Saturday, May 14, 2011

48hr Birdathon - Magee Marsh/Crane Creek/Ottawa/Mertzer and surrounding area

Our plan was to spend the afternoon birding this area, go owling in the evening and then spend the morning cleaning up the list for what we didn't find.... Unfortunately, the plan did not go as well as expected. I got a call from the Mrs. and was informed that our daughter was in the hospital and going to need emergency surgery. So at 330am I got in my car and left so I missed this morning of birding. Only 3 more species were found that we didn't have so I was not that upset, and it is my daughter... so no big deal.

Our arrival at crane creek on Friday was amazing. We walked to the entrance of the boardwalk and were immediately engulfed by a storm of Warblers. They were everywhere... It was so cool... and this was at 4pm... yes, 4pm..... We added Bay-Breasted, Prothonotary, Connecticut, Mourning, and Cerulean to our already impressive list of Warblers. A Canada Warbler was found on a thicket near the beach.

At Ottawa we found a pair of Trumpeter Swans. In a field near Metzger Marsh there was a large group of Sandpipers. Semipalmated Plover, Long-billed Dowitcher, Least Sandpiper and Dunlin made up this large group. In the evening we headed into Magee when it was dark and called in an Eastern Screech Owl. Also found a Carolina Wren on a side road calling... last bird of the day for me was a Common Nighthawk, flying around town in the middle of the night.

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