[birdky] RPT: Slow day at Sauerheber

Ben & Mary Yandell, Eddie Huber, and myself visited the Sauerheber Unit of 
Sloughs WMA yesterday, but it was quite slow. If it hadn't been for a few 
interesting things along the way, the cool, sprinkly day would have been a real 
bust!
 
We started in the AM at the Falls of the Ohio with Matt Stickel but the only 
fallout shorebird was a molting Black-bellied Plover. There were 75+ 
Ring-billed Gulls, 3 Herring Gulls and 7 Caspian Terns. A pair of Osprey are 
building a nest again this year on the lower end of Shippingport Island 
(visible from below the Falls at the Clark Home Site at the Indiana boat ramp).
 
In Henderson Co., the Ellis Park pools were full of Blue-winged Teal and we had 
a good mix of common shorebirds, which we hoped would bode well for Sloughs.
 
At the Sauerheber Unit, though, we were only able to find small numbers of 
common waterfowl and shorebirds. Moreover, during a loop of the Hardy Slough 
dikes we flushed only two Soras, which seemed amazing for mid-April ... 
wondering if the birds came in when the area was all under water and no 
concentration has developed in the past week or so? ? ?  We had a few 
passerines of note including a Northern Waterthrush and a Blue Grosbeak. Mary 
found us an Osprey and a passing Broad-winged Hawk but we were falconless on 
the day ... again somewhat surprising for mid-April
 
The slough along KY 268 had a decent variety of common shorebirds plus 2 Least 
Sps and a Stilt Sandpiper.
 
Our highlight of the day was on McDonald Landing Road. We had stopped in the 
early evening at the spot of last year's potentially breeding Lark Sparrows. 
We'd been there about 10 minutes and were about to give up when some odd flight 
notes overhead attracted our attention. I couldn't figure out what this flock 
of about 10 birds was coming in above tree top level from the northwest, but I 
squeaked as loud as I could and most dropped into a tree down the road. Ben 
thought he saw white in the tail of one and sure enough ... it was a FLOCK of 
at least 10 Lark Sparrows! A couple of the birds began to sing very loudly and 
while some flew off, four flew into a tree closer to us for Eddie and Ben to 
snap some photos.  I have seen Lark Sparrows flock like this out west, but this 
was a *first* for all of us in KY. 
 
bpb, Frankfort

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