plus good numbers of Savannah Sparrows.  Two birds blending in with the fall colours: House Finch and Pine Warbler.   The unusually warm weather means that many insects are still active. This mantis is still hanging around my front porch...  ... while the occasional Monarch is still drifting through campus. 
6:16 PM - Monday, November 16, 2009 - comments {0} - post commentEarly November doldrumsIn spite of scanning the skies for migrant Sandhill Cranes, diligently checking the Lake Herrick goose flock and working every promising-looking sparrow field I see, I haven't turned up anything interesting in the last week. One of the better spots for sparrows has been the road down to the golf course pond, where this Field Sparrow showed well (the quizbird from a few entries back). Savannah Sparrows and Eastern Meadowlarks are back here in numbers now, and I've had a couple more flyover American Pipits. The biggest excitement in the botgarden of late was watching this Redtail get hammered by an American Crow.  This Cedar Waxwing showed up among the copious Robins in the backyard.  White-throated Sparrows continue to exploit the seed at the base of the feeder.  Yesterday brought continuous heavy rain as a result of Hurricane Ida. I ventured out to Lake Herrick twice in miserable weather, but saw nothing more than this soggy young Cooper's Hawk.  Today Mitchell Jarrett and I headed out to Bear Creek reservoir and again drew a blank on storm-driven migrants. We did get a respectable total of 88 Ring-necked Duck though.  Let's hope for better things in the coming week! 9:22 PM - Wednesday, November 11, 2009 - comments {0} - post commentLake Herrick November 3Got up early to check a foggy Lake Herrick. Still no lost Snow Geese in with the Canadas, but yesterday's Pied-billed Grebe was still around.  Once the fog lifted, an American Pipit and this Cooper's Hawk flew over.  I recorded a high count of 49 Killdeer - usually I struggle to break double figures.  I decided to walk some of the wooded trails to add some easy missing species to my 'Herrick list'. Mission accomplished, with 2 each of Dark-eyed Junco, Winter Wren and Brown Creeper. The creek trail came out on a smaller vegetated lake that I didn't even know existed! It harboured another Pied-billed Grebe and many sparrows, including Field and Swamp. Could be a good bet for a Lincoln's...  I managed a 4 warbler morning - very respectable in November. There was a late Magnolia Warbler, a bright male Pine Warbler and both flavours of Palm Warbler among the hordes of Myrtles.    Harlequin Ladybirds are invading my home in numbers looking for overwintering sites, Surprisingly I found a tree chock full of larvae and pupae - they'd better hurry up and eclose before winter kicks in!  Later in the day I had a kettle of migrating Turkey Vultures (42 birds in total) over the house. Am crossing my fingers for some flyover Sandhill Cranes! 
8:53 PM - Tuesday, November 3, 2009 - comments {0} - post commentEarly November quizbird
3:21 PM - Tuesday, November 3, 2009 - comments {0} - post commentVesper Sparrows at Lake HerrickAnother day, another new county bird... today's pre-work stroll around Lake Herrick produced 4 Vesper Sparrows, feeding mostly at the lakeshore by the levee, and occasionally flushed up by joggers into nearby trees.  Yesterday's ducks and coots had gone, but were replaced with a Double-crested Cormorant and a Pied-billed Grebe. Seems like this place is getting enough turnaround to warrant daily checks.  
10:44 AM - Monday, November 2, 2009 - comments {0} - post commentWaterfowl influx, county ticks and sunshineThis morning dawned bright and sunny at Lake Herrick after yesterday's gloom. The resident 6 Mallard at Lake Herrick were joined by 4 Ruddy Duck and a female Ring-necked Duck. Three Coots were also a site tick.  My first county American Pipit flew over calling as I was photographing this showy Yellow Palm Warbler.   I also county-ticked 2 Horned Larks in the recently-mown fields adjoining the botanical garden. Yesterday I was surprised to see a late Black-throated Green Warbler in the backyard. It arrived during an activity burst which also brought in this Blue-headed Vireo and the male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.   I was lucky to see this Red Fox in a friend's garden adjoining the Birchmore Trail. 
