[From Nature Notes (the journal of the Webster Groves Nature Study Society), Vol. 77, No. 5, May, 2004] MARCH 2004 BIRD REPORTBy: Jim Ziebol and Yvonne HomeyerIntroduction: By 3/21, 90% of the gulls and ducks had migrated out. An additional detail about the Rufous Hummingbird seen at Chip & Suze Tynan’s house: they observed it flipping leaves in search of insects and actively harassing a falcon species in their yard. Pete Winter mentions in his book Dawn Chorus that he and his wife were present in Mexico during the great Monarch die-off in the winter of 2002. He commented that the area smelled like death. The Monarchs had another poor winter this year and experts predict further crises are likely to occur as a result of the thinning of the forest canopy due to illegal logging. Early Arrival Dates: 2/26 Pine Warbler Rockwoods CM Sightings: A Common Loon in breeding plumage was seen at Creve Coeur Lake on 3/26 (J&CM). Horned Grebes were seen in low numbers including 1 at REDA on 3/6 (MA), 1 at Creve Coeur Lake on 3/13 (CA, T Bo) and 3 at REDA on 3/26 (DR). By 3/12, thousands of Pelicans were being reported at REDA (J Moe, m. ob.) and on 3/27, 400+ were seen at Dresser Island (JS). The first Yellow-crowned Night Heron was seen near Granite City on 3/24 (FH). By 3/28, 8 Little Blue Herons were found in the HL area (FH, JZ), 4 were present at Indian Lake (CA, T Bo) and 25 were counted at Indian Lake on 3/30 (T Be). Both Snowy and Cattle Egrets arrived at HL on 3/31 and Frank Holmes reports that 3/31 was his earliest date ever for Snowy Egret. Brien and Alex Meilleur observed hundreds of Snow Geese and 1 Ross’s Goose on 3/7 at BCA. Another Ross’s Goose was found at HL on 3/16 (FH). Jim Ziebol counted 41Buffleheads at HL on 3/18. Am. Golden Plovers were reported in poor numbers including a sighting at REDA on 3/20 (WK), 70 in St. Charles Co. on 3/26 (DR) and 6 at HL on 3/28 (FH, JZ). Lesser Yellowlegs were first reported from the Granite City area on 3/22 (FH). Greater Yellowlegs sightings included 6 in St. Charles Co. on 3/26 (DR), 1 at HL on 3/28 (FH) and 2 near HL on 3/29 (SM). Pectoral Sandpipers sightings included a few at LCCL on 3/20 (DB, Sat. Group), 8 near Granite City on 3/23 (FH) and a small number at REDA on 3/24 (WK). The shorebird migration in March was very slow. Jackie Chain and the Th. Group found 3 Black Vultures and 15 Turkey Vultures at Rocky Ridge Ranch on 3/ 4. An apparent Goshawk was observed at Weldon Springs CA on 3/36 (DB, Sat. Group). On 3/20, Mark Mittleman found a Sharp-shinned Hawk at TGP. Nesting Cooper’s Hawks were reported in March from Wilson Park, Granite City (FH), TGP (SM) and CSP (MB). A possible light-phase Harlan’s Hawk was videotaped on Walker Island, HL, on 3/8 (JZ). On 3/24, the first Osprey was found at Hideaway Harbor, along with Lesser Yellowlegs and Pecs (RAB, JC, Th. Group). A pair of Barred Owls were observed mating in FP on 3/19 (MM). During the week of 3/21, David and Julie Scheu watched a pair of Great Horned Owls and their young. They were concerned when they saw the owlets on the ground but due to the lack of Crows in TGP, both the owlets and adults can be seen perched in the open during daylight. Dick Coles reported that a pair of Great Horned Owls were again nesting near St. Luke’s Hospital. On 3/27, Mary Huber observed a Winter Wren, along with good numbers of Sapsuckers and perhaps 25 Flickers, in TGP. Jeannie Moe found a Winter Wren at LVT on 3/23. On 3/30, the Johnsons reported quite a few Red-headed Woodpeckers and Sapsuckers, plus a large number of Brown Creepers, at SNR. A few Tree Swallows were seen at BCA on 3/37 (B&AM). By 3/14, Purple Martins had joined the Tree Swallows at HL (FH). Purple Martins were also seen on Salle Road on 3/24 (JC, Th. Group). Phoebe sightings included 3 at Emmenegger Park on 3/19 (AM) and several more were reported from Rockwoods on 3/24 (WK). Bluebirds were seen in migration in Tilles Park on 3/22 (YH) and on 3/27 at TGP (G&TB). Cheryl & Don Delashmit found Bewick’s Wrens carrying nesting material to a box on their front porch in Franklin County on 3/26, and on 3/29 one appeared at the Tyson Gatehouse (JW). Until 1990, Loggerhead Shrikes were a common sight in Weldon Springs CA; the one seen there on 3/28 was an unusual sighting (JU, JM). One of the best days in March at TGP was 3/20, with 6 Golden-crowned Kinglets, 2 Brown