Possible OCW

After a night out I went to the Mash this Sunday morning with only a couple of hours sleep in my bag so God only knows how many Tropical Kingbirds were around without getting noticed. Waterfowl is slowly arriving in good numbers although the low water levels surely do not help. Green-winged Teal, Mallard and Black Duck were on the large pond (puddle). Early on I picked up a female Purple Finch and shortly later the first of three White-crowned Sparrows. Bald Eagles are regularly seen over the maintenance yard this fall, let's hope they will stay to nest nearby this winter/spring. I only caught a short glimpse of what I am 90% sure was a Orange-crowned Warbler. Unfortunately the bird was on the other side of the fence so I was forced to stay at a distance, but the sharp bill and overall drab appearance of the bird would be in favor of OCW.

Year: 122 or 84%
Total: 146

Chincoteague

A dream finally came to true when I was able to see the wild horses at Chincoteague. Just kidding, of course I could not care less about the horses. I am all about the birds, the birds... Both beach and wildlife drive were very busy over the Columbus day weekend but still made for great birding. Along the canal on the way in, several juvenile Black-crowned Night Herons hid out in the brush. At the beach I encountered a mixed assembly of waders, gulls and terns including Royal and Caspian Terns. The wildlife drive was busy with egrets, herons and ibises. Among them several Tricolored Herons and a single Glossy Ibis. Best bird though was a Clay-colored Sparrow that I got some documentation shots of.

Connecticut Warbler

Chilly morning at the Mash: Highlight was a relatively drab-looking Connecticut Warbler. Beginning of October is traditionally the best time to see them here. Black-throated Blue Warblers were still around and they may stay until the end of the month. My second-for-the site Kestrel was hunting over the landfill site and a Kingfisher was hovering over the small pond. I will expect more sparrows to be pushing in over the next few weeks. Today only small numbers of White-throats, Swamp, Field and Song Sparrows.

Total: 146 species
Year: 118 or 80.1%