Red-headed Woodpecker
It was very hot here again today, and Walt Childs and I got a late start this morning for a birding outing. Neither of us had been to Swoope for a few weeks, and didn't expect to see very many birds because of the heat and time of day. We arrived in the Swoope area at 11:45 a.m., and decided to bird most of the time from the car with the windows down and the air conditioning on. Except for a short hike along Smith Lake and a few times when I walked a bit, we tried to stay out of the direct sunlight. Birding from a car has its advantages and disadvantages. Some birds will le you get fairly close as long as you remain in the car, but the motor vibrations play havoc with bird photography. Soon after turning onto Hewitt Road, we stopped when we saw a Red-headed Woodpecker. It was in the same area where we saw one the last time we were in Swoope. Note in the photo on the right, you can see the woodpecker's tongue extended from its bill.
Red-headed Woodpecker
When we arrived at Smith Lake, we immediately saw a Great Egret.
Great Egret
I hiked a good way down the south side of the lake. There were some shorebirds on the mud flats - note a large number of shorebirds, but six shorebird species: Killdeer, Lesser Yellowlegs, Least Sandpiper, Pectoral Sandpiper, Spotted Sandpiper, and Solitary Sandpiper. A small bird was flying with two Pectoral Sandpipers, and I couldn't tell if it was one of the Least Sandpipers or a very young Pectoral Sandpiper.
Pectoral Sandpipers and Least(?) Sandpiper
Pectoral Sandpipers and Least(?) Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
Spotted Sandpiper
Lesser Yellowlegs
Lesser Yellowlegs and Solitary Sandpiper
Killdeer
There were a few Wood Ducks in the lake, and one or more Willow Flycatchers in the vegetation along the bank, as well as a few other species. A Red-tailed Hawk flew from a nearby tree, and later in the afternoon, we saw a Red-tailed Hawk from North Mountain Road that was perched near the lake - probably the same bird. A Great Blue Heron flew across the lake.
Wood Duck
Red-tailed Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Great Blue Heron
Eastern Phoebe
We stopped on Cattleman Road near Livik Road where I saw at least two more Willow Flycatchers.
Willow Flycatcher
Willow Flycatcher
Willow Flycatcher
Willow Flycatcher
We turned onto Livik Road, and I got my best bird of the day. A Grasshopper Sparrow was perched along the road with a spider in its bill, and it didn't mind my taking photos from a few feet away (still in the car).
Grasshopper Sparrow
Grasshopper Sparrow
Grasshopper Sparrow
Grasshopper Sparrow
And we had a similar experience viewing an Eastern Kingbird from the car.
Eastern Kingbird
Eastern Kingbird
Eastern Kingbird
We did see one sparrow that we could not identify for sure, but I think that it was a very young Song Sparrow.
Song(?) Sparrow
We saw several more species as we drove around Swoope, and ended up with 43 avian species there in just over three hours. There were lots of Eastern Meadowlarks, and the one in the photo below looks to be a young one.
Eastern Meadowlark
Starlings
American Kestrel
Today's trip list:
American Crow
American Goldfinch
American Kestrel
American Robin
Barn Swallow
Canada Goose
Carolina Wren
Chimney Swift
Chipping Sparrow
Common Grackle
Common Yellowthroat
Eastern Bluebird
Eastern Kingbird
Eastern Meadowlark
Eastern Phoebe
European Starling
Field Sparrow
Grasshopper Sparrow
Gray Catbird
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
House Finch
Indigo Bunting
Killdeer
Least Sandpiper
Lesser Yellowlegs
Mallard
Mourning Dove
Northern Cardinal
Northern Mockingbird
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Pectoral Sandpiper
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Red-headed Woodpecker
Red-tailed Hawk
Red-winged Blackbird
Solitary Sandpiper
Song Sparrow
Spotted Sandpiper
Tree Swallow
Turkey Vulture
Willow Flycatcher
Wood Duck