Westward Ho! – Part Two — 18 June 2015

Posted on June 21, 2015 by cftravel

I awoke earlier than my alarm clock. Perhaps it was my overall excitement or that I don’t sleep as heavily when I tent camp? I cleaned up my campsite and walked Ari around the state park before sunset and headed off to Squaw Creek NWR.

My first impressions of this refuge was its overall size. I grossly underestimated the time it would take me to complete the ten mile wildlife loop! Despite the poor lighting of early morning and later overcast conditions, I enjoyed good sightings of American White Pelicans, Dickcissels, and even a Great Horned Owl. Unfortunately, very few decent pictures came from the excursion, but this is a place that I hope to revisit one day and would highly recommend. The state park that I stayed at was only 15 minutes away.

Heading into Nebraska I ran into a storm cloud so beautiful and expansive that I don’t believe any amount of wide-angle lens could have done it justice. From the outside it was breath-taking; inside it was nasty with heavy wind and downpours for nearly 120 miles! Coming out of it into the west I was met with bright blue skies and fluffy white clouds for the remainder of the day. The weather alone would have made the rest of my drive enjoyable, but I did not count on the spectacular scenery and birding of my next location…

Road to Crescent Lake NWR

Crescent Lake NWR

Crescent Lake NWR is so out-of-the-way you may think you are lost getting there. Both roads getting to/from this location are difficult and in hindsight a 4-wheel drive would have been advisable. I would not attempt this journey if there has been recent rain or several days of rain as the road north from Oshkosh, NE is a soft dirt road with occasional gravel for traction (Rd. 82 & Rd. 181). The road from the north from Lakeside is paved in places, but might as well had not been due to the potholes and poor quality. Both roads were narrow allowing for the passage of only one vehicle in approximately 90% of their duration. The northern road looks to be at risk for washing out, as water from the marshes sometimes stood on the road or came up to the broken pavement. When a vehicle approached it was not impossible to pull off to allow them to pass on either road, just take care. All of the areas are open rangeland and any breaks in the fence the road takes there are cattle guards, rows of spinning pipe laid into the road that cows do not like to cross. I found it best to cross over these at a decent speed. The road from Antioch that makes up the northwest portion of the wildlife drive was closed, so I can’t attest to its condition. All that being said, This route was spectacular in both scenery and birding opportunities, a trip that I KNOW I will attempt again in this lifetime and encourage those who have a chance to go.

Possibly a Common Nighthawk?

Right off, turning onto Rd. 181 I happened to see a few Horned Larks, a Lark Sparrow and what I think is a Common Nighthawk. Sleeping on a fence post, the Nighthawk seemed oblivious to my presence and from my car I was only about 8-10 feet away. A few miles down I spotted several Meadowlarks, a species that I have been struggling to find at home. Thanks to the overlap in their range (hint a note of sarcasm), I’ll have to examine my photographs more carefully to identify whether I saw Eastern, Western or both.

The refuge itself did not present as rich of a wildlife population as the roads to and from it, but I did see more Meadowlarks and sparrows along the road. Several large lakes had a few ducks and geese. Continuing north from the refuge towards Antioch the habitat turned more marsh-like with large expansive ponds and standing water pools. Great sightings of a few new species for me occurred here.

Long-billed Curlew

Upland Sandpiper

Wilson’s Phalarope

I witnessed the Wilson’s Phalaropes circling in the water foraging for food. I saw probably two dozen of these birds in several ponds. For some reason I had thought they would be larger. I came across two Long-billed Curlew walking in the grass. Upon seeing me, one barked up a strange trumpeting call. A mile down the road on several fence posts sat what was clearly a shorebird, but very strange in body: Upland Sandpipers!

Other new species for me: Yellow-headed Blackbird, Redhead, Ruddy Duck in breeding plumage (bright blue bill) and an Eared Grebe.

