Field Trip to Sheldon Lake - 21 Feb 2009

      The day was windy and, at times, wet for the group – perhaps not an ideal birding day but they can’t all be perfect. Despite the weather the group found a number of nice birds early on near the headquarters and education buildings of the park. Eastern Bluebirds scanned the area from prominent perches while dozens of American Robins scratched in the grounds of the gardens. Among the blooming Mexican Plum trees, a male House Finch fed and Carolina Chickadees called noisily. A Carolina Wren perched uncharacteristically out in the open for the whole group to enjoy. An Eastern Phoebe dashed out after flying insects while a few Savannah, Lincoln’s and one Vesper Sparrow worked the underbrush.

      One group of trails in the park winds among a set of ponds once used when the area was part of a fish farm. Now grown over with brush and trees, this creates great habitat for both land birds and water birds. Checking the thickets along the trails produced birds like Brown Thrasher and Orange-crowned Warbler. Northern Cardinals are a favorite for every birder and they are abundant among the thickets at Sheldon Lake. Downy and Red-bellied Woodpeckers were easily found as were Blue-gray Gnatcatchers and Ruby-crowned Kinglets. On the ponds, Common Moorhens were spotted along with secretive Pied-billed Grebes. Anhingas perched in nearby trees while White Ibis searched the shallow waters below. A pair of Wood Ducks jumped out of one pond as the group approached allowing a quick look for some of the birders.

      Heading out to the prairie section of the park, the birders were looking for a different set of birds. These are grassland birds like sparrows, pipits and meadowlarks. This is an area of overgrown pastures and agricultural land that is being painstakingly restored to native prairie by the park staff and volunteers. In the past, this area has been home to thousands of geese of four different species. This year, due to the continuing drought and the changes in vegetation, the geese were absent. Less easy to explain is why the ponds, often full of ducks like Northern Pintail, were also empty. Even the sparrows, usually easy to find, proved difficult on this day. But all was not lost! Some birds did cooperate, like the American Kestrel that perched obligingly on a nearby tree and the Belted Kingfisher on a low perch. A Blue-headed Vireo worked the edge of the tree line while Yellow-rumped Warblers were easy to find in the trees and bushes. A pair of early Barn Swallows was a nice find. A Bald Eagle, one of two different ones seen on the day, soared overhead giving good looks to all. This spectacular species has proven very reliable at Sheldon Lake State Park and the GTAS group has seen at least one on every field trip to the park.

      Traveling to the Sheldon Lake reservoir gave the group many more birds to enjoy. Hundreds of American Coots were the most obvious birds present but Ring-necked Ducks, Gadwall and Blue-winged Teal were also spotted. Anhingas area always common on this lake and this was true again on this date as many of these birds were seen sunning themselves in the trees. Tree Swallows flitted over the lake joined by at least one Purple Martin. A large group of Cattle Egrets, looking as they had just arrived from parts south, flew into to land on the floating vegetation. Pine Warblers sang from across the road while a single American Pipit searched for food in a nearby parking lot.

      The day wrapped up on the “Yellow-rump” trail which winds through a wooded, swampy area. Bird such as Swamp Sparrow and Hermit Thrush were found along this trail. One of the first birds found was an American Bittern that the group kicked up from a pond near the trail head. The bird was fairly cooperative and gave the birders great looks before sinking down into the vegetation and out of sight. Getting a good look at one Bittern is always nice, so imagine how the group felt when, along the trail, they kicked up another, and then another and another! At least four American Bitterns, among the most shy of the wading birds, were found along this trail, definitely an unexpected bonus for the group.

      That is the nature of birding and of Sheldon Lake, “always expect the unexpected”. Whether it is Bald Eagles of Bitterns, there are always good birds to be seen at this overlooked gem of the state park system. Explore it for yourself and you may find some surprises of your own!

The following species were recorded by the trip leader:

Wood Duck(3), Gadwall(25), American Wigeon(1), Blue-winged Teal(10), Ring-necked Duck(3), Ruddy Duck(1), Pied-billed Grebe(4), Double-crested Cormorant(40), Anhinga(25), American Bittern(4), Great Blue Heron(5), Great Egret(12), Snowy Egret(6), Little Blue Heron(3), Cattle Egret(75), Black-crowned Night-Heron(1), White Ibis(30), White-faced Ibis(3), Black Vulture(10), Turkey Vulture(12), Bald Eagle(2), Northern Harrier(1), Red-shouldered Hawk(3), Red-tailed Hawk(3), American Kestrel(3), Common Moorhen(15), American Coot(1000), Laughing Gull(6), Ring-billed Gull(10), Herring Gull(1), Mourning Dove(20), Belted King­fisher(1), Red-bellied Woodpecker(4), Downy Wood­pecker(5), Yellow-bellied Sapsucker(1), Northern Flicker(1), Eastern Phoebe(5), Blue-headed Vireo(1), Blue Jay(10), American Crow(5), Purple Martin(1), Tree Swallow(50), Barn Swallow(2), Carolina Chickadee(10), Carolina Wren(6), House Wren(2), Ruby-crowned Kinglet(12), Blue-gray Gnatcatcher(15), Eastern Bluebird(5), Hermit Thrush(3), American Robin(100), Northern Mockingbird(6), Brown Thrasher(3), European Starling(1), Orange-crowned Warbler(7), Yellow-rumped “Myrtle” Warbler(100), Pine Warbler(2), Vesper Sparrow(2), Savannah Sparrow(15), Lincoln’s Sparrow(3), Swamp Sparrow(4), White-throated Sparrow(5), Northern Cardinal(45), Red-winged Blackbird(40), Great-tailed Grackle(1), House Finch(1), American Goldfinch(10)

Steve Mayes