[From Nature Notes (the journal of the Webster Groves Nature Study Society), Vol. 77, No. 7, Sept., 2004] MAY 2004 BIRD REPORTBy: Jim Ziebol and Yvonne HomeyerIntroduction: The migration in May in Tower Grove Park was very slow, except for May 14-15-16. A WGNSS group led by Sherry McCowan on 5/16 recorded 16 species of warbler, including Mourning and Connecticut. Margy Terpstra’s yard was generally good, with as many as 43 species recorded in a single day. Margy also reported 3 Hairy Woodpeckers, including a juvenile, and a Turkey hen. Early Arrival Dates: 5/2 Blue Grosbeak CSP MB Sightings: Paul & Barbara Johnson reported the following at LCCL on 5/31: 2 adult and 6 young Pied-billed Grebes, 2 adult and 2 young Coots, Ruddy Duck and Blue-winged Teal. Two Least Bitterns and 4 Am. Bitterns were present at LCCL on 5/1 (BM, AM). Sherry McCowan found 15 Cattle Egrets on Hwy. 203 on 5/6 and on 5/12, Torrey Berger saw 16 Snowy Egrets at Indian Lake. Late geese included a white-form Snow at BCA on 5/6 (J Moe, JZ), an injured blue-form Snow at REDA on 5/11 (PL), and a White-fronted at Lakewood Park Cemetery on 5/15 (JMajka). Late duck sightings included a Bufflehead at HL on 5/11 (FH) and a male Canvasback at REDA on 5/18 (CM). Torrey Berger observed a Wood Duck with 19 young at BCA on 5/16. A Hooded Merganser and 8 young were seen at REDA on 5/4 (J&NS). On 5/27, 2 female Hooded Mergansers were reported at HL (FH). On 5/27 at REDA, the Thursday Group reported Pelicans, Blue-winged Teal, a Ruddy Duck and several Shovelers (J Ch). On 5/31, King Rails were heard at Prairie Slough (JU) and at Columbia Bottoms (Mike & JoEllen Thelen). Two Black-necked Stilts were found at REDA on 5/22 (MM, JU). A Black-bellied Plover was seen in a field on Hwy. H on 5/22 (CA, T Bo). On 5/16, the Meilleurs reported for CL: 2 Marbled Godwits, 2 Baird’s, 8 White-rumped, 500+ Dunlin, 20+ Semi-palmated Plovers, and many Least and Semi-palmated Sandpipers. Tom Kennedy observed 4 Hudsonian Godwits at REDA on 5/11. Two Whimbrels were sighted at REDA on 5/23 (JU) and on 5/26, 15 were seen there (CM). On 5/23, Josh Uffman found 4 Red-necked Phalaropes, 7 Ruddy Turnstones, and 89 Sanderlings at REDA. The Barkers reported a Wilson’s Phalarope at REDA on 5/15. Four Red Knots were seen at REDA on 5/25 (CM, m. ob.). Two Upland Sandpipers were found at Winfield Dam on 5/5 (SS) and Ian Hunt had 1 on Blue Grosbeak Trail on 5/12. Eight to 10 Franklin’s Gulls were reported at REDA on 5/27 (J Ch, Th. Group). Least Terns were found at REDA on 5/25 (JU) and near Alton on 5/26 (KL). On 5/25, the Saturday Group found the following at REDA: Least, Common and Caspian Terns, and Franklin’s, Herring and several Ring-billed Gulls. Sixty Black Terns, along with several Forster’s and Common Terns, were present at HL on 5/14 (FH). Mississippi Kites were reported in Kirkwood on 5/6 (MAA), in TGP on 5/8 (Matt Rowe), in University City on 5/8 (CS), south St. Louis on 5/9 (JZ), south Broadway on 5/9 (SM), in Ferguson and Washington, MO on 5/9 (JU), in TGP on 5/10 (J Ch), at her Kirkwood home on 5/11 (A McC), in Crestwood on 5/11 (DBz), in FP on 5/15 (MTh), and in TGP on 5/15 (P&BJ). Few Ospreys were reported this spring but one was soaring on 5/5 over TGP (SM). A N. Harrier at the Levee Road on 5/15 was a bit late (JZ). Merlins were reported in TGP on 5/4 (CA) and on 5/15 (P&BJ). Connie Alwood observed a Peregrine Falcon scattering the shorebirds and giving chase to a Kildeer at REDA on 5/15. A Eurasian Collared Dove was gathering nest material on Steppig Road on 5/15 (JZ). There were only 2 