Saturday, November 30, 2013

Family Time on the Beach in August

Laughing Gulls -- Folly Beach -- Lighthouse Inlet Heritage Preserve -- August 5, 2013

           Funny thing .... the cold weather arrives and we begin reminiscing about the warmer days of summer.  Of course, in late summer, after 2 months of sweltering heat and humidity, we impatiently sweat it out dreaming of cooler temperatures.  Personally, I am one who, in general, prefers winter over summer and I do not look back fondly on the hot, sauna-like weather that prevails.  I do, however, appreciate what Lowcountry summers offer in terms of wildlife observations and family events.   Certain days stand out as particularly happy memories due to special moments shared quietly, in community with those present. 

           Today, I am thinking back to one early August weekday morning that I spent on the Folly Beach at the Lighthouse Inlet Heritage Preserve.  Due to some oddball cool front, a strong northeast wind and bright overcast skies, the morning temperature remained in the low 80s during the 2 hour period that I was on the beach.  I had come out to the beach with the original intention of a vigorous walk.  I was unhappily contemplating returning to work in the next few days and I assumed a walk on the beach could help to elevate my mood.  With it being a weekday and perhaps because the skies were overcast, there was very little human traffic.  Initially, the beach seemed devoid of wildlife also.  But in short order, a family flock of laughing gulls arrived and settled down on the beach. 

Laughing Gulls -- Folly Beach -- Lighthouse Inlet Heritage Preserve -- August 5, 2013


I too settled down on the beach to observe them -- so much for the walk.  By sitting still, unobtrusively, I could become an accepted part of their environment.  The birds would continue to keep a wary eye on me but as minutes passed, they appeared to become more comfortable with my presence.  The adult birds, in various stages of molt, looked tired.  

Laughing Gull -- Folly Beach -- Lighthouse Inlet Heritage Preserve -- August 5, 2013

Several began dozing just feet from me.  A few goofy talkative youngsters in the group kept things interesting though. 

Laughing Gulls -- Folly Beach -- Lighthouse Inlet Heritage Preserve -- August 5, 2013

Ah! .... all the follies of youth and the life lessons to be learned!  For example, this young bird was still learning the hard way the importance of facing into the wind.

Laughing Gulls -- Folly Beach -- Lighthouse Inlet Heritage Preserve -- August 5, 2013

Laughing Gulls -- Folly Beach -- Lighthouse Inlet Heritage Preserve -- August 5, 2013

The wind caught his feathers a couple of times and nearly toppled him over!

          As the gulls reposed, a few Royal Terns began to fly in.

Royal Tern -- Folly Beach -- Lighthouse Inlet Heritage Preserve -- August 5, 2013

        As I was photographing the terns, I sensed motion behind me.  I turned to see this female White-tailed Deer run a short distance across the salt flat.

White-tailed Deer -- Folly Beach -- Lighthouse Inlet Heritage Preserve -- August 5, 2013

She stopped behind a clump of marsh grass.  Then, I saw that she was not alone!

White-Tailed Deer -- Folly Beach -- Lighthouse Inlet Heritage Preserve -- August 5, 2013

She had twins! 

White-Tailed Deer -- Folly Beach -- Lighthouse Inlet Heritage Preserve -- August 5, 2013
Her children were learning life lessons also.   For example, .....

White-Tailed Deer -- Folly Beach -- Lighthouse Inlet Heritage Preserve -- August 5, 2013

White-Tailed Deer -- Folly Beach -- Lighthouse Inlet Heritage Preserve -- August 5, 2013
...... sand does not taste good!

         Mama deer was not as comfortable with my presence as the gulls had become and she trotted on leading her babies into the marsh and towards the woods.  She did stop long enough for me to capture this family portrait.

Family of White-Tailed Deer -- Folly Beach -- Lighthouse Inlet Heritage Preserve -- August 5, 2013

       After the deer disappeared into the woods, I turned my attention seaward again.  Additional birds were not coming in but more people were beginning to pass by.  The quiet moment shared with the gulls was over.  I decided to leave knowing that soon the heat of the day would soon begin tapping down.  Before leaving though, I captured this family group of Brown Pelicans flying by the lighthouse.

