Wastewater is really awesome; lots of water AND migrants. The road on top of levee No. 3 is not passable in my view. The city is not mowing it and growth has easily reached over 6 feet. The last time we drove around pond 3 there were several deeply eroded places, making the going very tentative. We birded from 3:40 pm to 6:15 pm, supposedly the worst time of the day to bird.
Best bird(s):
- Black-bellied Whistling Duck, 10 adults and 27 young
- Ruddy Duck, 4 including a male still in breeding plumage
- Cattle Egret, 362 and this is probably a low number
- White-faced Ibis, 7
- Common Moorhen, 3
- Black-necked Stilt, 24
- American Avocet, 6 some still in breeding plumage
- Spotted Sandpiper, 2
- Greater Yellowlegs, 3
- Lesser Yellowlegs, 1
- Western Sandpiper, 6
- Least Sandpiper, 3
- Pectoral Sandpiper, 1
- Long-billed Dowitcher, 27
- Wilson’s Phalarope, 30
- Black Tern, 4
- Bank Swallow, 2
- Yellow-headed Blackbird, 11
Complete List:
- Black-bellied Whistling Duck, 10 adults with 27 young
- Blue-winged Teal, 31
- Ruddy Duck, 4 including a male still in breeding plumage
- Northern Bobwhite, 2
- Cattle Egret, 362 and this is probably a low number
- White-faced Ibis, 7
- Swainson’s Hawk, 1
- Common Moorhen, 3
- American Coot, 42
- Killdeer, 3
- Black-necked Stilt, 24
- American Avocet, 6 some still in breeding plumage
- Spotted Sandpiper, 2
- Greater Yellowlegs, 3
- Lesser Yellowlegs, 1
- Western Sandpiper, 6
- Least Sandpiper, 3
- Pectoral Sandpiper, 1
- Long-billed Dowitcher, 27
- Wilson’s Phalarope, 30
- Black Tern, 4
- Yellow-billed Cuckoo, 1
- Western Kingbird, 6
- Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, 8
- Blue Jay, 1
- Bank Swallow, 2
- Cliff Swallow, 2
- Barn Swallow, 72
- Northern Mockingbird, 3
- European Starling, 65
- Lark Sparrow, 1
- Northern Cardinal, 2
- Dickcissel, 9; they are still singing on territory
- Red-winged Blackbird, 32
- Eastern Meadowlark, 1
- Yellow-headed Blackbird, 11
- Great-tailed Grackle, 75
- House Sparrow, 2
All sightings by Kathy Hampton, Laura Packer, and Heidi Trudell