Back to Artemesia this morning. It seems to me there were more birds in the local spots in previous years, but not so far.
Artemesia is still busy, but there should be more variety. Where are the mergansers?
It was seriously windy this morning, but not really cold yet. Sunrise was better than average, but I was surprised how few birds there were on the beach. Three foxes were having some fun, though.
I stopped at Jonas Greene Park to kill a little time before running errands, and found a few nice ducks in the little pond adjacent to the park. It’s been a reliable spot in the past, as well.
I heard there were some Pelicans in Edgewater, and I hadn’t been there in several years, so I went early this morning. It’s one of those places where you have to wait for someone to open the gate, and they were late, so I climbed the fence.
I walked the 200 yard beach without seeing much except gulls and herons, then I noticed a fishing weir some ways out, and there was a Brown Pelican perched on it. Not a great shot, but I’ll take it as we don’t usually get a lot of Pelicans. I found a few small birds in the beach grass, and several Flickers as well.
A later stop at Quiet Waters drew a blank.
Artemesia treated me well yesterday, so back I went. I’m not sure why we aren’t getting better birds locally, but they’ll be here eventually.
The Blackpoll Warbler is a very late migrant, and a nice find. Artemesia is still getting a nice selection of birds. I also stopped at Buddy Attick again, but didn’t find much. I expect I’d do better if I were there earlier.
I went to Artemesia on this Saturday, and there was virtually no traffic. I really don’t like commuter traffic, and I find driving in the dark isn’t as easy as it used to be. Old age is not for sissies.
Artemesia was well populated with ducks this morning, and I made three trips around the lake to get good views of them all.
I was alerted to some nearby Wood Ducks by a fellow birder, and added them to my total as I left.