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                            Fall Shorebirding Trip
                             Bartow County Loop
                       Saturday, August 22, 2009

                               

This was offered through the Atlanta Audubon Society! A group of intrepid shorebirders explored the productive rural route known as the "Bartow County Loop" during primetime shorebird migration. Target birds found included migrants such as Pectoral Sandpiper, Lesser Yellowlegs, "peeps" (Least and Semipalmated Sandpiper), Solitary Sandpiper, and Spotted Sandpiper.

We had a fun time and enjoyed gorgeous weather today as we wandered around the Bartow County shorebird hotspots. Though it heated up quickly, we had some good looks at several species and it's always nice to be out in the country. Thanks to Stan Chapman for organizing this and many great AAS field trips.

53 species total:

Canada Goose, many
Blue-winged Teal 24 (put on a real show flying around Taff Rd)
Pied-billed Grebe 1 Taff Rd
Great Blue Heron 2
Green Heron 1
Black Vulture 3
Turkey Vulture 1
Cooper's Hawk 1
Red-shouldered Hawk 2
Red-tailed Hawk 2
American Kestrel 2
Killdeer, many
Spotted Sandpiper 4
Solitary Sandpiper 1
Lesser Yellowlegs 1
Semipalmated Sandpiper 3
Least Sandpiper 5
Pectoral Sandpiper 16
Rock Pigeon
Eurasian Collared-Dove 7
Mourning Dove
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 1
Belted Kingfisher 2
Red-bellied Woodpecker 2
Downy Woodpecker 1
Pileated Woodpecker 1
Eastern Phoebe 3
Blue Jay
American Crow
Fish Crow
Horned Lark 13
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 1
Barn Swallow
Tufted Titmouse 2
Carolina Wren
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 1
Eastern Bluebird
American Robin 4
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Black-and-white Warbler 1
Common Yellowthroat 1
Eastern Towhee 2
Chipping Sparrow 1
Grasshopper Sparrow 4
Northern Cardinal 4
Blue Grosbeak 2
Bobolink 1
Eastern Meadowlark
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

The BOBOLINK was the first I (or anyone, I think) had seen this season. It
was a weird encounter on Taff Rd... it came over high above, making its
distinctive flight call repeatedly. Then it circled over and over, high
above us, then coming down lower, as if wanting to land... but never did.

Good shorebirding was had by all :)

                            
The "Wings Over Georgia" Spring 2008 field trips were offered through the Georgia Ornithological Society  Spring Meeting in Clayton, Georgia May 17-18, 2008. If you are not already a member of this great organization, join today! A great time was had by all participants on all of the field trips offered at this GOS event. Highlights on our tours included close encounters with CANADA WARBLERS, with several gathering nesting material; ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAKS chasing each other around and dive-bombing us accidentally; the song of the VEERY; many warbler-neck-inducing views of BLACKBURNIAN WARBLERS; finding both a LEAST FLYCATCHER and a pair of WILLOW FLYCATCHERS within 150 yards of one another; a frenzy of neon-colored SCARLET TANAGERS chasing each other around in the canopy;  hearing the special, declining CERULEAN WARBLER and some participants getting a few quick looks; and of course, it is always nice to find the WILLOW FLYCATCHERS somehow holding on at the Blairsville Ingles along the creek (they were joined by ORCHARD ORIOLE and YELLOW WARBLER - even better!).

Wild Turkey Broad-winged Hawk Chimney Swift Ruby-throated Hummingbird Belted Kingfisher Eastern Wood Pewee WILLOW FLYCATCHER LEAST FLYCATCHER Eastern Phoebe White-eyed Vireo Yellow-throated Vireo Blue-headed Vireo Red-eyed Vireo Purple Martin Northern Rough-winged Swallow Barn Swallow House Wren Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Eastern Bluebird VEERY Wood Thrush Gray Catbird Cedar Waxwing

Northern Parula YELLOW WARBLER Chestnut-sided Warbler Black-throated Blue Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER Yellow-throated Warbler Pine Warbler Blackpoll Warbler CERULEAN WARBLER Black-and-white Warbler American Redstart Worm-eating Warbler Ovenbird Kentucky Warbler Common Yellowthroat Hooded Warbler CANADA WARBLER Scarlet Tanager Dark-eyed Junco Rose-breasted Grosbeak Indigo Bunting Orchard Oriole American Goldfinch

                          

