FreeLists / birdky / [birdky] RPT: Singin' in the rain ....

["Palmer-Ball, Brainard (EPPC OOS KNPC)" <Brainard.Palmer-Ball@xxxxxx>]

I was out in the western coalfield this weekend birding a bit by day and 
conducting surveys for Crawfish frogs by night. The weather was absolutely 
perfect for the latter. 

Charlie Crawford reported on a couple of hours of birding Saturday afternoon at 
Sloughs. Late in the day I had 6 Greater Yellowlegs at the Woods Tract along KY 
268.

Saturday evening was spent in southeastern Hopkins County where in addition to 
frogs we heard many, many American Woodcocks. The nearly full moon and warm 
temps had woodcocks calling and performing into the early morning hours. 

Sunday, I scouted more frog survey routes to the northwest and ran across a few 
interesting birds. The rains had Clear Creek out of it's normal floodplain and 
in one area a number of Red-tailed Hawks were hunting the high water line. 
Included in a loose group of 6 or 7 were a really pretty dark-intermediate 
morph B. j. calurus and two (perhaps a pair?) of adult Harlan's red-tails, one 
that I would assign (tentatively??) to a dark morph and the other as an 
intermediate. In another area a Marsh Wren (probable winterer) was skulking in 
some reeds. One area had a nice variety of dabblers including 35-40 Blue-winged 
Teal and a couple of Greater Yellowlegs. The sky over Clear Creek was filled 
with Tree Swallows ... at least 750-1000 were present in one area, maybe 
more??? Three dead trees contained more than 500 alone.

I also visited Lake Peewee on Sunday morning and found a nice variety of birds. 
The Ruddy Ducks were all lined up in good light and I counted 340 ... slightly 
more than Ann Morgan counted a year or so ago. There was also an immaculately 
plumaged Common Loon.

Again on Sunday night American Woodcocks were aplenty, along with Barred Owls 
and my first young Great Horned Owl call of the year.

bpb, Louisville