Martins Creek Area and Green Pond ~ February 10, 2024

Several birders joined me as I led a walk at the Martins Creek Nature Trail on Saturday morning. Of the 32 species we listed, notables included 27 Common Goldeneyes, 4 Common Mergansers, a Great Blue Heron, a Belted Kingfisher, 2 Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, one each of Ruby-crowned and Golden-crowned Kinglet, a Brown Creeper, 3 Eastern Bluebirds, a Hermit Thrush, an Eastern Towhee, and a flyover flock of around 40 Common Grackles.

Eastern Bluebird

Brown Creeper

After the walk, a few of us drove over to the power plant area. A pair of American Kestrels were on one of the wires. The holding pond produced around 30 Buffleheads, 12 Ring-necked Ducks, 4 Redheads, 2 Gadwall, 4 Common Mergansers, 2 Ruddy Ducks, 2 American Coots, a Belted Kingfisher, and a Cackling Goose among the Canadas. As we headed back to our cars, an estimated 6000 Snow Geese flew over in multiple skeins. A Northern Harrier soared low over the field on the way out to the highway.

I stopped at Green Pond on the way back home. Fifteen American Black Ducks and a Common Merganser were on Green Pond while 21 Lesser Black-backed Gulls flew over heading south. Fourteen Red-winged Blackbirds were perched in one of the trees, but the best birds were 4 adventurous Killdeer that were feeding in the flooded field on the north side of Green Pond Road. I could only manage to get three of the four birds in one frame.

Three of the four Killdeer present.

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