Birding With Jack

The Weekly Bird Census

Master Naturalist Jack Chiles, Mike Petrick and Dr. Wayne Meyer

Each Tuesday a team of experienced birders, including Master Naturalist Jack Chiles, traverse 35 miles of refuge roads and hiking trails, documenting every bird they encounter.

This Bird Census is reported to The Cornell Lab of Ornithology for use in research, and each week we will bring you a link to their actual bird count, and a summary of their adventures.

Occasionally there is room for a serious birder to join them.  Contact us for more information about how to participate.  More About the Birds of Hagerman.

For historical records, visit the Birding with Jack Archives

Thank you, Bird Census Team!

Click to Enlarge Photos

September 19, 2023  Complete Bird Census List

64 species, Observers: Jack Chiles, Mike Petrick, Nancy Riggs, Terry Goode, Hunter Petrick, Bill and Dillon Morgan

Marbled Godwit

It was a pleasant day with mild temperatures for today's bird census. We still desperately need rain and the lake levels continue to recede. But there are lots of mudflats and lots of shorebirds. Many of the shorebirds are too distant to identify but they are much closer in the marshes. We counted 444 Least Sandpipers, 114 Stilt Sandpipers, 15 Western Sandpipers,, 21 American Avocets, a Sanderling as well as quite a few other shorebird species. The Marbled Godwit is still present in Silliman Marsh. There were over 200 White-faced Ibis. A couple of Tricolored Herons are still hanging around. There was a Belted Kingfisher at Deaver Pond as well as a pair of Red-headed Woodpeckers. There were a couple of Hairy Woodpeckers and a Pileated Woodpecker at the low water crossing on Bennett. There were quite a few swallows feeding on midges on the pads and we finally found our first Bank Swallow of the year. We saw a total of 6 Wood ducks and a good number of Blue-winged Teal. Great Egret numbers were down today with a count of only 94. We saw a Green Heron in Mineral Marsh. There was a Yellow-crowned Night-Heron off the end of F pad. We finished the day with 64 species.

September 12, 2023  Complete Bird Census List

80 species, Observers: Jack Chiles, Mike Petrick, Nancy Riggs and Terry Goode

Roseate Spoonbill,

Double-crested Cormorant

and Neotropic Cormorant 

Great-blue Heron with a Spotted Garfish

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron

It was pleasantly cool for today's census with a north breeze blowing. There was a lot of bird activity today. We found the continuing Roseate Spoonbill feeding off the end of Tern Pad. The continuing Marbled Godwit was feeding in Steedman Marsh. The lake level is receding and there are now a lot of mudflats with lots of shorebirds. We saw 16 species of shorebirds today. Some of the shorebirds seen were American Avocets, Western Sandpiipers, Pectoral Sandpipers, Least Sandpipers, Long-billed Dowitchers, Stilt Sandpipers, American Golden Plovers, and Semipalmated Plovers. We had a total of 3 Belted Kingfishers, a pair at Deaver and one at Meadow Pond. We found 3 Red-headed Woodpeckers, 2 at Deaver and one near the Big Mineral Creek bridge. There was a Yellow-crowned Night-Heron at Deaver. We saw 13 Wood Ducks, lots of Blue-winged Teal, some Northern Shovelers, Mallards and Northern Pintails. There were 14 Soras in the marsh just before the road to Plover. We had a flyby Peregrine Falcon near the end of Plover pad. We had the first of season American Kestrel on the west end of Short Road. We had a good count of 5 Loggerhead Shrikes. We had a Gray Catbird and a Nashville Warbler at the end of Meadow Pond trail. We saw a nice male Baltimore Oriole on Short Road. We finished the day with 80 species. Today's photos, Roseate Spoonbill, Double-crested Cormorant and Neotropic Cormorant in first photo, and Great-blue Heron with a Spotted Garfish in second photo and Yellow-crowned Night-Heron in the third photo.

September 5, 2023  Complete Bird Census List

72 Species, Observers: Nancy Riggs, Mike Petrick, Terry Goode

Long-billed Curlew by Terry Goode

The heat spell lingers on but larger numbers of migrating birds are starting to move thru the refuge. Blue-winged Teal and Northern Shoveler numbers are increasing. There were 10 species of shorebirds including 7 American Avocets, 12 Killdeer, 1 Upland Sandpiper, 10 Buff-breasted Sandpipers, 19 Pectoral Sandpipers, 1 Spotted Sandpiper, 1 Willet, 5 Lesser Yellowlegs and a Long-billed Curlew. There was a Peregrine Falcon on the hunt. Black, Least and Forster’s Terns were present.There were 69 White-faced Ibis and 1 White Ibis. There were 8 Eastern Kingbirds and a late season Western Kingbird. 1 Yellow-breasted Chat was a nice find. Thank you Mike, Nancy and Terry for doing a great job in my absence. They finished the day with 74 species. Photo of Long-billed Curlew by Terry Goode.

