There was a good number of ducks and other water birds in the Deer Creek Reservoir today. The numbers given in some cases are very rough estimates while others are probably very close. The road to the bluffs on the S side of the reservoir was closed today, but it was still a worthwhile walk to check it out on a day like today with so many birds present.

Mallard - ~15
Gadwall - ~40
Green-winged Teal - 4
Canvasback - 2
Ring-necked Duck - ~25
Lesser Scaup - ~50
WHITE-WINGED SCOTER - 1
Bufflehead - ~35
Hooded Merganser - ~12
Ruddy Duck - ~150
Common Loon - ~65
Pied-billed Grebe - ~30
Horned Grebe - ~25
RED-NECKED GREBE - 3
D-c Cormorant - 1
Great Blue Heron - ~60
Killdeer - ~50
Greater Yellowlegs - 3
Dunlin - 2
Bonaparte's Gull - several thousand
Ring-billed Gull - several hundred
Herring Gull - several

Land birds in the area were typical for the season with no real surprises. There seemed to be an unusually large number of hunters in the area for a weekday and I couldn't check all the spots I wanted to such as the smartweeds on the east side of the middle wetlands. American Tree Sparrows and Field Sparrows are now both present in about equal numbers. Fox Sparrows are still present in the N part of the wildlife area in Fayette County. White-crowned Sparrows are still abundant, but first year birds are by far the majority now. Savannah Sparrows are still common in recently harvested corn fields (and probably the smartweeds), but the last of the Chipping and Vesper Sparrows seem to have departed.

Bob Royse


Robert Royse
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www.roysephotos.com

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