Bolton Flats 4/25/07

Bolton flats remains some what flooded, but with knee high boots can be birded from the main parking area, off Rte117. I did not attempted to drive through the water to enter the parking lot. Good numbers of waterfowl remain with about 100 Green-winged Teal to the south of RTE117 and another 250 to the north, well back from the road. These birds flushed as I walked the dirt road from the parking lot so an educated estimate was made (as with most of the birds present in higher numbers). I did not see the previously reported Sandhill Crane nor the Eurasian Wigeon. A pair of Northern Pintail, drake American Wigeon, drake Gadwall and 4 Blue-winged Teal were to the south of Rte117.

Blue-winged Teal

As I walked north from the parking lot, off RTE117, I flushed an American Bittern and came upon a very tame Least Sandpiper (previously reported from earlier in the week). The bulk of Green-winged Teal , seen this evening, flushed from the grassy area to the north so I was unable to check if any were of the Eurasian variety. I was a bit surprised I did not see many shorebirds such a Snipe and I only heard a few Greater Yellowlegs call from the distance.

Least Sandpiper

The list from this evening:

Canada Goose 275
Wood Duck 75
Gadwall 1
American Wigeon 1
American Black Duck 1
Mallard 50
Blue-winged Teal 4
Northern Pintail 2
Green-winged Teal 350
Ring-necked Duck 2
American Bittern 1
Killdeer 4
Greater Yellowlegs 2
Least Sandpiper 1
Ring-billed Gull 300
Herring Gull 15
Mourning Dove 1
Downy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 3
American Crow 10
American Robin 25
Savannah Sparrow 15
Song Sparrow 10
Swamp Sparrow 1
Northern Cardinal 1
Red-winged Blackbird 100
Common Grackle 50