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After watching the sun rise from the Big Dam Bridge, I birded the service road at the first pond on Cook’s Landing Road.   I had a pretty good turnout for this little stretch of gravel road.  I saw 32 species which included an FOS Winter Wren, an FOS Song Sparrow, an FOS Lincoln’s Sparrow, an FOS White-throated Sparrow, three Nashville Warblers, and a Rose-breasted Grosbeak.

Species seen or heard:

Canada Goose
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Killdeer
Mourning Dove
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Blue Jay
American Crow
Carolina Chickadee
Carolina Wren
House Wren
Winter Wren
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
Brown Thrasher
European Starling
Nashville Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Song Sparrow
Lincoln's Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Indigo Bunting
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

I got up early and went to Holla Bend NWR Saturday morning.  It was a beautiful sunny day, not too hot not too cold.  I took the usual loop clockwise around the auto tour with a stop at the old boat ramp and dam.  I had never walked out to the dam before. Its not much as dams go but it seems to keep the water in.  It wasn’t too birdy today but I did manage to get a first of year Philadelphia Vireo.  They’ve got a number of new signs up, assigning names to areas I didn’t know had names.

Species seen or heard:

Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Green Heron
Bald Eagle
Northern Harrier
Cooper’s Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
Broad-winged Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Belted Kingfisher
Red-headed Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker
Eastern Phoebe
Philadelphia Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Barn Swallow
Tufted Titmouse
Carolina Wren
Sedge Wren
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Eastern Bluebird
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
Brown Thrasher
Northern Cardinal
Indigo Bunting
Eastern Meadowlark
Brown-headed Cowbird

I birded Bell Slough Saturday morning.  I started at the dam on the north side and wrapped up with a short visit to the main entrance on the south side.  I had my best birds of the excursion as I arrived when about 12 Common Terns flew over apparently leaving Lake Conway.  Inside the WMA I quickly noticed I had forgotten rubber boots as my shoes became soaked through from the dew.  It won’t surprise you to learn the water is way down there like so many places.  It was not incredibly birdy but I did see a Canada Warbler, a Yellow-throated Warbler, and an Alder Flycatcher along with 20 other species of more common birds.

The south side was quiet, perhaps due to the time of day but I only saw 10 species there and nothing notable. Just too dry maybe.