I arrived at Saul’s main facility at about 8:15. I drove around many full ponds and finally found two draining ponds to the south of the main entrance where there was plenty of shorebird activity. Left the main facility at 10:06. Headed over to the ponds at the western end of Saul Road (aka Bell Road) which I will refer to as Saul’s West for convenience. From there I drove to Bald Knob NWR. Arrived at BK at 11:25, learned that many Wood Storks were in the swampy area Southwest of the Coal Chute ponds. As I headed there, I noticed that the first two ponds going west from Coal Chute Road had almost completely dried and the third pond which was completely covered as recently as last weekend was now mostly exposed and muddy and now the prime habitat. Left BK at 1:10.
Species seen or heard at Saul’s Main Facility:
• Northern Mockingbird
• Barn Swallow
• Killdeer
• Northern Rough-winged Swallow
• Great Egret
• Snowy Egret
• Great Blue Heron
• Forster’s Tern
• Tree Swallow
• Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
• Belted Kingfisher
• Blue Jay
• American Crow
• Little Blue Heron
• Mourning Dove
• Blue-winged Teal
• Franklin’s Gull
• Semipalmated Plover
• Least Sandpiper
• Semipalmated Sandpiper
• Lesser Yellowlegs
• Long-billed Dowitcher
• Pectoral Sandpiper
• Short-billed Dowitcher
• Carolina Wren
• Eastern Kingbird
• Pied-billed Grebe
Species seen or heard at Saul’s West:
• Black-necked Stilt
• Great Blue Heron
• Great Egret
• Barn Swallow
• Snowy Egret
• Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
Species seen or heard at BKNWR:
• Mourning Dove
• Red-winged Blackbird
• Canada Goose
• Great Egret
• Mallard
• Great Blue Heron
• Little Blue Heron
• Cattle Egret
• Greater Yellowlegs
• Roseate Spoonbill
• Pectoral Sandpiper
• Least Sandpiper
• Wood Stork
• White-eyed Vireo
• Indigo Bunting
• Long-billed Dowitcher
• Semipalmated Plover
• Killdeer
• Barn Swallow
• Turkey Vulture
• Northern Mockingbird
• Rock Pigeon