August 29,2023 Complete Bird Census List

64 Species, Observers: Jack Chiles, Kathy Whaley, Bill Morgan, Dillon Morgan

Tricolored Heron

The morning started out pleasant but had heated up by noon. There are lots of shorebirds present especially in Harris Creek Marsh but many are so far away they are hard to identify. We found a couple of Tricolored Herons in Harris Creek Marsh and a couple more at Dead Woman Pond. At Dead Woman Pond we also found a couple of Black-crowned Night-Herons. Some of the shorebirds we were able to identify were Stilt Sandpipers, Pectoral Sandpipers, Upland Sandpipers, Buff-breasted Sandpiper, American Avocet, Wilson's Phalarope, Long-billed Dowitcher, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Least Sandpipers, Spotted Sandpipers, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper Killdeer and Semipalmated Plover. We did not see a single swallow today. There were 32 Least Terns sitting on a sandbar off the end of Tern Pad along with 5 Forster's Terns. There are lots of Egrets and Herons present now at the refuge. We saw one Pileated Woodpecker when we went down Raasch Trail and quite a few Eastern Bluebirds. We finished the day with 64 species. Today's photos, Black-crowned Night-Heron and Tricolored Heron.

August 22, 2023: Complete Bird Census List

65 Species, Observers: Jack Chiles, Wayne Meyer, Mike Petrick and Nancy Riggs

As we started our census it was very warm and continued to heat up quickly as the morning progressed. We walked Harris Creek trail to the willow by the photo blind and it was very quiet but we did see a continuing Red-headed Woodpecker. After we left there we drove down Wildlife Drive to check the newly flooded marsh just before the road to Plover Pad. There we found a good assortment of shorebirds, including Upland Sandpipers, Buff-breasted Sandpipers, Pectoral Sandpipers, Least Sandpipers, Lesser and Greater Yellowlegs and a Wilson's Phalarope. Many of the shorebirds were difficult to see as they worked their way in and out of the grass But with patience more and more would work themselves in the open giving us the opportunity to identify them. As we continued on down the pads we found a good number of Yellow Warblers, 22 for the day. Off the end of Plover we found Black Terns, Forster's Terns and Least Terns. Around the pads and in the marshes we found 148 Great Egrets, 46 Snowy Egrets, 15 Great Blue Herons, 12 Little-blue Herons, 3 Yellow-crowned Night-Herons and 2 Tricolored Herons. We observed a total of 17 Mississippi Kites soaring at different locations around the refuge. We had 5 Woodpecker species today including a Hairy Woodpecker and a Pileated Woodpecker. Dickcissels are starting to appear again with a total of 9 for the day. We saw the first Northern Shoveler of the season in Harris Creek Marsh. We finished the day with 65 species. Today's photo, Upland Sandpiper.

August 15, 2023: Complete Bird Census List

65 Species

Painted Bunting

Green Heron

We had a break in the extreme heat today with a light breeze blowing from the north. The small area of mudflats on Meyer's Branch north of headquarters has just about dried up but we still found some Least Sandpipers, a Baird's Sandpiper, a Western Sandpiper, a Spotted Sandpiper and quite a few Killdeer there. But the flooded area of Mineral Marsh had a good number of shorebirds. There we found a Short-billed Dowitcher, 12 Pectoral Sandpipers, 34 Greater Yellowlegs, 24 Lesser Yellowlegs, a Solitary Sandpiper and Upland Sandpipers. We had a Pileated Woodpecker near the maintenance buildings and another on at Deaver Pond. At Deaver we also saw a Belted Kingfisher. We found 3 Green Herons and a Tricolored Heron and many Cattle Egrets as well as 9 Little Blue Herons, 47 Great Egrets, 24 Snowy Egrets and 11 Great Blue Herons. We had a total of 39 Neotropic Cormorants. We only found 8 White-faced Ibis. There was a Swainson's Hawk in a plowed field on Short Road. There were a couple of Pied-billed Grebes in Mineral and Silliman Marshes. We had a total of 15 Eastern Bluebirds but only 4 Yellow Warblers. We finished the day with 65 species. Today's photos, a Painted Bunting and a Green Heron.