Morris Island Lighthouse taken from Folly Beach -- Lighthouse Inlet Heritage Preserve -- August 5, 2013

         I decided to return to my car by way of the front beach.  It was not long before the wildlife stopped me again.  I enjoyed watching the silhouetted willet fish in the surf. 

Willet --  Folly Beach -- Lighthouse Inlet Heritage Preserve -- August 5, 2013

Willet -- Folly Beach -- Lighthouse Inlet Heritage Preserve -- August 5, 2013

As I rounded the bend near the jetties, I noticed that gulls and terns were beginning to settle down on the front beach here.  I began to photograph them as well.

Royal Tern -- Folly Beach -- Lighthouse Inlet Heritage Preserve -- August 5, 2013 

Sandwich Tern -- Folly Beach -- Lighthouse Inlet Heritage Preserve -- August 5, 2013

Royal Tern -- Folly Beach -- Lighthouse Inlet Heritage Preserve -- August 5, 2013

Sandwich Tern -- Folly Beach -- Lighthouse Inlet Heritage Preserve -- August 5, 2013

Next, I noticed an extra large gull down next to the far jetty going after a prey in the surf.  It was a Great Black-backed Gull!  I soon figured out that he had a crab!  A thieving Laughing Gull also soon figured it out. 

Laughing Gull harassing a Great Black-backed Gull -- Folly Beach -- Lighthouse Inlet Heritage Preserve -- August 5, 2013

Eventually, the Great Black-backed was able to eat his meal and then honored me with a fly-by!

Great Black-backed Gull -- Folly Beach -- Lighthouse Inlet Heritage Preserve -- August 5, 2013

I also noted a late-arriving , amourous Sandwich Tern hoping to coax another Sandwich Tern with a fish. 

Sandwich Terns --  Folly Beach -- Lighthouse Inlet Heritage Preserve -- August 5, 2013

Initially, she seemed interested.

Sandwich Terns -- Folly Beach -- Lighthouse Inlet Heritage Preserve -- August 5, 2013

But, I suppose that early August is just too late for that kind of chemistry in the Sandwich Tern world. 

Sandwich Terns -- Folly Beach -- Lighthouse Inlet Heritage Preserve -- August 5, 2013

Most Sandwich Terns are at that time preoccupied with schooling their fledglings.

       I noted the arrival of more human beach-goers.  In the summer, people love to wade at the water's edge.  Unfortunately, by doing this, they disturb the birds that are resting there.  With the gathering flock of gulls and terns settling down to roost near me, I decided to sit and stay put with my camera pointed in the direction of the birds.  The tourists took the hint and left the water's edge so as not to keep the photographer from getting her shots.  Nice!  What they do not know is that I did it to keep them from bothering the birds.  If only they could be as concerned about the birds as they were about my "art."  I did benefit from the close proximity of the birds as they again became accepting of my presence.  

Laughing Gull -- Folly Beach -- Lighthouse Inlet Heritage Preserve -- August 5, 2013
 
Royal and Sandwich Terns & Laughing Gull -- Folly Beach -- Lighthouse Inlet Heritage Preserve -- August 5, 2013

Next, I noticed some terns unlike any I had seen before.  With a quick check in my Sibley's birding guide, I verified that these were Sandwich Tern youngsters! 

Juvenile Sandwich Terns -- Folly Beach -- Lighthouse Inlet Heritage Preserve -- August 5, 2013

Family group of Sandwich Terns -- Folly Beach -- Lighthouse Inlet Heritage Preserve -- August 5, 2013


They, like the juvenile Laughing Gulls, were rather expressive to each other and to their parents.

Young Sandwich Tern expressing itself to its parent while Royal Tern listens in -- Folly Beach -- Lighthouse Inlet Heritage Preserve -- August 5, 2013
Ah, the patience required of the parent of a teen!  Can't you just imagine the conversation!?

Young Sandwich Tern talking to his parent -- Folly Beach -- Lighthouse Inlet Heritage Preserve -- August 5, 2013


Interestingly, I noted that one of the young ones was banded!  The band appeared too corroded to read.

Young Sandwich Tern -- Folly Beach -- Lighthouse Inlet Heritage Preserve -- August 5, 2013
Drawn in, I presume, by the relative calm of our collective corner, eight Common Tern came winging in! 

