Robert Royse
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www.roysephotos.comThe Black-legged Kittiwake continues to provide an amazing show along the creek with once in a lifetime photo ops in this plumage. All that was missing is the wonderful golden afternoon light again unfortunately. I arrived before 8:30 this morning and the bird was already sitting on its favorite rock where it spent the most of the day. Around dusk it headed south, presumably so it wouldn't have to roost all night alone. I couldn't locate it in the main gull roost just south of the marina, but there were thouands of gulls there. Most of the day it sat alone on the rock. Occasionally a Ring-billed or Bonaparte's Gull would wander upstream for a few minutes to feed and the kittwake would join it, but when the other birds left the kittiwake stayed put. When it was alone it took over an hour between feeding bouts. It took only minutes to catch several small fish, so 95% of the time the bird just sat on the rock looking about. Spending most of the day with the bird waiting for the next bit of brief action to take place is sort of like doing a big sit myself. Other birds seen while there included :

Herring, Ring-billed, and Bonaparte's Gulls
Great Blue Heron
Killdeer
Bald Eagle (2)
Red-tailed and Cooper's Hawks
N Harrier
Belted Kingfisher
Downy, Hairy, Red-bellied, and Pileated Woodpeckers
N Flicker
Blue Jay and Am Crow
Carolina Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Wh-b Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
G-c Kinglet
Carolina Wren
E Bluebird
Y-rumped Warbler
Am Tree, Field, Song, Swamp, Wh-thr, and Wh-cr Sparrows
D-e Junco
Red-winged and Rusty Blackbirds
Am Goldfinch and Pine Siskin

If birds kept lists themselves, I wonder how many of those species had ever seen a Black-legged Kittwake or how many kittiwakes had ever seen most of those. Besides the Bald Eagles and the other gulls, the bird the kittiwake paid the most attention to was the Pileated Woodpecker who seemed to be nearby all day flying back and forth across the creek. It did make the kittwake a bit nervous not knowing whether it was friend or foe.

I did make the rounds at mid day to scope out the reservoir. No geese at all were seen, but there were lots of Mallards, Am Black Ducks and all the common diving ducks, but no other puddle duck species except for a few G-w Teal. Diving duck present included all three mergansers, Ruddy Ducks, Lesser (presumably) Scaup, Redheads, Canvasbacks, Ring-necked Ducks, Buffleheads, and C Goldeneyes. Both Horned and Pied-billed Grebes were widespread.

59 Sandhill Cranes were counted in the air as they went in to roost in the wetlands. They went somewhere in the middle or southern wetland tract, but I didn't go in there to find out exactly where. I also have no idea how many may had aready been present or how many arrived later. The days of the cranes roosting along the creek seem to be over. I usually find them in the wetlands only nowadays.

A Merlin was hanging around in the Miller Park area.

Bob Royse





Robert Royse
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www.roysephotos.com

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