Thursday, September 28, 2017

Interesting Trip to Barr Lake (Adams County)

September 28, 2017

Richard Stevens:

This afternoon, I stretched my legs at Barr Lake (Adams County).  It turned out to be a good choice even with lack of shorebirds around.

I scoped the shores from below the Niedrach boardwalk to the Pioneer boardwalk; one Killdeer was the only shorebird.

Walking back from the Niedrach boardwalk I observed the Eastern Phoebe first discovered last Saturday!   From there, I scoped the island off the Niedrach trail and found an adult Sabine's Gull. 

Perhaps it is the same bird recently photographed at Adams County fairgrounds on 9/20?  The Sabine's Gull found at Barr Lake by Terry Michaels on 9/19 was a juvenile.  When the bird flew, I was able to get two Georgia birders on the bird with its distinctive wing pattern.

While walking out to the sand spit northwest of the banding station, I found two juvenile Sabine's Gulls!  I will try and added photos to the CoBus photo library soon.

Again, no shorebirds were on the sand spit.  The adult Sabine's Gull had landed on the southern end of the sand spit.  The juveniles walked the northern end of it.

I ran out of time for a search of the Fox Sparrow reported a couple of days earlier.  Two Wilson's Warblers and two Ruby-crowned Kinglets fluttered around the willows at the banding station.

Owls found included two Barn Owls and a Long-eared Owl.

No comments: