New
River Wetlands Project
Nov 2,
2002,
65 -
75 degrees
- narrated
by Henry Detwiler
A morning spent surveying the birds at the New River Project.
Click on
thumbnail pictures for full-sized shots.
IMPERIAL
SITE
Western Grebe - Imperial Ponds
|
Western Grebe
|
| We arrived at the Imperial Ponds close to
8:00 a.m., and found several hunters trying to coax
"Trigger" to retrieve a Mallard (?) that they'd
shot. Trigger was a mighty fine swimmer, but not much of a retriever. Another
1/2 hour of cajoling and
Trigger finally hauled it in. |
|
Pied-billed Grebes were numerous, but we also
spotted a Western and an Eared Grebe on the big pond. Common
Moorhens were abundant, but shy. I never could do it, but
Suzanne got a nice shot of one out in the open.
|
Common Moorhen
|
Imperial Ponds with Least
Bittern in center of picture up against the reeds.
The photo on the right is
through my scope at 20x, with the Sony DSC-S70 zoomed up to
3x. The bittern remained fishing for the entire time we were there. |
Least Bittern
|
|
BRAWLEY
SITE
|
Suzanne at Brawley Site
|
Roseate Skimmer - Brawley Ponds
Only a few
dragonflies were left at the ponds--the cool nights had sent most
of them south.
|
|
When we
arrived, this young Cooper's Hawk (note the streaking on the
breast), was perched on a large Eucalyptus a long way
downstream. But before long it came in to try its luck at
the wetlands. After all, there were plenty of Verdins,
sparrows, and Yellow-rumped snacks flying about. Alas, it fared no
better here, and didn't stay long.
|
Immature Cooper's Hawk
|
|
Belted Kingfisher
|
This Belted
Kingfisher would not let us approach too closely, and soon flew up
the New River to more secluded hunting grounds. Suzanne
got off a picture before we saw the last of him. |
|
American
Coots, Common Moorhens, Soras, a Virginia Rail, Mallards, and two varieties of
teal rounded out the collection of water-loving birds at the
Brawley site.
|
Common Moorhen
|
|