6:23 PM - Sunday, November 1, 2009 - comments {0} - post commentPre-Hallowe'en birding in the botanical gardenJust before the weather turned nasty I headed down the golf course pond road, and was finally able to add American Kestrel (a male) to my county/bike list. My first Field Sparrows of the season were there, along with a late Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher. The power lines along Milledge had a nasty infestation of Brown-headed Cowbirds.  I walked the entire length of the power line cut in the quest for a rare sparrow.  I didn't succeed, but did find a large flock of Chipping Sparrows containing my FOTS Dark-eyed Juncos (4), a Swamp Sparrow and 2 Yellow Palm Warblers.    The fruiting dogwoods were attracting a mass of attention from Robins, Cedar Waxwings and a 30-strong flock of Eastern Bluebirds.  Northern Mockingbird and Brown Thrasher enjoying the glut of berries.   The river trails were mostly quiet, and the warbler flocks have been replaced by roving bands of Ruby-crowned Kinglets.   The beaverpond contained the 3 expected sparrow species and a Belted Kingfisher.  This darner has been hanging out on the edges of the pond for the last week. Giff Beaton (author of the excellent guide to GA dragonflies) was kind enough to help out with the ID. It's probably a Shadow Darner, a scarce inhabitant of the Piedmont (c. 13 previous GA records), though in-hand examination is necessary to rule out other darner species (any of which would be a first for GA). Probably much more noteworthy than any of the birds I've seen this week! 
11:47 AM - Saturday, October 31, 2009 - comments {0} - post commentLate October birds and wildlife around AthensThe warbler migration is officially over. No more Black-throated Greens and Magnolias at the regular spots, just a few residual Palm Warblers and ever-swelling ranks of Myrtle Warblers. The winter residents continue to swarm in - I currently have 4 White-throated and a single Chipping Sparrow at my feeder. Now we're all hoping for a Lincoln's, Le Conte's or Henslow's Sparrow as the last hurrah of fall migration.   Two Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers continue their winter residence in my backyard.  A large flock of Robins swept through on a rainy day, bringing with them a lone Cedar Waxwing.  After a few weeks' absence, Brown-headed Nuthatch has returned to the feeder.  This road-killed Armadillo is practically opposite my house - I have yet to see a live one in Athens!  Lake Herrick gets prettier by the day as the leaves turn.   These two Eastern Phoebes are on constant guard duty at the wooden bridge.  Common Grackle numbers seem to be up.  Worm Snake was an unexpected lifer at the lakeshore.  Monarchs and Gulf Fritillaries have been very much in evidence all over town.  And to finish on a gruesome Hallowe'eny note, here's a parasitoid wasp dragging a spider of at least twice its size to its doom. 
6:21 PM - Friday, October 30, 2009 - comments {0} - post commentPhinizy Swamp birding and herpingAfter spending Saturday in the mountains, I got a taste of the coastal plain at Phinizy Swamp, near Augusta, on Sunday. Shortly after arrival a Merlin flew through, my first in GA. Three Pileated Woodpeckers were working the many tree stumps.  Swamp Sparrows were alarm-calling everywhere around us, though the vast majority remained hidden.  We walked a weedy 'sparrow field' in the hope of running into a Le Conte's - no luck, but we flushed a Wilson's Snipe and heard a King Rail. Best of all we saw several Sedge Wrens, often too close to focus the bins (and camera) on.  From this point on our morning become unpleasantly noisy, as airboats moved in to mow down the cattails (apparently to discourage roosting blackbird flocks from getting mangled by planes taking off from the adjacent airport). This Marsh Wren was using one of the flattened cattail mounds as a perch.  The first of the winter waterfowl had returned, the majority of which were Blue-winged Teal.  This flock of American Coots was in a flap...  ... because this beast was stalking them in the left of the picture!  We wandered around a few more of the cells, accumulating more waterbirds including White Ibis, Snowy Egret and Little Blue Heron. On returning to the boardwalks we ran into a flurry of passerine activity, which included a bright yellow Palm Warbler and this Painted Bunting.  The woodland trails yielded a Black-and-White Warbler and our FOTS Brown Creeper. A Winter Wren was our 5th wren species for the day. This lone Anhinga was the only bird on the lake nearest the parking lot.  After hearing about close encounters with various snakes on previous trips, I was disappointed that the only two we had seen here were both dead. However, on route to the Merry Bros brickyards, Ed pulled over so we could get a closer look at a snake he had spotted. It turned out to be my first Cottonmouth!  We approached it to within about 15 feet, close enough to cause it to adopt its threat-posture.   Bird-wise, there was little of note (certainly not the hoped-for Cave Swallow), but 20+ Anhingas and at least ten times that number of Double-crested Cormorants. Here's a group of them watching a Great Egret tussle.  While we saw some really neat coastal plain birds, the Cottonmouth encounter stole the show for me. It's great to be able to get into the land of cypress swamps, Painted Buntings and dangerous reptiles within 2 hours' drive of Athens! 