“Just Passing Through”
Ruddy Ducks & Eared Grebe

Westward Ho! — 17 June 2015

Posted on June 21, 2015 by cftravel

(Note: Since I have not been able to get reliable internet to upload to my blog, I plan to batch upload when I can connect. If you want to read the post in order look at the date in the title. Use the side bar or menu to find a listing of posts.)

I planned to make it to South Dakota from my home in North Carolina in two and half days. After arriving in Nashville, TN the first night I set out for the northwest corner of Missouri for the second night.

Parthenon, Centennial Park, Nashville, TN

A mere 7 miles from my hotel in Nashville, I visited Centennial Park (add link) where a replica of the Parthenon sits bordering a small lake. A beautiful setting and wonderful weather made the 1 mile walk around the lake a great place to start the day. The park itself was uncrowded at 7am with the occasional runner passing me by. The only disruption of the peacefulness was Ari’s occasional barking at the seemingly never-ending squirrel population.

Stopping in Illinois for some birding, I left US-45 for Mermet Lake State Fish & Wildlife Area (add link). I’m sure this place with its long circular drive around the lake would be fantastic for year-round wildlife watching. Alas, I visited during the hottest part of the day and overhead sun. A variety of habitats from freshwater, marsh and grassland allowed me to view a wide range of species but not in large quantities.

Due to rainy conditions I drove directly from Illinois to Big Lake State Park in Missouri. I arrived just before sunset and set up my tent under a beautiful sunset.

Morning Walk & Gear List

Posted on June 14, 2015 by cftravel

Today I headed out for a morning walk. Not a lot of bird activity in my neighborhood this morning, if you don’t count the Mockingbirds and Robins! I did manage a nice shot of an Eastern Phoebe siting on a power line.

These past few weeks I’ve been slowly adding all the gear I want to carry into my pack and adjusting Ari’s pack as well. In total, I’m carrying 23-25 lbs of gear (the range depends on the amount of water) and Ari is carrying 2-4 lbs, mainly water. That is roughly 15% and 6% of our weights, respectively.

Eastern Phoebe
Click to Enlarge

I’m carrying (from the bottom up):

Rain cover (already in a special compartment)
Fleece jacket
Thin pair of pants and shirt
Extra pair of socks
Rain pants and jacket
First Aid Kit
2nd Camera Body (Rebel T4i for Landscapes)
Sunscreen & Bug Spray
Ziploc bags with TP
Knee brace
Soft hat
Kleenex
Wet wipes
Gloves

Attached to the exterior and in the hip pockets I have a whistle/compass combo, bear bell, baseball cap, tripod, mace and my Leatherman tool for easy access. Ari will be carrying some poop bags with a larger Ziploc for used ones, 2 water bottles and a cup.

I also have my Cotton Carrier for my wildlife camera set-up. This harness, which allows me to carry my Canon 70D + 100-400L combo hands-free, is amazing! It has taken me nearly a month to get it adjusted for my height and body shape so that it is as comfortable and secure as possible, but making sure it didn’t fit too tightly to interfere with my breathing when I became tired. Well worth the money in the long run.

As I contemplate my strategies for different trails and photographic opportunities I realize that I may not want or need to carry my full pack on all of the trails I’ve put in my itinerary. For this reason, I’ve added a small day pack in one of my car tubs so that I can add just the essentials for short or easy trails.

Bird list for road trip 2015

Posted on June 11, 2015 by cftravel

Bird watching is a relatively new hobby for me, so visiting new areas presents wonderful opportunities to view species either non-existent or rare in my area. Using a wonderful online tool, eBird, I was able to create a comprehensive list of birds I am likely to see on my upcoming road trip.

Download my list: ebird_list

To create my list I utilized the Explore Data –> Bar Charts section of eBird’s database. I selected each state I would visit and the “Hostspots” subregion option. (Note: to search by hotspot, you cannot select multiple states at time.) For each state I plan to actively bird watch I checked all of the possible hotspots for these areas. For example, in Colorado I plan to visit Dinosaur NM, Rocky Mountain NP, and Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR. Each location may have multiple hotspots, so in general, I selected them all.

