We started with the dove fields, hoping to find puddles with shorebirds. We found some Least Sandpipers and Killdeer, but most of the puddles were just thick mud. The walking was difficult at times, especially for one of our group who was wearing sandals that kept staying behind as she pulled her feet free of the mire. Eventually she solved the problem with a pair of pink boots. You shoulda been there to see it!
While there weren't many shorebirds, the surrounding vegetation produced some good looks at lots of Blue Grosbeaks, Eastern Bluebirds, and Bobolinks. There were also a few Prairie Warblers and a single Eastern Kingbird. Other sections of the field produced lots of Mourning Doves and Common Ground Doves and a few Loggerhead Shrikes. At one end of the field there were about a dozen Wild Turkeys who took off at a serious trot after being disturbed by a half dozen deer. One was an eight point buck and another had six. Nice looking animals.
We were almost finished with the first field when we saw a bunch of swallows feeding in the adjacent section. Once again I found myself patiently wading through a flock of Barn Swallows looking for something different. Then we saw it: smaller, white throat, dark breast band ... a Bank Swallow! I have to admit that I was thrilled. First, I haven't seen many Bank Swallows, so that in itself was a treat, and it was a county lifer too. But even more, for the second time in four days I had found the unusual swallow in flight among the more expected and numerous Barn Swallows. Certainly I relied on my way-more-experienced friend who confirmed the sighting, but still it was a rush. That's one of the many reasons why I love birding. There's that moment of exultation when you see something new or when hours of effort finally pays off. There are precious few such moments in life but birding provides a bunch of them.
Another field was bordered by a low area of mixed hardwood trees that seemed to have been swampy recently but was now dry. Under the canopy we ran into a nice mixed flock that included a Yellow-throated Vireo and a Yellow-throated Warbler, two birds I can't see often enough.
Eventually we felt like we had found everything that the dove fields had to offer, so we decided to head for the forested area of the property. Here the ground was flooded on both sides of the road so I expected to be swarmed by mosquitoes. However, my trusty can of Deep Woods Off had just enough Deet left to keep me relatively safe. We stopped at several spots along the road and played a Screech-Owl tape to bring in the birds. At our first stop a Barred Owl seemed to take exception to the Screech-Owl and immediately began his "who cooks for you" chant. While he was all riled up and flying around, few other birds chose to come out to see what was happening, so we moved on to another site. I remarked that there should be a Cuckoo in that habitat - and I didn't have one on my Putnam list - so I played a Yellow-billed Cuckoo tape. Sure enough, one answered and flew in after a few moments. That was the second county lifer of the day.
We were heading for another site when we realized that the truck with our two FWC colleagues wasn't with us. After a minute or two it showed up and the driver called us to come back to a spot along the road where there were two Water Moccasins performing a mating dance in the water just off the road. I know nothing about snakes and don't feel particularly interested in them, but this was fascinating. The two large snakes were lifting themselves straight out of the water and literally dancing together. There was some swaying that looked liked something out of a synchronized swim at the Olympics. Then they intertwined their bodies in some sort of braid and then slapped down to the water's surface only to rise up and repeat the whole dance. I only had my iPhone with me and I didn't want to get too close and disturb their ritual, so the pictures below aren't the best. But I hope you get a sense of how very cool the moment was.
Elsewhere in this blog I quoted Yogi Berra saying that "It isn't over until it's over." That proved true of this trip too. Hours later as I poured over my county list I noticed that I've never recorded a Putnam County Eastern Kingbird. Hey! I added three county lifers today. Very Cool! I think David Simpson calls that armchair birding. Whatever ... I'll take the tick!
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| Water Moccasins Interwined |
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| Water Moccasins Doing the Dance |
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