Birding
Where I've been/What I've seen
After much preparation (a grand total of fifteen minutes) the night before, my team, the Dabbing Dowitchers, was ready to go. A short drive to the woods of Cape Henlopen State Park later, and we got started. We decided to take the route less taken and walk to the less crowded beach. On the way, we found an Eastern Towhee, as well as a flyby Ruby-throated Hummingbird. Additionally, Purple Martins flew over, as a Gray Catbird and a Field Sparrow called off to the side. Once on the beach, we scanned for shorebirds and were rewarded with a Ruddy Turnstone as well as some Sanderlings. Some gulls on the beach included a Herring and Greater Black-backed. Not much success was had after this and we walked back to enter the nearby forest. We had incredible luck once inside the forest, hearing a Yellow-billed Cuckoo while Common Yellowthroats called everywhere. Unfortunately, we dipped on Pine Warbler while we were here. In a little opening with a pond, we found several forms of herons, Great Blue, both Egrets, and Green. Also present were Eastern Wood-Pewees, Eastern Kingbirds, and a flyover Red-winged Blackbird. By now we had fifteen minutes left so we continued down to a larger pond, where at our first vantage point I spotted a flycatcher, dipping its tail and perched up high. This came back to bite us later when most of the group could not find it, as it happened to be an Eastern Phoebe. Both varieties of yellowlegs flew around, and with much scanning of the peeps, Least and Semipalmated Sandpipers were found. A Blue Grosbeak and a few Cedar Waxwings landed in a nearby tree while we were here. We moved a bit further down, dodging bikers to our last vantage point. Here as time ran out, a mixed flock of Glossy and White Ibis flew in, adding two more to our total. When the results were tallied, the group I was in had received second place by one species. If two more people had seen the Eastern Phoebe, and we did not dip on the Pine Warbler, we would have won (D:). Despite the close finish, our group was happy with the result, as 44 species in an hour on foot is pretty good.
After a gret time at the beach, we again returned to the Virden Center and got cleaned up for the barbeque dinner that we would later have. The ABA store was then opened, and I had the chance to meet Jeff Gordon, who was super nice. We then had an awesome photo quiz put together by Bill (I got second), and I won an awesome t-shirt. After a little reflection on the camp, the early flights said their goodbyes, and then went to bed. A little while later, I also went to bed, as I had one of the later flights at noon.
This concludes the Avocet Trip Report :D, let me know how you liked it below
3 Comments
1/3/2019 07:46:28 pm
Brilliant trip. Sounds like it was fun. Which company did you go with? There’s an avocettours in BC, Canada.
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Drew Beamer
1/3/2019 09:04:52 pm
Hello! Thanks for the comment! This was a young birder camp run by the American Birding Association (Camp Avocet).
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