Chirps and Cheeps

Today, I assisted Celeste on another marsh survey and, this time, we were very happy to see the family of Sandhill Cranes out at Kumpf Marsh. The crane pair had their 2 colts with them, highlighting this year's successful breeding on the refuge (Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge). It's pretty exciting they've chosen the refuge to nest at!  What heavy fog there was during our early morning checks, so the photos aren't the best, but I think good enough to post.

After we left the cranes, we went into a restricted area of the refuge where an American Bittern flew overhead, giving us a surreal view in the heavy fog.  I'm sure I will always be "wow-ed" by a bittern sighting!  After that, we enjoyed watching as an inquisitive Marsh Wren performed some acrobatic moves on the reeds for us. Swamp Sparrows flew in and out of view and eventually, a very unusual looking sparrow flew in, a Nelson's Sparrow!  Its gorgeous orangey and gray appearance made it stand out immediately.  This is a pretty rare bird that summers exclusively in freshwater sedge marshes, favoring rushes, dense grass, or sedges. It's a regular migrant through Western New York, but is very secretive. Fortunately, I had my camera with me and was able to capture a few photos of this rare moment and beautiful sparrow.  I've only had opportunity to see one once before - last September in Amherst - so this was a very nice treat!

After the marsh surveys were completed and taking the time to watch a juvenile Northern Harrier hunt over a marsh, we headed to the Batavia Waste Water Treatment Plant (BWWTP) to see what ducks and shorebirds we could find. There was a small group of Pectoral Sandpipers, another group of Greater Yellowlegs (and one Lesser) and a wider variety of ducks than the last time I was there, including: Northern Pintails, Gadwall, American Wigeon, Ruddy, Northern Shovelers, both Blue and Green-winged Teal, and Ring-necked Ducks.  The Eared Grebe is still hanging out there, slowly molting into his non-breeding (or alternate) plumage.  We met Sage there (nice to finally meet her in person!) and heard we missed a Northern Harrier hunting over the area. I also officially met Eric, who works at the plant. A big thanks to the guys who allow us to bird here, by the way!