It was a cold morning with sun and a stiff breeze as we gathered in the 64th Street parking lot under the watchful eyes of an adult Bald Eagle and an Anna’s Hummingbird. Thea B. tallied the arrivals, and we ended up with 14 including Brian & Louise, Noreen & David, Dirk F, Gabriele, Marion, Lorna, Mike B1, Roger 1 and Roger 2, and Richard H. As we reached the dyke, Margaretha joined us, and we headed east.
The breeze kept the vegetation on the move, making small birds harder to locate, but there were plenty of Savannah Sparrows calling all along our route. Black-capped Chickadees and the occasional Common Yellowthroat teased us by calling from the thickets and only briefly revealing themselves. A Northern Harrier was cruising the marshes, but we did not see any signs of Short-eared Owls.
There were overflights of several waterfowl, and a lone goose making an unusual sound turned out to be the suspected Cackling Goose identified from a photo. We also saw a few pairs of Canada Geese in the marsh, and overhead, and as we were ending the walk, a flight of about 200 passed high overhead. The bright sky and their height made the ID difficult, but photos later confirmed they were Canada Geese.
As we approached the ponds, there was a mix of Northern Shoveler, Gadwall, Mallard, Green-winged Teal, American Wigeon, a pair of Bufflehead, and 2 dozen American Coot. Noreen spotted a Hermit Thrush on the lawn of the mansion, but it quickly ducked into the flowerbeds. Richard H. also saw a Hermit Thrush later at the North 40. Many other ducks, an occasional Great Blue Heron, and murmurations of Dunlin were along the tide edge, and Roger 1 spotted a pair of Red-breasted Merganser. Among the overflying birds were gulls (Glaucous-winged were identified), a lone Double-crested Cormorant, and a few small groups of Black-bellied Plover with their “black armpits”.
A few Yellow-rumped Warblers were in the trees, and Killdeer in the fields, as we headed towards the fenced-in hydro grounding grid, and Louise and David spotted first 1, then another, pair of Western Meadowlarks popping briefly above the grass and then quickly disappearing from view far out in the marsh. Their characteristic behaviour was perhaps the key identifier, but on at least two occasions they were also heard in two locations. An American Goldfinch was also seen in the marsh in the area of two Western Meadowlarks, and a trio of these later flew past as we were on the return walk.
As we reached 72nd, there was no sign of the Rough-legged Hawk that has spent the winter near there. On our return, a fast moving falcon (Peregrine) was spotted by several, and also another small “sickle-winged” raptor that may have been the same one later spotted as a silhouette on a distant stump. Photos revealed this was a Merlin.
With the wind on our backs, we briskly did the return walk without too many additions to our list, but at the gate a flight of Long-billed Dowitchers called as they flew overhead, and the large group of Greater Canada Geese flew high overhead heading to the north. Roger #2 was returning to try to locate a missing hearing-aid, and although he walked back to the Oak tree, and Noreen and I also walked back looking for it past the greenhouses, we did not find it. However, the good news is that it did get turned in to NextGen Hearing, who traced it to the manufacturer —> seller —> owner and Roger got it back by early afternoon! WOW!
A good days birding, although cold for this time of year. Our total was 39 species.
David Hoar
Photos are on Flickr.
Delta Naturalists Society 
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