Date: Sun, 29 Mar 2009 15:05:08 -0400
Reply-To: Ken Blankenship <kenhblankenship@COMCAST.NET>
Sender: Georgia Birders Online <GABO-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
From: Ken Blankenship <kenhblankenship@COMCAST.NET>
Subject: Cochran Shoals + Bartow County Reports 3/29/09
Despite it being breezy, chilly, and overcast, Nathan Farnau and I had
some really cool birds today at The Shoals and later along the Bartow
County Loop. An eBird report from Cochran Shoals follows.
Today was the first "Swallow Bonanza" this spring on the river; this will
get even better as migration ramps up. It really pays to just relax on the
observation deck and spend some time sorting through them. Today we had
six species of swallows swirling around (perhaps up to 200 birds),
including FOTS CLIFF SWALLOW, PURPLE MARTIN, and at least one definite
BANK SWALLOW. FOTS CHIMNEY SWIFTS fluttered overhead and sometimes came
down low over the water to join the swallows. A White-eyed Vireo sang a
few times, we saw three glowing bright yellow and rufous Eastern PALM
WARBLERS, and another highlight was a high-altitude fly-over of an
AMERICAN BITTERN!
In Bartow County we found personal FOTS shorebirds including LESSER
YELLOWLEGS (3), LEAST SANDPIPER (14), SOLITARY SANDPIPER (1), and PECTORAL
SANDPIPER (5) in the Taff Rd mudhole. Also on Taff Rd was a pair of
LOGGERHEAD SHRIKES, the first time I've seen two together at that
location. On Floyd Creek Church Rd, we were glad to meet Hugh Garrett and
Patrick Brisse and surprised to find 100+ RING-BILLED GULLS on the ground
out in the pasture among the cattle. At the Taylorsville Sod Atlanta farm
we found a large group of TREE SWALLOWS and BARN SWALLOWS resting on the
sod along with foraging GREATER YELLOWLEGS (6) and PECTORAL SANDPIPERS (5).
Location: Cochran Shoals Unit (Chattahoochee NRA)
Observation date: 3/29/09
Notes: Lots of swallows on the river; able to watch at least one
(likely two) Bank Swallows for a long period, verified all pertinent field
marks. Several FOTS today as far as I know - WEVI, CHSW, PUMA, CLSW, BANS,
AMBI, PAWA. American Bittern was a fly-over, a bird headed north high
above.
Number of species: 56
Canada Goose 16
Wood Duck 4
Mallard 7
Double-crested Cormorant 16
American Bittern 1
Great Blue Heron 4
Red-shouldered Hawk 1
Red-tailed Hawk 2
Chimney Swift 10
Belted Kingfisher 1
Red-headed Woodpecker 5
Red-bellied Woodpecker 3
Downy Woodpecker 5
Hairy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 4
Pileated Woodpecker 2
White-eyed Vireo 1
Blue Jay 7
American Crow 2
Fish Crow 1
crow sp. 4
Purple Martin 8
Tree Swallow 22
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 100
Bank Swallow 1
Cliff Swallow 2
Barn Swallow 16
Carolina Chickadee 12
Tufted Titmouse 14
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
Brown-headed Nuthatch 7
Carolina Wren 16
Winter Wren 2
Golden-crowned Kinglet 4
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 17
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 7
Eastern Bluebird 1
American Robin 3
Northern Mockingbird 2
Brown Thrasher 1
Cedar Waxwing 27
Yellow-rumped Warbler 48
Pine Warbler 5
Palm Warbler 3
Common Yellowthroat 4
Eastern Towhee 6
Field Sparrow 1
Song Sparrow 1
Swamp Sparrow 5
White-throated Sparrow 27
Northern Cardinal 13
Red-winged Blackbird 6
Common Grackle 6
Brown-headed Cowbird 1
American Goldfinch 23
This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)
For directions and birding descriptions of these locations, visit:
http://www.wingsoverga.com/CobbCountyBirdingSites.html#CochranShoals
http://www.wingsoverga.com/BartowCountyBirdingSites.html#BartowCountyLoop
Ken Blankenship
Marietta, GA (Cobb County)
http://www.wingsoverga.com
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