Hi Tweeters:

Eight of us walked the short route at the refuge today. The weather ranged from sunshine to wet snow and everything in between. We started off at the visitor center with WOOD DUCKS, RINGED-NECK DUCKS, HOODED MERGANSER, and PIED-BILLED GREBE. A brillantly colored male Audubon's YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER was foraging in the cattails right under the deck.

As we walked the trail to McAllister Creek we saw a variety of ducks including GREEN-WINGED TEAL, NORTHERN SHOVELER, AMERICAN WIGEON, one EURASION WIGEON, NORTHERN PINTAIL and RUDDY DUCK. Several COMMON MERGANSERS and COMMON GOLDENEYES were in the creek.

There were also five immature BALD EAGLES perched in low trees on the outer edge of the wetland area before the creek, fairly close to each other. An adult was on the nest in the tree on the other side of the creek. ( A CANADA GOOSE was sitting in the eagle nest near the twin barns.)

The walk included three species of swallows: TREE, VIOLET-GREEN and BARN. We saw two male RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRDS, one near the twin barns and the other at the ring dike.

The woods between the river overlook and the ring dike included sightings of GOLDEN-CROWNED and RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS, BROWN CREEPER, DOWNY WOODPECKER, and RED-BREASTED SAPSUCKER.

Total bird species for the day: 52. Remember that starting next month, the walks move to Wednesdays. Next week Phil Kelly will be back, and we will walk the full loop on Wednesday, April 2.

Eric Slagle, hannaslagle at comcast.net