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Samantha and I went to CL this morning and walked from the start of Isabella Jo Trail along the backwater to the River Trail down that and back to the start on Isabella Jo. We discovered a new trail – Pfeiffer Loop Trail that connects to the River Trail near the start of the Big Dam Bridge and then again a little further down and Isabella Jo Trail near the Campbell Lake Bridge Trail. It is unpaved and looked muddy and we weren’t prepared for that so we stuck to plan A.

Species seen or heard:
• Ring-billed Gull
• Pied-billed Grebe
• Mourning Dove
• Belted Kingfisher
• Double-crested Cormorant
• Carolina Wren
• Mallard
• Northern Flicker
• Great Blue Heron
• Eastern Towhee
• Song Sparrow
• Blue Jay
• Red-shouldered Hawk
• Lincoln’s Sparrow
• American Crow
• Red-bellied Woodpecker
• Carolina Chickadee
• Fish Crow
• Franklin’s Gull
• White-throated Sparrow
• Yellow-rumped Warbler
• Eastern Bluebird
• American Robin
• Northern Cardinal

• Beaver
• Fox Squirrel

I arrived at the park at 8:16 AM. It was cold, about 35, and perfectly cloudless. I parked at the “normal” parking area with the porta-potty and then walked down to next parking area so that I could walk up the back water before entering the swampy area. I started seeing a good variety of sparrows there and that variety continued through the morning. In addition to the sparrow, I two “wren” surprises: First, I saw a Marsh Wren in the backwater vying with the sparrows. I wasn’t sure at the time but thought that might be the first time I had seen that bird there. It was. Later, as I entered the Horse Trail area from the northern edge of the grassy field north of the paved trail I saw a Bewick’s Wren. This was also a new bird for me at that park although I had seen one last week at Hulsey Fish Hatchery. I may be mistaken but that was probably a notable sighting. I saw the field marks to look for, he was large, with a prominent eye stripe, sripes under the tail, and plain white underneath, to distinguish it from the Carolina Wren.
As I was leaving, I saw a single LeConte’s Sparrow in the tall grass north of the paved trail. In all, I saw six species of sparrow with many individuals and two new for the park wrens.

Species seen or heard:
• Bewick’s Wren
• Marsh Wren
• Lincoln’s Sparrow
• Swamp Sparrow
• Song Sparrow
• White-throated Sparrow
• Field Sparrow
• Le Conte’s Sparrow
• Eastern Towhee
• Ruby-crowned Kinglet
• Double-crested Cormorant
• Canada Goose
• American Crow
• Mourning Dove
• Carolina Chickadee
• Carolina Wren
• Killdeer
• Northern Mockingbird
• Blue Jay
• Northern Flicker
• Red-bellied Woodpecker
• Belted Kingfisher
• Northern Cardinal
• American Coot
• Eastern Phoebe
• Red-shouldered Hawk
• Turkey Vulture
• Ring-billed Gull

I went to the Western Rest Area this morning. Angie and Samantha also joined me. We arrived at about 7:45. It was cold with a strong biting wind. I was just here 24 hours earlier but then it was 10-15 degrees warmer and not windy and it was birdier then than today. We walked along the bridge and back, saw a few things but it was a bit disappointing. The highlight was two immature Bald Eagles over the lake. Left at about 8:50.

Species seen or heard:
• Bald Eagle
• American Crow
• Belted Kingfisher
• Carolina Wren
• Pied-billed Grebe
• Turkey Vulture
• Bufflehead
• Great Blue Heron
• Ring-billed Gull
• Common Loon
• Horned Grebe