Denison was quite chilly yesterday & this morning with temps in the 40’s & a brisk wind esp Thursday. Not much was around except the local breeders but I did hear a Mourning Warbler at the same spot both days. I’ve only seen a few at Denison & they’ve never stuck around so I was surprised to hear it again today.

Unfortunately, it chose a perfect hiding place out of the wind in v thick cover—only a v few small windows into the dark tangles. With the wind and then the mowers yesterday, I didn’t try for long. Today I lingered a bit longer but never got a glimpse. It seemed to stay pretty deep in the dense undergrowth. At one point a loudly chipping KY Warbler zipped thru the same area & it perched up for a good view…

the consolation prize for my efforts was a beautiful Orchard Oriole male perched nearby in the sun singing away. Never seen them at the reserve before, just at the Land Lab.

One Wood Duck hen has just one duckling but I saw another hen yesterday with 6 v small, maybe newly hatched, ducklings. Now I will have to witness the sorrowful attrition—only 2 of 7 survived last year. Snapping turtles I presume?

It was too nice a day to stay home so I went to funk bottoms hoping the Stilt & Western SPs & sanderling might still be there. A group of Amish birders was there when I stopped for a 2nd look later in the day & they said they saw a sanderling but between the distance & the heat waves, I wasn’t confident I was even on the same bird. I was able to get on the Dowitcher they found—looked like a Short-billed—no Rufous but it wasn’t super close. It amused us by later perching about 4 feet off the ground in a dead snag.

I was happy to pick out a White-rumped SP (FOY) on my own and I watched until it flew a little ways to confirm the ID. I’m terrible at shorebirds so I was pleased I might finally have the jiz of this bird down.

Other shorebirds: lots of Semi-palmated SPs & Plovers, at least 3 Spotted SPs (FOY), one Dunlin, Killdeer. DC Cormorants, lots of Great Blue Herons, Bald Eagles. A Solitary SP was seen by others but I missed it.

In between my 2 shorebird searches I went to the parking area with the platform (a new one is being built). I heard Prothonotary Warbler driving in & located at least 2 singing and got great looks at one. Also Yellow, Com YT, Red-headed WP plus E Peewee, Great-crested FC, Trumpeter Swans, Wood Ducks. Driving I saw about 6 Sandhill Cranes & 6-8 Great Egrets but couldn’t stop on the busy road for closer looks.

Peggy Wang
Granville 
Sent from my iPad
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