After selecting the hotspots, I click continue and a bar chart appears listing species and their frequency of being seen in those specific areas. I narrowed my search by clicking the button for Change Date and selected Breeding Season (Jun-Jul) to make sure I was seeing an accurate seasonal list.

Since I will not likely spend time looking for rarities, I copied the list into excel and deleted species with a low frequency during my visiting time. I also deleted species that I have already seen and photographed, or frequently see on the east coast. After completing several states I was left with a listing of approximately 150 species.

Using other features, such as Species Maps I was able to add notes regarding distribution, frequency and location notes for species I wanted to actively seek.

Summer Trip 2015

Posted on June 6, 2015 by cftravel

In just 10 days I’ll be heading west to the Black Hills and Yellowstone areas of South Dakota and Montana, USA. Months of cursory and serious planning will culminate in 29 days on the road and an additional 5-7 days in Delaware.

A good friend curiously asked me a few days ago, “How did you plan this?” Well…

Step 1: Where am I going? Why am I going there?

This step is by far the easiest, but also the most time consuming. Years ago, I compiled a list of 30-35 trips I wanted to complete while I am still able, ranging in duration and activity level to specific times of the year. Looking at my budget and season, I determined the highlights of this particular trip would be the Badlands and Yellowstone.

Since I am traveling by myself (the dog counts, doesn’t he?) the hard questions that come after deciding on a destination are easier than if you have to consider the interests and travel styles of many travel partners. I used Google Maps to set up a custom map. I researched as many online and print sources (guidebooks, travel websites like Tripadvisor, local and state tourism websites, chamber of commerce, eBird for birding hotspots, etc.) to add pins for EVERYTHING I want to see. Trust me, it can be a bit overwhelming when you start adding hundreds of dots to the map!! This process is the most fun, and depending on your transportation and your time commitment, the farther outside your immediate location you can explore. During this part I did NOT do in-depth research into any of the places I was adding, just preliminary to determine whether it was something I was interested in.

I had originally decided to travel north after Yellowstone to Glacier National Park and along the Canadian border to several National Wildlife Refuge hotspots in Montana and North Dakota. I finally settled on a southerly path through Salt Lake City and Denver. It didn’t save me any money or time to make the switch, but there were a lot more things to see with shorter travel time between them. That itinerary change essentially wasted probably 20-30 hours of dedicated research; but I kept my notes for future trips.

My reasons for traveling to these areas play a role in the locations I add. My interests are photography, birding, hiking and scenery. While I enjoy museums, this particular trip needs to be as dog-friendly as possible. I’ll be boarding Ari for two sections of my trip, so I will get to visit a few.

Step 2: Setting an Itinerary

Not as fun as the initial research, setting an itinerary can be quite challenging. During this part it is essential not to overestimate your abilities (something I regularly do, will I ever learn my lesson?). Important things to consider:

What places are dog-friendly, which are not? Can those that are not be done from the car (birding) or will I need to board him (like the National Parks)?
What areas or campgrounds would make good hubs?
What time will I get up? (conversely, What time will I get to bed?)
What are good locations for photography? Will I want to focus on sunrise & sunset photography? (therefore, depending on my lodging: What type of hassle will I have on getting out to sunrise locations or into the campgrounds if I stay late for sunsets?)
Depending on the type of trails and my abilities, how long do I think it will take me to comfortably finish a trail?
Is there just one thing or many things I want to do at a location and how far apart are they?
What type of (road or foot) traffic should I expect and how will that affect my time?
Where will I be able to find food, showers (not all campgrounds have them!) and laundry services?

Since I am traveling solo, there are considerations I take when making an itinerary. I try not to stay at small (<10 or 15 sites) campgrounds when possible and preferably at ones where an attendant is on duty. If I’m in bear country I tend to consider trails that are more heavily used so that I’ll not be on the trail alone. I personally prefer the paths less traveled so I walk a fine line with this guideline.

