In the parking lot and Visitor’s Center area, we identified American robin, blue jay, American crow, white-breasted nuthatch, and Carolina chickadee. A few of the birds we identified along the Bristow Trail were red-winged blackbird, great blue heron, and northern flicker. Some of the birds we identified along the Akers Woodland Trail were brown creeper, red-bellied woodpecker, and white-throated sparrow. We didn’t spend a lot of time on those trails. By contrast, the Gull Pond Overlook Trail was very productive. We saw 20 species there including tundra swan, mute swan, great blue heron, American wigeon, ring-necked duck, northern pintail, great egret, northern harrier, bald eagle, hooded merganser, green-winged teal, belted kingfisher, American coot, northern shoveler, pied-billed grebe, and bufflehead. We identified 31 species along Wildlife Drive including little blue heron (imm.), ruddy duck, black-crowned night-heron (2 imms.), double-crested cormorant, black-bellied plover, greater yellowlegs, clapper rail, lesser scaup, gadwall, northern pintail, American black duck, snowy egret, and hooded merganser. We also got a 15-minute look at a peregrine falcon perched on an osprey nest platform post.
MY PHOTOS: peregrine falcon, little blue heron, black-crowned night-heron, great blue heron, great egret, northern harrier, tundra swan, ruddy duck