August 8, 2023: Complete Bird Census List of 62 Species

Tricolored Heron

Swainson's Hawk

Spotted Sandpiper

Upland Sandpiper

There was a cool stiff breeze this morning from the outflow from rains to the north of the refuge and birding was much improved over last week. In spite of almost no mudflats we found 7 species of shorebirds, including a flyby of 7 American Avocets, a Buff-breasted Sandpiper, 3 Pectoral Sandpipers,3 Spotted Sandpipers,1 Greater Yellowlegs, 5 Killdeer and an Upland Sandpiper. At Meadow Pond we saw a Belted Kingfisher and a mature Yellow-crowned Night-Heron. We saw two more Belted Kingfishers at Deaver Pond as well as a pair of Red-headed Woodpeckers. We saw another 3 Red-headed Woodpeckers where they usually hang out, across the creek from Harris Creek Trail. At the low water crossing north of headquarters we found a rare Glossy Ibis and a Tri-colored Heron. That area is where we saw most of the shorebirds. They were mowing the far end of Mineral Marsh in preparation for flooding it which makes for good news since that will probably be a good location for returning shorebirds in the weeks to come. Near the mower we saw a Swainson’s Hawk that had just caught a large rat. There was a female Orchard Oriole near the Big Mineral Creek bridge. We finished the day with 62 species. Today's photos, Tricolored Heron, Swainson's Hawk, Spotted Sandpiper and Upland Sandpiper, Thanks for looking.

August 1, 2023: Complete Bird Census List of 49 Species

Green Heron

It was a sweltering day and bird activity was low. Lake level is still too high for any sandbars to be exposed so the only shorebirds we saw were several Spotted Sandpipers. Off the end of Plover pad we found 2 Black Terns, 18 Forster's Terns and 1 Least Tern. Several American White Pelicans are still hanging around. We had a good count of 6 Green Herons. We saw one pair near the end of Egret pad. We saw a mature male Yellow-headed Blackbird near the first pullout of Wildlife Drive. We finished the day with 49 species, a low count but this is the slowest time of the year. Today's photos, Green Heron and Yellow-headed Blackbird. Thanks for looking.

July, 2023

July 25, 2023: Complete Bird Census List of 58 Species

Tricolored Heron

Painted Bunting

Spotted Sandpiper

Ruddy Duck

It was another hot, dry one for today's census. The current lake level is above 618 ft above sea level so there is no mudflats for shorebirds to feed on. The only shorebirds we saw were 5 Spotted Sandpipers a shorebird that likes to hang around the rocky edges of the lake. There was a Tricolored Heron in Myers Branch marsh and also a couple of Yellow-crowned Night-Herons feeding near the north shore. One very nice find today was a breeding plumage Ruddy Duck sitting off the end of Tern Pad with a Neotropic Cormorant and a pair of Canada Geese. We also found another Yellow-crowned Night-Heron at Meadow Pond. There were 5 Least Terns off the end of Plover Pad. There was a Green Heron in Taylor Pond. The Red-headed Woodpeckers are still in the Harris Creek Trail area near headquarters. We saw a Western Kingbird on the far west side of the refuge a bird that has been very scarce on the refuge this year. There were 3 Loggerhead Shrikes on Short Road. We heard a Summer Tanager singing north of Dead Woman Pond. We found 15 Painted buntings and finished the day with 58 species. Today's photos, Tricolored Heron, Painted Bunting in a Button Bush, a Spotted Sandpiper and a distant shot of a breeding plumage Ruddy Duck siting with a Neotropic Cormorant and a pair of Canada Geese. Enjoy your week and try to stay cool.

July 18, 2023: Complete Bird Census List of 54 Species

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron

The summer heat is turning up and it was toasty when we completed the census at midday. Some of the better sightings of the day were a Belted Kingfisher at Deaver Pond and a pair of Yellow-crowned Night-Herons at Meadow Pond. Lake levels are high with no mudflats and the only shorebird of the day was a Spotted Sandpiper along the road out to F pad. We saw a Wood Duck in Muleshoe marsh and one at Dead Woman Pond. There was a Greater Roadrunner cooing at Sandy Point. We saw 6 Least Terns, 6 Forster's Terns and 1 Black Tern. There was a Hairy Woodpecker and a Red-headed Woodpecker near the Big Mineral Creek bridge on Bennett. We saw a total of 99 Purple Martins. There was an Orchard Oriole singing near the entrance to Egret Pad. We finished the day with 54 species. Today's photo the Yellow-crowned Night-Heron we saw a Meadow Pond.

