Brig 2/1--Northern Pintail, Clapper Rail

Northern Pintail

I made my first trip of the year down to Brig today, meeting my buddy Bob Auster there. I got there about an hour before Bob (I don't have nearly as long a drive as he does) and made my way to the Gull Pond. Not much was shaking down there, so I walked the road up to the start of the drive. I did see one interesting duck in the pond along the road, a hen Common Goldeneye. You don't see many goldeneyes at Brig. 

I walked the first 1/8 of mile or so of the Wildlife Drive. At the start, I passed 5 women who were intently peering into the phragmites. I suspected they were looking for a bittern, but I wasn't interested in just standing around. The usual ducks were in evidence--shovelers, Green-winged Teal, Mallards, black ducks--nothing to stop you in your tracks, but I did hear, very loud, my first two Clapper Rails of the year. 

On the way back, three of the women were still standing at the corner. I asked what they were looking for and one responded that they were listening for Saltmarsh Sparrow. Not totally unreasonable, I thought, but pretty early, and besides they wouldn't be singing this time of year, not that I can hear their faint songs or calls anyway. Ergo, there are better ways to spend your time at Brig. 

I moved on. The other two women in the group were on the road, looking at Yellow-rumped Warblers. One asked me if it was possible that she'd seen an Orange-crowned Warbler. I said it was possible but didn't tell her that the bird she described wasn't an orange-crowned. (Of course, it's a lot easier to say what a bird isn't than what it is, since it can only be one species while it cannot be 10,000 species.) It turned out that their interest in Saltmarsh Sparrows stemmed from their being from Ohio. But their real target had been the Red-flanked Bluetail. When I told them I lived in Crestwood Village, I became something of a celebrity to them--fame by association, I suppose. I didn't tell them that if the situation was reversed, and the bluetail was in Columbus, Ohio, I sure as hell wouldn't drive all the way out there to see it. 

I made my way back to the parking lot and met Bob. We did two loops of the drive plus a walk on Jen's Trail and a walk around the trails by the Visitor's Center. We each had 52 species with him having a couple I missed and vice versa. My only other new bird for the year was Northern Pintail. In terms of beautiful ducks, pintail is right up there with Wood Duck and Harlequin Duck, though it is a more austere beauty. 

Eagles and Northern Harriers were the main raptors we saw. The coolest sight of the day was when, on the east dike, we spotted a gray ghost hovering over the road right in front of the car. It then turned and glided by, seeming to look through the car window at us. It probably wasn't more than 15 feet away. Striking. 

My day list:

Snow Goose  2500
Brant  125
Canada Goose  130
Mute Swan  4
Northern Shoveler  100
Gadwall  12
American Wigeon  1
Mallard  35
American Black Duck  250
Northern Pintail  25
Green-winged Teal  48
Canvasback  15     North Dike
Bufflehead  15
Common Goldeneye  1     Hen Gull Pond
Hooded Merganser  25
Red-breasted Merganser  7
Ruddy Duck  12
Mourning Dove  1
Clapper Rail  2     Heard
American Coot  3
Greater Yellowlegs  6
Dunlin  40
Ring-billed Gull  45
Herring Gull  70
Great Black-backed Gull  5
Double-crested Cormorant  8     Flyovers & 2 off North Dike
Great Egret  4
Great Blue Heron  10
Black Vulture  1
Turkey Vulture  3
Northern Harrier  4
Bald Eagle  5
Belted Kingfisher  1
Red-bellied Woodpecker  1
Blue Jay  2
American Crow  2
Carolina Chickadee  2
Tufted Titmouse  5
White-breasted Nuthatch  1
Carolina Wren  3
European Starling  15
Hermit Thrush  3     Jen’s Trail & Visitors ctr
American Robin  20
House Finch  6
Fox Sparrow  1     Jen’s Trail, heard
Dark-eyed Junco  1
White-throated Sparrow  3
Song Sparrow  3
Red-winged Blackbird  30
Boat-tailed Grackle  1     North dike
Yellow-rumped Warbler  15
Northern Cardinal  2