Migration Resurfaces In Higher Gear

                                                             Cattle, Egrets, View 1

                                                              Cattle Egrets, View 2

                                                              Yellow Warbler, View 1

                                                             Yellow Warbler, View 2

                                                               Yellow Warbler, View 3



092819

0726-0840/77-78 F/mostly cloudy/S-8/79% RH/29.77-29.80 Hg and rising

This was a higher migratory movement day.  There were six Blue-winged Teal on the southeast corner lowlands, along with several Mallards, who were coming in the entire time there like a busy airport.

On the water, there were several Pied-billed Grebe and sixteen American Coot.

Observations were also made on a whopping forty-five Cattle Egrets, a few Snowy Egrets, the normal
six Great Egrets, and three Great Blue Herons.

Two non-breeding Forster's Terns were surveying the west side of the lake, and five Spotted Sandpipers were partaking of delectables on the shore of the southwest jetty, along with a Double-crested Cormorant on a snag not far from the jetty on the north side.

Overhead were a couple of southbound Barn Swallows over the water.

To make things interesting, the conservative number of ten Yellow Warblers are now classified as late arrivals by eBird.  They were voraciously feeding between the Lakeview Road Bridge and the main path of Shorebird Jetty.  There were no doubt more beyond that, as it is now a last minute dash for late birds to return south when they are in a state of Zugunruhe.

A Belted Kingfisher and a Cooper's Hawk also had words, and the size and speed of the kingfisher managed to speak volumes.  The hawk had to carry on for breakfast, which was no doubt a young bird wasting time with a healthy kingfisher.

Ten Scissor-tailed Flycatchers were being sociable with each other, along with one that felt it was his duty to chase a Great Egret flying through the area several times.  The flycatchers will be with us for another month or so, and if the males still have that much testosterone at this time of year, it could have something to do with all the singing males in flux like they seem to be now.  The urge strikes, even though they are not quite ready to move south.  It is an interesting concept.

Along with the normal birds for the season, there is no doubt that we are underway on our seasonal changes.  There are still a few stragglers, like many warblers, and some likely have an added distance to deal with along with a first time journey.  May they experience the best.