Road Scholar FT to Mispillion and Bombay Hook 5/1/13

Dunlin and Black-necked Stilt, Bill Fintel photo

To begin the day we made a short stop at the Fintel’s backyard to hear about unique feeders and water features. There we also had good views of a calling Great Crested Flycatcher.

We then went to Evans Road at Slaughter Beach where we saw some reasonably close American Avocets. After that we stopped along the marsh just before the DuPont Nature Center at Mispillion, where we had amazingly good views of at least 5 Clapper Rails and a singing Seaside Sparrow.

Once at the Nature Center we saw many shorebirds, and after much searching found a single Red Knot which everyone viewed through a scope (there may have been 2 individuals). Other good birds observed there were a pair of American Oystercatchers and 3 Bald Eagles.

On the entrance road to Bombay Hook we had Horned Larks and an American Pipit in breeding (alternate) plumage. On the loop road around the impoundments we observed large numbers of shorebirds including Dunlin (above), Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Black-bellied and Semipalmated Plover, Least Sandpiper, Willet, Short-billed Dowitcher and great looks at Black-necked Stilts (above). We concluded our visit with excellent views of about 20 Black-crowned Night-Herons at Bear Swamp, and 2 White-crowned Sparrows at the Nature Center.

Our total species count for the day was 80 species. Weather was cool, breezy, and sunny.