As a photographer with a dog, I’ve limited my activity to mostly daylight hours. There are a few exceptions: the lighting ceremony at Mount Rushmore and astrophotography at Badlands National Park. I researched the civil twilight and sunrise/sunset times for the hubs of my trip (Rapid City SD, Livingston MT, Salt Lake City UT and Denver CO) to determine my general daylight allotment.

Some good advice given to me by a friend years ago was to stay in one place and explore rather than moving camp each day. While I’m trying to hold true to this I will be moving a little bit within each of the 4 sections of my trip. For 34 nights I have 19 lodgings. Granted the last section traveling between Yellowstone and home via Salt Lake and Denver is 10 nights with 9 lodging locations. Setting camp and not having to worry about it will be a great time saver when trying to compose early morning and late evening shots and when exhausted after a long day’s hike.

Once I set a hub (campground) I try to cluster sights to minimize the amount of travel time between them. I didn’t particularly want to spend half the day in my car and would much rather spend more time on location. This is the part when the dots on the map begin to get a little sparse. More in-depth research of cluster areas of dots help me determine which areas to check out. Say I have a cluster of 5 dots and only one of the dots is really promising, I’d give up that cluster in favor of another cluster where there were more places that interested me. Outlying spots of great interest do stay on the map for a couple of reasons: perhaps the weather is bad and its just far enough to provide a reprieve from bad weather and still remain active or perhaps a particular place wasn’t as interesting and I didn’t spend a lot of time there and have time to explore something else. I also keep several back-ups in case of inclement weather. With a dog, I’m limited in what rainy day activities I can participate in, but in the sections where I am boarding him I have more freedom. If it is particularly stormy, it may be cool enough to leave him in the car to see a small museum.

The last part of the itinerary once I’ve identified my hubs and clusters is deciding how to arrange the sights in a way that appeals to my interest. Photography and birding are both better at early morning and evening time frames whereas landscapes, museums, rest and travel time would be appropriate for mid-day. If I am constrained by opening/closing times for attractions I plan to arrive at the one farthest away when it opens and work my way back to maximize the time. Although, this is sometime negated by drastically different open/close times of some attractions.

Step 3: Making Reservations & Fine-tuning

This is the part I hate. Once I’ve locked in and paid for lodging and attractions I have very little wiggle room. I’ve created a document that includes my rough itinerary, short descriptions of the sites I’m visiting and why I wanted to go there, trail descriptions and directions. I’ve included addresses or GPS locations to plug into my Garmin and phone numbers and confirmation numbers for all of my lodging locations. Important documents like rabies certificates, AAA membership and emergency contact sheets are included in my binder. Copies of other important documents are stowed away in case I need them.

Some things I went back and added last minute were:

Locations of local dog parks. I am always wary of going to these in areas I’m unfamiliar with, but at off times where I’m the only one or just a few other dogs, they are great places to let my dogs stretch their legs.
Check local events calendars. This was a bust for me, but could be a helpful step for others planning trips. Many areas don’t update their summer calendars until April or May so for my trip I was unable to use these to help create my itinerary. However I will be able to attend some ranger-led walks at various parks which are considered daily events.
Add screenshots to assist with directions. Using Google and some of my location websites I took screenshots and added them to my itinerary sheets to assist with navigation. I also did this for any large city where I would need to change interstates or take outer loops in case of a need to skip traffic.
Add alternative trails. Due to the fact I’ve added over 170 miles of trails to my itinerary I felt it prudent to select less strenuous back-ups for several trails in case I want to take it easy or if a particular route becomes closed.
Add apps to my iPhone to assist with travel information. In addition to the ones I’m guaranteed to use (Wunderground Weather, Merlin Bird ID by Cornell, myRefuge by NWS and GasBuddy), I found several others to try out:
- Chimani Grand Teton, Chimani Yellowstone and Chimani Rocky Mtn.
- Geysers – Created by the NPS and updated to show geyser eruption times.
- Birds Near Me – Uses eBird to update recently located birds up to 31 miles from your location within the past 30 days
- Park Guides by National Geographic – So far I can’t find a lot of great information within the free version of this app, but the map section is enticing enough for me to hold on to it.
- Around Me – I’ve had this one awhile, but haven’t had a good opportunity to use it yet.

