We spent most of the day birding in the refuge and went to six areas. At the Visitor’s Center, we saw red-winged blackbird, song sparrow, house finch, and tundra swans overhead. Next, we moved to Raymond Pool. Among the birds we saw there were northern pintail, snow goose, northern shoveler, green-winged teal, tundra swan and lesser yellowlegs. In the Shearness Pool and marsh, we saw ruddy duck, mute and tundra swans, great blue heron, northern harrier, ring-billed gull, bald eagle (one adult and one immature), American black duck, about 24 American avocets, green-winged teal, ring-necked duck, common merganser, and dunlin. Bear Swamp Trail was unproductive as we only identified Canada goose, red-winged blackbird, common merganser, and northern flicker. Bear Swamp Pool was better and we identified, greater and lesser yellowlegs, green-winged teal, three long-billed dowitchers, northern pintail, and turkey vulture. Along the Boardwalk Trail, we saw an adult bald eagle on top of the nest in a tree east of the boardwalk. We also identified along this trail yellow-rumped warbler, northern shoveler, greater yellowlegs, Carolina wren, northern harrier, and northern cardinal.
MY PHOTOS: American avocets, green-winged teal x 2, northern harrier, northern pintails, northern pintail, ring-billed gull, tundra swans, turkey vulture, yellow-rumped warbler
