Today Jack Stenger and I visited Big Island for the anniversary of our
Hudsonian Godwit last year. We did not find our bird, but came up with
several consolation prizes. Highlights below:
Mystery Rail: Jack and I separately witnessed two different rails. My bird
flushed close by and was in flight for approximately 4 seconds, and fairly
close. The bird was overall very mottled and brown/yellowish/gray. The head
had no traces of black markings like that of a Sora, and I am pretty
confident my bird was not a Sora. I have had experience with this species in
the past, and the bird I saw was noticeably smaller, and not of the right
plumage/color of even a juvenile. It was approximately the size of a
Red-winged Blackbird with the tail cut off, but much chunkier. There was an
overall yellowish wash to the bird, and again, everything was mottled. The
bird dropped down, and I immediately walked over to the area in attempt of
another flush, but never saw the bird again. Jack had a similar experience.
We are cautious in calling the bird a Yellow Rail because of our complete
lack of experience with the species, and the fact that neither one of us saw
the supposed obvious white wing patches. However, this field mark was not
looked for during both of our sightings.
Shorebirds, found throughout the impoundments just north of 95 and
Larue-Prospect:
Killdeer
Black-bellied Plover- 1
Lesser Yellowlegs
Spotted Sandpiper- 1
Semipalmated Sandpiper- 2
Least Sandpiper
Pectoral Sandpiper- 1
Stilt Sandpiper- 1
Long-billed Dowitcher- 2
Wilson's Snipe
Marsh Wren- 7, found throughout the western impoundments north of Larue
Prospect
Lincoln's Sparrow- 7, edges of impoundments
Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow- 2+, a few Ammodramus sparrows were kicked up
in the impoundments north of Larue Prospect, but we could only positively
identify two of them as Nelson's
Good birding,
Sean
--
Sean Williams, '11
Undergraduate of Ornithology of Dr. Jed Burtt
Ohio Wesleyan University
HWCC 724
Delaware, OH 43015
617-470-4094
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