We covered five areas of the refuge. Some of the birds near the Visitor’s Center included Carolina wren, chipping sparrow, and house finch. The purple martins are back. The next stop was the Leeds Eco-Trail boardwalk. Birds we identified there included osprey, bald eagle, northern harrier, tree swallow, and eastern towhee. The Leeds Eco-Trail was quiet as we only picked up northern mockingbird, mourning dove, double-crested cormorant, and mallard. We went to the Gull Pond Tower Trail next. An immature bald eagle was sitting to the corner of the tower for at least 20 minutes. Other birds in this area included Canada goose, mute swan, belted kingfisher, red-breasted merganser, greater yellowlegs, great egret, and red-winged blackbird. Wildlife Drive was our last and most productive start. We picked up 30 species there including snowy egret, green-winged teal, northern shoveler, American herring gull, red-breasted merganser, willet, brant, bufflehead, Forster’s tern, American black duck, black-necked stilt, killdeer, bald eagle, tree swallow, gadwall, dunlin, osprey, ruddy duck, and black-bellied plover.
MY PHOTOS: red-breasted merganser, Canada goose, mute swan, bald eagle, northern shoveler, American herring gull, green-winged teal, snowy egret
