Colliers Mills WMA 5/13--Yellow-throated Vireo

I've been out scouting for the WSB the last two days--yesterday with Pete, doing the coastline, today with Pete & Mike, doing Jackson. Pete keeps grousing about the dearth of birds, but each day we've had well over 70 species and we were really just barreling through places.

I started my day with a walk through Bunker Hill Bogs, not a spot we'll check tomorrow, but just to get some walking in. Disappointed that there were no new warblers there for me. But I was amused to see these two duck in the middle of the trail. Now you know why they call them "puddle ducks"

After I met up with Pete & Mike, we did a relatively quick tour of FREC, where I heard my county Louisiana Waterthrush, and then we spent most of the rest of our time at Colliers Mills, driving the length of Success Road.

The weather was cool and drizzly (what a surprise!) and that may have kept the birds quiet, so we didn't hear (much less see) any Grasshopper Sparrows, but I did catch a glimpse of a Red-headed Woodpecker and Mike found the probable nest hole. We're hoping for warmer weather and a minimum of dog trainers tomorrow. As it was, we heard "three-eight" a number of times just at the start of the road which is Yellow-throated Vireo, a year bird, and about 4 miles in on Success Road we heard a Hooded Warbler, so those would be good birds for tomorrow's count. Also good for tomorrow's count would be Tennessee Warbler, which both Mike & Pete heard on Success Road while I was "using the facilities." This has happened to me before, notably in the Carmargue in France, when I missed Purple Heron while I was behind a bush.

I should be napping now as the guys are picking me up at 3 A.M. Last night the whip-poor-will was screaming its head off and, as the bird is my major contribution to our list, may the birding gods keep it singing all through tonight, despite what how neighbors feel about it.

My list for Colliers Mills  (a lot of birds by ear):
38 species
Canada Goose  4
Mallard  1     North end of CM Lake
Great Blue Heron  1     Turnmill Pond
Turkey Vulture  1
Red-tailed Hawk  1     Power line tower
Killdeer  1     Heard, field on Success Rd
Spotted Sandpiper  1     Waterfall at parking lot
Mourning Dove  2
Red-headed Woodpecker  1
Red-bellied Woodpecker  2
Northern Flicker  1     Heard
Great Crested Flycatcher  2     Heard
Eastern Kingbird  2
White-eyed Vireo  2     Heard
Yellow-throated Vireo  1     Heard
Warbling Vireo  2     Parking lot
Tree Swallow  5
Barn Swallow  5
House Wren  1     Heard
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher  3
Eastern Bluebird  5
Veery  1     Heard
American Robin  6
Gray Catbird  3
Brown Thrasher  1     Heard
European Starling  2
Ovenbird  5     Heard
Common Yellowthroat  3     Heard
Hooded Warbler  1     Heard Success Road woods
Pine Warbler  2     Heard
Prairie Warbler  2     Heard
Chipping Sparrow  5
Field Sparrow  1     Heard
White-throated Sparrow  1     Heard
Northern Cardinal  1     Heard
Red-winged Blackbird  5
Brown-headed Cowbird  2
Baltimore Oriole  1     Heard