A group of 12 birders gathered early in the morning at Phinizy Swamp under waves of 1,000's of mixed blackbirds heading off to forage for the day. Soon we headed into the swamp where everyone was very happy to get close-up scope studies of a flock of 100 or more RUSTY BLACKBIRDS, four beautiful male NORTHERN PINTAILS along with other interesting waterfowl, and a group of nine immature WHITE IBIS flew right over our heads! Out among the marsh cells, we played a King Rail recording and had a VIRGINIA RAIL respond! When we played the latter rail to see if it would "talk" again, low and behold a KING RAIL called back from the other side of the dike! We heard these species at least once more in other areas later, including a King Rail that kept half the group glued to one spot for 30 minutes as it called constantly from just inside the cattails but only made a brief open appearance and some partial views through the reeds. SORAS sounded off everywhere, and we had fleeting glances at several curious MARSH WRENS and were able to study their unique call. We enjoyed BALD EAGLES soaring along the horizon, OSPREY and RED-SHOULDERED HAWKS patrolling the area, a quick fly-over of a SHARP-SHINNED HAWK, and at least three NORTHERN HARRIERS for a nice selection of raptors on the day. After much anticipation, we finally flushed an AMERICAN BITTERN, which everyone was able to see as it flew to a new secretive spot in the marsh - this was a life bird for several participants! We ended the day on a high note as Mark "Eagle-Eyed" McShane spotted a beautiful female CANVASBACK among a raft of GADWALL at the Merry Bros. Brickyard ponds. We wrapped up a gorgeous day of 68-degree winter birding with a nice count of 69 total species. Here are some highlights:

Gadwall Northern Shoveler Northern Pintail 4 CANVASBACK 1f Ring-necked Duck Anhinga 3 AMERICAN BITTERN 1 Black-crowned       Night-Heron 2 White Ibis 9 Osprey 3 BALD EAGLE 3 Northern Harrier 3 Sharp-shinned Hawk 1 KING RAIL 2 VIRGINIA RAIL 2 Sora 30+ Least Sandpiper 15+

Wilson's Snipe 1 Ring-billed Gull Belted Kingfisher Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 2 Marsh Wren 6 Ruby-crowned Kinglet BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER 2 American Pipit 1 Yellow-rumped Warbler YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER 1 Pine Warbler 2 Palm Warbler Common Yellowthroat 4 Field Sparrow Swamp Sparrow RUSTY BLACKBIRD 80-100 American Goldfinch

          

An excited group of Georgia birders met at the gate of the Bradley Unit of Eufaula National Wildlife refuge at 7:30am for some late fall birding in the coastal plain. A nice time was had by all, and we saw some great birds as well. The highlights for everyone were the re-appearance of a female VERMILION FLYCATCHER for the third year in a row, gorgeous looks at several NORTHERN HARRIERS (including a male) as they coursed over the weedy fields, and a kettle of up to 35 WOOD STORKS and an adult BALD EAGLE soaring overhead. Here are a few highlights from the trip:

Wood Duck Double-crested Cormorant Anhinga Great Blue Heron Great Egret Little Blue Heron White Ibis WOOD STORK BALD EAGLE Northern Harrier Cooper's Hawk Red-shouldered Hawk American Kestrel falcon sp. Common Moorhen Forster's Tern (West Point dam) COMMON GROUND DOVE Eastern Wood Pewee Eastern Phoebe VERMILION FLYCATCHER

LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE White-eyed Vireo House Wren Winter Wren SEDGE WREN Ruby-crowned Kinglet Eastern Bluebird Gray Catbird Yellow-rumped Warbler Pine Warbler Palm Warbler Common Yellowthroat Field Sparrow Savannah Sparrow Song Sparrow Swamp Sparrow White-throated Sparrow Indigo Bunting Red-winged Blackbird Common Grackle American Goldfinch

There were also several changes in habitat at the refuge, not the least of which was how little water there was due to the devastating drought. At one point we were birding right in the middle of what is normally the same shallow impoundment pictured above that is usually good for a few ducks (PHOTO 1 below); other than Common Moorhen we had no waterfowl at all. The area where you can normally view a wide shallow expanse of the river on the south side of the property is almost completely filled with lily pads. The weeds that love to stick to you have really taken over in some areas, as Brandon Best and I discovered while tromping around looking for sparrows (PHOTO 2). The group was in high spirits (PHOTO 3) after seeing Georgia's most reliable wintering Vermilion Flycatcher, a soaring Bald Eagle, coursing Northern Harriers, Sedge Wrens, and some pretty Common Ground Doves along the silo levee all within a half an hour. Another great day to be out at "The Bradley!"