1:02 PM - Tuesday, October 27, 2009 - comments {0} - post commentFall colours in the AppalachiansOn Saturday, Lauren, Jeremy, Andrew and I went on a short hike in Black Rock Mountain State Park. Birds were conspicuous by their absence. On the forested part of the walk, I only saw one passerine, flushed from the trail up into a tree. Amazingly, it was a Bay-breasted Warbler! Nice as that was, the real highlight was the stunning fall colours, nearing their peak.  The view down into Tallulah Gorge. 
8:06 PM - Monday, October 26, 2009 - comments {0} - post commentIt's officially winterI walked the lower half of Cook's Trail this morning before tomorrow's forecast bad weather puts it back underwater. Relative to the astonishing events of the last week, it felt pretty dead. Non-Myrtle Warblers were few and far between, while sparrow numbers are on the rise. This is one of 7 Swamp Sparrows I recorded this morning. I had double-figure counts of Winter Wren (including one singing bird), Golden-crowned Kinglet and Northern Flickers.  The Oxbow Lake has yet to attract any wintering waterfowl, but the fall colours were outstanding.  Several Wood Ducks were lurking in the weeds.  On the way back I encountered two Blue-headed Vireos - such great-looking birds!  The second bird was keeping company with a rather late White-eyed Vireo.  In some ways it was a relief to have a quiet day - from a work perspective I've certainly been birding on borrowed time! 7:04 PM - Thursday, October 22, 2009 - comments {0} - post commentNashville Warbler plus more winter arrivals, Lake Herrick 20-21/10Two more beautiful sunny mornings at Lake Herrick have continued to produce the goods. Best bird was undoubtedly a Nashville Warbler, my first in Clarke County. Strangely, as I was phoning the news out to James Neves he drove right up to me, and after 10 minutes of tense waiting he was on the bird! A good number of warbler species are still around, sometimes giving great views in the sunshine. This is what Joel would call a 'great cloaca shot' of a Tennessee Warbler.  2-3 Magnolia Warblers persist around the lakeshore.   Palm Warblers are just starting to be outnumbered by Myrtles.  This morning's treat was a Blackburnian Warbler.  A few more FOTS birds have come in. After my first Golden-crowned Kinglets in the botgarden on 19th, I found multiple birds at Herrick and the backyard. Yesterday brought my first Blue-headed Vireo of the fall, a gorgeous bright individual.  Today's new arrival was a 'chupping' Hermit Thrush. One of the local Red-tails making the most of the good weather.  
11:24 AM - Wednesday, October 21, 2009 - comments {0} - post comment19th October: winter residents flood in, and a county tickThis morning I got to Lake Herrick at dawn, hoping that the freezing weather might have brought in an odd duck. Sadly the only new duck was an extra male Mallard in with the regular flock!  I then joined James in the Botanical Garden. White-throated Sparrows were back en masse, and the beaverpond wetland held 2 each of Song and Swamp Sparrows. I stopped by Herrick again in the more pleasant mid-morning temperatures in search of passerines, and wasn't disappointed. A bright yellow Eastern Palm Warbler was flycatching at the water's edge (the last entry's Quizbird no. 1); up until now I've only been seeing the drab Westerns here.   I also ran into a female Black-throated Blue Warbler (Quizbird no. 2), and ever-growing numbers of Myrtle Warblers. Best of all was a flock of 9 Tree Swallows - another new county bird!  
8:16 PM - Tuesday, October 20, 2009 - comments {0} - post commentOctober quizbirdsBoth seen at Lake Herrick this morning 
2:51 PM - Monday, October 19, 2009 - comments {0} - post commentOct 17-18: Forster's, Nashville and a zillion Turkey VulturesTwo very different days this weekend: it rained all day Saturday, so most of my birding was restricted to the backyard. Fortunately a male Black-throated Blue Warbler showed up to chase away the gloom (warbler no. 16 for the yard). Today dawned even cooler (1C/39F), but clear and sunny. Joel and I headed to Bear Creek Reservoir, where straight away we picked out a Forster's Tern circling ever higher with a small group of Ring-billed Gulls.   We also had Tree Swallows and our first of the year American Pipit. At another pullout, Joel got on to a skulky warbler with yellow underparts in low vegetation, giving an unusual chip. I managed a quick look at the bird's head and was immediately bowled over by its big eye surrounded by a narrow, complete white eye-ring. Given the bird's behaviour I was convinced it was going to be a Connecticut Warbler, and only after reviewing photos did it become apparent that it was 'just' a Nashville Warbler (my first in GA).  Sandy Creek Nature Center was quiet, save for our FOTS Winter Wren. As Joel dropped me back home we were treated to a showy Northern Parula and my regular female Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.    