March 18th was the day when the first spring birds seemed to appear en masse. I saw five new year birds yesterday and two of them happened to be county birds.
The first year bird that was brave enough to show its head was an energetic Eastern Phoebe (#110) at Rooks Fishing Lake. The next bird that fell was a county bird (one that I was expecting any day now): Tree Swallow (#111). The third one to bite the dust was the best of the day and also a county bird (although one which I wasn't expecting to get necessarily): Great Scaup (#112). I have been studying all the scaup lately, hoping for a Greater, but no matter how hard my brain wants to turn a Lesser into one, it hasn't happened until today. I almost just passed this one over, having been disappointed too many times. This one had all the characteristic signs of a Greater, though: rounded head, more prominent bill, larger protuberance at the distal end of the bill, and brighter white flanks with no black flecking visible in the white. The only field mark I didn't really get to check out was the more prominent white in the wings when it flies. I watched the bird on the water for half-an-hour, but it never flew. Anyways, it was a great bird to get for the county. The final two birds were not as exciting, but it always nice to see birds for the first time in a year: Blue-winged Teal (#113) and Turkey Vulture (#114). I tried to find a Cinnamon Teal in with the small flock of Blue-wingeds, but it was not to be. I will find one soon, though!
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