Well, I went birding with a few other birders this morning (8:00am) at Hoover Reservoir. I only did the Boardwalk and Eastshore, but we could see some of the Weise road  area from the boardwalk. There were a number (100apprx) of shorebirds viewable from the boardwalk that were closer to the Weise road area, of them I could pick out:



Least Sandpipers

Semipalmated Sandpipers

Killdeer- 6 or so

Semipalmated Plovers - 40apprx

Peregrine Falcon - and just like that all our shorebirds took off when this juv. Peregrine Showed up. 




Also in the area were a number of GW Teal. On the way off the boardwalk near the parking lot we ran into  a flock of warblers and parids: Bay-breasted, Tennessee - 4+, Black-throated Green - 2+




An East Shore Tale of Merlin:




On the east shore the scene was almost as deserted but we did see some nervous Buff-breasted Sandpipers who circled several times before landing briefly and circling some more. Dan Sanders found some evidence as to why they may be so flighty. He found the remains of a shorebird, a fresh kill, mostly just feathers, wings, legs, and severed head were left. We deliberated some about its I.D. (always tougher in hand, and in pieces) but settled it to be a juv. Short-billed Dowitcher. Some other shorebirds flew by, Leasts, Sanderlings, and we spotted a Lesser Yellowlegs and Spotted Sandpiper on the rocky shoreline. Then suddenly a bird launched up from the shallow inlet ahead and Dan called it out right away, "Merlin!"  He zipped around and gave us good looks, then alit in a dead tree in the middle of the flats to give us good scope views. I got a few decent pictures, it was a male bird. He periodically would take off and harass a Monarch Butterfly, seemed to be just playing around (I doubt he'd want to induce vomiting by eating it) He did grab it and let it go, the insect kept flappin' on. What a little rascal, he was probably the guy who did-in the dowitcher.  Anyways We counted nine Sanderlings in all, 2 Greater Yellowlegs, and the other birds I mentioned already. 




Something else interesting was a Ring-billed Gull with two yellow disc wing tags. It was with a bunch of other Ring-bills. Many many Chimney Swifts were feeding and flying all over. 




 So it was a good morning, earlier in the day at home I had a new yard bird in the little tree next to the feeder in back, a Canada Warbler and also a Phoebe, both definately migrants. Good stuff.




    Good Birdin'

          - Ben Warner










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