I visited BKNWR just last weekend but decided to check it again after the report of a Brown Pelican. My plan was to visit there and then head to Saul’s and maybe Treadways’ Fish Farms.
I got to BKNWR at 8 and took the first road to the right off of Coal Chute Road after the NWR’s headquarters. This allowed me to drive around though rice fields and sneak up on the ponds from the north side. I saw many egrets and herons. I also saw more Black-crowned Night-herons in the same swamp WSW of the grain silos where I saw one last week. This time, I saw 8 mostly juveniles. No pelicans though.
After about two hours, I left for Saul’s. I was disappointed. There was little shore bird habitat there, most of their ponds were full. I only saw two that looked good and one of those was filling up. Mainly they had egrets and herons. I stayed at Saul’s about 45 minutes before heading home.
I think I’ll check out Treadway’s and maybe Joe Hogan State Hatchery tomorrow morning.
Species seen or heard at BKNWR:
- Mallard
- Northern Shoveler
- Hooded Merganser
- Northern Bobwhite
- Pied-billed Grebe
- Great Blue Heron
- Great Egret
- Little Blue Heron
- Cattle Egret
- Black-crowned Night-Heron
- Killdeer
- Black-necked Stilt
- Greater Yellowlegs
- Least Sandpiper
- Rock Pigeon
- Mourning Dove
- Northern Flicker
- Pileated Woodpecker
- Eastern Wood-Pewee
- Eastern Kingbird
- Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
- White-eyed Vireo
- Blue Jay
- American Crow
- Purple Martin
- Cliff Swallow
- Barn Swallow
- Carolina Chickadee
- Tufted Titmouse
- Carolina Wren
- Northern Mockingbird
- Common Yellowthroat
- Northern Cardinal
- Blue Grosbeak
- Indigo Bunting
- Dickcissel
- Red-winged Blackbird
- Eastern Meadowlark
- Common Grackle
Species seen or heard at Saul’s:
- Great Blue Heron
- Great Egret
- Snowy Egret
- Least Sandpiper
- Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
- Tree Swallow
- Bank Swallow
- Barn Swallow
- Northern Cardinal
- Indigo Bunting
- Red-winged Blackbird