Creepers, 20 Flickers, and 1 Hermit Thrush (MH). Black-and-White Warbler and 2 Louisiana Waterthrush arrived at CSP on the very early date of 3/20 (MB). Another B&W Warbler was seen at TGP on 3/28 (T Bo). Pine Warblers were found at Rockwoods on 3/2 (WK) and on 3/24, 2 were seen and at least 20 more heard, at Hawn SP (JC, Th. Group). Yellow-throated Warblers and Waterthrush appeared at Rockwoods on 3/27 (J&CM). Josh Uffman reported 2 Spotted Towhees on 3/6 – a female at Weldon Springs CA and a male at Lake 21, BCA. The one observed at Lake 21 was probably the same bird that Jeannie Moe and Kraig Paradise saw there in January. On 3/11, Margie Richardson and John Loomis found Tree Swallows, Phoebe and singing Field Sparrows at BCA. Four Harris’s Sparrows (2 adults, 2 immatures) were seen at Weldon Springs CA on 3/6 (DB, Sat. Group). On 3/13, Connie Alwood and Tom Bormann found an adult Harris’s and the female Spotted Towhee at Weldon Springs. Around 3/18, Jack Cowan counted 28 Fox Sparrows in TGP. Vesper Sparrows were seen on Bend Road on 3/27 (DB, Sat. Group) and on 3/28 on Walker Island, HL (FH). An Oregon Junco is always a nice find and one was seen in TGP on 3/31 (SM). Thirty-five to 40 Rusty Blackbirds were counted at REDA on 3/6 (MA). On 3/9, 100+ Rusty Blackbirds arrived in TGP and stayed until the end of the month. On 3/18, the Thursday Group found Rusty Blackbirds, Towhees and Golden-crowned Kingslets at TGP. On 3/27, the Barkers observed 50+ Rusty Blackbirds in TGP. David Becher reported several Rusty Blackbirds, 12 Am. Golden Plovers, and both Yellowlegs in St. Charles Co. on 3/28. Also on 3/28, a female Great-tailed Grackle appeared in the mixed blackbird flock at TGP (CA, T Bo). Yvonne Homeyer and Jim Ziebol saw and heard several Purple Finch at Tyson on 3/14 and a first-year male was singing at SNR on 3/30 (CA). The four Common Redpolls that wintered at the Friedel’s in E. Alton were last seen on 3/18. A typical day on 3/20 included Fish Crow, Pecs, Field, Song, Swamp, andWhite-crowned Sparrows, Eurasian Tree Sparrow and Snipe at LCCL; Common Loon, several Horned Grebes, Bonaparte’s Gulls, Red-breasted Merganser, Bufflehead, Scaup, Ruddy Ducks and Tree Swallows at Creve Coeur Lake; Rusty Blackbirds in St. Charles County; and thousands of Scaup at REDA (DB and Sat. Group). Comments: On 3/27, a female Purple Finch was banded at Tyson. Connie Alwood has both Barred Owl and Red-shouldered Hawk near his north county home. Frank Holmes reported that Jan Eaton had both a male and female Spotted Towhee in her yard around the middle of March. A Hairy Woodpecker was seen in Wilma Kennell’s yard in March. The Barkers observed a Sharp-shinned Hawk watching their feeder. Anne McCormack reported ETS at her Kirkwood home, the first she has seen there in 20 years. Dennis Bozzay observed a Great Horned Owl with prey fly across Berry Road on 3/30. A Ruby-crowned Kinglet visited Paul & Barbara Johnson’s backyard on 3/28. Sherry McCowan reported the following bird behavior from TGP on 3/30: “Two male Flickers stood on the grass facing each other, moving heads from side to side while a female grazed 5 to 6 feet away. After a few minutes they each took a hop closer to the other and engaged in more head-bobbing. Then they flew at each other and had a little dust-up, flapping at each other and then moved several feet away from each other. The female appeared unconcerned during the encounter.” Contributors: Connie Alwood, Matthew Andrews, Bob Bailey, George & Terry Barker, David Becher, Torrey Berger, Rose Ann Bodman, Tom Bormann, Dennis Bozzay, Mike Brady, Jackie Chain, Dick Coles, Jack Cowan, Joe Eades, David Garcia, Frank Holmes, Yvonne Homeyer, Mary Huber, Paul & Barbara Johnson, Wilma Kennell, John Loomis, Anne McCormack, Sherry McCowan, Jim & Charlene Malone, Brien & Alex Meilleur, Mark Mittleman, Jeannie Moe, Kraig Paradise, Margie Richardson, Dave Rogles, Joe Smentowski, Mike Thelen, Josh Uffman, Jane Walker, Jim Ziebol. An asterisk means “documented”. Please submit sightings by the last day of the month to Yvonne Homeyer (homeyer@earthlink.net). Abbreviations: Busch Conservation/Wildlife Area, BCA; Carlyle Lake, CL; Clarence Cannon, CC; Forest Park, FP; Horseshoe Lake, HL; Little Creve Coeur Lake, LCCL, Lost Valley Trail, LVT; Marais Temps Clair, MTC; Riverlands, REDA; Shaw Nature Reserve, SNR; Tower Grove Park, TGP. |