2014 Trip Report #5

Posted on January 1, 2015 by cftravel

December 26, 2014

Cooper’s Hawk
Port Mahon, DE
Dec. 2014
Click to enlarge.

For good measure we popped into Port Mahon for a few minutes just in case a Snowy Owl would make an appearance. Alas, no Snowy Owls, but plenty of Northern Harriers. We even captured a shot of the juvenile Cooper’s Hawk previously reported there.

At Bombay Hook we started at the Observation Tower over Raymond Pond. Before we climbed the tower the commotion coming from the geese in the pond was heard loud and clear. Upon reaching the top we were met with the sight of hundreds of Snow Geese and Canada Geese. Snow Geese continued to fly over and land in the pool.

I was hoping to see a Ross’s Goose but I did not see one during my trip. I haven’t spent much time evaluating my pictures to find one yet either. (Last sighting of a Ross’s Goose at the time of this writing in eBird is Dec. 19th.)

The Boardwalk trail, which has offered us some unique sightings in the past, was not lively. A lone Downy Woodpecker was our only sighting of consequence.

Further observation of Raymond Pond from the road gave great views of Northern Shovelers and Northern Pintails. Continuing on to Shearness Pool we saw more Northern Pintails under more spectacular (or rather, dramatic) lighting. Tundra Swans were visible in the distance with Canada Geese.

In the fields before turning towards Bear Swamp Pool we witnessed a Northern Harrier and a Red-tailed Hawk interacting in flight above the stand of trees. Both birds swooping towards each other, at times the Harrier getting close enough to the Hawk to alter its flight pattern and rhythm. Regretfully, I did not get spectacular photos of the pair.

Northern Harrier & Red-tailed Hawk
Bombay Hook NWR
Dec. 2014
Click to enlarge.

Within Bear Swamp Pool we saw a Tundra Swan that appeared so large compared to the Canada Geese we started to think about Trumpeter Swans. But, that was a rabbit hole to nowhere, it was definitely a Tundra Swan. I made poor Teddy slam on the brakes rounding the far end of the pool when a Northern Harrier popped up just above the grasses on the passenger side of the vehicle. I quickly jumped out and snapped a few pictures before we continued on towards the Allee House.

Savannah Sparrow
Bombay Hook NWR
Dec. 2014
Click for more photos.

We stopped along the gate at Dutch Neck Rd. (to Allee House) for a picnic within the car. We decided not to pursue the road to Finis Pool since we could not remember how much room there was to turn around. While we were eating, an employee? unlocked the gate to Allee House. I had not been in this section of the refuge and it is a shame we did not see more activity.

We flushed a few Eastern Meadowlarks which flew off farther in the field. A Savannah and Song Sparrow were the extent of small bird activity for the excursion. Two black vultures were perched atop the house and were unmoved by our activity. The fourth American Kestrel of the trip made an appearance in the field past the Allee House to the North. He hovered in several spots over the field before flying back towards the treeline.

We stopped shortly back at the field we had spotted the Meadowlarks. We found none, but while Teddy was talking to another birder a hawk flew low over the field and across the road ahead of the car. Comically (to me), my attempts to alert her and the other birders that the hawk was passing mere feet by them failed. It was gone by time I finally got their attention.

Before heading out of Bombay Hook NWR, we observed a lone female Hooded Merganser diving in a small pool by the road.

