Chirps and Cheeps

A Sedge Wren was being seen at Three Rivers WMA for a couple of weeks and I finally decided to make the long drive to see the little guy. Common Nighthawks were also being seen and the hope was that both species would remain and breed in the area.

Joe Brin was kind enough to show me the park in the rain, since it was my first time there. Thank you, Joe!  I had driven through some torrential rain that afternoon - the worst rain I've driven through in decades.  Fortunately, when I arrived, it was only lightly raining but the threat of another downpour was looming in the distance as we walked towards the Sedge Wren's territory.

We didn't have to wait more than ten minutes before the little guy began to sing.  I say "sing" loosely, as its song is more like a couple of rocks being struck together with a little buzz afterwards.  But it was a song to him and sing he did!  We got some nice views when he perched on a weed to sing and, after Joe left, I went back to get my camera since the threat of rain was passing.  I sat down to be less threatening and waited to see if the wren would eventually come closer. Sure enough, he rewarded me with a couple of short, but closer looks and I got a few photos.

Also in the area were Bobolinks and Common Yellowthroats that were all busy feeding and tending to young families. They were a little more photogenic as I walked back towards the car.

Later in the afternoon / early evening, Greg Dashnu showed up and I decided to wait with him until the Common Nighthawks came out.  Unfortunately, it was too dark for photos by the time they appeared, but I did get to see four as they soared over the water, hawking insects.

I later read that the wren and nighthawks all left the area a couple of weeks after my visit.  Sadly, neither species remained to breed there - maybe next year.