Date: 5/26/26 8:04 am From: gregg_recer via groups.io <gregg_recer...> Subject: [hmbirds] one more CR report
We did our usual somewhat leisurely (no getting out way before dawn for us) attempt for 100+ around central Saratoga County on 5/16. Starting at just before 6:00a, We covered several locations in Malta (our house, Zim Smith trail at a couple of stops, Round Lake Preserve, RL boat Launch, Malta Tech Park), Archer Vly and the Muleyville Trail along Lake Desolation Rd, Saratoga County Airport, Saratoga Spa SP, a bit of Saratoga Lake, Saratoga Battlefield, and the Stillwater School nature trail. We ended up with 112 species, which is pretty average for us on this route. Some highlights included a brief view of least bittern flying across the marsh at Round Lake Preserve early, and then Common Gallinule calling there when we went back later in the day; eventually getting all three specialty sparrows (savannah, grasshopper, vesper) at the airport after an extended lunch there where we heard nothing for about the first 25 minutes; multiple orchard orioles at stop 6 at the battlefield; wilson's warbler at Zim Smith Coons Crossing and Canada Warbler at Muleyville. The list of forehead-smacking misses is at least as long - white-throated sparrow and junco, broad-winged hawk, eastern wood-peewee; hermit thrush, winter wren, any shorebirds (except killdeer), and eastern whip-poor-will which we've never not gotten at the end of the day at the Tech Park. The 16th happened to be a new moon this year and that may have put the whips in to silent mode. At least we picked up a barred owl -- as well as the expected displaying woodcock -- there. Credit to the Hall, Mesick et al group for pointing out a male ring-necked duck they had found way out in the marsh at the Stillwater trail that we probably would have never seen as it hid behind pond lillies and never moved the whole time we were there.