Common Tern arriving with Sandwich Tern in the foreground -- Folly Beach -- Lighthouse Inlet Heritage Preserve -- August 5, 2013

Common Terns strolling on the beach -- Folly Beach -- Lighthouse Inlet Heritage Preserve -- August 5, 2013

          What a great morning for observing family interactions on the beach!  For awhile, the wildlife had accepted my presence.  As the tide continued to recede and more people arrived, the terns and gulls in my corner left for sandbars out in the inlet.  Though my original goal of a vigorous morning walk had fallen by the wayside, I felt happily renewed by the experience of sharing a space on the beach with the birds and the deer.  And I felt privileged to have been allowed a window into the intimacy of their family lives.  It is a summer beach memory that I have cherished all this Fall. 

    

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Lowcountry Fall: Finding Bits of Red, Gold & Purple in a Whole Lot of Gray, Green & Brown

Caw Caw Interpretive Center -- Ravenel, SC -- December 1, 2012

         Inspired by bits of Fall color outside my window here at home -- the Gold leaves of the Grapevine and Orange-Red leaves of my neighbor's Crepe Myrtles -- Carl and I decided to search for a little more color this past weekend in our county parks.  As indicated in my previous post, The Rusty Reds in the Park, evergreen trees such as Live Oak, Southern Magnolia, and Pine, predominate in our Lowcountry landscape.  We knew we would not find large swashes of color but rather splashes here and there. 

         Unfortunately, the weather was most uncooperative Saturday with overcast skies at Caw Caw Interpretive Center.  Without bright light, normally vivid colors dull.  Our morning was far grayer than the photo above which was taken last December.  This is perhaps what we would have experienced at Caw Caw on Saturday with brighter light.  Nonetheless, we were at Caw Caw for birding and photography also!  Birding Caw Caw is always a delight -- gray skies or not!  I took advantage of the bird walk led by naturalist Chet Morse to enjoy the camaraderie and extra sets of eyes of fellow birders.  Carl set off for his own photographic excursion.  

         My favorite birds of the day were a Brown Creeper (just a fleeting glance as he disappeared around the tree) and then this Hermit Thrush feasting on Yaupon berries.

Hermit Thrush -- Caw Caw Interpretive Center -- November 23, 2013

Using a big lens on a moving bird in low light may result in a blurry bird!  Thankfully, he and I both were able to hold relatively steady for the next shot!

Hermit Thrush -- Caw Caw Interpretive Center -- November 23, 2013

        If you are curious about the outcomes of Carl's photographic excursion, here is his best photo of the day from Caw Caw.

Young alligator -- Caw Caw Interpretive Center -- November 23, 2013 -- Photo by Carl Miller

         Though both Carl and I were quite content with our Saturday outdoors and the camaraderie shared with fellow birders and photographers on the bird walk, we still felt a need for a Fall Foliage Fix.  Thus, when Sunday morning dawned  with bright blue skies, we headed back out to another park -- James Island County Park -- for more bird-watching, photography and walking.  After a SLOW walk around Caw Caw, I was eager to stretch my legs and lift my heart rate.  The brisk temperatures and blustery wind provided further impetus to us to MOVE.  With the strong wind, we were not really expecting to have a very birdy morning.  And yet, surprisingly, we found little pockets of shelter from the wind that proved to be quite birdy.   

         Our first encounter with color came in the form of this lovely Little Blue Heron.

Little Blue Heron -- James Island County Park -- November 24, 2013

Little Blue Heron -- James Island County Park -- November 24, 2013

        Then, right next to the playground, in an area sheltered from the wind, we had quite the flurry of small songbirds: Carolina Wren, Yellow-Rump Warbler, Ruby-Crowned Kinglet, Blue-Headed Vireo, Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher, Northern Cardinal!  So many birds all around us, and we did not know which way to look or which way to point our cameras.  The colors though in this corner clinched the decision for me photographically.  I wanted to capture the songbirds with a colorful backdrop.  Here are my favorite shots. 

Blue-Headed Vireo -- James Island County Park -- November 24, 2013

Yellow-Rumped Warbler -- James Island County Park -- November 24, 2013

Yellow-Rumped Warbler showing his signature yellow rump! -- James Island County Park -- November 24, 2013

Yellow-Rumped Warbler -- James Island County Park -- November 24, 2013

        Towards the end of our walk, we found one Sweetgum tree showing off in a small space all the bright colors of Fall -- a lovely, coveted artist's palate of color in a sea of green! 

