Category: Birding

Samantha and I left early and met Karen Holliday at 6:45 and then rode with her to Bona Dea Trails where we met David Ray and Ted (last name unknown). We birded the area with Yellow-crowned Night-Herons as the target bird. We then visited a nearby Disk Golf course and finally swung by Holla Bend NWR for Black-bellied Whistling ducks (found) and Yellow-headed Blackbirds (not). Finished around 1 PM and headed home. I saw 59 separate species.

Bona Dea Trails species seen or heard:
• American White Pelican
• Double-crested Cormorant
• American Coot
• American Crow
• Pied-billed Grebe
• Eastern Phoebe
• Herring Gull
• Ring-billed Gull
• Northern Mockingbird
• Blue Jay
• Eastern Bluebird
• Red-winged Blackbird
• Yellow-crowned Night-heron
• Red-bellied Woodpecker
• Fish Crow
• Carolina Chickadee
• Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
• American Robin
• Northern Cardinal
• White-throated Sparrow
• Mourning Dove
• Ruby-crowned Kinglet
• Carolina Wren
• Northern Flicker
• Canada Goose
• Yellow-rumped Warbler
• Pine Warbler
• Brown Thrasher
• Eastern Meadowlark
• Purple Martin
• Mallard
• Barn Swallow
• Hermit Thrush
• Northern Rough-winged Swallow
• Brown Creeper
• Downy Woodpecker
• Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
• Northern Parula
• Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
• Turkey Vulture

Disk Golf Course species seen or heard:
• American Goldfinch
• Northern Cardinal
• American Crow
• Northern Flicker
• Eastern Bluebird
• Blue Jay
• Red-winged Blackbird
• Dark-eyed Junco
• American Coot
• Chipping Sparrow
• Northern Mockingbird
• Fish Crow
• Carolina Chickadee
• Ring-billed Gull
• Double-crested Cormorant
• White-eyed Vireo
• Barn Swallow

Holla Bend area species seen or heard:
• Blue-winged Teal
• Killdeer
• Brown-headed Cowbird
• Rock Pigeon
• American Kestrel
• Black-bellied Whistling Duck
• Belted Kingfisher
• Eastern Phoebe
• Great Egret
• Northern Flicker
• Chipping Sparrow
• White-crowned Sparrow
• Savannah Sparrow
• Bald Eagle
• Red-tailed Hawk
• Brewer’s Blackbird
• Cliff Swallow
• Loggerhead Shrike

Arrived at 6:10 PM, it was chilly and cloudy but at least it wasn’t raining. The backwater at the start of the trail was interesting in that it was 2.5 to 3 feet higher on the north side than on the south. Though water was flowing through the culvert, it must have been mostly clogged. Left at 6:45.
Species seen or heard:
• Red-winged Blackbird
• Red-tailed Hawk
• Canada Goose
• Eastern Bluebird
• Eastern Meadowlark
• Northern Cardinal
• Downy Woodpecker
• Mourning Dove
• Black-and-white Warbler
• Yellow-rumped Warbler
• Carolina Chickadee
• American Robin
• Northern Mockingbird
• Northern Flicker
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

Arrived at 5:22 PM. Cloudy, low 50s, light rain. Spent almost my entire time around the backwater marsh on the north side and start of the trail. Left at 6:30 PM.

Species seen or heard:
• Canada Goose
• Red-winged Blackbird
• Mourning Dove
• Eastern Bluebird
• Fish Crow
• Northern Cardinal
• Northern Mockingbird
• Yellow-rumped Warbler
• Northern Flicker
• Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher
• Pileated Woodpecker
• Carolina Chickadee
• Red-bellied Woodpecker
• Purple Martin
• Belted Kingfisher
• Red-shouldered Hawk