Date: 5/5/25 9:00 am From: Patty McLean <000008e6fff5e5c8-dmarc-request...> Subject: Re: Bald Knob NWR
I forgot to mention where we saw the Whistling-Ducks and Rails. The rails were on the eastern portion of Huntsman Rd about 2/3rds of the way toward Ditch 13. Soras in the marshy area to the south and both Sora and Virginia in the large Ditch to the north. Also a Virginia near the white gas pipeline markers.The Whistling-Ducks moved around from Cell 1, 2 and 3, all of which are across from the silos and connected by levies. The Whistling-Ducks come in in large numbers around 7:40-8p. But there are a thousand-plus Blue-winged Teal and various duck species plus numerous shorebirds to enjoy during the day. There were two Anhinga, a male and a female, at Birch Pond yesterday. We're going to keep an eye on them to see if they might breed here. Patty
-------- Original message --------From: Patty McLean <plm108...> Date: 5/5/25 9:11 AM (GMT-06:00) To: <ARBIRD-L...> Subject: Bald Knob NWR Several of us serendipitously gathered at the refuge yesterday evening to watch the spectacle of 100+ BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING DUCKs coming in for a late day get together. Daniel Denman first observed this a few nights ago, and this is the 3rd evening in a row (that we know of) that this has occurred. I must say it was amazing to see this, and I would love to know the back story. We were hoping to see a VIRGINIA RAIL (particularly for Matt Matlock who was with us). But with 8 of us (including young children) standing by the side of the road in the open, we didn't have much chance of seeing that one. So Daniel crossed the road and looked down a ditch where we had heard one on a previous visit. And there it was, feeding in the mud along the bank with a Sora alongside! A few minutes later, Daniel and Matt flushed an American Bittern.A fun outing for sure!Patty McLean and Michael Linz The Roadrunners
