Posts

This fish hatchery doesn’t get as much attention as some others, perhaps because honestly it is often disappointing, but today was a good day at Joe Hogan. I arrived at 8:15 AM. I climbed the tower to check the ponds and found several Green Herons perched conveniently in the nearby trees. Most of the ponds were full and I could see many Great Blue Herons and especially Great Egrets around. However, in the northeast region were a few ponds in assorted states of drainage and one in particular on the eastern edge of the hatchery looked best of all. I walked around the long way so I could sneak up it with the Sun to my back. I found a good variety of shorebirds there, in fact about 90% of the bird species I saw t the hatchery I saw at that one pond. The numbers were not nearly as large as what were at BKNWR yesterday but there was almost as good a variety of shorebirds. If you want shorebirds without the big drive, check it out. But don’t count on the restrooms being unlocked. Left the hatchery at 10:30 AM.

Species seen or heard:
• Semipalmated Sandpiper
• Semipalmated Plover
• Least Sandpiper
• Pectoral Sandpiper
• Long-billed Dowitcher
• Short-billed Dowitcher
• Baird’s Sandpiper
• Killdeer
• Loggerhead Shrike
• Great Egret
• Great Blue Heron
• Green Heron
• Purple Martin
• Northern Cardinal
• Mourning Dove
• Northern Mockingbird
• House Sparrow
• Red-tailed Hawk
• Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
• Red-winged Blackbird
• Carolina Chickadee
• European Starling
• Chipping Sparrow
• Carolina Wren

Rode up with Karen, Doris, and Dottie as part of an exploratory party for the ASCA field trip next week. Arrived about 8:15 AM and checked the ponds on Coal Chute Road. Later we travelled another road that may have no name for Black-crowned Night-herons and otters which had been seen there before though not were seen today. Lefet at about 1:15 PM.

Species encountered:
• Mourning Dove
• Great Blue Heron
• Northern Cardinal
• Eastern Meadowlark
• Northern Mockingbird
• American Crow
• Rough-winged Swallow
• Red-winged Blackbird
• Black-necked Stilt
• Semipalmated Plover
• Great Egret
• Snowy Egret
• Cattle Egret
• Little Blue Heron
• Green Heron
• Greater Yellow-legs
• Lesser Yellow-legs
• Canada Goose
• Blue-winged Teal
• Bald Eagle
• Mallard
• American Coot
• Pectoral Sandpiper
• American Golden-Plover
• Least Sandpiper
• Semipalmated Sandpiper
• Long-billed Dowitcher
• Short-billed Dowitcher
• Barn Swallow
• Solitary Sandpiper
• Indigo Bunting
• Eastern Kingbird
• Blue Grosbeak
• Downy Woodpecker
• White-eyed Vireo
• Eastern Wood-pewee
• House Sparrow
• Turkey Vulture
• Rock Pigeon

Arrived at BKNWR at 8 AM, the temperature a very nice 70 F (about 13 degrees cooler than when I arrived at a similar time last weekend). I went to the ponds along Coal Chute Road and saw herons, egrets, and some shore birds, nothing extraordinary. I hoped for spoonbills. After a couple hours in the NWR, I decided to check out Treadway’s where I had not been yet this season. I determined, I could get there by driving to Beebe and taking 67B to 31 to 13 and 13 the rest of the way. Unfortunately, I could find only one pond there that was even a little low. I saw plenty of herons and egrets and swallows but the only shorebirds I saw at Treadway’s were about 20 Semipalmated Plovers and one Killdeer. Left Treadway’s at 11:50.

Species encountered:
BKNWR
• Indigo Bunting
• Mourning Dove
• Red-winged Blackbird
• Red-tailed Hawk
• Killdeer
• Semipalmated Plover
• Great Egret
• Snowy Egret
• Great Blue Heron
• Little Blue Heron
• Black-necked Stilt
• Canada Goose
• Pectoral Sandpiper
• Barn Swallow
• Buff-breasted Sandpiper
• Greater Yellowlegs
• Lesser Yellowlegs
• Least Sandpiper
• American Coot
• Mallard
• Eastern Meadowlark

Treadway’s Fish Farm
• Semipalmated Plover
• Great Egret
• Snowy Egret
• Great Blue Heron
• Little Blue Heron
• Bank Swallow
• Tree Swallow
• Barn Swallow
• Cliff Swallow
• Mourning Dove
• Turkey Vulture
• Red-tailed Hawk
• Carolina Chickadee
• American Crow
• Carolina Wren
• Red-winged Blackbird
• Killdeer