[From Nature Notes (the journal of the Webster Groves Nature Study Society), Vol. 76, No. 5, May, 2003] MARCH 2003 BIRD REPORTBy: Jim Ziebol and Yvonne HomeyerSightings: Horned Grebes, 2 Mute Swans and Bonaparte’s Gulls were highlights seen by the WGNSS Group at HL on 3/16 (JE, leader). On 3/30, Frank Holmes found an Eared Grebe at HL (photo; video JZ; m. ob.). About 150 White Pelicans were present at HL on 3/2 and about 300 were seen at Canteen Lake on 3/30 (FH). Anne McCormack saw two groups of Pelicans in flight: 50 near I-270 and Dougherty Ferry on 3/18 and 150 over Meramec Community College on 3/23. Early heron/egret sightings included Yellow-crowned Night Heron at Wilson Park, Granite City, on 3/20 (FH), Black-crowned Night Heron near HL on 3/23 (FH), Little Blue Heron at Sauget Marsh and Frank Holten S.P. on 3/23 (KM), Great Egret at HL on 3/8 (SM), and Cattle Egret near HL on 3/23 (WGNSS Group, J&NS, leaders). A White-faced Ibis was first seen at Clarence Cannon on 3/23 (T Be, CA, T Bo). Jackie Chain and the Thursday WGNSS Group located a Sandhill Crane at Clarence Cannon, along with several N. Harriers. On 3/2, 6 Mute Swans were seen at Clifton Terrance (Tom Fuller); these swans may have been present in February at Winfield Lock and Dam (SS). The first Blue-winged Teal report came from Eagle Park on 3/7 (SM). On 3/8, Goeran Bylund and Jurek Majka found a Cinnamon Teal, along with hundreds of White-fronted Geese and thousands of Pintails, at Clarence Cannon. Three Greater Scaup were among the ducks seen at LCCL on 3/31 (MT). A Surf Scoter was reported at West Alton on 3/6 (G&TB) and one at REDA on 3/20 (CM). On 3/7, 2 first-winter White-winged Scoters were first seen at West Alton (JU, m. ob.). Margy Terpstra and Tina Weyman found one male and two female Oldsquaws at REDA on 3/10. On 3/5 at HL, Torrey Berger counted 100+ White-fronted Geese, 1,000+ Mallards, 500+ Pintails, 200+ Gadwall, 9 Wigeon, 8 Redhead, 100+ Ring-necked, 4 Greater Scaup, 1,000+ Lesser Scaup, 25 Goldeneye, 8 Bufflehead, 100+ Common Merganser, 25 Red-breasted Mergansers, and 100+ Canvasbacks. Frank Holmes counted 185 White-fronted Geese, 450 Ruddy Ducks and many Coots at HL on 3/8. Indian Lake, formerly the Collinsville Rd. Golf course, is an excellent natural wetlands; on 3/31, there were 18 Hooded Mergansers, 100 Blue-winged Teal, 25 Green-winged Teal, and 15 N. Shovelers (T Be). About 750 White-fronted Geese were seen at Prairie Slough in early March (SS). First sightings for shorebirds included Am. Golden Plover in St. Charles Co. on 3/22 (JE), Killdeer on 3/2 (FH), Pectoral Sandpipers at REDA on 3/ 4 (JE), Lesser Yellowlegs at REDA on 3/15 (JU), Snipe at Winfield Lock & Dam on 3/13 (NB), and several Willets at REDA on 3/27 (Tom Fuller). On 3/31, Dan Kassebaum saw 3,000 Pecs, Dunlin and Stilt Sandpiper at CL. He states that the habitat at CL is very good for shorebirds. On 3/30, Paul Bauer found 20+ Am. Golden Plover at REDA. In the past, Golden Plover had been seen in much larger numbers. The white-winged nominate race of Iceland Gull was seen at REDA on 3/1 (JM et al.); this gull is rarely seen away from Greenland. Jim Malone also found an adult Thayer’s Gull at REDA on 3/14. On 3/22, 2 first-winter Great Black-backed Gulls and 2 adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls remained at REDA (DB, m. ob.). Gail Ahumada observed 2 Cooper’s Hawks harassing a Great Horned Owl on 3/17 in TGP. On 3/25, an immature N. Goshawk was observed in FP (T Be). A Krider’s Red-tailed Hawk was found at LCCL on 3/30 (J&NS, T Be). Several dark morph Red-tails were reported, including a rufous morph at BCA on 3/15 (MT), a Harlan’s Hawk in St. Charles Co. on 3/16 (CM), a Harlan’s at HL on 3/23 (J&NS), and a dark morph on the Levee Roads on 3/29 (JZ). Nick Barber observed several raptors in active migration over TGP on 3/15: 1 Bald Eagle, 1 N. Harrier, and 9 Red-tails including one dark morph individual. A Whip-poor-will at the home of Mark Peters on 3/24 was a very early migrant. A Pileated Woodpecker was a rare find at HL on 3/8 (FH) and Hairy Woodpecker seen on 3/31 in TGP is uncommon (SM). An E. Phoebe was reported near Elsah, IL on 3/2 (CA) and Phoebes were seen across the area by 3/12. Early Swallow sightings were: Tree Swallow at HL on 3/8 (J&CM), N. Rough-winged on 3/20 at Castlewood (MB), Purple Martin on 3/22 at BCA (MT), and Barn Swallow at HL on 3/23 (JZ). Sherry McCowan reported Ruby-crowned