2012-4-20 to 4-22 WWW6 - Bombay Hook and many Delaware shore spots
WWW6 - Annual Wicked Warbler Weekend #6
species list under first picture
species list under first picture
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We head out early on Friday morning (4/20/12) and begin birding in the fog. 71 species bird list in description
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A male Black Willow tree full of catkins. The Internet is a wonderful thing when you're looking for information!
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Karen spots a singing Red-winged Blackbird on the side of the road.
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Rear range lighthouses (pictured) work in tandem with front range (not pictured).
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Probably a Buckeye (in the Horse Chestnut family). It's about to bloom near the entrance to the boardwalk trail in Port Penn.
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Along the path we see dewdrops on what might be the young leaves of the Riverbank Grape.
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Fleabane is in the Aster family
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Fleabane
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Midge (small fly)
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Thyme-leaved Speedwell and Birds-eye Speedwell
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Japanese Knotweed has a white flower but we're a bit early for that. This shows last year's flower's leftovers.
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Phoebes were singing along the boardwalk
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Here is a Phoebe showing the vest that is one of its field marks
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In the distance several Great Blues and a lone Great Egret line up at the edge of the reeds.
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Overhead Ospreys were hunting and a Red-tailed Hawk flew by. We heard a House Finch in the distance and maybe Marsh Wrens.
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Also enjoying the marsh and reeds are a Canada Goose tinged with gold from the water, along with a Cardinal, Barn and Tree Swallows, and, of course, lots of Red-winged Blackbirds.
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Mysteria :o) is in bloom and we find roadside trees dripping with flowers here and there.
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We make several stops and at one of them Autumn Olive is in bloom. Tomorrow Karen takes some terrific closeups.
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At another stop we're reminded that we haven't left civilization behind. Is someone trying to make branch beer?
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It looks like Witch Hazel just finishing blooming.
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Mom says, "Puhleeeeze take a picture of that interesting wildflower for me!"
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Wild Corn Salad, Lamb's Lettuce (Valerianella) Thank you, sweetie. :o)
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Our next stop is the Cedar Swamp State Wildlife Management Area. Here we are at the boat launch.
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Dovesfoot Cranesbill - This is another wildflower Mom wanted to know the name of since Mickleton because it used to grow in the lawn.
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Here's a Mulberry soon to make berries. Mom says these are female catkins. The male catkins are a lot longer.
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Karen has questions, too. Mom says: 1) It's an ant, dear. 2) It's a fly, sweetie. 3) I *think* it's a bug, hon.
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What's that you say? Oh, that's right, this is a birding trip.
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Tree Swallows are sitting on a wire as we near the Hook.
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Bombay Hook. Miles and miles of serenity.
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Way off in the distance we see a tug pulling what we think is a part of a bridge upriver.
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We have plenty of pictures of Red-winged Blackbirds but Mom stops to take another one.
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The tide is low and the Sandpipers leave trails on the mud flats...
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...as does this Green-winged Teal. Also on the flats, Short-billed Dowitchers and many Black-bellied Plovers. Not to mention the ones we didn't identify!
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It's easy to pick out the Dunlin once you know that in the Spring they get black bellies.
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A Willet moves slow enough for a picture even if the wind is blowing his feathers askew a bit.
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A hen and drake Green-winged Teal and Glossy Ibis. The light is good, usually the Glossy Ibis looks a lot darker.
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A pair of Northern Shovelers. They have an interesting flat bill.
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The Salem power plant looks so close. It couldn't be that the picture is cropped. Nah... ;o)
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Black-crowned Night Heron are easily overlooked because they look like pieces of sky peeking through the trees.
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A pair of Blue-winged Teal. Just before this Mom spotted a lifer, a Common Snipe. That caused us a lot of excitement!
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Double-crested Cormorant were there, too. They have a bright blue eye. Too bad they were so far away.
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As we were on the last leg of the refuge, Karen spotted this stand of lovely Crimson Clover.
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Crimson Clover. When we finally leave it's almost totally dark. We stretched the "sunset" rule a little we think. S
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Saturday morning (4/21) we arrive at Bombay Hook and see the Purple Martins near the office.
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Common Yellowthroats really are common at the refuge. Here we spot one singing near what we think might be its nest. The Yellow
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This is why they're called Tree Swallows.
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The boardwalk trail is quiet from a shorebird perspective, but we hear Yellow Warblers and Common Yellowthroats along with the Fish Crows.
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A colorful Barn Swallow watched us approach. It only let us get so close before - poof, it was gone.
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It's nice having a photographer at your beck and call.
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Depending on growing conditions Autumn Olive can grow as a shrub or a small tree.
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Autumn Olive - It's hard to pass by this plant without admiring the funnel-shaped flowers.
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Unknown - haven't been able to find the name of this. Anybody know it?
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Back on the road. We've seen many rafts of American Coot out on the water. These were considerate enough to come closer to land.
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A Red Fox kit!
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He still doesn't have a bushy tail nor the full red color.
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Two Bald Eagles come in for a landing, the adult up front, followed right behind by a 1st year immature.
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They give us a nice show for several minutes.
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Wilson's Snipe. This was the highlight of our trip. Mom got her lifer yesterday and Karen her's today.
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Did I say we took lots of pictures of the Snipe? Well, yes - yes we did!
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Mom took a fuzzy picture of a Bluebird. Later Karen spotted an Indigo Bunting.
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A good way to calm down from the Snipe is to take a walk down another trail. Here at the entrance is a Buttercup.
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A little further we see Wild Strawberry.
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Fragrant Bedstraw. We hear Chickadee and Titmice, but no Woodpeckers.
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A patch of Royal Fern. Karen hears a Towhee. Its call is its name "toewheeee".
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The refreshing white of a Dewberry, a low-growing bramble. Now *this* one makes delicious berries, but you must wait till they're good and dark!
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We spot a Fowler's Toad trying to escape notice.
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And, here is another Fox, a Fox Tail. Grasses with long bushy catkins like this are called Fox Tails. Close enough for us!
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We've had a full day and are leaving the refuge. Mom spots what she thinks is Wintercress.
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She can't make up her mind which one and the book isn't helping. She takes lots of pictures and will figure it out after she gets home.
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Karen gets her first taste of Sour Grass. We discuss it's culinary uses. :o)
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Our last picture is of a bird, a Great Blue Heron, taking off.
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It's Sunday (4/22) and guess who got rained out of the Prime Hook warbler hunt? Bummer!
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Tree Swallows land on the road to catch bugs and occasionally will pick one up from the roadbed.
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A Pied-billed Grebe gives us a run for our money. It spends more time under the water then on top.
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Black-necked Stilts and American Avocets. We also added Stilt Sandpiper, Bufflehead, House Wren to the list. Total trip count, 71 species.
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Out-takes. We're ready for next year's WWW-7.
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DON'T DELETE - using for highlight
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