The pools we visited today (Raymond, Shearness, Finis, and Bear Swamp) were mostly frozen due to the recent cold weather. The tidal areas were mixed frozen and open while the ditches on the tidal side of the road were mostly open. We stopped in six areas of the refuge today. Birds seen near the Visitor’s Center included Canada goose, white-throated sparrow, house sparrow, and northern mockingbird. Birds seen in Raymond Pool included northern shoveler, bufflehead, mallard, bald eagle (5), northern harrier, blue-winged teal, tundra swan, and snow goose (one in the water and hundreds in flocks overhead). In Shearness Pool, we saw northern pintail, common merganser, great black-backed gull, American black duck, American coot, ring-billed gull, great blue heron, and bald eagle (about 20). Finis Pool was generally quiet but we identified 3-4 bald eagles, red-shouldered hawk, belted kingfisher, eastern phoebe and American robin. Some birds we saw in Bear Swamp Pool included dark-eyed junco, snow goose, tundra swan, green-winged teal, red-winged blackbird, bufflehead, tundra swan, and northern shoveler. The Boardwalk Trail was quiet as usual but we saw two adult bald eagles in the distant trees from the boardwalk. The other three birds we identified along the trail were Carolina wren, northern flicker, and Canada goose.
MY PHOTOS: blue-winged teal, snow goose, northern shoveler, mallard, northern harrier, great blue heron, eastern phoebe
