Tweeters:
I managed to get down to the Kent Valley in the morning, instead of the late
afternoon. Therefore I saw some Solitary Sandpipers. Pretty cool!
9AM. Down at the 216th Pond area there were workers doing some restoration
work in the small pond to the left. But the pond behind the fence had
shorebirds. Solitary Sandpiper - 1, Least Sandpipers - 10, Killdeer - 6.
Most of the shorebirds including the Solitary left when a small Cooper's
Hawk circled overhead. Some of the ducks still remain in this pond. The
Solitary Sandpiper in this location looked very dark brown, and when it
turned it even looked reddish-brown.
9:40AM. Over on 204th, I parked my car right on the road leaving room for
cars to pass, and set up a scope looking into the stumps in the muddy field
to the north. There were 2 Solitary Sandpipers, about 12 Least Sandpipers,
and 3 Wilson's Snipe. I could hear a few singing and calling Yellow-rumps,
and one singing Or-crowned Warbler. When one of the Solitaries flew it did
not do towering flight, it just flew in a horizontal flight, calling wheet,
wheet, wheet.
On the corner a small flock of Cedar Waxwings flew overhead. Several
Brown-headed Cowbirds were in the top of the tall firs. A Red-tailed Hawk
flew by. It was a very-nice morning in the valley with warm weather and
clear skies. Lots of perched-up Common Yellowthroats too.
Yours, Carol Schulz
DesMoines
mail to: linusq at att.net