Wednesday, November 8, 2023

American Bittern at Green Pond! ~ November 8, 2023

After a mid-day appointment, I headed over to Green Pond. A Great Blue Heron was along its edge. I checked out the Farmersville Road pond across the road and found two Buffleheads there.
I walked back to the "middle pond" and found two American Black Ducks and another Bufflehead among the Canada Geese and Mallards.

I decided to walk around to the other side of the pond to get a better lighting angle for photos. I'm really glad I did because, from that side, I spotted an American Bittern along the edge of the high vegetation bordering the pond that could not have been seen from where I was. I grabbed a few photos and sent out texts to alert other birders about it. It was my 176th species seen at the Green Pond site.

Rick Wiltraut showed up along with Adam Miller. Angela George, who lives next to the ponds, also came out to see it. They took photos of it and then we walked over to the "southeast pond", which has almost no water and is filled with tall vegetation. It had several Savannah and Song Sparrows in it along with a Swamp Sparrow.

We continued over to the Green Pond Road pond and Adam spotted two Dunlin along with three more American Black Ducks among more Canada Geese.
A map that I made of the Green Pond area can be seen at this this link.

I eventually left there and drove over to the Regency Boulevard ponds. In the north pond, a Bufflehead was diving among the Canada Geese.
The south pond produced a Northern Shoveler, a Northern Pintail, a Green-winged Teal, and a Great Blue Heron with Mallards and Canada Geese.

My next stop was the Silver Crest Road pond. There, I found a "Blue" Goose, the dark form of a Snow Goose, and 4 Ruddy Ducks among about a thousand Canada Geese.

I reached the Newburg Road ponds just after sunset. In the fading light at the fenced-in pond was a Greater Yellowlegs and a Killdeer. I took this blurry photo of both of them at dusk.

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