CBA Field Trip to Ocean Springs, MS waste water facility: 12-6-08

The following report was provided by CBA Field Trip Coordinator, Horward Horne.  Thanks Howard.

An estimated 40 people showed up for the joint CBA and Mississippi Coastal Audubon field trip to the Seaman Road  Wastewater Treatment Facility near Ocean Springs. With such a large crowd we split into several groups and birded  different areas of the spray fields, lagoons, and settling ponds. After thoroughly covering an area each group would  then rotate to another. The round-robin method worked quite well. We finished our birding trip right at high noon.

 

Here is a list of 57 species I had noted for our group (with Mark Woodrey serving as our leader).

 

CINNAMON TEAL -1 beautiful male loafing on a pipe in the first settling pond.

Canda Goose -a fly-over flock of ~20 birds

Snow Goose -1 immature

Greater White-fronted Goose -4

Northern Pintail - male

Gadwall

Green-winged Teal

Blue-winged Teal

Northern Shoveler

Lesser Scaup

Greater Scaup

Ring-necked Duck

Bufflehead

Ruddy Duck

Pied-billed Grebe

Great Blue Heron

Great Egret

Bald Eagle

Northern Harrier

Sharp-shinned Hawk

Red-shouldered Hawk

Red-tailed Hawk

American Kestrel

King Rail (heard only)

Virginia Rail (heard only)

Sora

American Coot

Common Moorhen

Mississippi Sandhill Crane

Killdeer

Black-necked Stilt

Greater Yellowlegs

Lesser Yellowlegs

Western Sandpiper

Least Sandpiper

Dunlin

Dowitcher species (silent)

Bonaparte’s Gull

Mourning Dove

Northern Flicker (heard)

Eastern Phoebe

Tree Swallow

Carolina Wren

Marsh Wren

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

Northern Mockingbird

American Pipit

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Palm Warbler

Savannah Sparrow

Swamp Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

Red-winged Blackbird

Eastern Meadowlark

Boat-tailed Grackle

Brown-headed Cowbird

Cheers,

Howard Horne

Mobile, AL

Wolf Field Field Trip 11-22-08

Participants: Howard Horne, Tom and Joan Siegwald, David Dortch, Leslie
Marcus, Homer Singleton, Bob Duncan, Chazz Hesselein

I was only able to stay with the field trip group during the portion of
the trip held at Wolf Field. Below is a list of birds either seen by or
reported to me. I invite those who attended the field trip to fill in
with any other birds seen on this field trip.

Birds see/heard from Wolf Field:

Snow Goose
Turkey Vulture
American Kestrel
Northern Harrier
American Crow
Carolina Wren
Sedge Wren
Northern Mockingbird
American Pipit
Gray Catbird
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow

Henslow's Sparrow
Le Conte's Sparrow

Submitted by Chazz Hesselein

November 8, 2008 field trip to Ft. Morgan

Field trip coordinator, Howard Horne, submitted this report for the CBA field trip to Ft. Morgan on November 8, 2008.

Ten members of CBA birded Fort Morgan Saturday (November 8th) for our first field trip of the month. The birding was moderate, although considering the passage of a weak front on Friday that brought some much needed rain to the area, more migrants (and vagrant surprises) were expected than had. Here are some of the highlights:

FRANKLIN’S GULL (1 well-studied individual deeply buried and hiding with 100’s of Laughing Gulls and Royal Terns at Mobile Point).

COMMON TERN (1 seen by Ben Garmon and William Lilly at Mobile Point)

WHITE-WINGED DOVE (~10 individuals; Four birds seen together on the wires at the stable ground plus several more seen in flight at various locations)

WESTERN KINGBIRD (1 at the seawall on the south side of the fort)

RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH (1 along woods bordering entrance road, directly west of the stable grounds)

GRASSHOPPER SPARROW (1 flushed and observed perched by Greg and Debi Jackson in the runway field with Savannah Sparrows)

BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER (1 female seen by Greg and Debi in the middle grounds)

Common Loon (one near the ferry landing; first of the season)
Reddish Egret (one at Mobile Point marsh)
Sharp-Shinned Hawk (one fly-by)
Cooper’s Hawk (several or the same individual flying by?)
Black-bellied Plover (several in open runway field)
Sandwich Tern (several at Mobile Point)
Rock Pigeon (1 with green bands on each leg at the ferry landing)
Mourning Dove (abundantly common)
Eastern Wood-Pewee (1; late)
Yellow-rumped Warbler (common)
Pine Warbler (Common)
Palm Warbler (Common)
Orange-crowned Warbler (one near stable grounds)
Common Yellowthroat
Savannah Sparrow (Common)
Chipping Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Eastern Meadowlark (common in runway field)
Indigo Bunting (1; late)

CBA Field Trip to Dauphin Island, 10-4-08

Thanks to Howard Horne for this list of birds seen on the October 4 field trip to Dauphin Island.