Multiple Sweetgum colors! -- James Island County Park -- November 24, 2013

Multiple Sweetgum colors! -- James Island County Park -- November 24, 2013

         After a heavenly weekend of Fall birding in an Lowcountry autumnal palate of grays and greens with splashes of color, Carl and I finished off our morning at a favorite breakfast spot to enjoy a favorite Southern Lowcountry comfort food: eggs, grits and sausage!   It was a perfect conclusion to a cold, but colorful morning of birding and photography. 


Saturday, November 23, 2013

The Rusty Reds in the Park

       The Carolina Lowcountry is not known for fabulous Fall color for good reasons.  We simply do not have great quantities of the types of hardwoods that produce that kind of color.  Closer to the salt marshes, the less color we seem to have as Palmettos, Live Oaks and cedar predominate.  Last Sunday, however, Carl and I enjoyed some rusty reds in our walk at James Island County Park.  The Cypress trees here have developed some lovely, coppery hues.

Cypress color -- James Island County Park -- November 17, 2013
        Our self-appointed mission last Sunday was to hopefully relocate an Eastern Screech Owl which has been seen a couple of times on the Bird Walks.  Though we did find the tree on which the owl has been known to perch, he was not there.  We continued to look as we hiked along the trails.  Just as Carl was gesturing into a deep wooded area and was saying, "You know, that seems like the ideal place to spot an owl,"  we peered into the deep wooded area .... and we saw .... NOT an owl .... BUT this wonderful, rusty-breasted Red-Shouldered Hawk!

Red-Shouldered Hawk -- James Island County Park -- November 17, 2013

          It was not the hoped-for owl but, indeed, I was delighted to see and photograph this beautiful buteo!  From the coppery glow off of the cypress to the rusty red of the Red-Shouldered Hawk, I can relish some Lowcountry Rusty Reds in the park!

          It is now late November and we are seeing some color on some hardwoods around James Island this weekend.  Fall color always arrives late here.  Yes, it is time to venture out again to see if I can capture digitally more of these fleeting, but lovely shades.  Who knows, maybe we will find an owl this time too!

Sunday, November 10, 2013

November Birding: Charleston Natural History Society Visits the Savannah NWR

Savannah National Wildlife Refuge -- for larger view of map, click here -- courtesy of US Fish and Wildlife
 
          Saturday, November 9, 2013, I served as trip leader for the Charleston Natural History Society (CNHS) (aka Charleston Audubon) field trip to Savannah National Wildlife Refuge (NWR).  This beautiful and wild landscape at the southern most border of our state has been featured 3 times previously in this blog.  For an introduction to this wonderful refuge, you will want to read my post from December 6, 2011, "Discovering the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge."   If you are interested in what delights this property may hold in mid-summer, check out my July 31, 2012 post, "Oh Limpkin, Where Art Thou? -- Savannah NWR? -- Roadtrip!"     Last February, in the blog post, "This Past Weekend: The Chase for Three Extraordinary Life Birds!," I recounted our visit to the refuge to see the famed, "lost" Cinnamon Teal.

          Last November, I had gone on the CNHS field trip to Savannah NWR.  On that excursion, I had seen my first LeConte's sparrow!  A new life bird!  Thus, I was eager to return this November to see what this wondrous property might reveal to us this time.  We arrived at the entrance of the Laurel Hill Wildlife Drive eager to bird this always birdy place.  Unfortunately, many of the trees and shrubs surrounding the entrance had been cut down and resultingly, there were far fewer birds.  Nonetheless, we did find multiple Ruby-Crowned Kinglets, a Palm Warbler and a Black and White Warbler among a few interesting sparrow species:  Chipping, Swamp, Savannah and Song.  There were also a couple of Northern Flicker and Red-Bellied Woodpecker flyovers and several Tree Swallows.  A Northern Mockingbird stood guard over a berry bush while Carolina Wrens fussed from within.

          As we began the drive, we scoured the marshes alongside for additional Sparrow species ... still hoping for a specialty bird, like last year's LeConte's.  But these marshes only gave us the same as the ones previously noted.  Along this first stretch of the drive, we noted also noted Great Egret and Blue-Winged Teal flyovers, the always elegant Northern Harrier, a few White Ibis, some scattered Common Gallinule, Pied-Billed Grebe, Little Blue Heron, and American Coot.

