March 11, 2025 Complete Bird Census

91 Species Observed +2 other taxa, 2,241 individuals

Winter Wren, Northern Harrier and Yellow-headed Blackbirds

Today started out cool but turned into a nice springlike day. Most of the white geese have left with only 82 present today. Duck numbers are still pretty good with a count of 70 Blue-winged Teal, 187 Northern Shovelers, 148 Gadwall, 18 Mallard, 4 Northern Pintail, 111 Green-winged Teal, 2 Canvasback, 110 Redhead, 15 Ring-necked Duck, 3 Bufflehead and 4 Ruddy Duck. We had a high count of 215 Killdeer along with 114 Long-billed Dowitchers, 1 Wilson's Snipe, 5 Lesser Yellowlegs, 67 Greater Yellowlegs, 44 Least Sandpipers, and 26 Pectoral Sandpipers. We saw the first two Snowy Egrets of the year on L pad. In a field on the west side of the refuge we saw a mixed flock of blackbirds containing 18 Brewer's Blackbirds, 2 early Yellow-headed Blackbirds and Red-winged Blackbirds. We saw an immature Bald Eagle near Tern Pad. We found a Winter Wren, in brush, in Big Mineral Creek past Meadow Pond. We finished the day with 91 species, quite good for mid March. Today's photos, Winter Wren, Northern Harrier and Yellow-headed Blackbirds in a mixed flock quite distant.

March 4, 2025 Complete Bird Census

84 Species Observed +2 other taxa, 3,784 individuals

Vesper Sparrow and American Pipit

The weather for today's census was very varied, starting out with partly cloudy skies after overnight thunderstorms transitioning into a gray windy day with dust filling the air, brought in by the strong southwest winds. About 1500 white geese are still present including both Snow and Ross's Geese. Seven species of shorebirds were present, including Killdeer, Long-billed Dowitchers, Wilson's Snipes Lesser and Greater Yellowlegs, Least Sandpipers and Pectoral Sandpipers. We saw a total of 3 Bald Eagles, two mature and one immature. On the road to Meadow Pond we saw a couple of Wild Turkeys and we had a flyby Pileated Woodpecker near Deaver Pond. We had two flyby Crested Caracaras on Wildlife Drive near the Harris Creek Bridge. We saw two Inca Doves near a residence on the far west side of the refuge. We heard a Fish Crow near headquarters. We saw 10 first of season Barn Swallows and saw a Winter Wren. We finished the day with 84 species. Today's photos, Vesper Sparrow and American Pipit.

February 2025

February 25, 2025 Complete Bird Census

87 Species Observed, +2 other taxa, 5,066 individuals

Ruddy Shelducks

It was a very pleasant warm day for today's census. There were at least 3500 white geese still present. They will probably be leaving on their trip north soon. The surprise of the day was 6 Ruddy Shelducks in Muleshoe Marsh. It has been many years since this species has been seen at the refuge. These birds are most likely escapees from someones waterfowl collection. This species breeds in southeastern Europe and Central Asia and winters in South Asia. The lake has thawed out from the recent freeze and ducks were numerous. This past weekend most of the lake on the refuge was frozen over and what ducks there were, were congregated in small patches of ice free water. Shorebirds seen today included, 26 Killdeer, 33 Long-billed dowitchers, 14 Wilson's Snipe, 14 Greater Yellowlegs, 16 Least Sandpipers and an early arriving Pectoral Sandpiper. We had a high count of 12 Red-shouldered Hawks and 9 Red-tailed Hawks. We saw 5 Red-headed Woodpeckers. There were a couple of Hairy Woodpeckers on Raasch Trail. We finished the day with 87 species. Today's photo, three of the six Ruddy Shelducks present today.

February 18, 2025 Complete Bird Census

77 Species Observed, +2 other taxa, 6,896 individuals

It was a miserable wet day for our census. Birds were active as though they knew about the very cold weather ahead. There were about 1800 white geese today. Duck numbers are still good with a count of 193 Northern Shovelers, 153 Gadwalls, 7 Mallards, 165 Northern Pintails, 133 Green-winged Teal, 3 Ring-necked Ducks, 10 Buffleheads and 4 Hooded Mergansers. We saw 2 Bald Eagles and I believe we probably have two breeding pairs on the refuge now. We saw 7 species of woodpeckers including a Hairy and a pair of Pileated Woodpeckers. American Robins were numerous with a count of 370 but we probably saw many more. They are hard to estimate because they move around a lot and we saw them almost everywhere we went. We saw 9 sparrow species including 5 Fox Sparrows, 6 Vesper Sparrows, 43 Harris's Sparrows and 10 Field Sparrows. We finished the day with 77 species. Today's photo, Greater White-fronted Geese.

