Date: 11/10/24 4:58 pm From: Malcolm Gold <malcolmgold...> Subject: Weekend Birding - Linn, Miami, and Johnson Counties
I went out both Saturday and Sunday afternoons this weekend. Bryan White
picked me up and we headed to Linn County Park Saturday. Two BLACK
VULTURES were soaring over the park as we pulled in near the Marina.
Hundreds of Bonaparte’s Gulls were loafing and flying around but we
couldn’t pick out any with dark underwings amongst them. We had 9 Common
Loons, possibly more with our movement of vantage points, and enjoyed Yancy
road on our way south to Marais des Cygnes National Wildlife Refuge. A
couple of Short-eared Owls appeared well after sunset after 5:30 and a very
late COMMON NIGHTHAWK was flushed by one.
This afternoon I had a few hours between dropping off and picking up my
youngest at school, so I headed to Hillsdale Lake in Miami County. Only
three loons on the lake, but one was a PACIFIC LOON and the waterfowl
included a smattering of Horned Grebes throughout the middle of the lake.
The lake is just big enough that I wanted a pontoon to go sit in the middle
to scope from, but luckily the temperature was perfect for no heat
shimmer. Leaving Hillsdale and heading home I thought I had dipped on the
NORTHERN SHRIKE in Johnson County after ten minutes of looking along
Renner, but when I pulled up to 191st from the south side I saw it sitting
in the yard on the Northwest corner of the intersection.