White Ibis -- Savannah NRW -- November 9, 2013
 
           A fellow birder from Brevard, NC pointed out this wonderful American Bittern to our group  which gave several of us a fabulous photo opportunity!  One in our own group spotted the elusive Sora!          


American Bittern -- Savannah National Wildlife Refuge -- November 9, 2013

          As the winds began to pick up and the morning wore on, I became concerned that we might miss out on the early woodland birds if we remained out in the open scouring the impoundments for birds that we were likely to see all day long.  Thus, we pushed forward to the first wooded area and sortied from the cars to bird a stretch and to explore.  Though it was a bit late in the morning, this area was still birdy.  We added American Goldfinch, Golden-Crowned Kinglet, House Wren, Downy Woodpecker, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Chickadee, Osprey, Great Blue Heron, Cray Catbird and Northern Cardinal to our lists.  A few different butterfly species flitted about, including a favorite, the Zebra Heliconian.  Normally, this species is a bit hard to come by.  But this day, we saw several!

Zebra Heliconian -- Savannah National Wildlife Refuge -- November 9, 2013

         Just beyond this first wooded area, the Plantation Trail extends out to another wooded hummock.  A few of us continued to scour the marsh edges for interesting sparrows, still hoping for a specialty, while others moved on down the dike.  We found more Blue-Winged Teal and we found three female Northern Shovelers as a flock of Blue-Winged Teal with 4 Northern Shovelers flew over.  The Ruby-Crowned Kinglets and Tufted Titmouse continued to show themselves in abundance.

Ruby-Crowned Kinglet -- Savannah NWR -- November 9, 2013
 
The sparrows, though, continued to frustrate us by popping up and then just as quickly, back down into the marsh.  One has to be truly patient and lucky to successfully find the specialty sparrows.  Though we were patient, we were not lucky this time.  Lady Luck was smiling though as one in our group found this delightful Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker posed nicely in a roadside willow.  He quickly became one much photographed bird!

Juvenile Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker -- Savannah NWR -- November 9, 2013
The following photo shows the trait (not often visible) for which he is named.
 
Juvenile male Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker -- Savannah NWR -- November 9, 2013


        After visiting the hummock, we drove slowly to our next stop at the corner, the southern most tip of the loop.  Here again, we exited the cars to walk a bit along the dike on the Raccoon Island trail.  Almost immediately, I spotted a raptor perched in a snag overlooking the two parallel dikes.  Views through the scope helped us to identify the bird as a female Merlin!

Merlin -- Savannah NWR -- November 9, 2013


Our group split up and took the 2 dikes that paralleled a canal.  While my group was enjoying close-up views of the Merlin, the other group having a more extensive view of what was around the bend called out that we were coming up on a male American Kestrel.  We were thrilled at the prospect of being able to study a Merlin and an American Kestrel at the same time.   The American Kestrel then helped us out by flying in closer to the Merlin.

Male American Kestrel -- Savannah NWR -- November 9, 2013

 Click on Pam Ford's photo below and you will get a larger view of where the two birds perched in relation to one another.  They are at the far left and right edges of the photo.

Female Merlin (left) and male American Kestrel -- Savannah NWR -- November 9, 2013 -- Photo by Pam Ford
The American Kestrel did not stay perched there too long.  After a stare down, he took off and I turned my lens back to the beautiful Merlin.  I also watched her for some time through the scope for a close-up view.  I was mesmerized.  I could have studied her all day.  I started to take more pictures of her.  Shooting a big lens at that distance with no tripod, you can never be sure which of your pictures will be sharp.  It is a good idea to take many photos.  When I started a shoot, all of a sudden I saw the American Kestrel arrive through my viewfinder and attack our Merlin!  The little bully!  It was pure luck that I had the camera up and shooting at that moment.  Kestrels are one of the fastest falcons!  I exclaimed, "Oh my God!" and kept shooting.  The others had looked away for moment -- perhaps distracted by the sounds of small birds in the brush in front of us -- and I think most of them missed it ... until I showed them the photos on the back of my camera!