July 11, 2023: Complete Bird Census List of 53 Species

Immature Greater Roadrunner

There was a good rain overnight at the refuge and light rain continued this morning. We saw Cattle Egrets at many locations with a total of 154 for the morning. Purple Martins are beginning to congregate in flocks and we saw a total of 87. We saw several Green Herons at Meadow Pond as well as an adult Yellow-crowned Night-Heron. We saw a Broad-winged Hawk on Bennett Lane near the fallen down house. There was a pair of Red-headed Woodpeckers flying around near the bridge at the Big Mineral picnic area. One nice find was a Louisiana Waterthrush on the far west side of the refuge feeding in some puddles near the road. Other than that most of what we saw was the typical summer breeding birds observed in this area. No shorebirds were seen due to the high lake level. We finished the day with 53 species. Today's photo, an immature Greater Roadrunner that had come out to sun itself when the rain let up.

July 4, 2023: Complete Bird Census List of 55 Species

Following an overnight rain it was a very pleasant morning. There are still no mudflats and we saw only one shorebird, a lone Killdeer in a field west of the refuge. There is an abundance of Canada Geese on the refuge now and we counted 194. We saw 2 Tricolored Herons in some trees by Taylor Marsh. We saw Red-headed Woodpeckers from the Harris Creek Trail and at the Big Mineral picnic area. We heard a couple of Barred Owls calling near Meadow Pond. There was a Bell's Vireo singing near Lucy's favorite pole. There were also 30 Purple Martins hanging out there on the electric lines. We heard a total of 5 Blue grosbeaks singing. We found 16 Painted Buntings and 11 Indigo Buntings. We finished the day with 55 species. Today's photo, one of the most sought-after species at the refuge, a Painted Bunting. Thanks for looking. Enjoy your 4th.

Painted Bunting

Following an overnight rain it was a very pleasant morning. There are still no mudflats and we saw only one shorebird, a lone Killdeer in a field west of the refuge. There is an abundance of Canada Geese on the refuge now and we counted 194. We saw 2 Tricolored Herons in some trees by Taylor Marsh. We saw Red-headed Woodpeckers from the Harris Creek Trail and at the Big Mineral picnic area. We heard a couple of Barred Owls calling near Meadow Pond. There was a Bell's Vireo singing near Lucy's favorite pole. There were also 30 Purple Martins hanging out there on the electric lines. We heard a total of 5 Blue grosbeaks singing. We found 16 Painted Buntings and 11 Indigo Buntings. We finished the day with 55 species. Today's photo, one of the most sought-after species at the refuge, a Painted Bunting. Thanks for looking. Enjoy your 4th.

June, 2023

June 27, 2023: Complete Bird Census List of 50 Species

Wood Ducks

The heat is turning up and we spent less time in the field today because the birds were not very active. The lake level is still up and there are no mudflats, so for a second week in a row we struck out on shorebirds. We heard Wood Ducks at Dead Woman Pond and saw a family of 8 youngsters in Taylor Marsh. Some of the highlights of the day included 5 Mississippi Kites, 4 Red-headed Woodpeckers(2 on Harris Creek Trail and 2 near the spillway at Deaver Pond). 1 Bell's Vireo singing near Lucy's favorite post, 17 Painted Buntings, 10 Summer Tanagers and 1 Red-shouldered Hawk in the nest near Martin Branch. We finished the day with 50 species. Today's photo, Wood Ducks.

June 20, 2023: Complete Bird Census List of 58 Species

Red-shouldered Hawk Nesting

Swainson's Hawk

Today was unseasonably hot and it began to heat up very quickly, The lake level has risen even more from recent rains and there are no sandbars visible. We did not see a single shorebird today which is a bit unusual for Hagerman. The majority of birds we saw were the normal breeders for this area. Sightings of note were a Yellow=crowned Night-Heron at Meadow Pond. and a Swainson's Hawk on Short Road. The tree, near the large willow on Harris Creek Trail, where the Red-headed Woodpeckers were nesting, blew down in the recent storm as well as quite a few other trees. We saw a total of 197 Canada Geese and several ducks including the Lesser Scaup are still present. We saw one of the Red-shouldered Hawk nestlings still in the nest near Martin Branch. I think one of the nestlings left the nest prematurely but we could not see it. We finished the day with 58 species. Today's photos, the Red-shouldered Hawk nestling and a Swainson's Hawk. Thanks for looking.

