Date: 4/15/24 9:46 am From: Greg D. Jackson via groups.io <g_d_jackson...> Subject: [ALbirds] Saginaw/Calera this AM (15 Apr)
AL Birders:
"Happy" Tax Day everyone! š To put myself in a better mood, I opened the morning with a mug of coffee on the boardwalk at Limestone Park, reveling in the birdsong all around. Hard to beat early morning at a marsh! Enjoyed my FOS adult male Orchard Oriole singing in clear view near the platform, and both House and Marsh wrens were in song. A Sora called from deep in the marsh but no other rails were heard. Several beautiful Wood Ducks were about but no gangly Anhingas were spotted. My favorite bird encounter of the morning was a lengthy point-blank view of a lovely LINCOLN'S SPARROW low in the trees by the pond at the model aviator pavilion -- not a bird I get to see often in this area, especially well (but of course I didn't have my camera . . .).
A check for Rick's Upland Sandpiper at the Calera Publix fields was unsuccessful, and when I had the pleasure of running into Joe Wujcik and Michael Fritts I learned they also had not seen it this morning. The White-fronted is still hanging around, though. The whole area is really busy today with lots of construction and mowing. And as Ken alluded, we are at the verge of losing at least parts of this area soon. Another hotel is being built near the Hampton Inn, and at the back side of the Publix fields near the microwave tower road, dump trucks have begun filling in that portion with dirt. It's a man-made field to begin with, of course, but we have so little accessible short-grass field habitat in the area it's going to be painful to lose it (plusĀ the Saginaw/Calera area has been on fire for good birds so far this year!).
