New Egypt 3/26--Wilson's Snipe

Four "shorebird" species were in the amazing cattle field out in New Egypt this morning: Wilson's Snipe, Killdeer, Pectoral Sandpiper (rare for here) and, (ho hum) 2 Northern Lapwings. Usually, I'm happy if I accidentally flush a Wilson's Snipe and catch a glimpse of its zig-zag flight. Sometimes I'm lucky enough to see one standing alone in a wet field. Today, there were 9 of them that I counted in one of the puddles at the back of the field. The Pectoral Sandpipers were associating with them and one of the lapwings was off to the side. My count of 16 Killdeer is conservative.

I also got my closest sighting of the 2 resident Sandhill Cranes. I've never seen them in the cattle field--they've always been in the corn stubble field to the east. At one point I had a scope view of the other lapwing in between the 2 cranes. I wasn't able to digiscope that picture, but I did finally get an identifiable shot of the 2 big gray birds:

And, if you've ever wanted to see a picture of a Northern Lapwing scratching itself, today's your day:

After about 45 minutes standing by the fence, scoping the field and watching the longhorn steers slog through the mud, occasionally letting go a mournful bellow (the steers, not me), I drove over to Collier Mills WMA to get in my vigorous walk. I don't know this WMA well at all, so I picked a trail walked it, found it didn't go far, then picked another road, walked it for a good distance then turned around. The best find there were 4 Wood Ducks on Collier Mills Lake. Eastern Bluebirds were in the woods, Brown-headed Cowbirds sounded like dripping water in the trees, and cardinals were singing loudly wherever I walked. Many sparrows in the bushes and tangles. I was looking for a Swamp Sparrow among them but came up empty. Still, I'm sure the habitat there will eventually yield that species.

Including the Red-tail Hawks I saw on perched in a tree and on a wire along Long Swamp Road and Rt. 539 respectively, I had 30 species for the morning.
New Egypt--Brynmore / Big Woods Rd. fields
13 species
Canada Goose  50
Mallard  2    Mud puddle
Sandhill Crane  2    
Northern Lapwing  2   
Killdeer  16
Pectoral Sandpiper  3    Brown medium size sandpipers, "vests" ending abruptly at belly. In puddle with WISN
Wilson's Snipe  9
Rock Pigeon  25
American Crow  1    Heard
European Starling  20
Northern Cardinal  1    Heard
Red-winged Blackbird  25
Common Grackle  100
Colliers Mills WMA
19 species
Canada Goose  5
Wood Duck  4    Colliers Mills Lake
Ring-necked Duck  8    Colliers Mills Lake
Red-breasted Merganser  2    Turnmill Pond
Turkey Vulture  3
Mourning Dove  2
Red-bellied Woodpecker  4
Blue Jay  6
Fish Crow  5
Carolina Chickadee  3
White-breasted Nuthatch  1
Carolina Wren  1    Heard
Eastern Bluebird  2
American Robin  1
Song Sparrow  15
White-throated Sparrow  5
Northern Cardinal  4
Red-winged Blackbird  10
Brown-headed Cowbird  3