Black-billed Cuckoo reports, one in TGP on 5/12 (J Ck, G&TB) and one spotted at Tyson during a NABA butterfly walk on 5/23 (YH, m. ob.). Pat Lueders reported a Great Horned Own at LCCL on 5/5. On Big Day, Mike Brady and Mary Anne Auer found 4 Whip-poor-wills and 3 Chuck-will’s-widows. On 5/17, Jim Ziebol observed 4 Nighthawks in the late afternoon in TGP and Mick Richardson reported dozens there that evening. Western Kingbirds were found in Soulard on 5/9 (SM), on Hwy. 143 near Alton on 5/10 (SC), and at Hall Street on 5/31 (DB). Scissor-tailed Flycatchers were reported at Hwy. 94 & Hwy. 40 on 5/9 (MTh), 1 at REDA on 5/23 (D Rogles) and 1 near St. Peters on 5/26 (CC, CA). Olive-sided Flycatchers were sighted in TGP on 5/11 (LB), in TGP on 5/16 (IH), and 2 in FP on 5/16 (M Th). John & Nancy Solodar reported 1 Willow and 5 Acadian Flycatchers at LVT on 5/17. Also on 5/17 at REDA, there were 4 Willows seen and 1 Alder heard (CA). Frank Holmes reported thousands of swallows at HL on 5/12, mostly Bank and Purple Martins. A Winter Wren on the Blue Grosbeak Trail on 5/4 was rather late (BM). Nesting Bewick’s Wrens were found at SNR on 5/4 (CA), on LVT on 5/16 (DC), and at their home in Franklin County (Cheryl & Don Delashmit). On 5/15, Ian Hunt reported 20 Magnolia and 25-30 Blackpolls in TGP. Jeannie Moe estimated 50 Blackpolls there on 5/16. Prairie Warblers were seen at CSP on 5/16 (MB) and at BCA on 5/18 (CM). There were numerous Mourning Warblers seen, including 1 at TGP on 5/10 (B&AM), 1 at TGP on 5/11 (J&NS), 1 at TGP on 5/12 (NB), 1 at TGP on 5/16 (JU), 2 at TGP on 5/18 (Mick R), a female there on 5/26 (Mick R), and both male and female there on 5/28 (Mick R). Loy Barber reported a high count of 3 Wilson’s Warblers in TGP on 5/11. On 5/20 at TGP, the Th. Group found female Mourning, Canada and Wilson’s Warblers (J Ch). Blue Grosbeaks were observed at HL on 5/6 (SM) and at BCA on 5/18 (CM). On 5/5, David Becher found several Grasshopper Sparrows at Columbia Bottoms. Henslow’s Sparrows were reported breeding at Robertsville State Park (m. ob.), at SNR (m. ob.), and at Blue Grosbeak Trail (P&BJ). A Harris’ Sparrow seen on the Blue Grosbeak Trail on 5/5 was very late (MM, RW). At Blue Grosbeak Trail on 5/4, David Becher reported Clay-colored, Henslow’s, and Lincoln’s Sparrows, as well as a large flock of Bobolinks. There were good numbers of Dickcissels at HL on 5/9 (FH, BW). Fifty Bobolinks were seen at 2Rivers on 5/2 (CM), 100 were present at Blue Grosbeak Trail on 5/2 (FW), and 500+ were counted along the Levee Road on 5/15 (JZ). Zoe Geist reported that a Yellow-headed Blackbird was present at Creve Coeur Lake on 5/9. Contributors: Connie Alwood, Matthew Andrews, Mary Anne Auer, Bob Bailey, Loy Barber, Nick Barber, George & Terry Barker, David Becher, Torrey Berger, Rose Ann Bodman, Tom Bormann, Dennis Bozzay, Mike Brady, Jackie Chain, Shawn Clubb, Dick Coles, Jean Cook, Connie Cooper, Doug Corbett, Jack Cowan, Dale & Nancy Delaney, Joe Eades, David Garcia, Donald Hayes, Frank Holmes, Yvonne Homeyer, Ian Hunt, Jim Jackson, Paul & Barbara Johnson, Wilma Kennell, Bob Kleiger, Vivian Liddell, John Loomis, Pat Lueders, Jurek Majka, Anne McCormack, Sherry McCowan, Jim & Charlene Malone, Brien & Alex Meilleur, Mark Mittleman, Jeannie Moe, Mark Paradise, Kraig Paradise, Mark Peters, Margie Richardson, Mick Richardson, Dave Rogles, Julie & David Scheu, Scott Schuette, John & Nancy Solodar, Claudia Spener, Margy Terpstra, Mike Thelen, Josh Uffman, Jane Walker, Bruce Wetteroth, Rad Widmer, 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. |