On the way home we stopped into Pickering Beach Rd. We spotted an adult Red-tailed Hawk sitting on a low branch in a tree bordering a field. As light faded we observed some small bird activity in the bushes along the road.

2014 Trip Report #4

Posted on December 30, 2014 by cftravel

December 25, 2014

Common Loon
Indian River Inlet
Dec. 2014
Click for more photos.

Before I came up to Delaware, I made a short list of species I would like to find based on previous reports or likely residents. Top of the list was, of course, the Snowy Owl that we did not find, but also several other species that we did (below in bold). Christmas Day was a great day for birding!

After a rainy Christmas Eve, we started out on Christmas day early at Cape Henlopen. Hoping to get a closer look at the Snow Buntings from a few days ago, our efforts did not pay off. No Snow Buntings. 🙁

On our way to Indian River Inlet we stopped at Silver Lake in Rehoboth to find Canvasback, Mallards, Ruddy Ducks and a lone Great Blue Heron.

Indian River Inlet (north jetty) was cold and windy. Cloud cover was receding and eventually cleared around 11am. We first spotted a Common Loon and later many more. On my to-see list we quickly spotted Long-tailed Ducks. These beautiful ducks are sea-faring and we saw two large groupings. Surf and a lone female Black Scoter were visible. While observing the Long-tailed Ducks we were also treated to a pair of Northern Gannets who came close to the shore, Sanderlings and a Ruddy Turnstone. Upon closer inspection of my photos later, I found we did indeed see the Harlequin Duck that has been hanging out there.

Harlequin Duck
Indian River Inlet, DE
Dec. 2014
Click for more photos.

Long-tailed Duck
Indian River Inlet, DE
Dec. 2014
Click for more photos

As the clouds cleared we drove towards the marina to Burton’s Island. This is my second time birding at this location and I would recommend it. I previously visited this site in April of this year and found it to be a great site for viewing Osprey. The parking lot was muddy, so we parked up on the hill a bit to avoid the possibility of getting stuck. The circular trail crosses a boardwalk to the island. From the boardwalk we viewed some Buffleheads, Double-crested Cormorants, Ruddy Turnstones at the end of a pier and two Belted Kingfishers (both males).

Belted Kingfisher
Burton’s Island, DE
Dec. 2014
Click to enlarge.

On the island, most activity was from small birds: White-throated Sparrows, Yellow-rumpled Warblers, Chickadees, Brown-headed Nuthatches, Northern Cardinals and a single Northern Mockingbird. Leaving the island we spooked a Double-crested Cormorant near the boardwalk.

Yellow-rumped Warbler
Burton’s Island, DE
Dec. 2014
Click for more Warblers.

From Burton’s Island we headed south to Assawoman Wildlife Area. Upon arrival we picked up a map of their auto tour route. Unfortunately, the map was not of great quality, but the road names and turns were well-marked with signs.

From the observation tower we observed the 65 acre pond to the north best during the afternoon light. Canada Geese and several hundred American Wigeon were the majority of the birds in the pond. Two mute swans, both with green neck bands were amidst the flock. The bands were unreadable with my camera and I did not attempt when we used to scope. The unusual find for the day was an Eurasian Wigeon mixed in the flock of American Wigeon. Previously reported in eBird. (A very grainy photo due to the distance.) To the east there was a smaller flock of birds made up of American Black Ducks and American Coots.

Eurasian Wigeon
Assawoman Wildlife Area
Dec. 2014
Click to view a second photo.

At Mulberry Landing we visited the photo blind. There we saw another large flock of American Wigeon close to the blind. Further out we spotted Buffleheads, a Ruddy Duck, and 4 Ring-necked Ducks. The road to Strawberry Landing was closed to vehicles and due to our concern of losing light if we did the hike, we decided to call it a day and bird from the road on the way back home. We saw some small songbirds along the pine area back towards the entrance. To top off the site we had the pleasure of observing an immature Red-shouldered Hawk (thank you to the birders on the Facebook group Delaware Birding for helping me identify it), a Red-tailed Hawk and an American Kestrel (#3).

