08/15/2026
Here's a report from Ken on this morning's birdwatching trip to the Shelley Lagoons.
It was a beautiful, clear morning, and the lagoons were mercifully un-aromatic for most of the outing. About a dozen participants, including a couple of non-club members, joined the expedition, and a lot of birds also made an appearance. Among the waterfowl were: Canada Geese, Blue-winged Teal, Northern Shovelers, American Wigeon, Mallards, Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, Ring-necked Duck, Bufflehead and Ruddy Ducks. There were quite a few American Coots, including a few juveniles, but a notable sighting was when one of the three Sora detected, decided to make an appearance in the reeds, which a few observers were lucky enough to spot. Among the waders, several Killdeer were hanging around, and we also picked up a couple of Least Sandpipers, several Pectoral Sandpipers, a Semipalmated Sandpiper, a Spotted Sandpiper, a Solitary Sandpiper, a Greater Yellowlegs, a Wilson’s Snipe winnowing and several Red-necked Phalaropes swimming/foraging in the shallows. Uncharacteristically absent were the long-billed dowitchers that have been hanging around this month - none were seen today!
Among the other species that were detected were Alder Flycatcher, Warbling Vireo, Common Raven, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Golden-crowned Kinglets, Cedar Waxwing, Black-capped Chickadee, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Pine Siskens, American Goldfinch, Song Sparrows, Lincoln Sparrows, Red-winged Blackbirds, Northern Waterthrush, Common Yellowthroats, Yellow-rumpled Warblers and Yellow Warblers. A couple of notable sightings were a Cooper’s Hawk flying low over one of the ponds then suddenly diving down into the scrub after something, a Marsh Wren giving itself a dust bath, and an Eastern Kingbird that came in to perch and give people a good look.
All told, we had 41 recorded species in the two hours at the ponds. Thanks to everyone who came out!
Thanks to Dave Leman for the photos!