Red-headed Woodpecker
Wilson's Warbler
Nashville Warbler
Tennessee Warbler
Northern Waterthrush
Yellow Warbler
Palm Warbler
Northern Parula
Common Yellowthroat
Acadian Flycatcher
Least Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
Cliff Swallow
Loggerhead Shrike
Wood Thrush
House Wren
Brown-headed Nuthatch
Gray Catbird
Summer Tanager
Indigo Bunting
Blue Grosbeak
Red-eyed Vireo
White-eyed Vireo

9/27/08 CBA Field Trip

Thanks to Howard Horne for the following excellent field trip report:

8 birders attended the Fort Morgan Trip on Saturday.

Present:
Howard Horne
Tom & Joan Siegwald
Leslie Marcus
Warren & Ann Boutreis
Venetia Friend
Eleanore from Loxley (last name unknown).

Now for the birds:

I arrived ~30 minutes early and found several birds missed by the group:

Merlin 1 (fly-by)
NASHVILLE WARBLER 1 (After I originally found the Nashville before everyone's arrival, we tried chasing the bird on several occasions, but it would never settle down and allow a decent look...)
Epidomax sp. (probably a Yellow-bellied)

Also had 3 Palm Warblers at the Ferry landing after everyone left.

Here is my group list:

Least Flycatcher 1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 2
Yellow Warbler 2
Black-and-White Warbler 1
Chestnut-sided Warbler 1
Prairie Warbler 4-5
Magnolia Warbler 3-5
American Redstart ~4-5
Common Yellowthroat 2
Northern Parula 2
Waterthrush sp. (Tom had one, but no one else was able to get on the bird.)
White-eyed Vireo 2
Carolina Chickadee (resident)
Brown-headed Nuthatch (resident)
Yellow-billed Cuckoo 1
Wood Thrush 1
Snowy Egret 2
Downy Woodpecker 1
Indigo Bunting 2 (call notes only).

Common Stuff: Mourning Doves (fairly common) Mockingbirds, Cardinals, Brown Thrashers, Laughing Gulls, Brown Pelicans...

All and all a very slow day and somewhat hot compared to the past few days (The hotness may have resulted from having to wear long sleeve shirts to ward off the mosquitos). Species diversity ok, but numbers of individuals low.

Mosquitos were fierce, but with bug spray (100 % DEET) somewhat tolerable. Not quite as bad as I have seen them in the past, but still very annoying. Shaded forested areas are the worst...

8/30/08 CBA Field Trip

Twelve brave souls ventured into the wilds of the Blakeley Mud Lakes and later, Meaher State Park. The weather was sweaty but, surprisingly, not too buggy. (I don't recall any biting insects!) We started birding at the Mudlakes at 8:45 and were finished at Meaher Park by 11:30. Below are the birds from my list, feel free to add any seen during the field trip that aren't reported here.

Mottled Duck
Blue-winged Teal
Pied-billed Grebe
Great Blue Heron
Little Blue Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
White Ibis
Osprey
Red-tailed Hawk
Common Moorhen
Semipalmated Plover
Piping Plover
Killdeer
Black-necked Stilt
American Avocet
Spotted Sandpiper
Greater Yellowlegs
Lesser Yellowlegs
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Western Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
Pectoral Sandpiper
Dunlin
Dowitcher spp? sp?
Forster's Tern
Caspian Tern
Black Tern
Black Skimmer
Mourning Dove
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Downy Woodpecker
Empidonax sp.
Carolina Chickadee
Brown-headed Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Eastern Bluebird
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Yellow Warbler
European Starling
Red-winged Blackbird

8/16/08 CBA Field Trip

David Dortch and Howard Horne reported the following birds on the 8/16/08 CBA field trip to Dauphin Island:

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
White-eyed Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Prairie Warbler
Yellow Warbler
American Redstart
Black and White Warbler
Cerulean Warbler
Prothonotary Warbler
Orchard Oriole
Common Nighthawk
Oystercatcher
Reddish Egret
Tricolored Heron
Semi-palmated Plover
Black-bellied Plover
Ruddy Turnstone
Sanderling
Willet
Short-billed Dowitcher
Black Tern
Wilson's Plover
Western, Least and Semipalmated Sandpipers
Piping Plover
Semipalmated Plover
Least Tern
Magnificent Frigatebird