Date: 4/21/25 6:05 am From: foodrev via groups.io <foodrev...> Subject: [sd-birds] Easter Sunday birds
I spent the day driving Moody County and a little Brookings Co. I also went to the areas Mick mentioned yesterday.
The paucity of wet areas was made up for in the plethora of birds seen! Finally. It’s been a while for me.
2 Swainson’s Hawk, 5 Bald Eagle (one on a nest) , a N Harrier, 3 Kestrels and an Osprey made a nice raptor assortment. With several Red-tailed Hawk too.
Orange-crowned Warbler was the only warbler seen; other welcome spring sightings included Vesper and Savannah sparrows. Horned Lark, and Meadowlarks.
Many flickers, but waterfowl were almost all Gadwall (every spot that did have water had many Gadwall, with Blue-winged Teal a close second; 1 late migrant Bufflehead
1 Horned Grebe another welcome sighting, plus pelicans found here and there.
Several different places had Great Egrets in large numbers, 2 were the ones Mick mentioned but Buffalo Lake and Island Lake had big numbers too, plus many shorebirds.
The shorebirds were the star for me.
Many Avocet, Hudsonian Godwit, dowitchers, Bairds and Semi-palmated Sandpiper, both yellowlegs, Spotted Sandpiper (Humboldt sewage ponds); WF Ibis, Wilson’s Phalarope and a Willet made for a shorebird star day.
