Hello Tweeters,
Even so the weather forecast was for rain and wind all day.But even so I
wanted desperate to going birding today,so I had no complains about the
rain.And so I went.I arrived at South Bend around 10.00 Am.I noticed that
the fields was so flooded I never saw this much flooded fields there
before.I started at the Carruthers road,checking all the Gees what where
there using my Scope,further down I saw the two Elk Herd,as I scoped some of
this big mammals getting up looking at me,there also where Canada Geese and
some Ducks all the Mallards and Wigeon.I ended up where the dike starts,but
with all the geese I had NO Emperor.I repeated this same routine three
times,It was after 11.00 Am when the geese start flying away but others
coming in,with one of this groups the Emperor came flying in,but quite way
away where the grass was quite high,but as the walked around I had good
scope view.I stayed around as I spotted one Kite flying over head who got
harassed by a Red Tailed Hawk where there disappeared over the Dike.From
Carruthers to mile post 52 this birds where observed.Green -winged Teals 6,
Mallard Ducks 21.Am.Wigeon 25, Northern Shoveler 15, Lesser Scoup 2,
Bufflehead 25, Am.Coots 42,
White-tailed Kite 1 (in flight only)Adult Red-tailed Hawk1,dark Merlin
1(sitting in bush on dike) Greater Yellowlegs 2,
Common Snipe2,(close to road) Dunlin 40 (on both sides,Canada Geese
125,Cackling Geese 6, Elks 45
>From South Bend I went to the Sewage Ponds in Raymond ;here is what I
found;I could walk in the gates was open.
2 Redheads (male and Female) Lesser Scaup 6, Greater Scaup 2, Mallard Ducks
16 , Bufflehead 12, Spotted Sandpiper 2,
Pine Siskin 30,Cedar Waxwings 6,Mew Gulls 8,Glaucous Winged Gulls 25.
Raymond Airport and (surrounding areas) On Airport ,te Killdeer
Golden -crowned Sparrows 30,with Songsparrows 2,Lincoln Sparrow 1,Snow Goose
2 w.Canada Geese 75,Hooded Merganser 2, Robin 2,Bufflehead 15 ,Green-winged
Teals 2 , Brewers Blackbirds 20,
This before you going in to Tokeland there where many Shorebirds feeding in
the grassy flooded fields
Canada Geese (dusky ) Canada Geese 150. Dunlin 150 ,Semipalmated Plover 2,
Black-bellied Plover 80,

Last stop in Tokeland ;Marblet Godwit's 600 to 800 ( in two large groups )
Willet 8 ,Long-billed Dowitcher 6 , Dunlin 30 ,
Common Loon 2, Western Grebes 6, Horned Grebe 1 ,Bald Eagle 2.Peregrine 1
All in one it was for the first time that I feel secure birding alone,and
is much more fun to all ID all the birds alone.Since Patrick was so keen to
see every bird,I always feel that my birding was so so,but I feel now that I
never give myself much credit,even so I am not Patrick, but I feel
comfortable to bird alone some time.
It was a good day despite all the rain.

Cheers Ruth Sullivan