Male American Kestrel attacking female Merlin -- Savannah NWR -- November 9, 2013

Female Merlin regaining her balance after attack by male American Kestrel -- Savannah NWR -- November 9, 2013

Female Merlin regaining her balance (and looking annoyed) after attack by male American Kestrel -- Savannah NWR -- November 9, 2013

           Wow!  What a wonderful day of birding!  We continued to watch the two birds -- primarily the Merlin as the American Kestrel flew in and then flew off a few times -- while waiting for the other group to finish the loop around the dike to join us.

            Carl had been in the other group.  Carl and my envy of each other's best shots is notable and drives us both to improve.  The family competition is thus fun and productive.  As such, it was fun to show Carl my shot of the Kestrel attacking the Merlin once his group joined up again with my group.  He made some grumbling remarks and then set off to get a close-up shot of the Merlin.  I have to say that though he did not get the action shot that I got, he did get a closer and clearer shot of the Merlin.  His photo below merits a place in this blog post for truly capturing the regal beauty of this bird.  I am indeed envious!
 
Merlin -- Savannah NWR -- November 9, 2013 -- Photo by Carl Miller

          After these long observations of this lovely bird, we decided it was time to continue our loop around the drive to the area where large numbers of ducks are usually found in the winter.  Close to the 3.5 mile marker, we arrived at our destination and yes, there were hundreds of ducks -- easily visible with a scope!  Thankfully, we had several scopes!  In the greatest number, we saw American Coots (400+) and then Ring-Necked Ducks (250+).  Two different observers spotted a larger duck with a light brown head, light gray back and a ski-slope black bill -- a female Canvasback! -- Truly a great find!  We were all thrilled!  It had been at least a couple of years since most of us had seen one in South Carolina!  None of us photographers in the group were set up to digiscope so, unfortunately, we do not have a photo of our special bird.  The photo below, taken at Huntington Beach State Park in December 2010, shows an example of the female Canvasback species that we saw through the scopes on Saturday, November 9 at Savannah NWR -- our Bird of the Day!

Female Canvasback -- Huntington Beach State Park -- December 29, 2010

Other ducks found in the large expanse of waterfowl included some Wood Ducks.  A couple of people in our group had the luck of finding American Black Ducks and Mallards.  While those experienced with the scopes attempted to count the ducks for our bird lists, others of us amused ourselves with photographing a Northern Harrier who approached close above us.

Northern Harrier -- Savannah NWR -- September 9, 2013

         I also wandered down a side trail and found a butterfly -- one that I am sure that I have never seen before.  I am in discovery mode when it comes to butterflies.  I am beginning to feel the need to become a lister and to begin cataloguing my new "discoveries."  I took the photo, and at home, I was able to use my trusty copy of Butterflies of the East Coast; An Observer's Guide, to identify a rather rare one for South Carolina -- the Tropical Checkered-Skipper!  This species generally prefers the state of Florida.  However, the guide notes that "a handful of strays reach[ing] Georgia and the Carolinas."  The map shows specific triangles where it has been sighted.   One of those triangles sits right on top of the southeastern corner of the state -- where we were!  The Tropical Checkered-Skipper differs from the more common Common Checkered Skipper (known to inhabit SC) by two small spots on the wings on the Common and the steely blue hairs on the body and the inner wings on the Tropical.  This was such a great way to finish out the day -- a rare to SC butterfly -- the Tropical Checkered-Skipper!

Tropical Checkered-Skipper -- Savannah NWR -- November 9, 2013

         Indeed, our group from the Charleston Natural History Society spent a beautiful day in the field at the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge!  Our group's total count for the day was 73 species!  We were particularly thrilled with our close-up views of the American Bittern, the American Kestrel, the Merlin, the Northern Harrier and then our marvelous find, our female Canvasback!  It proved to be quite an opening to our winter season of birding.  We are looking forward to more wonderful finds!  Our special butterfly finds of the day were the frosting on the cake!   

          I wish to give a special thanks to Andy Harrison and David McLean for serving in the capacity of list keepers.   Bob and Monica Bradley also provided wonderful suggestions for places to stop along the wildlife drive all of which proved to be productive for us bird-wise.  I also want to thank Pam Ford and Carl for their photographic contributions as well as for their entertaining banter in the car.  And then to all of the participants in this field trip, I thank you all for your observant eyes and warm camaraderie!  We should all bird together again -- and soon!