June 13, 2023: Complete Bird Census List of 61 Species

Greater Roadrunner with a Skink and a Grasshopper

We had some rain during our census today but for the most part it was ok. It was pretty cool for mid June. The lake level is up some and most of the sandbars have disappeared. The sandbars at the end of Plover are mostly submerged now. There were Least Terns attempting to nest there but so much for that. We did see 10 Least Terns flying around near the pads. Least Tern nesting attempts at the refuge usually fail. Due to lack of sandbars we only saw one shorebird today, a Spotted Sandpiper at Sandy Point. We had a high count of 11 Summer Tanagers today. We saw 4 Chimney Swifts on Oil Field Road near the processing facility. We had a high number of 115 Black Vultures in the vicinity of Mineral Marsh due to the die off of Carp due to being entrapped in the low water recently. We saw a total of 15 Scissor-tailed Flycatchers, most of which were along the roads on the west side of the refuge. There was a Belted Kingfisher at Deaver pond and we saw 6 Wood Ducks at Meadow pond. The Lotus are now blooming at Meadow Pond. We finished the day with 61 species. Today's photo, a Greater Roadrunner with a Skink and a grasshopper in it beak. Best viewed full screen. Thanks for looking. Enjoy your week.

June 6, 2023: Complete Bird Census List of 67 Species

Question Mark Butterfly

It was a pleasant day for our census. We went down Raasch Trail behind the maintenance buildings at the beginning and there was not much activity, Then we proceeded to Harris Creek Trail and found the Red-headed Woodpeckers, a singing Blue Grosbeak, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, Indigo Buntings, Yellow-billed Cuckoos and a few other species. We then proceeded on to Wildlife Drive and at the end of Plover we found many Least Terns, some very late Franklin's Gulls, American White Pelicans, a few Mallards and Blue-winged Teal. There we also saw a Dunlin that has been present there for quite a few days. There are Canada Geese just about everywhere you look around the pads. Most of the shorebirds have departed but we did see a Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, 46 White-rumped Sandpipers, and 3 Semipalmated Sandpipers. Some of the marshes have been drained to do some repair work but Steedman and Muleshoe marshes still have some water and more will be added starting tomorrow. We saw 2 Bald Eagles and the Acadian Flycatcher is still present on Bennett Lane. There was a singing Bell's Vireo on Egret Pad. We saw two Broad-winged Hawks today in the vicinity of the entrance to Oil Field Road. The Button Bushes are starting to bloom on the pads and there were a lot of Butterflies present. We finished the day with 67 species. Today's photos, a female Summer Tanager gathering nesting material. Notice how well she blends in with the surrounding foliage, and a Question Mark butterfly one of many butterflies we saw today.

May, 2023

May 30, 2023: Complete Bird Census List of 82 Species

Bald Eagle

It was a cool, still day for our census. There had been rain late yesterday and it was threatening rain again this afternoon. There are still a lot of mudflats at the refuge and a surprising number of shorebirds are still present. We had an estimated 300 White-rumped Sandpipers, most of them in Steedman Marsh. We saw several Semipalmated Plovers, a Dunlin. Killdeer, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Least Sandpipers, Spotted Sandpipers, Wilson's Phalaropes, Semipalmated Sandpipers and Pectoral Sandpipers. At the end of Tern pad there was a Bald Eagle which appears to be approaching 4 years in age. There was a Tri-colored Heron near the north low water crossing. We saw Wood Ducks in several places with a total of 8 for the day. The Acadian Flycatcher is still hanging around calling near the low water crossing on Bennett. Yellow-billed Cuckoos are abundant this year with a count of 10 for the day. There were a total of 11 Least Terns on and near the sandbar off the end of Plover. We found 6 Greater Roadrunners today and one was sitting in the top of a tree at Sandy Point. We saw a total of 18 Mississippi Kites most of which were flying over Wildlife Drive. We found Red-headed Woodpeckers on the Harris Creek Trail and at Deaver Pond. There was a late season Swainson's Thrush on the trail to Meadow Pond. There was a Yellow-breasted Chat near the bridge on Enterprise Road. We counted 15 Painted Buntings, 5 Indigo Buntings and only 1 Blue Grosbeak. We finished the day with 82 species. Today's photo is a Bald Eagle.

