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Wake Waterfowl Roundup, plus rarities in adjacent states



Hi Carolinabirders,

For those who like to cross state lines, there's been a Tropical/Couch's 
Kingbird reported from Kiptopeke State Park in Virginia. Check the 
Virginia, MDOsprey, or MarVaDel listservs for directions and updates. Not 
quite so close, but seen by many more people, a second bird - identified 
by voice as a Tropical - in Hingham, Massachusetts. I wonder if a third 
hiding on the Outer Banks somewhere, flying in just after the festival 
ended? Or maybe on Bald Head, or Cape Lookout, or Portsmouth Island?

In the other direction, a first-winter Black-headed Gull near Andrews 
Island, Georgia.

Closer to home, Frank Rheindt, Jason Sircely, and myself got together 
this morning to check the Wake County waterfowl spots. The objective: 
find a Redhead for Frank's life list. We hit many of the same spots as 
Bob Perkins and John Dole, but somehow managed not to cross paths with 
them this time...

We met around 9:30 at Lake Crabtree. Few individuals there, but several 
species: 3 Hooded Merganser, 3 Bufflehead, 1 Lesser Scaup, 1 Ring-necked 
Duck, 3 Northern Shoveler, 2 Pied-billed Grebes, 10 or so Ring-billed 
Gull, about 30 American Coot, one Belted Kingfisher. Walking back to our 
cars along the road, found a Hermit Thrush and Ruby-crowned Kinglet, then 
a flock near the powerline cut with several kinglets of both species, 
Carolina Chickadee, and lots of little unidentified things in the 
treetops.

Next stop was the Brier Creek Reservior at RDU airport. Many more 
individuals of fewer species here, topped by about 180 Ring-necked Ducks. 
Maybe 10 Lesser Scaup and 9 Ruddy Ducks, one American Black Duck, one 
Killdeer, a Song Sparrow, and a flock of 20-odd Canada Geese joined them.

Proceeded on to Lake Wheeler Road. The NSCU experimental dairy pond held 
a flock of Canada Geese, but nothing else, not even a snipe. We debated 
whether any were of the rarer subspecies, then were treated to a nice 
eye-level Red-tailed Hawk soaring past us. The nearby fields where they 
spread manure looked like great habitat for Horned Lark or other 
grassland species, but we saw only a fly-by flock of Brown-headed 
Cowbirds.

Next stop was Lake Wheeler itself, from the Penny Road bridge. Very dull 
here, only a couple of Pied-billed Grebes and Great Blue Herons. The farm 
pond near the bridge added only Mallards.

At this point, Jason had to go home. Just a few minutes later, we were at 
Greenview looking at the resident Loggerhead Shrike. Sorry, Jason... I 
actually scanned every tree and shrub in the area, and was about to 
concede that the shrike wasn't around, when I suddenly spotted it atop 
the lamppost! There was nothing actually in the pond other than more 
Canada Geese. We drove by John Argentati's house, but he appeared to be 
enjoying a peaceful afternoon on his deck eating lunch, so I decided not 
to disturb him.

Earlier on, Frank had spotted a raft of ducks on the newly re-filled 
Yates Mill Pond, so we swung back by there. The pond's margins are not 
yet open to the public, so we scanned from the parking area along Penny 
Road. Looked promising from there: another flock of Ring-necked Ducks, 
about 18, joined by two Ruddy Ducks, two Pied-billed Grebes, and a lifer 
for Frank: no, not the Redhead, but a female Canvasback. I was surprised 
that this pond had so much life so soon after being re-filled.

1010 pond had only 7 more Ring-necked Ducks, no American Wigeon. The 
Wigeon had moved on to West Lake, where we found about 16 of them and 18 
more Ring-necks. We flushed several flocks of Dark-eyed Juncos off the 
roadside while driving around here; Randy Dunson's regulars must have 
left Hillsborough to hide out south of Raleigh...

Not ready to give up yet, Frank and I tried a few more spots around Wake 
County. Sunset Lake was hard to view and, as far as we could tell, held 
only 4 more Ring-necked Ducks. Bass Lake has apparently been drained, I 
guess my maps need updating... We closed at Lake Benson Park, where we 
spotted a pair of Red-tailed Hawks, more Mallards, another PB Grebe, and 
another flock of about 20 American Wigeon. Trying to pish out some 
White-throated Sparrows that we heard calling, I wound up getting mobbed 
along the nature trail by several Carolina Chickadees, Tufted Titmice, 
Ruby-crowned Kinglets, and one Carolina Wren. Curiously, after I had been 
seeing many more GC kinglets than RC so far this fall, today the RCK's 
were far more conspicuous.

So 10 duck species, and Frank gets his Canvasback, but the Redhead 
remains elusive. Maybe next time...

Good birding,

Josh



Joshua S. Rose
Duke University
Department of Biology (Zoology, R.I.P.)

jsr6@acpub.duke.edu
http://www.duke.edu/~jsr6/