Date:         Fri, 12 Aug 2011 10:29:45 -0700
Reply-To:     dichurch <dichurch@bellsouth.net>
Sender:       Georgia Birders Online <GABO-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
From:         dichurch <dichurch@BELLSOUTH.NET>
Subject:      A few notes from the Coast
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1

Greetings Georgia birders,
   A few notes from the last couple of days.  

   On Wednesday morning, I observed 2 Gray Kingbirds perched on the wires in downtown Savannah, on Fahm Street, near the Greyhound Station and Union Mission. I did not see any signs of them feeding babies but suspect that they nested in the area again this year.

  At SNWR, there were still both Mississippi and Swallow-tailed Kites soaring, starting about 10:30 am.
  Number of Gull-billed Terns was down from what I saw 2 weeks ago - saw maybe half a dozen.
  Still plenty of wading birds - glossy & white ibis, herons, egrets feeding in the moist soil impoundments.
  Purple Gallinules and Common Moorhens in the wet impoundment north of highway 170 that still has plenty of water lilies.  Also yellow warblers in that area.
 Northern Waterthrush along the drive in one of the wet wooded areas.
 Saw large flocks of shorebirds flying over the impoundments but they did not land in a visible area.

 
At Tybee North Beach last night on the incoming tide:
43 American Oystercatchers 4 banded Yellow 48, Black UO, Black Y8, Green LX. Three of the four
    are birds that I saw last winter and spring.
Royal, Sandwich, Common, & Least Terns
Laughing, Ring-billed, Herring, and Great Black-backed Gulls
Ruddy Turnstones still in breeding plumage, Sanderlings, Semi-palmated Plovers

Up at the pond near the North Beach we found:
2 Prairie Warblers

Great Egrets, Snowy Egrets, Black-crowned Night Herons, Little Blue Herons, Tricolored Herons
    Green Heron
Red-shouldered Hawk
Chimney Swifts
There was an Eastern Kingbird perched in the top of a wax myrtle flycatching above the pond. Later, I
looked at the same spot and a Gray Kingbird had taken the place of the Eastern. The Eastern then flew
in and both were in the same tree together. About 5 years ago we had Gray Kingbirds on Tybee but I
had not seen them in the past few years. Of course, I don't spend too much time scouting the power lines
in the commercial district during tourist season!

Fortunately, there was a nice breeze and it turned into a great evening of birding.
Cheers,
Diana Churchill
dichurch@bellsouth.net
Tybee Island, GA

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