Observers: Justin Hite and Kathy Kelley
Email: justinhiteatgmaildotcom
Verification: MONO
Remote Name: 65.241.2.253
Date: 09/24/2007
Time: 03:51 PM -0400
While watching a young Sora feeding at the northeastern corner of the main willow-fringed lagoon at Rush Creek Delta this morning we were surprised when a whitish Northern Waterthrush flew in and landed beside it. The Sora was not as impressed as we were and immediately charged. Fortunatley for us the Waterthrush flew only a few feet before settling back down onto the muck, where we got good views of the streaky throat as it pumped and bobbed among the willow for the next few minutes. The delta willows were swarming with dozens of Audubon’s and Yellow Warblers, at least a dozen of both Orange-crowned Warblers and Common Yellowthroats, and a single adult Wilson’s Warbler. Flycatchers included 7 Say’s Phoebes, 3 Black Phoebes, an unbanded Willow Flycatcher, and a Western Wood-Pewee. There were 24 Great Egrets loafing with about 700 California Gulls, 8 Ring-billed Gulls and zero Sabine’s Gulls at the delta mouth. Other fun birds were a flyby Bank Swallow 8 feet away, a Prairie Falcon, three young Harriers playing follow-the-leader, 7 species of dabblers, and at least half a dozen Gnatcatchers bouncing around in the bitterbrush. Before leaving town this morning, we ran into Kirk Hopkin who told us he had a Virginia's Warbler in the willows at the Rush Creek Delta yesterday (9/23).