Close to Home

 Sometimes a report of a good bird located close to home comes in. The Wood Duck that showed up at Larry's Bog was one of those birds.  I made a point to stop by after running errands on June 12.  The location required me to park a distance away and walk to the shore.

When I arrived at mid-day and bright sunlight, the bird was nowhere to be seen. Being such a nice day, I sat on the bank and watched and waited. It paid off. There among the reeds, the Wood Duck appeared and then ventured out into the open.

It was quite a distance away, but I could see it very well through my binoculars.  I snapped these few record shots and enjoyed the show.

This marked only the second time I have seen a male Wood Duck, and it is truly stunning.

After about twenty minutes of scooting around, it headed back toward the tall grass where it quickly disappeared again.

With the great weather we have had this summer plus all my gardening, wine making, birdwatching, hiking, home maintenance, yard sales and more, my pictures are accumulating quickly.  It will take me a while to work my way through all of the shots, but I will. A backlog of pictures is always a good thing when trying to maintain a year-round report.


Speaking of close to home, I saw something yesterday (twice!) that I have never seen before.  I was taking a short break sitting on my deck yesterday. My home is in the direct path of seagulls flying south in the morning and north in the evening. However, I have never seen a shorebird fly over. Well, yesterday some type of shorebird flew over (lower than the light post), and I was so surprised I could only stare at it.  It wasn't a Greater Yellowlegs, but beyond that I have no idea what it was.  I was shaking my head because I missed getting an ID.

Well, around 3:30 I headed up Major's Path on my way to Kent's to get a part for my pressure washer when another shorebird flew across the road in front of me. Again, unprepared for the event, I just stared.  I could see a white rump very clearly on this bird. Was it a White-rumped Sandpiper?  It seemed bigger, but who knows? Two unknown birds close to home yesterday, and I basically missed them both. I guess it is fair to say, "Shorebirds are on the move."