Global Birding Big Day fell on a Sunday this year so I didn't really have the time to go out anywhere Not that it was all that bad... I could just walk down to the pond. Here are some highlights of the outing.
First highlight: a Gadwall! These guys make some interesting sounds; I think it's supposed to be a quack but it's very nasal and distorted. Not the most visually appealing ducks, but they're neat to observe.
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| Gadwall (left) with Male Mallard |
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| Gadwall |
You're bound to find at least one type of Scaup at the pond in May, whether they be Redheads, Canvasbacks, Ring-necked Ducks, or Lesser or Greater Scaups. This particular outing provided one male Ring-necked Duck and three Lesser Scaups (pictured below).
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| Lesser Scaups in flight |
Yellow-rumped Warblers are abundant around this time of year as they migrate.
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| Female Yellow-rumped Warbler |
Shorebirds begin showing up again at this time too! This particular checklist included five Wilson's Phalaropes, three Spotted Sandpipers, one Solitary Sandpiper, one Lesser Yellowlegs, and three Greater Yellowlegs.
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| Three Greater Yellowlegs (two in flight) and a male Wilson's Phalarope |
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| Female Yellow-rumped Warbler |
Possibly the show-stoppers of the day, these Trumpeter Swans showed up and dwarfed all of the other birds on or near the water. Even the Canada Geese looked miniature beside these monsters! It is pretty rare to see Trumpeters at this time of year. Generally if you see a swan in May it'll be a Tundra Swan which is almost identical. You distinguish the two primarily by looking at the shape of the bill; Trumpeter Swans' bills slope down in a straight line whereas the Tundra Swan's upper mandible is bent slightly.
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| Trumpeter Swans |
Yet another shot of a Yellow-rumped Warbler... this time a male!
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| Male Yellow-rumped Warbler |
Always a joy to hear these birds sing! Here is a Western Meadowlark:
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| Western Meadowlark |
A few Wilson's Phalaropes were hanging around (as mentioned before). Here is a shot of a female with a Yellow-rumped Warbler photo-bombing.
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| Female Wilson's Phalarope and Yellow-rumped Warbler |
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| Male Yellow-rumped Warbler |
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| Male Yellow-rumped Warbler |
Some Blue-winged Teals were present as well! I love the swan just staring them (or maybe me) down.
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| Blue-winged Teals with Trumpeter Swan |
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| Blue-winged Teals |
On the way back I was fortunate to discover a number of Harris Sparrows foraging amongst some White-crowned and White-throated Sparrows. These are quite uncommon and always exciting to see.
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| Harris Sparrow (bottom) foraging with a White-crowned Sparrow |
It was a pretty big birding day on Global Birding Big Day and I have no regrets about staying home and birding around my own neighborhood! Looking forward to Big Day 2020 (May 9) and the opportunities that day will present!
Joel G.
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