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| Chancery Lane Swamp |
Most of my birding throughout the years has taken place on afternoons after work but circumstances made this almost impossible to do during most of 2018. Last week, December 17th-21st, that situation changed making it possible for me to get a few minutes of after work birding and it was rewarding. I recorded two more yearbirds, giving me my best year tally ever of 107 species. I also saw some good birds and rarities. Here is the rundown.
Year Birds
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| Yellow-crowned Night-Heron (Nyctanassa violacea) |
I recorded two yearbirds at Chancery Lane, a female Northern Shoveler (Spatula clypeata), a duck that is known for its large shovel-like bill, and the scarcer of the two-night herons documented on the island, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron (Nyctanassa violacea). I considered myself fortunate to have seen both birds as they were hidden most of the time, especially the night heron which was well camouflaged in the mangroves.
Rare Birds
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| Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) |
I saw a few birds that would be considered rare. A Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) at Woodbourne Shorebird Refuge (WSR) on the 17th was a good find. This may be one of the two birds first seen in the north a few weeks ago or even a new arrival, this still needs to be confirmed. I also saw my first wintering Northern Waterthrush (Parkesia noveboracensis) for the season at WSR and my second and third at Chancery Lane’s Swamp. The male American Wigeon (Mareca americana) was still putting on a display. In the east, the Pacific Golden-Plover (Pluvialis fulva) was still showing well and a Western Sandpiper (Calidris mauri) was also there. In the center of the island at Redland’s Irrigation Pond was a beautiful male Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca) in breeding plumage. On the west coast five Laughing Gulls (Leucophaeus atricilla) can still be seen at Pile Bay along with four Brown Boobies (Sula leucogaster), and yes, Laughing Gulls are considered rare for this time of the year. These were the birds that could be considered rare which I saw during the week but there were a few sightings of common birds that warranted an honorable mention.
Honorable Mentions
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| Royal Terns (Thalasseus maximus) roosting at Pile Bay |
The number of Ruddy Turnstones (Arenaria interpres) at Inch Marlow warranted a mention I saw 44, also the numbers of Blue-winged Teals (Spatula discors) continue to grow. I tallied well over one hundred combined at three locations. There were Royal Terns (Thalasseus maximus) roosting at Pile Bay and I had a high count of 14 birds.
I had an enjoyable and rewarding week of afternoon birding and I am hoping for more rewards before year end.
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