|
[From Nature Notes (the journal of the Webster Groves Nature Study Society), Vol. 80, No. 3, Mar., 2008] JANUARY 2008 BIRD REPORTBy: Jim Ziebol and Yvonne HomeyerIntroduction: The large winter gulls (Great Black-backed, Lesser Black-backed, Thayer’s, Iceland) were in low numbers this year, except for Iceland Gull. Global warming and mild winters have decreased the number of large gulls that used to be regular winter visitors in the St. Louis area. There were fair numbers of Herring Gulls this year but the Ring-billed Gulls have spent the entire winter in the St. Louis area; in the past, the Ring-billed Gulls usually cleared out by Christmas, replaced by Herring Gulls and the other large gulls. Sightings: A Red-necked Grebe, found at Baldwin Lake by Tim Deaver on 1/26, was an exceptionally good find. Charlene & Jim Malone estimated as many 100 Horned Grebes at Baldwin Lake on 1/27. A Black-crowned Night Heron, seen in flight at HL on 1/6, and a Great Egret seen at Canteen Lake on 1/21, were unusual winter sightings (JZ). [Back in the late 1980s and the early 1990s, Black-crowned Night Heron was a year-round resident.] Paul Bauer counted 236 Trumpeter Swans, along with 1 Greater White-fronted Goose and a Peregrine Falcon, in the Riverlands area on 1/ 4. On 1/6, 4 Trumpeter Swans and a Pintail were present at HL (SM). Josh Uffman found 5 Tundra Swans, 4 Cackling Geese, a Wigeon, and a Thayer’s/Iceland Gull at Riverlands on 1/6. In Advanced Birding, Kenn Kaufman refers to the Thayer’s Gull complex, commenting that a light Thayer’s Gull and a dark Iceland Gull are generally inseparable in the field. A Ross’s Goose was observed at BCA on 1/6 (P&BJ). Charlene Malone found 3 Pintails at Creve Coeur Lake on 1/ 4. On 1/22, as many as 60 Hooded Mergansers were present at HL (FH). In the past 5+ years, Common Merganser has not been seen at HL, but this year, as many as 100 were present on 1/26 (YH, JZ, FH). The SLAS visited Riverlands on 1/13 and recorded 16 species of ducks, 6 Cackling Geese, and 5 Bobwhite (MT). Twelve Bonaparte’s Gulls were present at HL on 1/12, along with Bufflehead and Pintail (FH). On 1/ 4, a first or second winter Glaucous Gull, 2 adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls, and a first winter Great Black-backed Gull were found at Riverlands, along with as many as 250 Pelicans (CM). A first winter Lesser Black-backed Gull was seen at Nichols Pond, HL, on 1/6 (FH, JZ). Iceland Gulls were reported in good numbers, with a first winter at Riverlands on 1/5 (DB), 2 first winters at CL on 1/20 (J&CM), and an adult at Riverlands on 1/26 (BRowe). The Harlan’s Hawk that has been a winter visitor for several years near HL was filmed by Jim Ziebol and Yvonne Homeyer at Sand Prairie Lane & Bischoff Road on 1/26. A Prairie Falcon was photographed at Confluence SP on 1/1 (JU). On 1/27, a Peregrine Falcon, apparently an immature tundrius, was seen perched on Layton Road, HL (FH, JZ). Karen Van Berkel reported a Barred Owl near her office at Manchester & 141 on 1/8. Two Barred Owls were seen at Emmenegger Park on 1/14 (JMoe, WGNSS Botany Group). A Great Horned Owl was observed on its nest in TGP on 1/11 (JChain, SM). Mike Brady found 2 Long-eared Owls in Chesterfield Valley on 1/5. Frank Holmes heard 2 Screech Owls at HL on 1/6. A Screech Owl and a Great Horned Owl were observed at Spanish Lake Park on 1/15 (KP). A Short-eared Owl and a Barred Owl were present at Confluence Park on 1/13 (KP, SC). On 1/12, on an IOS field trip to CL, the group saw a Saw-whet Owl and a Long-eared Owl (KM, YH). On 1/ 2, David Becher found several Eurasian Collared Doves on the road to Lock & Dam 27 Visitor’s Center. On 1/8, Dick Coles reported a Sapsucker at BCA, a Screech Owl at Weldon Springs Katy Access, and 3 Brewer’s Blackbirds at Church & Seeburger. On 1/10, the Thursday Group located 12 Collared Doves on Payne Road and a Rusty Blackbird at Church & Seeburger (JChain, DC). A flock of 4 E. Towhees were found at BCA on 1/5 (KT, JZ) and on 1/20, 4 were also seen at Columbia Bottoms (JU). Twelve American Tree Sparrows, 12 Song Sparrows, and a few Juncos were seen in FP on 1/23 (SM) and on 1/31, she saw 4 Swamp Sparrows there. A flock of 40+ Cardinals was seen on the road to the Borrow Pit, HL, on 1/26 (JZ, YH). Jeannie Moe counted 50 Rusty Blackbirds at the farm at Church & Seeburger on 1/3. The ASM field trip to Riverlands on 1/19 yielded Green-winged Teal, Great Black-backed Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Thayer’s Gull, and a Sharp-shinned Hawk (MT). Good birds seen by the Thursday Group on 1/24 included a first-winter Thayer’s, Black Duck, and Great-tailed Grackle (JChain). A typical day at Riverlands on 1/27 included an adult Kumlein’s Gull, a first-winter Lesser Black-backed Gull, 255 Trumpeter Swans, 6 Tundra Swans, hundreds of Canada Geese, 4 Cackling Geese, 200+ Greater White-fronted Geese, hundreds of Mallards, a few Gadwall, 20 Green-winged Teal, 5-10 Canvasbacks, 50+ Goldeneyes, 5 Greater Scaup, 20+ Hooded Mergansers, and 30+ Common Mergansers (BRowe, Brad Jacobs, Andy Forbes, Joe Eades). Back Yard Birds: Since early December, Jane Allen has been seeing a Spotted Towhee near her yard by Grant’s Trail. Margy Terpstra reported a Hermit Thrush, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, 13 Pine Siskins, and the occasional pair of Red-breasted Nuthatches on 1/20. Three Red Crossbills were heard, then seen, in the yard of Jerry Engels on 1/25 in Worden, IL. Within a period of one week, an adult Red-tailed Hawk and an immature Red-tailed Hawk were seen perched along Lindenwood near Jim Ziebol’s home. A Red-tailed Hawk wintering in the Brentwood Forest condos has been seen checking out Yvonne Homeyer’s feeders. Contributors: Connie Alwood, Paul Bauer, David Becher, Mike Brady, Jackie Chain, Shawn Clubb, Dick Coles, Frank Holmes, Yvonne Homeyer, Paul & Barbara Johnson, Dan Kassebaum, Jim & Charlene Malone, Sherry McCowan, Keith McMullen, Jeannie Moe, Kraig Paradise, David Rogles, Bill Rowe, Bill Rudden, Mark Seiffert, Margy Terpstra, Mike Thelen, Kathy Thiele, Josh Uffman, Karen Van Berkel, Clarence Zacher, Jim Ziebol. Abbreviations: BCA, Busch Conservation Area; CC, Clarence Cannon NWR; CL, Carlyle Lake; CSP, Castlewood State Park; CB, Columbia Bottoms; FP, Forest Park; HL, Horseshoe Lake; LP, Lafayette Park; LCCL, Little Creve Coeur Lake; MTC, Marais Temps Clair; RMBS, Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary; SNR, Shaw Nature Reserve; TGP, Tower Grove Park. |