August 26, 2008
Georgia Botanical Garden birding
Over the course of the week, I managed two visits to the state botanical garden just south of Athens. I spent most of my time on the White and Orange Trails, which run alongside the Middle Oconee River. The water levels are really low right now, and the exposed mudflats have been attracting some interesting wading birds, such as this young White Ibis and a Snowy Egret.
An immature Little Blue Heron was also present, often allowing side-by-side comparison with the Snowy - note the blue bill and greenish legs.
Two different Solitary Sandpipers were present, one adult in almost full breeding plumage, and a second, much duller individual.
As usual, Belted Kingfishers did not allow close approach.
I was able to get great looks at both Louisiana and Northern Waterthrush on the same day. Lousiana Waterthrush shows an unstreaked throat and a bold white supercilium which becomes broadest behind the eye. Occasionally Louisiana wags its tail from side to side, unlike Northern which has a much stricter up-and-down motion.
I grabbed this photo of a Northern Waterthrush as it came down to the river to bathe.
It was part of a loose flock of Cardinals and Titmice which also held a single Summer Tanager and a gorgeous Worm-eating Warbler.
Other warblers were encountered individually at various points along the trail, and included Hooded, Canada, Kentucky and Northern Parula. All were tricky to see, let alone photograph, in the dense vegetation.
I recorded three flycatcher species (Great Crested, Acadian and Eastern Wood-Pewee). The 'small empid' I thought I was stalking actually turned out to be a White-eyed Vireo.
A tiny green lizard...
... dwarfed by an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail.
