Subject: [Tweeters]
Date: Sep 21 13:12:48 2012
From: Josh Adams - xjoshx at gmail.com


Hello Tweets,
Last week, while birding North Creek Park I came across a bird I'd
been hoping for since I bird I'd been hoping for and expecting since I
started birding it earlier this year, a Sora. The bird was completely
out in the open in one of the few areas of the marsh not completely
covered with some sort of plant or grass at this point in the year.
Not surprisingly, as I pulled out my camera in hopes of taking
advantage of such good views of such a reclusive bird it noticed me
and scurried back into the grass. In hopes of getting the full Sora
experience I pulled out my phone and played a recording of the
signiture so-ra call in hopes of eliciting a response. To my surprise,
a Virginia Rail peaked it's head out a few feet away from where the
Sora disappeared, looking quite perplexed.

Now I knew there were Virginia Rails present, but I'd assumed the
numbers were relatively small until this point. Yesterday, I birded
the park again and made a concerted effort to detect as many rails as
possible by using the clapping technique (always a perplexing site for
non-birders, I imagine) as well as playback of Sora and Virginia Rail
calls. In the end I came up with nearly 20 Virginia Rails calling from
nearby the boardwalk. Given that the boardwalk only covers a small
portion of the suitable habitat I suspect there could be many times
that amount. In addition, I also have two responses that sounded like
neither the Sora or Virginia Rail response recordings I have heard.

Other highlights from the day included:
Ducks are back, Lots of Wigeon (hoping for a Eurasian to pop out once
the males complete molt), a few Gadwall, a couple Green-Winged Teals,
tons of Mallard, and 5 birds I tried hard to call Blue-Winged Teal
(would be a park first) but have conservatively called Cinnamon Teal.
3 Wilson's Snipe
2 Lincoln's Sparrows (Park first, amazingly, according to eBird)
1 Juvenile Yellow Warbler
1 Sharp-Shinned Hawk
Only 3 Common Yellowthroats and no Swallows.

Total for the day was 23 species.



Josh Adams
xjoshx at gmail.com