                                                           
                                           PHOTO 1        PHOTO 2         PHOTO 3

Troy Littrell, former manager of the property for the USFWS, updated the Birding Community with a few plans for managing the property, including an explanation of several large cuts that we found in the weedy fields where Le Conte's Sparrows are often found:

"I am glad to hear that you had a good visit.  As you know the Bradley, is managed primarily for waterfowl, that is why you see some of the mowing on the south end of the unit.  We are just starting a new levee on the south end so we can spilt the southern most section of the unit into two cells and better manage our water levels.  Some mowing is to provide lanes for our youth deer hunts, which we annually mow some strips to improve visibility.  A few of the big fields on the north end were sprayed this year to control woody species and then mowed.  Those fields were dangerously close to the point of going from fallow grass fields to brush and trees.  

Grasslands should be managed using fire, mowing, chemicals, and soil disturbance as needed to establish and maintain proper plant composition.  Some type of management is needed every 1-2 years.  They really should not go untouched for several consecutive years.  One goal we have is to establish native warm season grasses on most of these fallow fields in the Bradley Unit that would primarily be managed by fire, but this is a very expensive and slow process that certainly will not happen overnight.  We started planting warm season grasses on the Alabama side of the Refuge this year and the drought has not helped our progress.  We are sensitive to the fact that we do not need to leave too much bare ground for grassland species during the winter."






       

A small group of birders met in Blue Ridge, Georgia before dawn on a chilly morning for mid-May. It soon turned out to be a perfect day for birding in Georgia's mountains! We hiked on the Benton MacKaye trail (BMT), drove Hwy 180 (Wolfpen Gap Rd), visited Sosebee Cove, Blairsville Ingles, and finished up on Ivy Log Gap Rd. The day was full of nice surprises. Here are the highlight species followed by a few anecdotes. Directions, birding desriptions, color photos, and more for most of these sites are on the Blue Ridge Region  page.

RUFFED GROUSE 1 (Ivy Log Gap Rd) Wild Turkey 2 (one nesting) Cooper's Hawk 1 Belted Kingfisher 1 Eastern Wood Pewee 4 Acadian Flycatcher 1 WILLOW FLYCATCHER 2 LEAST FLYCATCHER 1 (Hwy 180)  Yellow-throated Vireo 1 Blue-headed Vireo 6 Red-eyed Vireo Purple Martin Cliff Swallow 1 (outside Young Harris) Barn Swallow Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 4 Veery 2 Wood Thrush 4 Cedar Waxwing 3 Scarlet Tanager

Blue-winged Warbler 1  GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER 1 Chestnut-sided Warbler 19 Black-throated Blue Warbler 3 Black-throated Green Warbler 25  BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER 3 Yellow-throated Warbler 2 Pine Warbler 1 (unshared) Blackpoll Warbler 1 CERULEAN WARBLER 2 Black-and-white Warbler 9 American Redstart 14 Worm-eating Warbler 5 Ovenbird 21 Kentucky Warbler 1 Common Yellowthroat 1 Hooded Warbler 12           17 spp. of warblers Dark-eyed Junco 1 Indigo Bunting

 

We were walking on Ivy Log Gap Road and heard some very strange noises coming from the brush, it sounded like an injured or baby mammal and the leaves were rustling around. When we finally saw what it was in binoculars, it was a Ruffed Grouse performing an injury distraction display, so it most certainly had a nest nearby! We were startled when we flushed the Wild Turkey near the road as well. When we looked at the spot where it had left, we found a nest with 5-6 eggs, very cool. It was nice to see the Willow Flycatchers still trying to cling to life at the Blairsville Ingles, were the encroaching development has all but destroyed their habitat along the creek. Though we were going 45 miles per hour, I perked up my ears when I saw the street sign for Anglin Rd along Hwy 180 and sure enough, the signature "chee-bek" call of a Least Flycatcher came from the other side of an open field; we were able to park in a driveway and walk back to get some long-distance views of the bird as it called a few more times. When we found a male Golden-winged Warbler, we were both in ecstasy and awe at the same time. The bird was seen very high in a tree, singing a variant song  that none of us had ever heard on any recording of this species. A great time and many great birds were had by all, and I look forward to doing it again next year :)