From Water to Woods...

Tweet My favorite time of the year for birding, Spring, is here.  This means that any time that I am not at work or sleeping, I am usually out looking for new bird arrivals.  After an above normal temperature winter, spring has started off cooler than usual.

It has also been fairly dry, especially when compared to this time last year.  Shorebird habitat is always very hard to find on the east side of town.  The farmers fields are always well drained.  There has been some good shorebirds found around the area, but too far for me to try for.  So, I'll take any shorebirds that I can get locally!  My only really reliable spot for shorebirds is ironically a shore rather than a flooded field, the beach at the local reservoir (East Fork).

My first non-killdeer shorebirds of the season were these two molting Dunlin on the beach at East Fork.

Always enjoy watching them navigate the incoming waves.  Looks as if they are dancing.

Here is one running from an incoming wave.

After running from the wave, the bird turned around and started to walk right up to me.

A couple of Lesser Yellowlegs have also been hanging out on the beach for a while.  They are funny birds to watch.

Cool back colors.

They were feeding on something in the sand.

This one thinks it is the BOMB!

Love the expressions of this bird.

I know I've got something stuck on my foot, so quit looking!

Tu-tu, tu-tu, tu-tu

This nice looking breeding Bonaparte's Gull was near the yellowlegs.  A nice looking bird that I don't see much sporting its breeding plumage.

 

 It was also feeding on something in the sand.

While driving down my road, something caught my eye, so I turned around.  Lo and behold, there were eight Wilson's Snipe in a corn stubble field right off the side of the road.  I had my camera, so I snapped a few pics out of the car window.  Very camouflaged birds.

 

Since most of the holes on my ragged life list are shorebirds/waterbirds, I have a tendency of just checking the lake.  With the woods radiating with the sounds of new arrival migrants at East Fork, I decided I should spend more time in the woods than just looking for rare water birds. 

Prairie Warblers are singing all over the south side of the park in the cedar fields.

Yellow-rumped Warblers are everywhere at East Fork and in my yard.  This one found a yummy inchworm.

Warbling Vireos are everywhere as well.

Here is one of my favorite warblers.  While pishing a stream, this Wilson's Warbler very briefly popped up from the vegetation.  I was able to get this quick shot.  Beautiful bird!

Prothonotary Warblers are singing all over the park in the woods surrounding the lake.  I saw two at one time and heard another one calling in the distance across the cove.  Two Prothonotaries were chasing each other and calling.  I pished and the birds flew in to see what was going on.

"Sweet, Sweet, Sweet"

Looks like Pikachu!

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