On hearing that another Nashville had been sighted at the bot gardens, I cycled out there after lunch. As expected for the time of day, passerine activity was low, though I did get nice looks at a Rose-breasted Grosbeak in the Privet Eradication Area.  I walked the White Trail as far as the snags, where my attention was drawn to a couple of Cooper's Hawks and a group of Turkey Vultures. Scanning further I came across the biggest single flock of Turkey Vultures I have ever seen. Over the next 20 minutes I estimated 630 birds passed over in one continuous stream.  Joel came out to join me and we had several more flocks, totalling over 1500 birds in 2 hours.  Among them were smaller numbers of Black Vultures...  ... a small falcon sp, and some accipters in the stratosphere that included at least one Sharp-shinned Hawk.  In the late afternoon I checked Lake Herrick, logging another 45 Turkey Vultures. Myrtle Warblers are now the most abundant warbler species there, but I still came across a mixed flock containing Black-throated Green, Chestnut-sided and this Palm Warbler.  8:26 PM - Sunday, October 18, 2009 - comments {0} - post commentHerrick madness continues: Peregrine and 11 warbler species!What a difference a day makes- blue skies, flat-calm water and the first hint of fall colour made for a beautiful morning's birding.  I hadn't been out long when a commotion from the Killdeer alerted me to the presence of a raptor - my first Clarke County Peregrine (in fact, possibly THE first Clarke County Peregrine!). I managed a couple of silhouetted photos before it disappeared.   Also of note were my FOTS White-throated Sparrows.  The large Chimney Swift flock had moved on, but one Northern Rough-winged Swallow continued.  Warblers put on a good show again, with Common Yellowthroat and this bright Blackburnian Warbler new from yesterday.  Black-throated Green and Palm Warblers soaking up the early morning sun.  
6:43 PM - Friday, October 16, 2009 - comments {0} - post commentPhalarope Day: the best of the restSo, it seems like yesterday's phalaropes are indisputably Red Phalaropes. According to the Annotated Checklist, there are only 9 coastal and inland records of this species in GA up to 1997, and no recent records have been entered into eBird. Extraordinary! Anyhow, while the phals undoubtedly stole the show, there were many other good birds on offer. Cloudy weather brought hundreds of Chimney Swifts low over the lake, with 4 Barn and 2 Northern Rough-winged Swallows among them. The cold snap also brought my FOTS Pine Siskin, and 2 Myrtle Warblers.  I recorded 10 warbler species, including my first Bay-breasted for the site. Flocks of Tennessee Warblers foraging in the mimosas allowed for nice photo-ops.   Some rather shakier attempts at a Redstart and male Pine Warbler.   They really do have yellow bellies!  If only the phals had been this co-operative... 
11:48 AM - Friday, October 16, 2009 - comments {0} - post commentLAKE HERRICK PHALAROPES!!! UpdatedUnbelievably, a post-lunch walk down to Lake Herrick turned up 2 PHALAROPES in the midst of a rainstorm! First I panicked, then I called a couple of local birders, and shot off a few horrible pictures, and finally decided to run around to the other side of the lake to get closer. Unfortunately the trail departs from the lakeside and in the few minutes it took me to get around, the birds had flown, never to be seen again. Here are some of the lousy photos I got. The bill on the right hand bird looks fine, suggesting Red-necked, but the unpatterned back is more suggestive of Red. I would welcome feedback on the identification; whatever they turn out to be, they're the rarest birds I've found in GA so far!   UPDATE. i've uploaded a couple more photos. Following discussion with more birders, I'm now leaning strongly towards Red Phalarope. The black nape-line ending neatly at the pale grey back, and thick-necked appearance of the birds are pro-Red features, while both of the photos below are suggestive of a broad bill base. According to the Annotated Checklist of Georgia Birds (GOS 2003), fall records of Red-necked Phalaropes lie between Jul 24 and Oct 14, while Reds have been recorded from mid-September onwards (albeit more rarely inland). The birds pitched down in a rainstorm. While not particularly windy, the birds arrived at the start of a cold snap that also saw Myrtle Warblers and a Pine Siskin (my first of the fall) at the same site.   I repeat, comments welcome! 4:48 PM - Thursday, October 15, 2009 - comments {1} - post comment
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Description birding all over the place Home User Profile My Blog RSS Feed Archives Friends Bird by bird Feathers of hope Sacramento and Beyond A Brit abroad archives (2004- early 2009) Alis volat propriis California Thrashers John Sterling's bird photos Yolo Audubon Oconee Rivers Audubon Cambs Bird Club Olivier Laporte's photos Steve Hampton's Yolo County birding pages Subalpine Birding Wings over GA Recent Entries - Ring-necked Duck and Beaver, Lake Herrick - Duck day - Late warblers, gnatcatchers and a county tick - Early November doldrums - Lake Herrick November 3 |