The day after I got my lifer Wilson's Snipe at Oka Ponds, I went with my dad and brother to Ed Levin County Park in the northeastern corner of the county to look for a rare Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, as well as add some other birds to my yearlist, including the more common Red-breasted Sapsucker.
Upon getting there, the first parking lot didn't provide much of interest, except some unidentified overhead swallows, several NUTTALL'S WOODPECKERS, and a HERMIT THRUSH.
Next, the three of us walked around the Sandy Wool Lake (named after a settler), which proved to be a much "birdier" area. Birds we saw included a GREAT BLUE HERON, BUFFLEHEADS, and a cooperative BLACK PHOEBE.
As we went farther around the lake, I decided to look in a pepper tree, and was rewarded with my first FOY of the trip - a RED-BREASTED SAPSUCKER! I couldn't get a shot, though, because the bird was just too skittish... (more later)
My dad pointed out a big bird soaring over the lake, and I identified it as an OSPREY - another bird new for my Big Year! I couldn't get any good photos, because I still haven't mastered my camera completely, but I did get this one:
A RUDDY DUCK with two DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS in the background:
A juvie RED-SHOULDERED HAWK:
I also spotted my favorite warbler, the TOWNSEND'S, taking a bath in the water in some cattails. I got really annoyed at it, because it flitted about five feet from me, but wouldn't let me take a single good shot because of the branches. It gave me impressive views, though, and is still my favorite warbler, despite the incident!
Almost around, I first spotted two females, and then a male, RING-NECKED DUCK - my third FOY! I got a nice shot, too:
We then moved on to the Spring Valley Area of Ed levin County Park, where my brother photographed the MALLARD, and I the Hermit Thrush:
My brother, dad, and I ate lunch and walked around the Spring Valley Pond, but didn't find any new birds. Next, we had to decide what to do: drive to Calaveras Reservoir to look for nesting Bald Eagles, or look for the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker in Ed Levin. We decided on the latter, because the sapsucker is rarer than the eagle.
According to reports on the listserv (South Bay Birds), the sapsucker was being found reliably in a dirt parking lot with pepper trees. We asked a hiker where that might be, and he pointed out the lot some 500 feet down the road. We drove there, and parked in the middle, before spreading out to check the five or so pepper trees. My brother called to me about five minutes after we started, waving his arms excitedly, but when I got to the pepper tree he was looking at, all I saw was a Red-breasted Sapsucker, even though my brother swore it was a Yellow-bellied.
My brother and I worked the pepper trees for another 20 minutes before he called out, and I caught a brief glimpse of a sapsucker flying from one tree into another. It began giving "mew" calls, but I read in my field guide that the Red-breasted sounded almost exactly the same. It flew some more between the pepper trees and some oak trees, giving me only a fleeting glance at its striped, mostly free-of-red head. I was quite sure it was my YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER, but I wanted a much better look, and, if possible, a photo.
The bird did not cooperate for another two hours (no kidding!), which included us standing around the lot for about thirty minutes while the sapsucker stayed, not making a sound, in the oak trees. I entertained myself by taking a nice shot of a Red-breasted:
As we were about to leave, the sapsucker flew into some leafless trees, and my brother and I ran from our car, and managed to get a lousy, but 100% confirmatory, look at the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker! As it winged off into an oak on the side of a hill, I even got a bad photo!
This trip was a great success, with me getting four FOYs, and some nice photos of some birds that I had never previously photographed, even if we didn't get to go see the Bald Eagles. My county yearlist now stands at 93. It would be great to get to 100 in a month, something I've never done before!
Summary:
Birds seen: 44
New birds: 4
Big Year count: 93
Upon getting there, the first parking lot didn't provide much of interest, except some unidentified overhead swallows, several NUTTALL'S WOODPECKERS, and a HERMIT THRUSH.
Next, the three of us walked around the Sandy Wool Lake (named after a settler), which proved to be a much "birdier" area. Birds we saw included a GREAT BLUE HERON, BUFFLEHEADS, and a cooperative BLACK PHOEBE.
As we went farther around the lake, I decided to look in a pepper tree, and was rewarded with my first FOY of the trip - a RED-BREASTED SAPSUCKER! I couldn't get a shot, though, because the bird was just too skittish... (more later)
My dad pointed out a big bird soaring over the lake, and I identified it as an OSPREY - another bird new for my Big Year! I couldn't get any good photos, because I still haven't mastered my camera completely, but I did get this one:
A RUDDY DUCK with two DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS in the background:
A juvie RED-SHOULDERED HAWK:
I also spotted my favorite warbler, the TOWNSEND'S, taking a bath in the water in some cattails. I got really annoyed at it, because it flitted about five feet from me, but wouldn't let me take a single good shot because of the branches. It gave me impressive views, though, and is still my favorite warbler, despite the incident!
Almost around, I first spotted two females, and then a male, RING-NECKED DUCK - my third FOY! I got a nice shot, too:
We then moved on to the Spring Valley Area of Ed levin County Park, where my brother photographed the MALLARD, and I the Hermit Thrush:
Also, to our great surprise, we found another, this time adult, Red-shouldered Hawk munching on a coot in plain sight! Look at that huge, full crop! This was my first time seeing something like this happen!
My brother, dad, and I ate lunch and walked around the Spring Valley Pond, but didn't find any new birds. Next, we had to decide what to do: drive to Calaveras Reservoir to look for nesting Bald Eagles, or look for the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker in Ed Levin. We decided on the latter, because the sapsucker is rarer than the eagle.
According to reports on the listserv (South Bay Birds), the sapsucker was being found reliably in a dirt parking lot with pepper trees. We asked a hiker where that might be, and he pointed out the lot some 500 feet down the road. We drove there, and parked in the middle, before spreading out to check the five or so pepper trees. My brother called to me about five minutes after we started, waving his arms excitedly, but when I got to the pepper tree he was looking at, all I saw was a Red-breasted Sapsucker, even though my brother swore it was a Yellow-bellied.
My brother and I worked the pepper trees for another 20 minutes before he called out, and I caught a brief glimpse of a sapsucker flying from one tree into another. It began giving "mew" calls, but I read in my field guide that the Red-breasted sounded almost exactly the same. It flew some more between the pepper trees and some oak trees, giving me only a fleeting glance at its striped, mostly free-of-red head. I was quite sure it was my YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER, but I wanted a much better look, and, if possible, a photo.
The bird did not cooperate for another two hours (no kidding!), which included us standing around the lot for about thirty minutes while the sapsucker stayed, not making a sound, in the oak trees. I entertained myself by taking a nice shot of a Red-breasted:
As we were about to leave, the sapsucker flew into some leafless trees, and my brother and I ran from our car, and managed to get a lousy, but 100% confirmatory, look at the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker! As it winged off into an oak on the side of a hill, I even got a bad photo!
Summary:
Birds seen: 44
New birds: 4
Big Year count: 93
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