Brig 1/8--Long-billed Dowitcher, Cedar Waxwing, etc

Cedar Waxwing

Down at the Gull Pond at Brig I ran into a friend who asked me what I'd seen. I'd only been there about 1/2 an hour, but I said that any day I see Cedar Waxwings is a success.  They are by far my favorite bird species, at least in North America. Which was good, because I'd just spent some time looking for the Townsend's Warbler that's been seen, on and off, for the last few weeks around the Visitor's Center. Except today, I learned later, it was on the Leeds Eco-trail. 

But the day had other rewards. Looking at the Gull Pond I saw some birders in the area that closed off and I started to get annoyed with them when I saw my friend coming back from there too. Then he reminded me that it was the weekly Friday walk and they permission to cross thru the gate. I saw a couple of them photographing shorebirds. I only had my binoculars with me (I usually start the trip by walking down there from the parking lot) so I could only make out that they were shorebirds and that they were not yellowlegs. My friend told me they were Long-billed Dowitchers, a rarity in winter, but not that rare. Still, I wanted a better look at them, so I walked back to the parking lot with him and drove down with my scope. Of course, by then, they'd flown. 

Snow  Geese

The trip around the impoundments yielded up a lot of new waterfowl for the year--Snow Goose, Wood Duck, Northern Shoveler, American Wigeon, Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, Canvasback--but the American White Pelican, which has been like a statue at marker 15 for the last couple of months was not there. I returned to the Gull Pond where I saw two Greater Yellowlegs and then, scoping the reeds I found one very nice-looking Long-billed Dowitcher, getting all the field marks before it flew away, so I felt the listing was legit instead of being "if you say so" birds. 

Northern Pintail

0 for 2 on the target birds yet a decent day on the dikes with one unexpected species and the prettiest bird in North America.

42 species:

Snow Goose  1000

Canada Goose  150

Mute Swan  2

Tundra Swan  30

Wood Duck  3    2 drakes 1 hen at Gull pond

Northern Shoveler  85

Gadwall  75

American Wigeon  3

Mallard  55

American Black Duck  130

Northern Pintail  85

Green-winged Teal  40

Canvasback  30

Ring-necked Duck  7    One in Gull Pond, the rest at Exit Pond

Greater Scaup  200    Turtle Cove

Bufflehead  9

Hooded Merganser  80

Red-breasted Merganser  100    Careful estimate

Horned Grebe  2    Turtle Cove

Mourning Dove  8

Dunlin  130

Long-billed Dowitcher  6    Gull pond

Greater Yellowlegs  2    Gull Pond

Herring Gull  100

Great Blue Heron  10    Exact Count

Turkey Vulture  1

Northern Harrier  1

Bald Eagle  2

Red-shouldered Hawk  1    Jens Trail Pond

Northern Flicker  1

Blue Jay  1    Heard

American Crow  5

Carolina Chickadee  3

Tufted Titmouse  3

Carolina Wren  3    Heard

Gray Catbird  1    Exit ponds

Eastern Bluebird  4

Cedar Waxwing  6

House Sparrow  1    On top of Visitor's Center

American Goldfinch  4

Song Sparrow  10

Red-winged Blackbird  5