February 11, 2025 Complete Bird Census

77 Species Observed, +1 other taxa, 3,839 individuals

Bald Eagle

Today was a chilly day with bouts of drizzle. It was very wet as a result of overnight rain. In spite of the conditions it was a birdy day. We only saw 5 white geese today, a Ross's Goose and 4 Snow Geese. Duck numbers were good with 328 Northern Pintails, 187 Northern Shovelers, 101 Gadwalls, 126 Green-winged Teal, 17 Ruddy Ducks, 22 Mallards, 3 Lesser Scaup, and 6 Buffleheads. Shorebirds included 57 Long-billed Dowitchers, 40 Wilson's Snipe, 50 Killdeer and 23 Greater Yellowlegs. The gull count included 737 Ring-billed Gulls, 3 Herring Gulls and a mature Lesser Black-backed Gull. There were 7 American White Pelicans feeding with the gulls. We saw 2 Hairy Woodpeckers on the way to Meadow Pond and we had a total of 5 Pileated Woodpeckers. American Robins were numerous with a conservative count of 274. We saw one flock of 600 Common Grackles. We finished the day with 77 species. Today's photo a Bald Eagle sitting on a snag near the end of Tern Pad. We saw a total of 3 Bald Eagles today.

February 4, 2025 Complete Bird Census

82 Species Observed, +2 other taxa, 5,700 individuals

A White-crowned Sparrow, an American Coot, and a female Purple Finch

Cool and cloudy seems to be the norm for the weekly bird census lately. Despite a brisk wind, birds were plentiful, and signs of spring were evident. Birds are pairing up and some are singing their spring courtship songs. We started out on Raasch Trail, where we flushed a pair of Wood Ducks as we approached the bridge over Meyer’s Branch. We found many American Robins in the trees beside the trail, as well as lots of Dark-eyed Juncos. Continuing on, we got good looks at two female Purple Finches on Keefer Road. A good number of white geese have returned to the refuge. We estimated about 3000 feeding on grass near the Visitor Center. Perhaps they’ll stay a while before continuing north. Duck numbers continue to be quite good. The lake level is down and the ducks are very spread out, so you’ll find some almost anywhere you look. Along the Auto Tour Route we saw five Lesser Scaup – four female and one male – and later found a leucistic Green-winged Teal off Egret Rd. On the west side of the refuge, we saw a Merlin perched at the top of a tree. We finished the day with 82 species including 219 American Coot, 104 Dark-eyed Juncos, 173 Meadowlarks, 103 American Robins, and 61 Long-billed Dowitchers. Today’s photos are a White-crowned Sparrow, an American Coot, and a female Purple Finch.

January 2025

January 28, 2025 Complete Bird Census

80 Species Observed, +2 other taxa, 2,820 individuals

It was cloudy all day but dry and winds were light for today’s census. The lake level has dropped significantly since last week and there were plenty of sandbars and shallow water. We started out on Raasch Trail as usual and found sparrow numbers were low. That trend continued all day, although we did get a good variety of species. Harris’s Sparrows were the most common, with 21 counted, but we found at least a few of most other sparrow species, including 5 Vesper Sparrows on Short Road. As we continued on, we came across a large flock of Brown-headed Cowbirds with about 20 Brewer’s Blackbirds mixed in. We found the first of 5 Brown Thrashers before we got to the Goode picnic area. Back on the Auto Tour route, we started seeing large numbers of waterfowl. It’s clear the ducks are happy to be back in ice-free ponds. We saw 227 Northern Pintails, 229 Green-winged Teal, 137 Gadwall, 115 Northern Shovelers, 98 American Coot, and quite a few Buffleheads, Ruddy Ducks, and other assorted ducks. Ring-billed Gulls were also plentiful, especially later in the afternoon, with our final tally being 684 individuals, plus 8 American Herring Gulls. A few Long-billed Dowitchers have returned and Wilson’s Snipes are also working the muddy areas. We finished our day with 80 species. Photos today are a Northern Shoveler almost in full breeding plumage, a Wilson’s Snipe dipping into the mud, and a Ross’s Goose backed up by two Snow Geese.