May 23, 2023: Complete Bird Census List of 90 Species

Black-bellied Plover

Black-necked Stilt

Grasshopper Sparrow

It was a nice calm day for our census. Shorebird numbers were still good with over 400 White-rumped Sandpipers scattered around on the pools near the many mudflats that are present because of low lake level. There was a Black-necked Stilt near the north low water crossing. Other shorebirds of interest were 16 Dunlin, 6 Hudsonian Godwits and a Whimbrel on the large sand bar off the end of Plover. That has been a very good area as of late. There we also saw a large mixed flock of shorebirds, Black Terns, Least Terns and a couple of Caspian Terns. Early on we were serenaded by a male Northern Bobwhite and the hen was sitting on a bench in the butterfly garden. We saw a pair of Wood Ducks in a tree across the creek from the Harris Creek trail photo blind. The Red-headed Woodpeckers were also present there. We saw 8 more Wood Ducks later on at Meadow Pond. Later in the morning we saw Black-bellied Plovers, an American Avocet, Stilt Sandpipers, Baird's Sandpipers, Least Sandpipers, Pectoral Sandpipers Semipalmataed Sandpipers, Wilson's Phalaropes, Spotted Sandpipers and a Long-billed Dowitcher in the marshes near Wildlife Drive. Out on the west side of the refuge we saw a couple of Swainson's Hawks. We finished the day with 90 species. Today's photos, Black-bellied Plover, Black-necked Stilt and Grasshopper Sparrow with insects for young ones.

May 16, 2023: Complete Bird Census List  of  100 Species +2 other taxa

Bobolink

Prothonotary Warbler

It was a cool cloudy day for the census. This is typically the peak of warbler migration here, what little migration of warblers we have, so we went in search of warblers early on. We walked the portion of Harris Creek trail to the area by the photo blind where we heard a warbler song that we were not familiar with and after searching a bit found a Golden-winged Warbler male in breeding plumage. As far as I know this is the first sighting of this species on the refuge ever. One lady birder, now deceased, reported seeing a couple in Sherman in Sept of 1984 and that is the only other county record that I am aware of. There was a paucity of warblers today but this beautiful bird more than made up for it. We did see a couple of Yellow Warblers and a Mourning Warbler on Enterprise Road near the bridge and several Prothonotary Warblers near the low water crossing on Bennett Lane. Also we saw several Common Yellowthroats and heard a Northern Parula. We saw several Least Terns and 4 Black Terns flying over the lake. We saw a couple of Hudsonian Godwits off the end of Plover Pad. We found a pair of Wood Ducks at Dead Woman Pond. We heard a couple of Barred Owls calling on the road to Meadow Pond. We found a total of 12 Mississippi Kites today. A pair of Red-headed Woodpeckers are nesting in the dead tree near the large willow on Harris Creek trail. It appears that most of the Bobolinks have departed as we only saw two today. Shorebird numbers are down but we had 12 species today. We finished the day with 100 species.

May 9, 2023: Complete Bird Census List  of  93 Species

Bobolink

Cedar Waxwings

Prothonotary Warbler

With regular bird census-takers Jack Chiles and Mike Petrick away on a well-deserved birding odyssey, Bryon Clark, Margaret Avard, and I tried our best to fill their shoes. They will be back “on the job” next week. Before we even started, we heard an Inca Dove and watched some feisty Lark Sparrows scratching in the dirt around the Friends building. Once in the van, we headed for the bridge on Raasch Trail, but it immediately became clear the recent rains made the road a slippery mess, so we abandoned that plan and went to Harris Creek Trail to see what we could find. Warblers have been slow in arriving, but there were plenty of Buntings calling in the trees. The Red-headed Woodpeckers were very active, and we heard both Carolina and House Wrens. Next, we headed toward Haller’s Haven Trail. On the way, we saw the first of 8 Mississippi Kites. Cedar Waxwings were feeding in several places. Near Dead Woman Pond we found a Green Heron and a Tri-colored Heron, along with more common heron and egret species. Back on the auto tour route, we found shorebird numbers were greatly reduced. The exception is Hudsonian Godwits, which were found in several places. Even so, we found examples of a dozen different species, including more than sixty Greater/Lesser Yellowlegs. Bobolinks were present in the vetch along Silliman Road. West of the refuge we found many Eastern Kingbirds and Scissortailed Flycatchers, along with Grasshopper and Savannah Sparrows. On the way back to our starting point, we saw an adult Bald Eagle soaring overhead and found Red-tailed and Red-shouldered Hawks. We finished the day with 93 species. 

May 2, 2023 Complete Bird Census List  of 113 Species

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