Kinglet in FP on 3/24. The first Blue-gray Gnatcatcher was reported at Castlewood on 3/24 (MB). A Fish Crow was found at Caslewood on 3/11 (G&TB). Charlene Malone observed a Loggerhead Shrike on Huster Road, St. Charles Co., on 3/24. A Gray Catbird was found at Sunset Park on 3/6 (KP). Kraig also found 9 Bluebirds and a Hermit Thrush at Spanish Lake Park on 3/7. Am. Pipit was first seen on 3/13 at REDA (JU) and 100 were seen on Bischoff Road on 3/14 (BW). Early warbler reports included Black-and-White in Clinton Co., IL on 3/16 (DK), Yellow-throated at Castlewood on 3/30 (MB), Pine at Hawn S.P. on 3/9 (MAA), and Louisiana Waterthrush at Castlewood on 3/20 (MB). Sparrow sightings included LeConte’s and Swamp on 3/12 and a Lincoln’s on 3/16 at Epstein Prairie (MB), Chipping and a Red-breasted Nuthatch at Rockwoods on 3/15 (MT), Vesper at Clarence Cannon on 3/16 (DR), and up to 4 Harris’s Sparrows at Weldon Springs’ Blue Grosbeak Trail throughout the month (MT). Jack Cowan found a female Oregon Junco on 3/11 at TGP. On 3/12, Sherry McCowan found Towhees in TGP. Blackbirds seen in the area included Rusties in Chesterfield Valley on 3/9 (MAA), Rusty & Brewer’s at REDA on 3/13 (NB), and Rusties at HL on 3/14 (FH). The WGNSS Group on 3/2 found Purple Finch, a female Towhee, and a Sharp-shinned Hawk at BCA (MT, leader). On 3/22, the WGNSS Group observed Red-shouldered Hawk, Kingfisher, Hairy Woodpecker, Vesper Sparrow and Surf Scoter (DB, leader). On 3/23, another WGNSS Group found 2 Mute Swans, Cattle Egret, 16 species of ducks, Fish Crow, and melanistic Kestrel in the HL area (J&NS, leaders). The Kestrel was re-found on Bend Road on 3/25 (JZ). A typical day at Riverlands and Horseshoe Lake on 3/15 included Loggerhead Shrike, 20+ Pipits, Brewer’s Blackbirds, Killdeer, Oldsquaw, White-winged Scoter, Pied-billed Grebe, Tree Swallow, and 19 species of ducks (WGNSS Group, DB, leader). A typical day at Horseshoe Lake on 3/23 included 21 Horned Grebes, 30 White Pelicans, 8 Double-crested Cormorants, 6 Black-crowned Night Herons, 1 Mute Swan, 20 White-fronted Geese, 300 Wigeon, 1,000+ N. Shoveler, 500+ Ruddy Ducks, 200 Lesser Scaup, 5,000+ Coots, and Fish Crow (FH, JZ). A typical day at TGP on 3/26 included 3 Brown Creepers, 5 Brown Thrashers, 18 Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, 27 N. Flickers, 4 Bluejays, 8 Fox Sparrows, 6 White-throated Sparrows, a Song Sparrow, 1 Towhee, 1 Hermit Thrush, and a Ruby-crowned Kinglet (T Be); Torrey did not observe a single Crow and the numbers of birds he did see are low except for the Sapsuckers. Comments: Frank Holmes reported nesting Eurasian Collared Doves in Granite City and a Cooper’s Hawk nest in Wilson Park. On 3/2, Jeannie Moe observed a Cooper’s Hawk eating a Cowbird near her home. Connie Alwood saw a Great Horned Owl in his yard on 3/14. A Savannah Sparrow was an interesting bird in Jim Ziebol’s back yard on 3/16. Dennis Bozzay found 2 Cooper’s Hawks along River Des Peres Drive. Linda Yust identified a Hermit Thrush in her yard. Ron Goetz saw a male Oregon Junco in his yard most of the winter. On 3/7, Woodcocks were displaying near the home of Cheryl & Don Delashmit in Franklin Co. A Eurasian Collared Dove was present in Jack Cowan’s yard during March. Wilma Kennell found Hairy Woodpecker and 3 N. Flickers in her yard. Paul and Barbara Johnson observed Phoebe, Brown Thrasher and Brown Creeper in their yard in March, and a Yellow-rumped Warbler visited their feeder throughout the winter. Paul Bauer saw a Eurasian Tree Sparrow building a nest in a wren house with a 1 1/8 inch hole. Clarence Zacher observed an apparent Ferruginous Hawk on 2/17 flying over his home in Webster Groves. Contributors: Connie Alwood, Mary Anne Auer, Nick Barber, George & Terry Barker, Paul Bauer, David Becher, Torrey Berger, Dennis Bozzay, Mike Brady, Jackie Chain, Jack Cowan, Cheryl & Don Delashmit, Joe Eades, Frank Holmes, Paul & Barbara Johnson, Dan Kassebaum, Wilma Kennell, Jurek Majka, Jim & Charlene Malone, Anne McCormack, Sherry McCowan, Keith McMullen, Kraig Paradise, David Rogles, Scott Schuette, John & Nancy Solodar, Margy Terpstra, Mike Thelen, Josh Uffman, Bruce Wetteroth, Tina Weyman, Clarence Zacher, Jim Ziebol. Abbreviations: Busch Conservation/Wildlife Area, BCA; Carlyle Lake, CL; Forest Park, FP; Horseshoe Lake, HL; Little Creve Coeur Lake, LCCL, Lost Valley Trail, LVT; Marais Temps Clair, MTC; Riverlands, REDA, Tower Grove Park, TGP. |