Birding at the Beds results from 9/9/09

[Mary Lee]

Birding at the Beds - Village Creek Drying Beds - 2nd Wednesday of every month September - April

Where: Meet in the parking lot of the Dunlop Sports Center on the south side of Green Oaks Blvd. between Davis Dr. and Fielder Rd. in Arlington, across from the entrance to Village Creek Drying Beds.

When: The 2nd Wednesday of each month September through April, 8:30 AM - 10:00 AM

Leader: Martin Mattingly

Description: After meeting in the Dunlop Sports Center parking lot** we will carpool over to the drying beds. This field trip will be great for beginning birders and to observe and document what birds are visiting the beds during each season. Birding will be done by automobile and with some easy walking. Binoculars will be available if needed. Please be prepared for the current weather conditions. Please note that after heavy rains the drying beds are not open to vehicles due to flooding.

** Please ensure all valuables in your vehicle are placed out of sight PRIOR to arriving at the parking lot.

[dpbronze]

hmm... I postede a short report of this first Wednesday trip to the beds... but it's lost under the forum heading Field Trip Reports & doesn't show up front on the website. Have a fun search !!! ;-) Dp

[glendak22]

Here's David's report:
Hi All - We had Martin's first wednesday am trip to the drying beds this morning - to be repeated the second Wed each month for the rest of the season. It was a beautiful morning, if a bit warm where we got sheltered from the lite breezes. I have a list here of all the birds I saw or heard of everyone seeing ...please chime in with any corrections.
In no particular order :
Least, Pectoral, Solitary, Stilt, both Yellowlegs, Black-necked Stilt, Kildeer, and Spotted sandpipers were all there for good looks. Cattle Egret, Little Blue, Great Blue, Snowy, Green, Black-crowned night, White Ibis & White-faced Ibis rounded out the waders.... also all being pose-cooperative. Blue- & Green-winged Teal, Mallards, and BB Whistling Dux were plentiful. Wood ducks, coot & common Moorhen were all found... as was a Pied-billed Grebe ... I think. One quick glimpse of something diving in that grebe way, & then it was hidden. Off the water were Mourning dove, RW Blackbird, Great -tailed Grackle, E Phoebe, Scissortailed Flyc, Starling, both Vultures, Cooper's Ha, Miss Kites, Red-tailed and Red-shouldered Hawk. Chimney Swift, Barn & Cliff swallows.. Blue Jay, Crow, Carolina Wren and a Loggerhead Shrike innapeartree-ee. If you cant make a wednesday morning, keep an eye out for the Big Sit , which has seen nearly twice this many birds found in the beds in past Octobers! David P

[Birder 13]

actually it was a yellow-crowned night heron, not a black-crowned one.

[glendak22]

I agree, David, very nice morning!

We started out at 8:30 with five of us: Martin Mattingly and his wife, Carol Culin, Bill Huffman, and myself. By the time we made our first stop midway up the entry road, Susan Thrower arrived. Then at the top of the hill, David Powell drove up (with some choice words about Arlington traffic). Then not too much later Laura B joined us. About halfway through the morning, a nice gentleman, Steve, who had just moved here from California stopped to share some of his sightings, and we had an energetic group of 9!

As we drove the entry road, we heard crows, Blue Jays, Carolina Wrens. We could see Cattle Egrets in the road ahead and the entry pond held Great Blue, Little Blue, Snowy Egret, and an Eastern Phoebe. On the wires were Scissortails and Mourning Doves.

Our first stop at the top of the hill was our major discussion of the day: Pectoral or Stilt Sandpipers? A lively discussion ensued! “Gotta be Pectorals!” “I don’t know, look at the bills!” “But they are the right size.” “Feeding like Dowitchers, that would indicate Stilts” “See that head, sure look like Pectorals” All good-natured input, and when a classic Pectoral

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL98/734416/22459785/373763383.jpg

flew in beside the yet-to-be-determined group, the consensus was that the others were indeed Stilt Sandpipers.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL98/734416/22459785/373763384.jpg

Other sandpipers in that pond #31 were Solitary, Spotted, Least, (http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL98/734416/22459785/373762104.jpg)
and Killdeer. The Mallards, Little Blues, (http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL98/734416/22459785/373761151.jpg)
Blue-wings, and gorgeous Black-bellies all helped fill the water with activity.


We made the turn down the path to ponds 1, 2, and 3 and were walking the path enjoying the sight of more sandpipers, ducks, and even a Sora or two when Steve and Laura spotted a heron with a white throat and belly flying over. We quickly hopped back in the vehicles and started a small caravan to chase the bird over the dike to the west side of the ponds. Never did find him, but we did find a mottled Little Blue with white on its belly and throat, which could have been what they saw, but you never know. There were also White-faced Ibis and Immature White Ibis. (http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL98/734416/22459785/373761306.jpg)

Black-bellies (http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL98/734416/22459785/373761146.jpg) were everywhere, like these I photographed last week:

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL98/734416/22459785/372940674.jpg




We finished making the turn around the west end and stopped at the west pump station near ponds 43 and 44 to find even more sandpipers, including Solitary (http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL98/734416/22459785/372944124.jpg) and Wilson's Snipe. (http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL98/734416/18998518/303469042.jpg)

About 10, our fearless leader Martin and his wife had to leave us, but the rest of crew stayed until about 11:30, going back to the east side to see what we might have missed. Hey, Martin, after you left we saw Mississippi Kites, a Red-Shouldered Hawk, Yellow-crowned Night Herons, (http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL98/734416/22459785/373763386.jpg)
Wood Duck, Coots, a Common Moorhen, Pied-billed Grebe, and a Loggerhead Shrike!

As David said, we had a great time, and we’d love for more of you to join us next month - if you are available on a Wednesday morning. And, tell your friends [new or experienced birders ] who might not have been able to make the weekend outings that they are welcome to come and be a part of this midweek fun!

P.S. One of the letters on the entry sign has dropped off. Somehow it seems to be more accurate (http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL98/734416/22459785/373761304.jpg) than before.

[gail]

Thanks for sharing the sign picture, Glenda. Gave me my morning laugh.

[lulubelle]

I really enjoyed the Weds field trip - definitely in good company! It was a pleasure to finally meet David as well as Steve - he is the gentleman who posted on TEXBIRDS about finding the flock of Yellow Warblers in the willows on the entrance road - lucky him! Great to see Glanda, Carol, Martin & Susan again. Once again, I have to be impressed with Martin's sense of humor - makes for a great trip leader! I missed the Stilts, they flew just as I got there. Would like to have seen them in person, but Glenda's photos are as impressive as the birds were in person! I encourage everyone to join Martin's group - it was a pleasure!

Glenda, thanks for the great photos and I agree with Gail, the photo of the entrance was hilarious and made my morning!

[Administrator]

I have been birding the beds since about 1972 and this year I have seen more Tree Ducks then any year. They have always been there but not in these numbers. I was there on Thursday and counted close to 50. If these all make it to next year we could be looking at 100 to 200 of them this same time next year.

The most I have ever seen were around 70 last winter on the east end of the park in the marsh at the forbidden zone.

The most I have seen in the beds has only been about 20 until yesterday.