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| A Brit abroad |
Pre-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   The river trails were mostly quiet, and the warbler flocks have been replaced by roving bands of Ruby-crowned Kinglets.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 - post comment
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