American Kestrel
Assawoman Wildlife Area, Camp Barnes Rd.
Click for larger photo.
Dec. 2014

We stopped at Indian River Inlet (South jetty) on the way back north to try and find the Harlequin Duck again (remember we didn’t “see” it earlier). We did not see any new species or need to alter our counts from earlier in the day. We got more great views of the Long-tailed ducks.

Swinging back by Cape Henlopen, the point, at the end of the day for just one more quick look for the buntings proved fruitless again. Instead we saw a Northern Gannet to the west of the lighthouse and seven Red-breasted Mergansers to end the day.

2014 Trip Report #3

Posted on December 29, 2014 by cftravel

December 23, 2014

We spent an extremely foggy day at and around Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge near Cambridge, MD. Despite the weather we saw 40 species, mostly small birds that were close enough to identify. It goes without saying we saw and heard many Canada and Snow Geese and Mallards, so I will not mention them again.

We arrived at the refuge via Golden Hill Rd. and first drove to the parking lot above the bridge past the intersection of Key Wallace Drive. Hoping to see any birds of prey, the fog was just too dense to make out anything. Driving back to Key Wallace Drive we spotted a small lone bird sitting on the power lines. Upon closer observation we identified it as an American Kestrel. These small falcons are one of my favorite birds and I am saddened by their population decline. This is the first sighting for me since April 2013.

Eastern Phoebe (front) with Eastern Bluebird (back)
Blackwater NWR
Dec. 2014

Resource: American Kestrel Partnership, Declines of American Kestrel populations

In the fields and hedges along Key Wallace Dr. we spotted Eastern Bluebirds, Blue Jays, Flickers, Dark-eyed Juncos, Northern Cardinals, Song Sparrows and White-throated Sparrows. One Eastern Towhee made an appearance. While stopping at the visitor center we spotted an Eastern Phoebe hanging out around the small pond.

Near the intersection of Key Wallace and Egypt Rd. we happened upon another Kestrel! This one had small blue square tag on its right wing with a black ‘X’ marked on it.

Two pied-billed grebes were swimming in the pool to the left of the small bridge just past the entrance to the wildlife drive on Key Wallace Dr.

White-throated Sparrow
Blackwater NWR
Dec. 2014
Click on photo for more photos.

The trees and brush along the entrance of the wildlife drive were alive with small bird activity, mostly White-throated sparrows. I found out quickly that in order to reduce the effects of the fog, I would need to focus my photography on closer subjects.

At at the Observation Site/boardwalk we saw 5 American Black Ducks, 2 female Hooded Mergansers and a Great Blue Heron.

Great Blue Heron
Blackwater NWR
Dec. 2014
Click on photo for more

In the wooded pine areas from wildlife drive stops 3-6 there was a lot of activity. We spotted all three types of nuthatches (myself saw the red-breasted and brown-headed, Teddy reported seeing the white-breasted). Other species along this area:

1 Downy woodpecker
Song Sparrows
1 Carolina wren
2 Bald Eagles
Carolina Chickadees
Swamp Sparrows
Red-bellied Woodpeckers
Tufted Titmouse

Bald Eagle in extremely foggy conditions at Blackwater NWR
Dec. 2014

We saw two Delmarva fox squirrels at the trailhead for the Woods Trail. Once we spotted them, we attempted to slowly reverse to get a better view but they spotted us and scurried away. (Better photos will be on the report on Dec. 28).

Along the marsh region of the wildlife drive the limited visibility reduced our chances of finding the pelicans that had been reported there. Two vultures perched on the osprey/eagle platform around stop 10 were eventually chased off by two eagles.

