Hello Tweeters,

After my dip this morning at Charles Richey Sr looking for the Ruddy's, I stopped by the Cedar River Mouth on my way home. It was a beautiful morning with the sun at my back giving great light and views of the birds. There was plenty to look at.

Furthest out were a few Pied Billed Grebes looking perfectly content to do nothing but float in one spot. Next in were five Canada Geese bobbing and plunging their long necks under looking for breakfast. They were soon joined by another group of 16 that flew in from the southwest.

A group of 14 Caspian Terns were hanging out on one of the sand bars preening and taking turns flying off to fish. They were accompanied by a mixture of glaucous-winged things and California gulls.

To my northeast there was a tight knit group of 38 American Coots floating in formation and a looser group of about a dozen Gadwalls.

Here and there were American Mallards and a few of them were swimming around with what I believe was a Northern Pintail in non breeding plumage based on the size and bluish colored bill. There was also a black domestic mallard with a white breast whose twin I saw recently on my vacation in France, so they must order from the same duck catalogues over there.

Flying overhead, an Osprey made the rounds twice and I got great views of a Peregrine Falcon. It made two half hearted dives, one at a crow and the other at a duck but pulled away both times and then kept flying toward the east. I looked for the bank swallows that have been reported with no luck, but there were Barn Swallows busily flying around.

The saddest part was a Lesser Yellowlegs foraging around not 15 feet in front of the walkway. It has a deformed right leg and was mostly using its left leg to get around, but was still able to move about and lean forward to forage. The only silver lining being it was a county first for me, so I am definitely rooting for this under-bird.

The big miss was Sanderling that was spotted there yesterday and the Baird's Sandpiper must have also moved on to greener shores. A worthwhile place to keep checking out as we come into fall migration.

Happy Birding!

Garrett Haynes