Common Goldeneye
Photo by Patuxent Wildlife Research Center

The group arrived at the hayfields of Tres Rios at 7:45 with the sun coming up. We first toured the ponds followed by the wooded and open areas to the South. We then went back to the ponds for another look before heading to the cobbles area. On the way, we stopped along the chain link fence to look North at the duck population in the water way. The weather was nippy in the morning but warmed up nicely by 12:30 when we finished and reviewed our sighting list.

The group saw a total of 48 birds: Pied-billed Grebe, Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Black-crowned Night Heron, Green Heron, White-faced Ibis, American Wigeon, Mallard, Blue-winged Teal, Cinnamon Teal, Northern Shoveler, Green-winged Teal, Common Goldeneye, Osprey, Northern Harrier, Red-tailed Hawk, Gambel’s Quail, Sora, Common Moorhen, American Coot, Killdeer, Ringbilled Gull, Rock Pigeon, Morning Dove, Greater Roadrunner, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Belted Kingfisher, Northern Flicker, Gilded Flicker, Black Phoebe, Common Raven, Verdin, Marsh Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, European Starling, American Pipit, Orange-crowned Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Abert’s Towhee, Song Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbird, Yellow-headed Blackbird, Great-tailed Grackle, and a Cooper-Shinned Hawk. (A raptor sighting gave way to a debate on Coopers vs Sharp Shinned hence the Cooper -Shinned.) That’s about the only unusual tidbit of information I can give you!! It is still and remains a "mystery" bird.

We had a group of thirteen in all, including Loretta and myself. The group consisted of: Donna Van Pelt, Marilyn Poncey, Kris Coates, Clare Keys, Helen Hawley, Phil Evanstock, Anne Durning, Joy Dolhanczyk, Bea Raymond, Chuck Kangas, Jeff Fustich, and Loretta and Chuck Richards.