June 19, 2008 Ramble

It was going to be a good day. I had 5 keenly interested people eager to get out birding. Margaret, Elizabeth, Patty, and Marilyn are all teachers. It sounded like they were a learning spree. They had been to Sapelo Island and explored barrier island ecology. Today they were learning about birds. Katy is a birder from Chicago who I met back around Christmas. The first bird that flew right at the group was the Gray Kingbird. As we gathered around introducing ourselves a pair of Bluebirds flew up to the power line. The male was the closest to us. What a great start. We had 5 Rosette Spoonbills with a Great Blue Heron and a Snowy Egret. At the south end Wilson’s Plovers were checking us out. There was one female and one male. Least Terns were feeding juveniles s on the beach.

While we stood there watching the plovers a Gull-billed Tern fly by us. Mixed in the regular cast of characters, Royal Terns and Laughing Gull was a Sandwich Tern. I had been looking for Sandwich Terns for my Glynn County year list so there he was! A brief stop at Tidelands to look at the feeders a female Painted Bunting was feeding away. We finished up with Anhingas, night-herons, and baby Wood Storks. There is nothing like good company and good birds.