Bald Eagles
Blackwater NWR
Dec. 2014

After leaving Blackwater NWR we decided to drive around in the surrounding areas despite the poor conditions. At Decoursey Bridge we found trees full of vultures with two Bald Eagles visible to the south. On Elliot Island Rd. we spooked two Belted Kingfishers and an Eastern Meadowlark.

2014 Trip Report #2

Posted on December 29, 2014 by cftravel

December 22, 2014

Swamp Sparrow
Cape Henlopen SP
Dec. 2014
Click on photo to enlarge.

Today’s major site was Cape Henlopen State Park. We met a friend of Teddy’s, Rachael, and starting walking along the trail to Gordons Pond from the north. Along the trail we spotted many White-throated Sparrows, Song Sparrows and Yellow-rumped Warblers. A single Harrier and Bald Eagle were the only raptors.

On the water we spotted Buffleheads and two American Wigeons mixed with a small flock of American Black Ducks. At least one American Black Duck showed evidence of hybridization: partially green iridescence of the head. This seems to be a growing concern, but very few resources (and even fewer current resources) indicate the severity of its impact on the species as a whole. Some resources I have found are:

Description and Identification of American Black Duck, Mallard, and Hybrid Wing Plumage from NPWRC in association with USGS

Red-breasted Nuthatch
Cape Henlopen SP
Dec. 2014
Click on photo for more.

A Century of Hybridization Conservation Genetics, 2004. If you are not inclined to read a science paper, this summary/review is good.

Unable to identify them in the field, I later used photos to ID two Swamp Sparrows seen near the north end of Gordons Pond.

Nearing the parking lot, still along the raised portion of the trail in the pine trees, we spotted both Brown-headed and Red-breasted Nuthatches with a small group of Chickadees.

Brown-headed Nuthatch
Cape Henlopen SP
Dec. 2014
Click on photo for more.

After returning to the parking lot, we walked up to Herring Point to spot several Black Scoters and on to THE Point and were pleasantly surprised to easily find a flock of Snow Buntings from the parking lot overlook.

Snow Bunting
Cape Henlopen SP
Dec. 2014

We ended the day with Snow Geese, LOTS of Snow Geese. A large flock across from Epworth UMC in Rehoboth Beach, DE and then on to Prime Hook NWR on the way back home. Thousands of Snow Geese passed overhead at Prime Hook, flock after flock streaming (noisily) overhead for close to five minutes at dusk. I conservatively estimated 5000 in my eBird list.

Snow Geese
Prime Hook NWR
Dec. 2014
I have lightened this photo a little. This is but one snapshot of the amount of geese that passed overhead.

2014 Trip Report #1

Posted on December 29, 2014 by cftravel

December 21, 2014

This holiday season my good friend and fellow birder Teddy Burke hosted me for a week of Delmarva birding.

Savannah Sparrow
Port Mahon Rd., DE
Dec. 2014
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We started the day at Port Mahon Rd. looking for the elusive Snowy Owls that were previously reported there. Unfortunately, we had no luck. We did happen upon a bald eagle, a few harriers (including one male) and a sizable flock of Ruddy Ducks on the water. On the way out we spooked some smaller birds: four Savannah Sparrows.

Driving up Rte. 9 on the way to our scheduled Christmas Bird Count, we popped into Bombay Hook NWR. While driving along Raymond Pool, a fellow birder alerted us to an American Pipit along the shoreline. I was unable to find it, but by chance looked up and saw the outline of a crane in the grasses across the marsh with the swans. While I’ve seen many Sandhill Cranes in Fairbanks, AK, I was surprised to hear (and see) one was hanging out on the east coast.

Sandhill Crane
Bombay Hook NWR
Dec. 2014

Our Christmas Bird Count at Sharp Farm, Middletown, DE, did not yield a wealth of species, but I learned a few tips that would help me with identification later in my trip. For instance, I had not thought to narrow my choices for sparrows by paying attention to the streaking of the breast; but then again I rarely pay attention to the smaller birds. 🙂 Our day ended with a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Dec. 2014

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