January 21, 2025 Complete Bird Census

68 Species Observed, +3 other taxa, 1,801 individuals

Brown Thrasher, a Northern Pintail standing on ice one year ago tomorrow,

and a Carolina Chickadee

It was a very cold day for the census, with our weather app showing the starting temperature at 15 degrees. Ice covered many of the normal areas we find birds, but the birds and the birders adjusted. We started on Raasch Trail and found many sparrows keeping low to the ground. We also found a few hawks and Mourning Doves there. As we continued on to the Goode area, we passed a large flock of Meadowlarks. At Dead Woman Pond we found the first of three Red-headed Woodpeckers, each in a different area of the refuge. The white geese have eaten most of the wheat, which explains why we only found 239 Snow and Ross’s Geese near the Visitor Center. We were surprised to find Buffleheads and Ruddy Ducks off the end of Plover pad, but their usual areas were partially iced over. They were joined by the Eared Grebe which is still around. Many of the ducks were sitting at the edges of the oil pads jutting out into the lake. Many more sparrows were found along Meadow Pond Trail, including a single Swamp Sparrow. A Hermit Thrush sat out in the open giving us all good looks. We ended the day without going to the west side of the refuge, but we still logged 67 species, including all the usual duck species, a Wilson’s Snipe, 101 Meadowlarks, and 3 Brown Thrashers. Photos today are a Brown Thrasher, a Northern Pintail standing on ice one year ago tomorrow, and a Carolina Chickadee.

January 14, 2025 Complete Bird Census

83 Species Observed, +2 other taxa, 4,204 individuals

Pine Warbler and Field Sparrow.

After a heavy snow last week(heavy for this area) we were treated to a beautiful calm day for our census, with the temperature starting out in the low twenties but warming up nicely later in the day. There was still plenty of snow and ice on the ground in many areas. Due to the extensive snow coverage after the snow last week most of the white geese have left. We only saw 38 Snow Geese and 14 Ross's Geese. But there is no shortage of ducks with a count of 513 Northern Pintails, 319 Green-winged Teals, 184 Gadwalls, 82 Northern Shovelers, 39 Mallards, 4 Ring-necked Ducks, 16 Buffleheads, 1 Common Goldeneye, 32 Ruddy Ducks, 9 Hooded Mergansers and 483 unidentified dabbling ducks. We saw 5 Greater Roadrunners. In the afternoon a large number of gulls had accumulated on the sandbars off the end of Tern pad including 1600 Ring-billed Ducks and 4 American Herring Gulls. At Sandy Point we had nice closeup looks at a Pine Warbler. We saw a few shorebirds including 7 Wilson's Snipes, 2 Long-billed Dowitchers, 11 Greater Yellowlegs, 5 Killdeer and 5 Least Sandpipers. The Eared Grebe is still present in Silliman Marsh. We saw a total of 3 Belted Kingfishers and 3 Pileated Woodpeckers. We finished the day with 85 species. Today's photos, Pine Warbler and Field Sparrow.

January 7, 2025 Complete Bird Census

75 Species Observed, +2 other taxa, 7,497 individuals

Male and female Brewer's Blackbirds, a Northern Mockingbird and a Field Sparrow

It was a cold day, with a bone chilling wind blowing from the north for today's census. There are still at least 5500 white geese present. They were feeding near Silliman Road this morning and as we surveyed them a Bald Eagle approached and the geese scattered in total directions but a bit later they returned to the same location. There is one Greater White-fronted Goose mixed in with the group but we were unable to locate the Cackling Goose that has been seen with them recently. Duck numbers were good and many were staying around the edges of the marshes trying to stay out of the wind. We saw 320 Northern Pintails, 268 Green-winged Teals, 149 Gadwalls, 103 Northern Shovelers, 43 Mallards, 11 Canvasbacks, 3 American Wigeons, 15 Ring-necked Ducks, 3 Lesser Scaups, 2 Redheads, 25 Buffleheads 14 Ruddy Ducks and a couple of Hooded Mergansers. An Eared Grebe was present in Silliman Marsh and we had a total of 8 Pied-billed Grebes. We had one flyby Wilson's Snipe. We had a nice flock of Brewer's Blackbirds by a private residence on Hagerman Road. There was a Pine Warbler at Sandy Point. We saw a Pine Siskin, a bird that has been scarce this winter, mixed in with a flock of American Goldfinches at a residence on Short Road. We finished the day with 75 species, a count we were very pleased with considering the conditions. Photos, Male and female Brewer's Blackbirds, a Northern Mockingbird and a Field Sparrow.